By Ash  Cottrell In my humble opinion, fortyfivedownstairs is one of the most exciting places to see theatre in Melbourne. Conveniently located at the Paris end of Flinders Lane, the theatre is flanked by prominent bars and restaurants to value-add to an evening out....

Review by Carissa Shale    They say never work with animals or children, but Annie defies that proverb, proving that when done right, both can elevate a show to new heights. Annie has enchanted audiences for decades with its heartwarming tale of a plucky orphan's...

By Adam Rafferty Celebrated American playwright Paula Vogel has never been one to shy away from confronting political and social issues. In Mother Play, she tackles deeply personal subjects as she presents parts of her own life story on the stage that will likely...

By Jennifer Beasley. Roller skating through debilitating pain touches creative depths in this inspired one-woman show that delves into death, existential crisis, luck – and hope. Andi Snelling has created an interesting one act and one-woman 80-minute play based upon...

By David Gardette Anthony Hill’s Soldier Boy, adapted from his 2001 novel, brings to the stage the poignant true story of James “Jim” Martin, the youngest Australian soldier to die in active service during World War I. At just 14 years old, Martin lied about his age...

By Darby Turnbull What does it mean to have good intentions in a system that relies on undermining altruism in order to maintain the status quo? Proactive initiatives are insidiously inhibited through endless bureaucratic red tape designed to exhaust whilst self...

Review by David Gardette   John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a cult classic that continues to resonate. This bold, genre-defying rock musical tells the story of Hedwig, a genderqueer East German singer whose botched sex-change...

By Jennifer Beasley. Twenty-one incredible performers showcase their outstanding talents, redefining what ‘Circus’ traditionally means. Firstly, I’d like to congratulate the creative talents of co-creators Sage Bechtler Cushman and Hugo Oliverira for this amazing...

By Natalie Ristovski Bloomsday, a commemorative yearly celebration of the life of James Joyce, finds its Down Under home via Bloomsday in Melbourne - a team of dramaturgs who have been diligently working going on thirty years to bring the works of the esteemed Irish...

By Tim Garratt First published in 1992, Looking for Alibrandi was the debut novel of Australian writer and teacher Melina Marchetta. It has since been read by several generations locally and overseas (the novel has been published in 16 countries and translated into a...

By Adam Rafferty Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan, author of the widely awarded epic Counting and Cracking, seen as part of the 2024 RISING: festival, returns this year with the rather more concise, fable-like story of The Wrong Gods. A ninety-minute tale of a...

By Chris Hosking Can love be measured in megabytes? What information is stored in memory?  How do we find it once lost?  Will a barrage of information bring us closer together or divide us? Caryl Churchill’s brilliant 2012 text Love and Information is a challenge and...

By Jennifer Beasley. A showcase of a fractured mind unearths the pathologisation of women. Trigger warnings: Depictions of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and flashing lights. Ah, the good old days. When the easy fix for an unhappy and sexually unavailable woman was...

By Ash Cottrell It had been many, many years since I’d been to, The Butterfly Club. Last week marked the first time in a long time and it was great to be back. An eclectic, artistic, albeit kitsch coupling of trinkets and colours characterises the space. It all feels...

By Jennifer Beasley. Masterful direction unleashes the oratory power of Max Gillies in a profound triptych that uncovers moral male deficiencies and entrenched misogyny. It’s probably the first time in my life that I have been so blown away by directional talent in...

By Jennifer Beasley. A binaural sound experiment allows The Birds to come to life and asks the question that who would win at the end of the world, Man or Nature? Writing horror for the stage is a tricky thing, and when you present a monologue at 80 minutes, so many...

By David Gardette Shadow boxing presented by theatre works and feet first collective Shadow Boxing is one of those shows that grabs you and doesn’t let go. It’s raw, intense and instinctive. Written by James Gaddas in 1989, and premiering in 1994, the play centres on...

Review by Suzanne Tate   For the Gen Xers amongst us, Beetlejuice: The Musical is a flashback to our youth. It is based on the 1988 film Beetlejuice starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, although substantial creative license has...

Review by Dave Gardette   Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Les Misérables returns in grand fashion with the Arena Spectacular, a concert-style reimagining that trades traditional staging for vocal and visual grandeur – resulting in an emotionally charged, epic...

