What’s hip this September

What to book

FAULTY Towers The Dining Experience recreates the laugh-out-loud silliness of the much-loved British comedy. It offers fans a chance to dine out on its legacy of improvisation with a side of chaos. Fully immersive, highly interactive and completely original, this is the show where anything can and usually does happen as Basil, Manuel and Sybil take charge and bring a healthy dose of mayhem to your dining experience. Expect two hours of comedy, a 1970s-inspired, three-course meal and an unforgettable night out on Thursday, October 16, from 6.30pm at the Caloundra Power Boat Club. Tickets are $95 per person. Book on 5492 1444 or email reception@caloundrapowerboat.com.au

What to watch

FANS of the hugely popular historical drama Outlander, starring Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, have been tuning in to Stan each Saturday for the next episode in the much-anticipated prequel: Blood of My Blood. The spin-off series offers two new epic love stories, focusing on the lives and courtship of the parents of Jamie Fraser: Brian Fraser and Ellen Mackenzie, as well as Claire Beauchamp’s parents, Henry Beauchamp and Julia Moriston. The casting is spot on. And as an added bit of trivia, the boys who play the young versions of Rupert and Angus are in real life the sons of the men who played them on Outlander.

What to experience

AFTERGLOW has its world premiere this week at the City Botanic Gardens as part of Brisbane Festival. Follow the flame and be captivated by a glowing, multisensory dreamscape of dancing shadows, candlelit installations and fire sculptures. Expect to be warmed by glowing embers, intrigued by light bending and bouncing through the tree canopy, dazzled by shimmering illusions and captivated by the pulse and rhythm of flickering flames. Live performances and a carefully curated ambient soundtrack spark wonder and awe as visitors young and old journey with purpose along a 1.4km trail brought to life by world-renowned fire artists and local creative talents. The trail opens to the public on Friday, September 5, and continues until Saturday, September 27. To join the magic, visit brisbanefestival.com.au/events/afterglow

Back in the day…

“IT’S astounding, time is fleeting, madness takes its toll” … Even before these words are spoken by creator Richard O’Brien, the guitar riff intro of Time Warp gives the game away in any music trivia contest. The hit song is from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which premiered in cinemas 50 years ago in 1975. At first, O’Brien’s strange musical confused critics and garnered low box office numbers. But everything changed a year later when cinemas started offering midnight screenings of the bizarre movie with transvestite aliens, cannibalism and a bevy of high-energy dance numbers such as Dammit Janet and Meatloaf’s Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul. The film also took on a cult status in Australia at venues such as Brisbane’s Valley Twin Cinemas. Fans began dressing up as characters from the movie, including Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter and the tap-dancing Columbia, shouting the dialogue back at the screen, doing the Time Warp in the aisles and recreating the madcap scenes in their seats. Relive Brad and Janet’s weird adventure on Disney+ and Apple TV.

What to hear

THE Rock Orchestra By Candelight is a 90-minute spectacle, hitting QPAC’s Concert Hall on February 12 at 9pm. This band of 13 classical musicians will unleash a fusion of classical music and metal from bands including Metallica, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith and The Cranberries. Visit qpac.com.au