From luncheons to opening nights, here's a rundown of last week's events in and around Sydney and Melbourne.
Sydney
Coldplay MAX Sessions
One of the biggest bands in the world at one of their smallest gigs left celebrity fans – including Lisa Wilkinson, Marcia Hines, Molly Meldrum and Jackie O – feeling pretty special at The Star Event Centre. Coldplay were the first to take to the stage for the MAX Sessions 11 years ago. Their intimate performance of songs from their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories, as well as favourite hits to celebrate the 50th MAX Sessions will go down as one magical night for those lucky to be there.
Surviving Bug premiere
At 25, Genna Chanelle Hayes has passion, talent, heart, a strong work ethic and enthusiasm in spades. And, boy, does it have an impact.
The journalism student who became an actor, writer and director has formed a film company, One Love Films. Its mantra? "To take care of each other, to love each other and to fight for each other."
Her debut short, Surviving Bug, which stars herself, Zoe Carides, Martin Dingle Wall and young actress Marlowe Fraser, premiered at the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington. Speeches by representatives of The Smith Family, White Ribbon and Domestic Violence NSW highlighted that hundreds of homeless women and children fleeing abusive relationships sleep on our streets every night.
The raw brutality of this story will live on for days for all who see it. "This is such an important issue and the more people we can reach with this message the more awareness we can raise, and hopefully begin to make a change to this tragic trend in women's homelessness," Hayes told S. "I wanted to emphasise kindness, love, compassion and understanding of others. I hope people take the message away and share it with the world."
B&W Women of Achievement luncheon
Love was also the theme of the 29th Black & White Committee luncheon at the Four Seasons to raise money for Vision Australia. Natarsha Belling introduced the Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO and self-confessed "servant of the people". She noted: "I've always believed Australia runs on volunteers and L.O.V.E love." Also honoured were Belinda Hutchinson AM, Chancellor of the University of Sydney, and the always-chatty Catriona Rowntree. "They've put me on a 10-minute time limit," she said. "I say 'hello' in 10 minutes! Gosh, what on earth can I impart with you today with so many remarkable people here? I have never been to university and I don't have any letters after my name ..."
Abode Bistro bar launch
MasterChef's Alvin Quah, journalist Matt Doran and TV personality Renee Brack enjoyed the relaxed yet sophisticated vibe at this new Darling Harbour dining experience.
Black-tie ball for spinal research
More than 400 people turned up at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast to celebrate Perry Cross's achievements in the 20 years since he became a C2 quadriplegic. Since a similar event in Sydney last month, $250,000 has been raised for his spinal research charity.
Shine & Dine 2014
Celebrities came out in force to raise money for Make-A-Wish Australia. Celebrities included INXS drummer Jon Farriss and designer Henry Roth, who danced with the evening's gift recipient, six-year-old Brianna Younie. She heads to the Gold Coast on Saturday for a week of theme-park fun.
Melbourne
Supre Hot Sundae celebration, Gelato Messina
Who doesn't live for surprises; for that moment when everything that was standard – stock standard – is shaken, broken, and all of a sudden life, a day, a way, is different. Supre took us by surprise this week, a sweet surprise, at its Hot Sundae celebration at Gelato Messina in Fitzroy.
Supre general manager Elle Roseby, who left her role as Sportsgirl CEO at the end of last year to take up the GM gig, describes Supre's evolution as adhering to a singular mantra: "Non-stop-hot!"
So we wondered who or what in your life is non-stop-hot? "For me it's people like Rita Ora, Rihanna, Cara Delevingne: girls that have fun with their style, have fun with their lives," Supre's Tamara Davis said. "They're my muses, they're our muses, they live non-stop-hot; great mates, great holidays." Abbey Harrington travelled last year so, for now, she's living vicariously: "Sitting at home on Instagram scrolling through everyone else's travel photos is my non-stop-hot," she said with a laugh.
"I'm renovating my house and I reckon that's really hot," Indianna Roehrich said. "But I have had a breakdown when I ordered furniture and it came a little bit broken."
Beth Plummer's eyes widened: "Vampire Diaries, have you seen Vampire Diaries? It is so good." Who are you crushing on? "Damon. Damon, I love; he's got a gorgeous face, amazing eyes . . . I'm getting all mushy."
But wait . . . there's more! Not the sad-set-of-steak-knives kind, but the roll up, roll up, vaudeville-inspired spectacle of the latest offering from Circus Oz. At Birrarung Marr on Thursday night, at the opening of But Wait . . . There's More, we wanted to know what is the world yet to see from you?
"I want to be on the flying trapeze," Angelique Ross, there with Morgan Wilson, said. "We are both at NICA [National Institute of Circus Arts]; I do trapeze and tightwire." So you've already been on the trapeze? "I haven't been on in a while; we do it together and he's been injured." What are you yet to master? "A double back-sault," Ross said. "I want to do an ali baba," Wilson added. "It's when you swing on the bar and at the front end of the swing you let go and fly across and catch the catcher."
The Block's Steve O'Donnell and Chantelle Ford still have, um, surprises in store. "The world hasn't seen my bum yet," O'Donnell suggested. Ford said: "More bad jokes, more offensive humour. You'd think they'd run out, but they don't, and the best part is, they actually get worse."
The Witches opening night, Malthouse Theatre
Roald Dahl was explicit: "This is not a fairytale. This is about real witches." A reimagining of Dahl's story, The Witches, opened at the Malthouse Theatre on Thursday night; a family-friendly, school-holiday-ready, one-man performance. Guy Edmonds is the man who single-handedly conjures a coven of frightful and frightening witches, a squish of squeaky children, and everything and everyone in between.
What we wanted to know, before the show began, was: are you magic? "Well, yeah," Malthouse Theatre associate artist David Chisholm said. Board member and actor Sigrid Thornton added: "Of course we are, darling, we're in the theatre!" Unfortunately, though, neither Thornton nor Chisholm would reveal their powers. The kids here have been very open about their magic powers, we prompted. "Well, they have so much more magic than we do, we have so little left," Chisholm said. Thornton had the answer: "What happens is we get so distracted by the vagaries of adult life that we subjugate our magic powers, but in the theatre is where they're allowed to come alive again."
