By Darby Turnbull Whenever I consume a piece of culture or media, I often find myself grumbling at the ways the material has the characters engage with money, or rather not engage with money. Rarely do I see a play that shows some insight or integrity into the...

Review by Tim Garratt Little Women is the most seminal work by 19th century American author Louisa May Alcott. First published in 1868, the novel continues to be popular and has inspired several screen and stage adaptations. Among these is a musical theatre iteration...

By Ash Cottrell It was quite the razzle-dazzle gala at the historic, Melbourne Athenaeum Theatre at the Paris end of Collins Street last Thursday night as we all rolled up, rolled up, to see what this contemporary circus act had in store for its wearied-by-the-cold,...

By Carissa Shale Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a production that has captivated theatregoers and cinephiles around the world, gracing stage and screen countless times. Its momentous reputation has been carved by the performances of Vivien Leigh,...

By Nick Pilgrim More than any other live space in Melbourne, The Malthouse is known for showcasing bold, experimental, and convention-smashing material. Located in Southbank’s entertainment district, powerful examples from the venue’s eclectic back catalogue include:...

By Nick Pilgrim Born in the United States of America, Maria Bamford is a beloved performer, best-selling author, and voiceover artist. With a career spanning thirty years, she is known for a diverse body of work including television roles on Arrested Development,...

By Darby Turnbull Confession, whenever I need a good heavy cry I listen to William Finn, proper full body shakes, hot tears, nose full of snot crying. Most of his shows have at least 2 or 3 that do it for me Falsettos (Unlikely lovers, What would I do? Holding to the...

  Review by George Dixon   English Eccentrics premiered in 1964 as an adaption of the book “The English Eccentrics” penned by Dame Edith Sitwell in 1933.   The opera was quite ahead of its time and, in some circles, would have been considered to be an...

By Darby Turnbull As the kids say, George and Martha match one another's freak. Edward Albee’s 1962 treatise on marriage, America and the toxic rot beneath them has been entrancing audiences for over 60 years, through countless revivals and the iconic film adaption....

By Tim Garratt The late Neil Simon was one of the 20th century’s most celebrated playwrights. Several of his works continue to be staged to wide acclaim in the 21st century, including The Odd Couple, which first played in 1965. The Odd Couple plays out in a New York...

By Ellis Koch Before I begin, I must acknowledge that the opening lines of any review are probably the most important when it comes to reader impact and as such, I must preface this entire piece by saying that MSC Studio have done an excellent job of their production...

By Natalie Ristovski Circus Arts are alive – if not overly well – in Australia in a post pandemic world. Like many in the arts, the circus set has been through the wringer these few years past, the Great Moscow Circus itself being grounded in 2021 while the country...

Review by Suzanne Tate The opening night of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: The Musical in Melbourne was a resounding success! On top of the standing ovation at the conclusion of the performance, the audience also paused proceedings on several occasions for extended...

By Natalie Ristovski It is rare, outside of the fringe arts scene and a recent saturation of “immersive” horror experiences, to see dark tales of terror presented on the Australian stage. The horror genre itself, while enduring with a cult following since theatre...

By Darby Turnbull Upon entering Meatmarket Stables for Last train to Madeline I was absolutely stunned by one of the most enchanting set designs I’ve seen in Indie theatre and certainly one of the best uses of the space I’ve seen. Rising star Savanna Wegman, already...

Review by Jake Goodall   Enter into the 1960s, a world of glitz, glamour and of course Elvis Presley! With a lack of main stage productions on the Gold Coast, Elvis: A Musical Revolution is a welcome addition! This production is sure to wow audiences young and...

By Darby Turnbull In a growing cannon of innovative trans theatre comes Henry Kelly’s Girl at the bottom of a well now playing at La Mama’s courthouse. In his writers note Kelly talks about his vision for other performers to take on his material but it’s to our great...

Review by Tim Garratt It’s almost 50 years since Chicago’s first production on Broadway. Directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, and inspired by a 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the original production opened in 1975, but it received mixed reviews and failed to...

By Darby Turnbull My experience of Red Stitch’s production of Joe White’s Blackout Songs was a marvellous example of content dictating form. A relatively stark, vivid depiction of two people linked by the toxic bonds of addiction that’s enhanced by a sly, incisive...

By Chenoah Eljan Joanne Murray-Smith’s Julia is captivating storytelling. Better yet, as much as you think it’s a story you already know: it is not. Yes, you know the sound bites and the haircuts and the oft repeated party lines. But this play is the energy, the...