By Jennifer Beasley. A standing ovation sums up the electric effect of outstanding choreography and circus skills by an extraordinary team. Circa, the Brisbane based ten performer circus company, led by visionary artistic director Yaron Lifschitz, have given birth to...

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...

By Jennifer Beasley. The best Queer comedian at the MICF, Costa, sweet and likeable, easily entertains his audience with killer wit, Gay sex stories of the bluest kind and laser insights. I’ve seen a bit of Queer comedy at MICF this season. Which means you do get a...

By Jennifer Beasley. One of Australia’s best comedy writers provides a hilarious hour of standup comedy with his keen wit and observational humour. Adam Rozenbachs is like the Australian Royalty of Standup Comedy.  He is frequently the warmup act for Dave Hughes and...

By Jennifer Beasley. Ethan Cavanagh is going places - fast. Intelligent comedy threaded by themes of renting, alcohol consumption and a serial killer makes a humour suit that will keep you giggling. MICF has ended. Not with a whimper but with a huge laugh as Ethan...

By Jennifer Beasley. Circus Oz excel once again with an infectious feast of acrobatic delights, hand-clapping music and daredevilry in this non-stop energy performance. Sixty minutes of pure adrenaline! Aerial stunts! Slapstick comedy! And-my all-time favourite-...

By Natalie Ristovski There is an age old adage - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it - and this could have been the mantra for my latest foray into the chaotically creative domain of the Sh!tfaced Shakespeare team for the 2025 Melbourne Comedy Festival, a good 12 months...

By Chenoah Eljan. Worried about microplastics? Not sure if you’re getting enough? You are not alone. Nic Davey-Greene is so worked up about it he wrote a song. He wrote a bunch of other songs too and bundled them into his debut solo show, Only If You Love Me.  It is...

By Adam Rafferty Have You Been Paying Attention regular, Taskmaster Australia Season 2 winner and partner of Anne Edmonds, Lloyd Langford is probably a better-known comedian Down Under nowadays than he is in his home country of Wales. Certainly, he’s been here long...

By George Dixon Popera, is the merging of two worlds. Pop music, complete with divas and Opera, which was considered the “Pop” music of its day. Sex, Death and Politics are considered to be three of the four prohibited subjects, with Tax being the fourth. What could...

By Jennifer Beasley. The rubbery comedic talents of Filips excel in his playful physicality and exceptional ability to make fun of himself. MICF, we have to stop meeting like this. Once again, I have stumbled upon a great up-and-coming talent. Choosing what acts to...

By Bronwyn Cook For the 35th time, international and local comedy superstars gathered their wits, wrote and presented their arguments, did some light opposite team roasting along the way - all with the aim of winning the Melbourne International Comedy Festival annual...

By Jessica Taurins To be transparent - I've not seen Rhys Darby in anything other than a few seasons of 'Our Flag Means Death', and a few of his smaller film roles - 'What We Do In the Shadows', the 'Jumanji' remake, and 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'. What I'm saying...

By Jennifer Beasley. Come to the Wedding. Stay for the rapid wit, face aching comedy and a brave statement on human rights. This wasn’t what I expected. Firstly, I’ve been reviewing like mad and amongst the 700 odd shows at MICF (I’ve done about fifteen so far) it...

By George Dixon This year's International Comedy Festival is full of great entertainment. It’s sometimes overwhelming to decide which ones to select. One of the most outstanding improvised comedies is Time Lord.I had the pleasure of seeing Time Lord at last year's...

By Jennifer Beasley. An intellectual, witty and piecing comedy act by a performer who isn’t afraid to get real. I love an intellectual comedy. It makes me feel I haven’t wasted all those years at university, and you can never have too many degrees, can you? Enter whip...

By Natalie Ristovski Dearest readers, There is nothing quite so comforting as a good cup of tea. Presented in the most delicate of porcelain cups upon a saucer, paired with a scone slathered with jam and cream, tis a balm for the soul that can cure almost any ailment...

By Natalie Ristovski Bernie Dieter is a consummate artiste. Channeling the long gone spirits of Weimar Berlin and dragging them screaming and crooning to life for new generations, Dieter cups them all in the palm of her crimson-clawed hands, shaping and molding her...

