In her latest Arts in the City column, HELEN MUSA reports that Canberran Nick Rheinberger has written the words and music to a comedy coming to Queanbeyan about former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.

Gladys: A Musical Affair is a new musical comedy with music and lyrics by former Canberran Nick Rheinberger. It’s about former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and uses rock ‘n’ roll numbers, ballads and tap dancing to tell the story of her political career, including her responses to the Black Summer bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and her relationship with Daryl Maguire. Illawarra performer Tia Wilson plays Gladys. The Q, Queanbeyan, June 7. 

A reinterpretation of Act II from The Nutcracker has been choreographed for the Australian Ballet by Canberra-raised dance artist Paul Knobloch. Crafted specifically for the company’s coming national tour, it pays homage to the legendary ballet master Marius Petipa, while, Knobloch says, redefining the boundaries of classical ballet. 

A new exhibition, Amor Es Alegría, by artist Carlos Barrios, features recent works by Barrios himself along with 22 never-before-shown works by his close friend and mentor John Olsen, with whom he worked from 2014 to 2018. Aarwun Gallery, Gold Creek, May 31-June 15.

Recently-elected president of ArtSound FM and director of ArtSound Radio Theatre, Bart Meehan, tells us that Governor-General Sam Mostyn has agreed to become patron of the community radio station, the first such station to receive vice-regal patronage. 

Bass player Ben O’Loghlin, a founding member of Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, mostly does jazz bass these days, notably with the Wayne Kelly Trio. He has alerted us to a new gig he and young guitarist Michael Larsen-Collins are doing on Friday nights at High Road on the south end of the Chinatown strip in Dickson. 

The National Museum is justifiably crowing about its next big show coming up in July, Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington, billed as an up-close-and-personal encounter with the beloved TV puppet. 

Marion Ink, the former ACT Writers’ Centre, is also crowing about a new partnership with Canberra Airport as it calls for nominations for the inaugural Canberra Airport Recognition Award for Literacy Inclusion. Nominations to marion.ink close on June 13.