I have two opportunities to see theater while in Sydney and both make me SO happy.

The first is a production of The Maids at Sydney Theatre Co. starring Cate Blanchett, Isabelle Huppert, and Elizabeth Debicki. The play features a new adaptation co-authored by Andrew Upton (Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Co.; also Cate Blanchett’s husband).

And I was so pleased to see Elizabeth Debicki in the cast — I’d seen The Great Gatsby only a few days before, in which she plays Jordan Baker.

The play is largely about power dynamics between two maids and their cruel mistress with oddly sexual undertones, not unlike Venus in Fur, if you’ve seen that. I was solidly confused for the first 20 minutes until a certain twist is revealed, and then I was on board. But there’s one very strange aspect of this production: there are cameramen in the wings and video is continuously projected throughout the performance above the set, cut live, much like a soap opera. However since the cameras are off to the side instead of at the fourth wall, the angles are extremely odd and quite distracting from the performances on stage. I wish they’d cut the video element entirely. My cheap seat had a partially obstructed view ($42) so I couldn’t see the screen much of the time, for which I was grateful! Cate is excellent. It’s a tricky part because there’s some role-playing within the play and she does it all marvelously.

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And there’s a bookstore in the lobby with a second-hand section… heaven! This is where I picked up a copy of The Normal Heart.

My second theatrical event takes place a week later when I witness Idina Menzel perform in concert at the Sydney Opera House!

Once again, I only bring my iPhone since theater venues generally frown on big DSLR cameras and I don’t want to leave my camera bag at coat check.

The lobby! I am so happy to walk through the doors of this place. It feels like being in church.

I paid a little more for the second-cheapest seats, as the very cheapest had sold out. This seat was $87 and while I wish I could’ve sat closer, it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the show.

Idina performed barefoot, prancing about the stage. Her voice is truly one of a kind and I found myself getting emotional during several songs. The last time I saw her perform was with the original cast of Wicked around Xmas 2003… nearly ten years ago. And to hear her sings numbers from RENT (where she was also an original cast member — but if you’ve read this far, you probably already knew that) just made my night. She did a fair number of other show tunes, most notably songs by the late composer Marvin Hamlisch, who used to accompany her concerts and was a dear friend. Her banter was very much unscripted (as evidenced by lots of pauses, “ummms,” and losing her train of thought) which is surprising given that she does these concerts around the U.S. quite often. But the audience ate up every minute of it.

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26 June 2013 // Idina Menzel // Conductor: Vanessa Scammell

PLAYLIST:

• Somewhere Over the Rainbow (sung off-stage)
• The Wizard and I (Wicked)
• Don’t Rain on My Parade (Funny Girl)
• I Stand (from her solo album)
• Both Sides Now
• Medley: Wedding / Bar Mitzvah songs
• At the Ballet (Chorus Line)
• What I Did For Love (Chorus Line)
• God Save My Soul (original song)
• Medley: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Your Eyes
• Poker Face (Glee version — Idina, to the orchestra: “I’m so sorry for making you play this”)
• Take Me Or Leave Me (RENT; duets with audience members)
• No Day But Today (RENT)
• For Good (Wicked; sung a capella)

ENCORE:

• Defying Gravity (Wicked)
• Learn to Live Without (from her upcoming Broadway show If/Then)
• Somewhere (West Side Story)

[2 hours total; no intermission]

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When singing “Take Me Or Leave Me” from RENT, she invited several audience members to duet with her. It was cute and most of them could actually sing quite well. Here’s a video of one audience participant from the concert I attended.

And more photos of the Sydney Opera House for good measure:

What a night! I feel so lucky to have seen a show in this iconic venue, and how fortuitous that a beloved Broadway performer happened to be in town during my stay in Sydney. Randomly, Kristin Chenoweth (Idina’s co-star in Wicked) happened to play at the Opera House the week before. Both Kristin and Idina had mini-tours around Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane) over the same two-week span. Wish I could’ve seen Kristin too!

For the record — I have yet to buy a single souvenir on my trip. But I’ll happily spend money on theater tickets or other experiences that will stay with me for a long time, like skydiving or scuba diving. I am so pleased to have witnessed The Maids and Idina’s concert.