By Jennifer Beasley. Murphy slays with a rollicking, frantic ode to 90’s pop iconic show Buffy. Buffy The Vampire Slayer. 90’s television series that launched a few Hollywood careers. Never heard of it? Or Super Hard Core Fan Numero Uno? If you identify with either of...

By Jennifer Beasley. An exceptional talent and budding comedic superstar. Robyn Reynolds has arrived. Drum roll, please. Da, da, daaa! Introducing the amazing, talented, gifted comic, Robyn Reynolds! You think this is hyperbole? I reviewed Reynolds in early February...

By Jessica Taurins With Maddy Weeks, what you see is almost 110% what you're gonna get. They flounce onstage, a teeny tiny powerhouse, who immediately brushes off a heckler with a self-deprecating joke and an expert redirection into queer community. The wacko nature...

By Jennifer Beasley. This one-night Asian Comedy Feast delivered in spades. It’s a pity this event was only for one night as it was an absolute cracker. However, you still get a chance to see the individual artist’s shows if you are quick, although a few have already...

By Jessica Taurins In a normal world, shopping is pretty basic. Enter store, find item, spend money, go home. But for Lena Moon, a simple need for a projector for her new apartment turns into a story so catastrophic it literally cannot be predicted. Moon - known for...

By Adam Rafferty As a 29-year-old Aussie, Jenny Tian is currently undertaking the right of passage that is moving to the UK and making a go of it abroad. And just like all those ‘antipodean’ kids before her, she’s accumulated a bunch of fun stories along the way about...

By Bec Johnston Jack Docherty isn’t exactly a household name in Australia. He’s BAFTA-nominated, and had a '90s chat show out of the UK on Channel 5, which didn't quite make waves on our distant southern shores. Someone forgot to tell Docherty that, though, as he...

By Nick Pilgrim Spoken Word is one the more challenging categories from this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Set on a bare stage, artists have only the written text and a few simple props to guide them. Left to sprinkle their routines with a mixture of...

By Jennifer Beasley. Part comedy, part cancer awareness campaign and a bit of balloon artistry thrown in makes for an entertaining show. Becky Steepe is full of surprises. As comedians go, she handles herself well, although at times I really wanted her to lean more...

  Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, in 1955. The Thrill of Love is a play adaptation of the book by Amanda Whittington that explores the life of Ruth Ellis, her conviction of murder and subsequent hanging. The Thrill of Love is set...

By Jennifer Beasley. Do you have to understand someone in order to love them? Charlene Kaye presents Tiger Daughter, or How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame. After watching this show it appears that anything Chinese American Kaye does is the source of...

By Adam Rafferty Winner of Best Newcomer at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Noah Szto’s very funny routine on this year’s Gala show contained (I’m guessing) excerpts from that previous show. Because Med School contains less of the ‘getting to know...

By Adam Rafferty Probably best known for her regular guest appearances on Channel 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention? Lizzy Hoo surprised last year when she appeared on Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey on SBS, a show where he took Australian comedians on journeys to...

By Nick Pilgrim The bread and butter of any comedy festival, stand-up is both the most prolific yet unnerving live entertainment artform to master. Armed with only a microphone and their wits, it is a joy to watch performers stand tall and ride that emotional wave...

By George Dixon Dr Jo, asks the question, Can Cancer Be Funny? Which opens up other thoughts like, is it too early to make fun of Cancer? How do you present Cancer in a light-hearted way that is also supportive and informative? Dr Jo’s new production, Cancer and...

    By Nick Pilgrim Mike McLeish is less than eighty-five days away from a significant milestone birthday. But who’s counting, eh? Hot on the heels of Adult Beginner, his breakthrough revelation from last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, McLeish...

By Nick Pilgrim Thanks to the internet’s worldwide reach, Julian O’Shea has amassed an impressive global following and counting on platforms such as YouTube (125K subscribers) and TikTok (85K followers and 2 million likes). The self-confessed trivia buff quickly...

By Nick Pilgrim One of the delights of reviewing the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is discovering brilliant new talent for the first time. With more than 600 acts and events on offer, chances are many punters will be in the same boat as well.  Taking a...