By Nick Pilgrim Last September I had the chance to review Club Vegas – The Spectacle at the iconic Athenaeum Theatre. As luck would have it, I made a successful bid to review their newest iteration for 2024. My prime motivation for putting myself forward again being,...

By Ash Cottrell True to form, I had arrived at my favourite playhouse on Wednesday night without so much as the knowledge of a synopsis under my belt. This is how I choose to receive theatre or any art for that matter. In my experience, it is considerably more...

Review by Tim Garratt   Ride the Cyclone is not strictly a new musical; it was first staged in 2008 in Canada. In 2015, Chicago hosted the first US production and now, in 2024, it’s having its long-awaited Australian premiere at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Co. With...

Review by Bronwyn Cook “Madame is the greatest star of them all.”   Said of Norma Desmond, the same applies to Sarah Brightman.   My maternal grandparents always had music playing in the house. Sometimes it was classical, sometimes it was musical theatre...

By Mama Natalia Burlesque, the Art of Tease, has had a tumultuous history – both the world over and certainly within Australia. The word itself, derived from the Italian burlesco and burla (translating as jest or joke) first appeared in the early 16th century as the...

By Jessica Taurins The concept of The Odd Couple is strange in modern media. The writing leaves the women vapid and the men misogynistic, with only a few scraps of personality handed out to each of the side characters. The main character lives alone in an eight-room...

By George Dixon Rootless Cosmopolitans is an Australian dark, comedic play focusing on old yet current issues like identity, assimilation, generational differences, and nationalities. Mixed with corporate politics, betrayal, the power of social media, and the...

Review by George Dixon   Melbourne Opera springs to life with its highly impressive and vocally outstanding presentation of Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.   Even before the overture, The Athenaeum Theatre was a buzz with excitement and high...

By Nick Pilgrim When Theatre Matters sent a call out for one of their writers to review Homo Pentecostus for them, I was in two minds about accepting the gig. My main reason being, several decades ago I lost a good friend to a local chapter of a Fundamentalist...

  The Great Gatsby is a novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. It tells the story of Nick Carraway's interactions with his millionaire neighbour, the mysterious Jay Gatsby, and Gatsby's desperation to reunite with his former lover, Daisy...

By Carissa Shale ‘Share House: The Musical’ is a delightful and delirious spectacle that speaks to the soul of an entire generation. This original production, featuring a feast of fresh Australian talent, is set within the context of Melbourne share house life, and...

By George Dixon The term Bridal Lament seems to be a contradiction of terms. Weddings are a happy event, while a Lament is an expression of deep sorrow and complaining. In times past, in countries like ancient Hong Kong, when arranged marriages took place by parents...

  Review by Annie Zeleznikow   CLOC’s production of Billy Elliot the Musical follows young Billy (Lukas Elliott at this performance, Sebastian Sero at other performances) as he navigates the dichotomy of life in a small coal mining town and his growing...

Review by Tim Garratt Soon after becoming Broadway’s most lauded revival of the season, Parade arrived last July at Chapel off Chapel, staged by a Melbourne independent theatre company, Soundworks Productions. The run was a sell-out success, and now Soundworks’...

By Nick Pilgrim Sequestered off Little Collins Street in Carson Lane, The Butterfly Club is one of Melbourne’s leading performance institutions. In operation since 1993, the iconic venue has staged thousands of new productions, hosting everything from stand-up comedy...

By Adam Rafferty Part of Melbourne Theatre Company’s Education and Families program for this year, Emma Mary Hall’s World Problems is both autobiographical reflection on the past and disturbing projection into our collective future. Having been originally written in...

By Karyn Hodgkinson Seldom do I see a play and forget that I am watching a piece of theatre. Such is Sally McKenzie’s ability to pull us into her world. All the creative elements - acting, sound, music, lighting, video projection and direction come together in Way to...

By Kellie Warner After a thirty-year run in the West End in London, the acclaimed psychological thriller, The Woman in Black graced the stage at QPAC in Brisbane last Thursday for its opening night. The highly acclaimed ghost story is considered scary by some and...

Review by David Gardette   Presented by Salty Theatre and Vass Productions and marking its Australian debut, The Grinning Man offers Melbourne audiences a chance to see this very rarely produced show.   With a book by Carl Grose, lyrics by Grose and Tom...

By Nick Pilgrim In an interview with the North American podcaster, Ernie Manouse, the stage and television actress, Valerie Harper, summed up the hectic and unpredictable nature of her career with the following thought. “Life is what happens on the way to your plans.”...

By Jessica Taurins AmaJayus is a harrowing retelling of a life unlived for a long, long time. The titular Jay - comedian and drag performer Jay Wymarra - grew up in northern Australia as a queer, Indigenous, deeply depressed person... well, at least the story is...

