10 Things To See At Sydney Festival

1. SACRILEGE

British artist Jeremy Deller has created a life-size Stonehenge, set up in our very own Hyde Park North from 9 – 26 January. Except it's a jumping castle, which is why it's our number one pick for the festival. Whether you've been drinking since midday (because we already won the Ashes!) and want to bounce around your belly-full of grog, or you have small children keen to make themselves sick from jumping, this is going to be fun. Sure, it's not the real thing, but, in a certain light, you could almost argue that it's better.

Read our interview with Jeremy Deller here.

2. EDWYN COLLINS

It's been decades since this icon of British indie pop has performed in Australia. Since the former leader of Orange Juice suffered a stroke in 2005, his music has taken on a poignancy that, in a live context, can leave a packed room sobbing. A night with Collins is an evening that will take you to both ends of the emotional spectrum. See him at The Spiegeltent 19 and 21 Jan.

3. BLACK DIGGERS

This year is the centenary of WWI, and to commemorate that, Sydney Festival, the Balnaves Foundation and the Queensland Theatre Company present the world premiere of Black Diggers, a play about the bravery of Australia's under-appreciated Indigenous soldiers, written by Tom Wright and directed by Wesley Enoch. The play features an all-male, all-Indigenous cast who explore the ANZAC narrative from a different, often overlooked, perspective. Black Diggers is on at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre on 18, 19, 21 – 26 Jan.

4. MERCHANTS STORE AT DARLING HARBOUR

Art installations are taking over Sydney over the course of the festival (#notSkywhale), and this is one of our favourites. Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich has created a 19th century building for people young and old to climb. Except it's actually just a floor to crawl on, made to look like the side of a building, thanks to an adjacent mirror set up to give the appearance of people actively defying gravity. It'll be in Darling Harbour on 9 – 23 Jan.  

5. ANDREW WEATHERALL

Ever since the Second Summer Of Love, Weatherall has always been at the edges of electronic music's most innovative work. In the past year alone, this elder statesman of house music has created head-busting remixes for the likes of Jagwar Ma and Primal Scream. His DJ sets give true meaning to the word 'eclectic' – he's not afraid to rock, afraid to dance, or afraid of the dark. Catch him at The Spiegeltent on 26 Jan.

6. LA VOIX HUMAINE

As soon as we heard about this one-woman show, we just had to include it in our round-up. Toneelgroep Amsterdam brings us this production of Jean Cocteau's 1927 monologue, La Voix Humaine or The Human Voice, a heart-wrenching story of self-destruction and desperation when a woman phones her ex-lover. First staged in 1930, this interpretation stars Halina Reijn and is directed by Ivo van Hove. It will be performed in Dutch, with English subtitles, adding to the voyeurism of watching a woman at her most intimate and pained, and making for a confronting piece of theatre. See the monologue performed at Carriageworks Bay 17, 9 – 13 Jan.

Limbo

7. LIMBO

If you're interested in the circus, or cabaret, or jokes, Limbo, presented by Strut & Fret, Underbelly Productions and Southbank Centre, might be the production for you. The production combines live jazz/oompah/rap/bossa nova with jaw-dropping stunts from some of the finest acrobats in the country. There are illusions and skimpy outfits and more than its fair share of athleticism and good humour. Limbo is at The Spiegeltent 9 – 26 Jan.

8. THE REDUX PROJECT

The Redux Project at Carriageworks Track 8 on 18 and 19 Jan is an hour-long $15 film screening, with a twist. Artist Richard DeDomenici has got some locals on board to recreate parts of popular films with cheaper props, costumes and effects, and will be screening his reinterpretations of The Matrix, Muriel's Wedding and more, alongside the originals. No doubt the actor who plays Neo may be just as good, if not better, than Keanu Reeves.

9. SCOTCH AND SODA

I'm sure you can buy a scotch and soda on your way into the Circus Ronaldo Tent through 10 – 26 Jan to enjoy Company 2 and The Crusty Suitcase Band's circus show of the same name. Performers from Cantina, Smoke & Mirrors, La Clique, Circa and Tom Tom Crew collaborate in this “rowdy whiskey joint”, backed by the gypsy sounds of The Crusty Suitcase Band.

10. DONNY BENET & THE DONNY BENET SHOW BAND

If you don't like Donny Benet and his brand of funk dance '80s revival, you're wrong. His songs will have you grooving in the car on the way home, singing along, and his video clips are a sight to behold. And if you haven't caught his infectious live show, you should check it out at Sydney Fest; it's free at The Spiegelent at 11.30pm on 10, 17 and 24 Jan.