By George Dixon Melbourne’s Comedy Festival is once again in full swing. This annual event provides an amazing vibe to this city. With so many artists and different types of performances, some may become overwhelmed In choosing which shows to see. Regardless of what’s...

By Adam Rafferty According to the man himself, it has been eight years since Luke McGregor did stand-up. The intervening years having seen him create (with Celia Pacquola) five seasons of successful ABC comedy series Rosehaven, while also appearing on many and varied...

By Nick Pilgrim There is something I need to confess something straight up. Given my manic daily work schedule, whether via the small screen, talkback radio or live in person, this is the first time I have experienced Sammy J perform in full. The extended wait, it...

By Jennifer Beasley. Alice Tovey shares heartbreaking vulnerabilities intertwined with comedy to shatter the glass walls of our emotional prisons. That by-line sounds heavy, right? However, it takes an extraordinary courage to blaze onto a stage in an emerald velvet...

By Jennifer Beasley. Con Coutis mimes his way out of an unescapable prison with sound effects and a spice of help from the audience.  I swear your honour, I ain’t done it. I’m innocent! Yes, I’m sure. A likely story, Jennifer Beasley, but you are now a captive...

By Nick Pilgrim The British pop star, Boy George, was once quoted as saying while Fawlty Towers was his favourite show, he always needed a good lie down after watching it. Set in a quaint family-run Torquay hotel, it seems incredulous to think the award-winning series...

By Nick Pilgrim Bigger, brighter, and louder than ever, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is currently under way for three dynamic weeks. Jam-packed with interest, the multitude of options on offer means there is always something for everyone. Having...

By Jennifer Beasley. English teacher by day, superstar in training by night.  Budding comedian Alasdair Keith Gardiner played to a packed house at Tasma Terrace to deliver humorous stories from his travels around the world, his childhood in Brisbane (or BrisVagas as...

By Jennifer Beasley. MICF’s Zen master of comedy.  Welcome to MICF! For those recovering from that cheery opening it’s time to do all things funny at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. First off the rank (for me anyway), is the fantastic Adele Cliff. Super...

Review by David Gardette   As the iconic Jesus Christ Superstar continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary, this reimagined production based on the acclaimed London 2017 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production, brings a fresh, gritty energy to Andrew Lloyd...

By David Gardette. Boys on the Verge of Tears by Sam Grabiner is an ambitious exploration of modern masculinity that delivers a mix of raw emotional moments, humour, and unsettling insights. Premiering at the Soho Theatre in London in 2023, the play won the Verity...

By Jennifer Beasley. A ‘lonely, busy, wandering cloud’ is surprisingly sweet and tender.  This was a very hard one to class. Unique, whimsical and full of mishaps and happenstance, Amy Bodossian sings, dances, interviews and creates chaos during this cabaret styled...

By Jennifer Beasley. 5 fabulous monologues that will make you make you think. Then think again.  I feel blessed to be a Melbournian. Not only do we have amazing events like the Grand Prix (over 125,000 people on the day I attended) but we have organisations like the...

By  Adam Rafferty In one of his earliest works, prolific Australian playwright David Williamson wrote a show to be performed at La Mama based on a true tale told to him by a removalist who was helping him shift house. The removalist recounted how he’d recently worked...

By Darby Turnbull The good folx at Bullet Heart Club just don’t stop, barely six weeks after the stunning Thirty-Six Kitan Petkovski and Ro Bright reunite at Darebin Arts Speakeasy for Eva Rees’ latest play, Djuna.  It’s in the interest of any who attend this play...

By Darby Turnbull. In these increasingly bleak and fraught times I think audiences and stages will gravitate towards Chekhov with more frequency. His works, especially the big 4 Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and of course Three Sisters; show people and...

          By Jennifer Beasley. 5 extraordinary stories that explores the lives of a diverse range of people.  About 20 minutes after Lyceum Highway, I was invited to attend 5 monologues that were written by members of the Melbourne Writers...

By Jennifer Beasley. An exploration of one woman’s journey through her Hell by breaking the circle of pain.  I had to look up Lyceum, which is a hall or a place for discussion and learning. In K. V. Adams play, two extraordinarily written characters, Maggie (played...