By Jessica Taurins Demi & David - Comedy Show (Grocery Store) is like the Wario Ware of comedy shows. Every minute, nay, every second is tied together as loosely as a Woolies bag worn as a t-shirt, with scenes lasting anywhere from a few minutes to six seconds....

By Natalie Ristovski  CW: This review contains descriptions and discussion of sexual assault and grooming. It is rare in this country to see theatrical works that sidestep the mainstream. Gone are the days when La Fura Dels Baus or Jan Fabre could sneak their way into...

By Adam Rafferty Winner of the 2019 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award Prize for Drama, Kendall Feaver’s excellent Almighty Sometimes feels to have taken too long to reach the Melbourne stage, yet the scheduling of its launch here this week has become eerily timely....

By Nick Pilgrim Running for three madcap weeks between March and April, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival grew from modest beginnings almost four decades ago to the world-renowned behemoth it has become today. A mixture of new and established talent, the...

BY David Gardette Drag cabaret legend Dolly Diamond doesn’t miss a beat in her new show for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. She Slayed – A Drag Murder Mystery throws together four Drag Divas in a rough around the edges, very silly but laugh out loud...

By Nick Pilgrim The Beaks - Stickybeak The Tower, Malthouse Theatre Southbank Reviewed on Thursday April 18, 2024 As the Melbourne International Comedy Festival starts winding down for another year, there is still plenty to see and do. Critiquing the 2024 event has...

By Darby Turnbull The newest generation of Western plays; where the promises of opportunity, bounty, freedom under a capitalist construct haven’t just been broken but shattered repeatedly; have a very complex relationship with hope. The playwright as both omnipresent...

By George Dixon Josh Staley - entertainment that satisfies. Close-up magic is always amazing; close-up magic without a table that takes you on a journey is even more so. With Josh Staley, that journey is peppered with delightful comedy, sometimes a bit corny as if,...

By George Dixon One of the Hottest Melbourne Comedy Festival shows for 2014 is undoubtedly,Bang On Live, presented by Myf Warhurst & Zan Rowe. I had absolutely no idea what Bang On was all about, so I was intrigued by the hundreds of people who had arrived at the...

By Jessica Taurins Emerson Brophy is known for upsetting conservatives the world over with his songs about abortion law and right-wing governments. He also does TikToks! In general, he's a pretty confident guy, so he opens his 2024 Melbourne International Comedy...

BY Bec Johnston It's tough to so much as glance at your phone right now without being inundated with images of climate crises, war and genocide, unthinkable death and suffering. It becomes difficult to envision a better and brighter future when facing down such...

  The Fire Raisers is a play by Swiss novelist playright Max Frisch. Written in German in 1953, Herr Biedermann und die Brandstifte was initially a radio play before being adapted for television and the stage in 1958 as a play with six scenes. Two years later an...

By Jessica Taurins Presented by Grouse House and Aunty Donna, 'The Most Upsetting Guessing Game in the World Live' is, somehow, simultaneously incredibly amusing and incredibly unsettling at the same time. It's great! For those who haven't seen the show, it's fully...

By Jessica Taurins Nina Conti is a ventriloquist, stage performer, comedian, and more recently, actor / director in her upcoming film 'Sunlight', where she is also a monkey. She can, most impressively, do it all, and pulls a lot of it off under not-so-easy conditions...

By Carissa Shale Have you ever felt the dread and panic set in as you’re travelling internationally, venturing through airport security, customs and passport control? I know I don’t have anything nefarious in my bag… but what if by some series of unfortunate events… I...

By Nick Pilgrim Each year prior to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Theatre Matters asks their team of writers to nominate which acts they would like to review. With over 500 choices on offer spanning across three hectic weeks, making the right move is no...

By Nick Pilgrim Familiar to audiences on both the stage and screen, Mike McLeish is a man of many talents. His diverse list of performing credits includes: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Bed of Roses, David Bowie’s Lazarus, Georgy Girl: The Seekers Musical,...

By Carissa Shale The first time I saw Viggo Venn was back in 2016 when he was performing in the Prague International Fringe Festival. A lot has changed for him since then. Having won Britain’s Got Talent, he’s certainly much more visible! However, what hasn’t changed...

By George Dixon The Melbourne 2024 Comedy Festival is in full swing, and I had the wonderful pleasure and privilege to attend one of this year's little gems. Australian-born Jacqueline Mifsud is anything but a regular stand-up presenter. Her latest production “The...

By Natalie Ristovski “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot…” Macbeth, William Shakespeare To hear modern historians tell it, Shakespeare was a man for the...

