Here’s a column with plenty of kicks, music and arts news. It’s HELEN MUSA’s latest serve of Arts in the City.

Kym Degenhart’s Kix Arts Productions from Queanbeyan will celebrate Bastille Day with an evening of cabaret called L’Esprit de Paris, featuring dancing, French chansons, comedy and the high-kicking can-can. At Luna, Civic, July 13. 

The venerable Albert Hall is now under the management of the Cultural Facilities Corporation. A key aim of this move, they say, is to see it reach its full potential as a centre for creative and community life in the city. 

Classical guitarist Rupert Boyd returns from New York City for his first solo tour of Australia since 2016. Born in Canberra, at the age of 22 Boyd left home for the first time for New York with just a suitcase and a guitar, and has since become one of the finest guitarists of his generation. He’ll perform baroque, Spanish and Brazilian works and even a lullaby from Africa. Smith’s Alternative, Civic, July 18.

Described variously as The Peter Pan of Putrid and The Willy Wonka of Weird, Mr Snotbottom (actor Mark Trenwith) delivers a barrage of tasteless tunes, gross gags and bad routine routines in a show for weird kids ages five and up, and their parents. The B, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, July 18. 

Country music legend Lee Kernaghan, joined by guests Robby Kernaghan, Tori Darke and Matt Cornell, is bringing his show Boys From The Bush, The Concert to the Royal Theatre on July 19. 

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet is the basis for a new work for choir, soloists and actors, by Judith Clingan. This, she says, will be her “last huge extravaganza” involving almost 90 performers, from Taiwan, Japan, India, Singapore and Australia, aged 9 to 83. Clingan’s daughter Jess Dixon will direct, joined by Brianna Harris from the Newcastle Waldorf School. Overture Hall, Orana Steiner School, Weston, July 19. 

Salut! Baroque will be joined by Colin Milner as narrator for a concert focusing on the work of Georg Philipp Telemann. Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, July 19.

The Australian War Memorial, fresh from successes at the ACT Architecture Awards, already reported, has taken out the awards for Public Design and for Best in State Commercial Design at the 2025 Australian Interior Design Awards in Melbourne.