Review by Tim Garratt   The Tony Award-winning MJ the Musical has arrived in Sydney, following productions in New York, London, Germany and a US Tour. Penned by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage, and directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Christopher...

By Adam Rafferty Commissioned through the MTC’s NEXT STAGE Writer’s Program and presented as part of their Education & Families Program, The Robot Dog is a fun new story set in the future and designed both for easy viewing and for themes that are ripe for...

By George Dixon I attended The Aevum Valley without knowing anything about it; I was interested in experiencing this play without any preconceived ideas. I allowed the experience to absorb and surround me from the moment I arrived. As you arrive, you are presented...

By Karyn Lee Greig, Having seen numerous productions of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet over decades, I find myself having to lower my expectations. Not since drama school have a I seen a version where I’ve believed that the two protagonists are actually in love....

By Jennifer Beasley. Fractured fairytales encounter the Aussie version of the English Pantomime by the Melbourne Shakespeare Company.  Right, who’s up for a rip roaring, jolly old time in the beautiful Central Park gardens in Malvern? Now don’t be shy. Let’s see those...

By Nick Pilgrim In its seven-year history, the James Terry Collective has become the independent go-to destination for quality theatrical experiences. Having produced left-of-centre choices like Rent (2018), Legally Blonde (2019), Next To Normal (2020/21) and Kinky...

By Jennifer Beasley. The art of forgiveness resides in letting go of the past.  Trigger Warning: Mention of the Holocaust.  I’ll say it to get it out of the way – Berlin is a fantastic story. And it’s written by Joanne Murray-Smith, author of another incredible...

By Natasha Boyd Collaborating successfully for over forty years, writer Patricia Cornelius and director Susie Dee, opened their latest and much anticipated creative project, Truth, at the Malthouse. Cornelius rarely writes about living people, so while a work centred...

By Adam Rafferty. British Australian playwright and host of The Guilty Feminist podcast, Deborah Frances-White takes Oscar Wilde’s cue in Never Have I Ever, a play filled with outrageous comedy and sparkling wit, that offers more political views than you can shake a...

By David Gardette. 30 years after its premiere at Playbox Theatre, "Honour" by Joanna Murray-Smith is celebrated with an anniversary season by Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Murray-Smith’s landmark play follows Honor, who must cope with the collapse of her marriage after...

Review by George Dixon   Melbourne Opera’s presentation of Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at The Royal Exhibition Building is an experience that thoroughly delights all of the senses. The Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne’s only UNESCO World...

Review by Bronwyn Cook “And the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical goes to……Avenue Q”   Twenty years ago, a musical with only three human characters but eleven puppets toppled the hot favourite, a show you may have heard of recently…Wicked, to win the biggest...

By Darby Turnbull Horror is a genre that has always been innately femme and queer. Part of being a marginalized class or identity is being hyper vigilant to perilous outside forces and not being believed. The most enduring Horrors have been rooted in an individual’s...

By Darby Turnbull. There’s a story in Gail Sheehy’s biography of Hilary Clinton about how after the public exposure of her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky she didn’t speak to him for eight months and only broke her silence when she called him to strongly advise...

  By George Dixon High octane, High energy with heaps of fun, That’s the best way to describe Hot Lunch’s latest production One of These Things First. Hot Lunch is becoming one of Australians much loved theatre companies. With a nucleus of three dynamic and...

Review by Tim Garratt   The tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the best-known legends of Greek mythology, inspiring myriad works of art, film, literature and theatre. In 2006, American singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell took the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice,...

By Darby Turnbull In a brief reprieve from Naarm’s recent heatwave; the weather turned pleasantly crisp for Friday night’s performance of Macbeth with overcast skies and some moderate wind; the ambience could not have been more ideal for transposing rural, medieval...

By Bec Johnston. Downstairs in the Fairfax Theatre at Arts Centre Melbourne, there's a windstorm building. The sheer flat of the stage could, conceivably, be mistaken for the wily, Wuthering moors somewhere out in West Yorkshire. There is nothing resting upon it but a...

By George Dixon. The “Queen of Ireland”, Panti Bliss, holds court with her latest creation, “If these wigs could talk”. This seventy-five-minute solo production is packed with heart-warming and, at times, intense accounts and insights into her life as a Drag Queen....