By Jessica Taurins Before Gadsby even strides onstage (well, they do, but very briefly), we are introduced to Urooj Ashfaq, a Mumbai-based comedian who talks at length about her parents' divorce and the dichotomy between Indian and Australian audiences. She is a ton...

By Kristopher Hinz It’s the little moments that count. Anne Edmonds takes the audience on a charming ride through late-in-life motherhood (or LILM, as she calls it). There are of course, a litany of stories filled with the larger-than-life characters and shrill...

BY Carissa Shale After a breakup, some people lash out and get a questionable haircut or cry on the couch into a tub of ice cream. Diana Nguyen instead chose to cry all the way to Spain to trek 300 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. To heal her broken...

By Chenoah Eljan Tom Gleeson is a grumpy middle aged white man, and he does not care who knows it. In fact, if you park your van outside his house, ask him to contribute to your ‘Go Fund Me’ for a new electric Volvo, or you happen to be a fellow comedian who has ever...

By Natalie Ristovski One question danced through my mind this evening as I sat in the second row of the Malthouse Theatre, awaiting the arrival of anarch-artistic auteur and bane of Bible-bashers everywhere… Is Reuben Kaye the Anti-Christ? Some would certainly have us...

By Darby Turnbull I am in awe of the select few playwrights who have the ability to dramatically chronicle a moment in time and culture in ways that are compelling as a piece of art but also capture a feeling so innate, so specific that it offers a record so that that...

By Sarah Davies If you happen to have missed Innes Lloyd’s previous two Mina Harker adventures, never fear, gentle viewer; the audience is quickly initiated into the world of our central character, and what a rich, zany world it is... channeling the manic energy of a...

By Jessica Taurins Tom Walker, self-proclaimed to be one of Australia's tallest comedians, is back yet again with another weird and wonderful Melbourne International Comedy Festival show: "My Treasures My Beautiful Treasures". Now, one may think before heading into...

By Anna Hayes  After a very successful Melbourne Fringe run in October of last year, Lincoln Vickery’s dark comedy gets its chance to tread the boards at The Motley Bauhaus until April 10, and it’s well worth a look for those who aren’t squeamish. Yes, yes, there’s...

By Carissa Shale Zoë Coombs-Marr’s certainly has bold ambitions when she attempts to cover every single thing in her whole entire life. While she doesn’t quite have the time to cover everything, what she does cover, certainly does not disappoint. Promised to be a...

By Anna Hayes A full house packed into The Butterfly Club to see who the latest victim of ‘Murder Village’ was going to be. The show, running as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, has been treading the boards across Australia for the last few months...

By Nick Pilgrim An entertainment institution for as long as I can remember, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is bigger and stronger than ever. For three intense weeks each autumn, the jam-packed celebration takes over every space available in town. With a...

By Chenoah Eljan Lucy Henderson has been killed and her audience tasked with figuring out her murderer, the location of her death, and the murder weapon – all within a single hour. It is a big ask, but Lucy’s ghost comes prepared with a small TV monitor and powerpoint...

By Carissa Shale Australian comedian Daniel Connell could be described as the epitome of typical Aussie bloke; carefree, laid-back and loves to tell a good story. As a comedian who has frequented the Melbourne International Comedy Festival since 2011, Connell is an...

By Jessica Taurins Reason number one to see 'Act Like I'm Not Here': Mish Wittrup is a stellar storyteller (and a noted lover of alliteration, from what I understand) and uses her skills to bring you under her wordy, delightful spell. Reason number two: as befitting...

By Jessica Taurins Ashley Apap is restless, but we didn't need the title of her show to figure that out. Half-energetic and half-exhausted, Apap is a comedy powerhouse running on adrenaline and good vibes from the crowd. Her show at the 2024 Melbourne International...

By Nick Pilgrim In 2024, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is better than ever.  With enough content to fill a small phone book, there is something for everyone.  The bread and butter of this annual three-week event, stand-up and its many iterations is the...

BY Carissa Shale With an array of awards to her name, it’s no surprise that Gillian Cosgriff’s one-hour musical comedy ‘Actually, Good’, is in fact, actually very good. Not only funny, entertaining, and lighthearted, ‘Actually, Good’ also acts as a large-scale...

By Karyn Hodgkinson  I wanted to see this show because of my fascination with Mozart. Mozart is famous for mainly the quality but also the quantity of his music, and for being a musical genius. He apparently enjoyed all kinds of humour, especially pranks and...

