By Adam Rafferty Both historical and contemporary Indigenous Australian truth-telling forms the basis of writer/director Andrea James’ The Black Woman of Gippsland, an exposition of black deaths in custody that echoes across the white settlement of Australia. Those...

Review by Dave Gardette   Nothing short of a triumph, Melbourne’s production of Hadestown is a visually rich, musically intoxicating, and emotionally resonant retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Set in a Depression-era, jazz-infused...

By Darby Turnbull As one of Western theatre’s most prolific preeminent young playwrights (he’s just turned 40) Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins has more than earned his place on the cultural mantle for his genre expansive, bold epic takes on the state of the United States;...

Review by Tim Garratt   In 2025, Les Misérables celebrates 40 years since its arrival on stage in London. Written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, the show remains one of the most globally esteemed theatrical...

Review by David Gardette   The Melbourne production of The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale, with book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, is a high-energy, visually spectacular reimagining of Tolkien’s epic. This actor-musician ensemble delivers a...

By Bronwyn Cook For over 10 years, the fierce, first-nation powerhouses of Hot Honey Brown have been travelling the world spreading their “ACTIVATE POLLINATE LIBERATE” message. During that time, they were often asked “how do I become a Honey?”, which led to the...

By Jessica Taurins. Anisa Nandaula is like your best friend. She's got a smile that lights up the room, a warm personality, and she'll say the most messed up sh-t you've ever heard. Thus is the premise of her MICF 2025 show - You Can't Say That. As a black woman...

By Jessica Taurins. I've seen a lot of shows at the Malthouse. Some are great, some are less so, some are true art, and some are called 'art' but are less artistic than the gum I've scraped out of my shoes. God's Favourite? That's Art. Capital A Art. Scout Boxall...

  By Mama Natalia, Let’s not beat around the bush, I’ve seen a lot of burlesque in the last twenty years - the good, the badass and the ugly, and Swamplesque (Trigger Happy Productions), playing in it’s final VIC season as part of the Melbourne International...