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Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine

Music
Her Majesty's Theatre
AF26 Perle Noire AFC Website Header 2560x1280
3 shows

Accessibility

Reserves and Prices

Experience the brilliance of soprano Julia Bullock in a work that shines a light on the life and legacy of Joséphine Baker – artist, activist and icon of resistance who left the racially segregated United States in the 1920s and rose to unprecedented global celebrity in the music halls of Paris and beyond. 

Directed by lauded opera director (and former Adelaide Festival Artistic Director) Peter Sellars, this genre-defying performance blends opera, jazz, spirituals and the elegance and raunch of early 20th century French music hall into a powerfully emotional song cycle, with spoken interludes by the poet Claudia Rankine. 

Baker’s iconic songs are re-imagined by Tyshawn Sorey, the Pulitzer award-winning composer who fuses improvisational jazz and classical forms to create a work that reaches beyond the commercial limitations of Joséphine’s professional lifetime, inviting her to live again in the full scope of her historical and contemporary meaning, heartbreak and glory. 

Julia Bullock’s performance reincarnates Joséphine Baker, inviting this extraordinary Black woman at last to claim and command the full range of her astonishing powers. 

One of the most important works of art yet to emerge from the era of Black Lives Matter.

— New York Times

Accessibility
Recommended for ages 12 and up
Runtime

Presented by

Adelaide Festival Hero

For more than 60 years, audiences have delighted in an outstanding mix of internationally acclaimed theatre productions, an eclectic array of world-class musicians, breathtaking dance pieces, renowned writers and striking visual arts displays.

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Dates

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun

Mon 23 Feb

Tue 24 Feb

Wed 25 Feb

Thu 26 Feb

Fri 27 Feb

Sat 28 Feb

Sun 01 Mar

Mon 02 Mar

Tue 03 Mar

Wed 04 Mar

Thu 05 Mar

Fri 06 Mar

Sat 07 Mar

Sun 08 Mar

Performance Location: Her Majesty's Theatre

Inside Her Majesty's Theatre auditorium, side view

Her Majesty's Theatre is located at 58 Grote Street, Adelaide, which is on the north side of the street. There is no designated drop off area but cars can pause to drop off passengers nearby on Grote Street. 

Car parking

There are many parking options around the Grote Street precinct, including:

Taxi services

There is not a taxi rank direct­ly adja­cent to Her Majesty’s The­atre, but the near­est one is just 250m east, out­side the Hilton Hotel on Vic­to­ria Square. 

Public transport

Many busses, including the free bus that loops through the city and North Adelaide, stop nearby as does the tram which stops in Victoria Square just 250m away.

Find timetables, route details and real-time information on the Adelaide Metro website.

We want to make your vis­it as enjoy­able as pos­si­ble and offer many ways to assist if sup­port is required.

Accessible seating

Remov­able seats are avail­able in the Stalls row G as well as on the Dress Cir­cle and Grand Cir­cle for patrons who wish to remain seat­ed in their wheel­chair or trans­fer to a the­atre seat. 

Lifts

Lifts are locat­ed in the foy­er near the infor­ma­tion desk with access to all levels. 

Toilets

Acces­si­ble toi­lets are avail­able at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Assistance animals

Every theatre and event/function area of Adelaide Festival Centre is assistance animal friendly. 

Audio assistance

At Her Majesty’s The­atre, hear­ing loop facil­i­ties are avail­able in foy­er areas. 

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