Review by Bronwyn Cook Chicago. The 1920s. The Jazz Age. The dawn of the “celebrity criminal” - where the crime (and justice) itself is overshadowed by glitz, glamour and a good story.   Sound familiar?   A century later, the key themes of “Chicago: The...

By Karyn Hodgkinson  I love the bravery, insanity and sheer skill of this show. As the title of the show suggests, this work is ‘brave and bold’ indeed because one of the most ego bruising experiences is to graduate from an ‘elite’ performing arts institution, as...

By Jessica Taurins Lauren Bok describes herself as a "burlesque jester" in the blurb for her Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024 show 'Boklesque', which is a staggeringly apt title for this extraordinary performer. Opening with (semi-)custom music and a...

Will this review lead to a death? Let’s find out! By Annie Zeleznikow   Ruthless follows young and talented Tina Denmark (a shared role between Chloe Halley and Luisa Oro) and her talentless mother Judy (Britni Leslie) in Tina’s quest to lead her school’s...

By Karyn Hodgkinson In November 2019, the BBC’s Newsnight arranged an interview with presenter Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew - third child and second son to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Recalling his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the Duke said that he...

By Jessica Taurins An adaptation of a play, based on a movie, based on a book, sounds like a bit of a messy evening. Luckily for The 39 Steps, the intention is to be messy! Based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 spy thriller, which is loosely based on John Buchan's 1915...

By David Gardette Premiering in 1938, Patrick Hamilton’s psychological thriller has enjoyed many iterations across stage, TV and film — most notably George Cuckor’s 1944 film noir starring Angela Lansbury in her film debut and garnering a Best Actress Oscar for Ingrid...

  Review by Jody Hooker A Modern Twist on a Timeless Tale - What if Romeo’s ending, was Juliet’s beginning?   The Emmy®-winning writer from Schitt’s Creek flips the script on Shakespeare in this hilarious and poignant story of self-discovery and second...

Review by Bronwyn Cook “Who runs the world? GIRLS” There is nothing more so evident in 2024 than the current surge of girl power we are seeing globally. From Beyonce to Barbie to Taylor Swift to the incredible Australian female sporting achievements, the world is...

By Ash Cottrell When I think about it, it’s been forever since I saw a superb, couldn’t-fault-it, piece of art. I’m pleased to report that last Saturday night, Malthouse Theatre delivered that kind of an evening. In short, Yentl was flawless, and I haven’t stopped...

Review by Kelly-Louise Austin   The Sound of Music is a firm favourite among generations of theatre goers, and that ongoing love was confirmed looking at the range of young and old in attendance for Theatrical’s red carpet opening night on Saturday. The Sound of...

By Anna Hayes The ghosts of the past loom large in Adam Fawcett’s ‘Every Lovely Terrible Thing’ which is running at Theatre Works in St Kilda until March 16. Produced by Lab Kelpie, a Daylesford-based champion for new Australian writing, the play explores...

By Karyn Hodgkinson  Milked, by British playwright, Simon Longman, is set in Herefordshire in the West country of England. It revolves around two young men in their early 20s, each trying to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Paul has returned from university in...

  Written by Geoffrey Atherden, Mother and Son was a popular television series which aired from 1984 to 1994. The original series starred Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. An updated version aired on tv in 2023 starring Matt Okine and...

By Chenoah Eljan Walking into the theatre Avril Lavigne’s “My Happy Ending” plays, welcoming the audience to 2004 but also alluding quite adroitly to what is about to unfold. Olivia (Helen Doig) sits on stage, muttering along to a television. Four unique spaces of a...

By David Gardette Words have power. Words shape people, culture, and beliefs. The power of words and language not only create the world around us but have the authority to influence society and change. After reading ‘The Surgeon of Crowthorne,' about the making of the...

By Melanie Thomas On a beautiful sunny day at Central Park in Malvern I was fortunate to attend the first day of Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s children's show ‘Adventures in Neverland’. Directed by Carl Whiteside, who is strongly experienced in children's theatre,...

 By George Dixon The Duchess of Malfi, written by John Webster in around 1612, is based on actual events in Italy.  Giovanna d'Aragona was the real-life Duchess of Amalfi who was widowed at the age of 19, in 1498. To bring the characters into context, Giovanna...

By Calysta Morgan Nestled amidst the lush greenery of Central Park Malvern, Melbourne Shakespeare Company's adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" transports audiences on a delightful journey through time and tradition. With a unique blend of Shakespearean wit and 60s...

   By Ellis Koch  The Wharf Revue has a solid history. Twenty-four years running in fact and, one hopes, many more years to come.  With such a long history it is no wonder that The Wharf Revue can deliver such a polished and slick product - political satire that...