Dinner with the crew from Faulty Towers!
This globetrotting show is truly quite legendary, selling out in places such as Sydney Opera House, Raffles Singapore and London’s West End. When the audience become diners in the Faulty Towers restaurant and are served by Basil, Sybil and Manuel, pretty much anything can happen – especially with two-thirds of the show improvised. The fun starts as guests wait to be seated, then hurtles along in a tour de force of gags and belly-laughs. Expect shambolic service and a 70s-style 3-course meal in ‘two riotous hours of food, wine and impeccable comic timing’ (Great Aussie Bite at Sydney Opera House). Born in 1997, Faulty Towers the Dining Experience is a fully immersive, highly improvised and site-specific piece of comedy theatre that continues to be acclaimed around the world by audiences and critics alike. It opened a residency in London’s West End in 2012 and continues there still, ranking consistently high in TripAdvisor’s top London theatre listings. Nine teams of cast now tour the world virtually non-stop.
Saturday at the Ballina RSL, Doors open 7pm, dinner and show 7.30pm. Ticket price $64.90 includes 3-course meal and 2-hour show.
Seeing Red: IncREDible artists at Lone Goat Gallery
Last week I mistakenly wrote that the RED Inc artists were having an exhibition at their studio on the Byron Arts & Industry Estate, instead of at Byron’s Lone Goat Gallery. My apologies to anyone who turned up at the wrong place and missed the opening. I don’t know what happened, I think I had a bit of a malfunction. Fortunately while you may have been sent on a goose chase re the opening, you can still view this extraordinary work on show until 11 May.
The exhibition features stunning visual artworks, including paintings, drawings, printmaking, sculpture and ceramic works made by artists with a disability who create their works through RED Inc’s creative arts programs. RED Inc is a disability-support organisation based in the northern rivers region that has studios in both Byron Bay and Lismore.
Keeping court with Sully
Greg Sullivan is one of the most experienced and accomplished standup comics and entertainment personalities around.
Sully worked at Triple M for fourteen years, as a writer for the first seven, and then graduating to co-host of the top-rating breakfast show The Cage. He has been invited to the world-famous Improv Comedy Club in Los Angeles, performed at major festivals such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala, and has appeared in a variety of roles on television shows such as Good News Week, Home Delivered Humour, O’Loghlin on Saturday Night, The Today Show and A Current Affair.
Through his affable charisma, dedication and entertainment value, Sully has developed an eminent and likeable public profile throughout Australia. He currently spends half his waking life at sea as the talent on the hugely popular Comedy Cruises.
Greg is the host of the Open Mic comedy night at the Court House Hotel in Mullumbimby on Thursday. 8pm. Free
Movies for grownups at Brunswick Picture House
Brunswick Heads is in love with their newest venue, the loving restored Brunswick Picture House that offers locals a little something different.
This Thursday sees the ‘grown-up’ film series with Bran Nue Dae screening at 6pm, and on Sunday enjoy a nostalgic laugh with your family on Mothers Day when they screen Crocodile Dundee at 4pm.
Brunswick Picture House, 30 Fingal Street, Brunswick Heads. And while you’re there, why not pick up tix for Cheeky Cabaret on Saturday 21 May 7pm, or The Space Cowboy on Friday 27 May at 6pm.
The Hale story
Direct from a record sell-out five week season at Perth’s FringeWorld Festival, and performances at Brisbane’s Anywhere Festival, international comedy hypnotist Matt Hale is set to amaze Byron audiences with his modern brand of hypno-laughs at Byron Bay Theatre on Friday. Winner of three national comedy awards, Matt Hale is a professional stage hypnotist based in Perth. The globetrotting stage hypnotist performs at public and corporate events across Australia, Asia and the UK. He’s appeared in media as diverse as the UK’s tabloids, BBC, ABC, Today Tonight and has been included in the National Film and Sound Archive and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
The award-winning stage hypnotist has hypnotised people from London to Vegas (where Mike Tyson told him ‘You’re AMAZING!’, turning the traditional hypnosis show on its head. Matt’s mesmerising and hilarious show Hypnolicious uses audience participation to display the incredible abilities of the mind. The show is real hypnosis, real fun, and suitable for all ages. Matt hypnotises volunteers with hilarious (but tasteful!) consequences; no two shows are the same. Hypnolicious is designed to be enjoyed just as much from the stage (for those who choose to participate), or the audience (who are spellbound at what transpires).
Byron Community Centre, Friday 8pm. Cost:
Full $35, group of 6+ $30 each, concession/child under 16 $25. Bookings: byroncentre.com.au
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