We went searching for the most page-turning books, the funniest TV, the smartest theatre, the best books and music and film. After naming the best in politics, policy, media and business, we present the 2011 Cultural Crikeys.
Sydney Theatre Company
theatre reviews 
Blood Wedding — Wharf 1, Sydney
The Sydney Theatre Company’s new production of Lorca’s Teflon-coated classic Blood Wedding certainly has visceral ecstasies and powerful performances but its lack of cohesiveness is an issue, writes Lloyd Bradford Skye.
theatre reviews Zebra — Wharf 1, Sydney
Bryan Brown, Nadine Garner, a terrific set and a funny script are the stars of new Sydney Theatre Company play Zebra, writes Lloyd Bradford Syke.
My Cup Of Tea: Hey Cate, you wouldn’t know a cultural heart if you planned it yourself
Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton are out of touch, argues Ben Eltham. From their state-sponsored ivory tower they can’t see where Sydney’s real cultural beats are played.
theatre reviews True West — fresh, vibrant, brilliant
Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and playing at the Sydney Theatre Company, True West features explosive character development and uniformly impressive production values heavily invested with passion, skill and steely sharpness, writes Lloyd Bradford Skye.
Theatre review: True West – a new American classic
Sydney Theatre Company has delivered a season of old and new American classics. Now Oscar-winning yank Philip Seymour Hoffman has ridden into town to deliver perhaps the best yet. True West, says Brad Syke of Crikey theatre blog Curtain Call, is a searing portrait.
Daily Proposition: Hang out on the Fringe with Backbone Joe
With The Ballad of Backbone Joe — part-cabaret, part-concert, part-play and part-sketch comedy — The Suitcase Royale define, or defy, what constitutes theatre, writes Lloyd Bradford Syke.
Daily Proposition: See two of the greatest American plays
For the next week, Sydney theatre audiences can see perhaps the finest American play of the past decade and one of the greatest American plays of the past century in repertory. Don’t miss August: Osage County and Our Town.
Theatre review: August: Osage County, a modern-day classic
August: Osage County won a Pulitzer and five Tonys. It is, says Curtain Call’s Lloyd Bradford Syke, “the finest modern play, and production, I’ve ever seen”. A Chicago theatre company delivers in Sydney.
Daily Proposition: See a play that makes you think
The Sydney Theatre Company’s deeply thoughtful Like A Fishbone is about something. But what? asks Lloyd Bradford Syke.
Daily Proposition: See a Greek tragedy that’d take Freud years to untangle
The tale of King Agamemnon’s family is so dysfunctional that it makes The Simpsons look run-of-the mill, says Lloyd Bradford Syke. Enjoy a bloody night out with STC’s Residents.
Daily Proposition: Get your diary out for a world of Hurt
Sometimes, to see the best things tonight, you have to plan. Otherwise organised people will end up sitting in your seats, which is terribly inconvenient. On today’s agenda: STC 2010. Starring William Hurt.
Creative roles for women hard to find in Australian theatre
Crikey’s tipster who last week expressed dismay at the lack of women programmed in Sydney’s Company B theatre season for 2010 was certainly not alone.
Tips and rumours: Weird and wacky world of TV news execs
What difficulties do TV execs face when they dump their wives for work experience students? Plus, The Oz slogan seems very familiar…
Talk of the foyer: snubbed playwright invited in from cold
It’s the worst-kept secret of the 2010 theatre season: Joanna Murray-Smith will finally get a show on at the Sydney Theatre Company after years in the wilderness.
Guy Rundle: Little-t Williamson at $60 a seat
Playwright David Williamson is pissed off that the Sydney Theatre Company has declined the opportunity to take his new work.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Comments, corrections, clarifications, and c*ckups
The PM’s 2020 steering committee … Allco’s scandals … Morris Iemma … tricky Tiger’s luggage limit scam … ABC Learning … The West …
Why Cate Blanchett makes perfect sense
Is it because Cate Blanchett is a well dressed female actress that news outlets and commentators feel the need to assume that she is not an intelligent and shrewd advocate for the arts? wonders Nicholas Pickard.
Profile of the playwright as vapid hack
In filling a profile of leading playwright Joanna Murray Smith with all manner of poison,critic Alison Croggon crossed an unfortunate line, writes Peter Craven.
Rudd government is bad for the arts
By eliminating the Australia on the World Stage program, the Federal Labor Government is ignoring key recommendations from many of their traditionally loyal constituents, writes Nicholas Pickard.
Luvvies at 10 paces: high drama in Sydney theatreland
A major rift is opening up between the country’s flagship theatre company, the Sydney Theatre Company and the broadsheet newspaper regularly condemned for blindly supporting it, the Sydney Morning Herald. Nicholas Pickard reports.
