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Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright has moved beyond the ruby-slippered legend and is turning to opera.
Suzanne Vega
Gig preview: A jazz label gave the sensitive singer-songwriter the chance to find her voice and exorcise some demons.
Dream Theatre
Gig preview: Years of fan petitions have finally lured progressive metal titans Dream Theatre to Australia.
Nigel Kennedy
Until recently, the geezer violinist thought Mozart "was a little bit like f---ing coffee table music".
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
The influence of television sketches and improvisation makes this a bumpy ride.
Fisherman's Wharf Seafood Restaurant
You'll shell out for the freshest seafood but be warned, some of it packs quite a sting.
Yusuf Islam: A Few Good Songs
The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens stunned fans in 1979 by giving up his music career and converting to Islam.
Drift, at Rivesi's
Attention intrepid social anthropologists: this slinky beachside venue is a study in clique culture.
Northbridge Hotel
The cheese platter and good prices redeem this jazzed-up soulless joint, but only just.
This week's highlights
Our critics' picks
Celebration
If your new year hasn't quite had the start you were expecting, you can try again at the Chinese New Year celebrations, which kick off officially on Friday. The Year of the Rat begins with Chinese performers, lions, dragons and traditional firecrackers, and the party continues all month, with performances, exhibitions and special events organised around the city. This week's highlights include the night markets in Chinatown (from Friday to Sunday); the photographic exhibition that will transform Albion Place into Luckyfish Laneway (Sunday to February 24); and the contemporary artists from China exhibiting in More Yum Cha at Ray Hughes Gallery (until February 13). See www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cny. The official launch celebration is on Friday from 6.30-7.30pm at Belmore Park, Eddy Avenue, Sydney. Free.
Stage
Theatre lovers can test their endurance this week. The Imperial Panda Festival, borne out of the ashes of Lanfranchi's, picks up where the cutting-edge and underground performance space left off, with six shows by up-and-coming theatremakers all under the age of 26. For those with shorter attention spans, the Short & Sweet program of less-than-10-minute plays continuing its cracking pace. The season features 150 productions during its five-week run. For more information, see www.myspace.com/imperialpandafestival and www.shortandsweet.org.
Exhibition
The National Grid, a new warehouse-style gallery space, opens its doors for the first time with an exhibition by artist and budding fashion designer Shannon Crees. A Body Of Work is a collection of Crees's mixed-media sketches and paintings from the past 10 years on ideas of feminine beauty. The National Grid Gallery, 24 Chard Road, Brookvale. Until March 6. Phone 9905 9332 or see www.thenationalgrid.com.au.
Outdoors
Spend the last long weekend of the summer riding your bike along
the scenic tracks in Bicentennial Park. There are 35 kilometres of
cycle paths in the park - bring your own bike or hire one there. If
cycling isn't your style, stroll along the Brickpit Ring, an
elevated walkway over (you guessed it) an old brickpit, which is
now home to the endangered green and golden bell frog. Sunrise to
sunset. Free. See www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au.
