The world-renowned Vietnamese Circus conquered the Sydney Opera House last week. With only five shows, and packed houses, next time they must stay longer! I loved the show. There were enthusiastic standing ovations. There were tears from older Vietnamese in the audience as they recalled the joys of village life and the lilting lullabies played by the five musicians.
On June 4, 1789, in the middle of a Sydney winter and less than 18 months since ‘First Settlement’, the first piece of ‘Western’ theatre was produced in the new colony – The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar. This first theatrical production in the new colony was mounted in honour of King George III’s birthday, performed by a group of unknown convicts, to an elite audience of about 60 people, including Governor Arthur Phillip, the Marine Corps officers and their wives, as well as the few ‘free settlers’, and was performed in a ramshackle convict hut.
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