Mister Brisbane: Where in the world
Some fun | What's not on | What is on | Online learning | Cruise hygiene
Here’s a game you can play at home. Or, given the current circumstances, online. Find an old photo of yourself in a famous place, but crop it so it’s difficult to recognise where it was taken. I’ll start you off with a fairly easy one. Here I am (yes, it is me) at a famous attraction. See if you can name it.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
I received an email from the State Library of Queensland reminding me of the great benefits of being a member (which I am). In fact, there are “millions of free online resources so that you can read, watch, research and learn from home at any time”, the email says. Those resources include ebooks, newspaper archives, streamed classic films, family history resources and online courses. Details here.
SEASON SWALLOWED
In sad news for the cast, crew and subscribers, Queensland Theatre has announced it is “no longer able to deliver Othello, The Children, Phaedra and FIFTY!” Depending on the prevailing restrictions, it hopes to be able to mount Triple X, Prima Facie and The Holidays under a revised schedule later this year. Still in limbo at the time of writing is the much-anticipated world premiere of Boy Swallows Universe, the Tim McGarry play based on Trent Dalton’s best-selling novel, due to be presented in conjunction with the Brisbane Festival. Details here. Meanwhile, the Brisbane Powerhouse has announced dates for rescheduled performances, including a few Brisbane Comedy Festival gigs and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall has announced some cancellations and rescheduled dates, as has QPAC. It seems none of the larger venues expect to be able to reopen until at least October. In the UK, which has been hit much harder by the coronavirus, theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh reckons things won’t be back to normal until next year, saying applying social-distancing in venues would be “a horrible experience”.
Some good news for opera fans. Opera Australia is streaming some of its greatest hits and behind-the-scenes video at Opera TV. An OA email explains: “On offer is the world’s most comprehensive collection of Dame Joan Sutherland performances on film, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour recordings, interviews hosted by Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini, and behind-the-scenes footage. Each week we will add new films, starting with La Traviata on Sydney Harbour from 2012, Dame Joan Sutherland in our 1988 production of The Merry Widow, and an interview with Concertmaster Jun Yi Ma.”
WASHY WISH
Over the weekend, there was some chatter online about a device that allows people to open inward-facing restroom doors without touching the handle, so as not to compromise personal hygiene after washing one’s hands. It was suggested as a solution for cruise ships to stop the spread of viruses such as Covid-19 and the more common but less deadly norovirus. It’s a good short-term fix but the long-term challenge for cruise ship operators (and for those who operate hotels, entertainment venues and other places where a lot of humans congregate) is to have designs and systems in place to ensure people practise good personal hygiene. With ships, I’d suggest modifications to make toilet doors hands-free, plus the insistence, perhaps as a contractual obligation, that all passengers and crew do the right thing. Perhaps the “washy-washy” staff they have outside the dining rooms on some ships, who charm people into sanitising their hands, should become a lot more common. As much as I love to cruise, the companies will certainly have to demonstrate that they are taking a harder line on hygiene if they want my patronage again.
MEANWHILE…
Feeling hungry? You’ve probably got a favourite delivery service, but here’s one you may not have heard of: Bopple. It’s based in Brisbane and can provide food from your favourite eateries for delivery or pick-up. Browse and order here.
More and more arts organisations are dipping into their archives, or arranging appropriately-socially-distanced opportunities for their artists to appear online. QPAC’s list of online performances is here. Edition Three of its At Home series features the Beamish Brothers.
The ABC also has some great streaming arts content here on iView. Highlights include Bangarra Dance Theatre’s landmark Ochres and The Australian Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet, Australian plays Away and David Williamson’s Emerald City (pictured, above) and the Sydney Philharmonic Choir’s performance of Handel’s Messiah.
In Yatala, the drive-in cinema is open again. In Denmark, they’ve got drive-in concerts.
FEEDBACK
In response to my question last week about what people would do once coronavirus restrictions were fully eased, Mary tweeted: “Go to the races, followed by a drink at my local with my mates.”
It seems that not everybody is as enthusiastic about the new Brisbane cruise port as me. Lisa commented on Facebook: “Never been on a cruise, stuck on a boat with heaps of people is not my idea of a holiday, I am even less likely to ever consider one now. They just seem to be a breeding ground for germs.”