Month: January 2026
Review: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Funk Soul Productions
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At first glance, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee leans gleefully into anarchy: awkward bodies, competitive nerves, bodily functions, and a sense that anything could derail at any moment. This musical, presented by Funk Soul Productions, with music and lyrics by William Finn, understands that chaos is the joke,…
Review: Amplified Brings Chrissy Amphlett Back With Leather, Lace & Voltage
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Who is Chrissy Amphlett? No, really, who the f**k is Chrissy Amphlett? After seeing Amplified at Belvoir St Theatre, I’m beginning to get an idea. Chrissy Amphlett was one of those artists who didn’t just perform her songs but became them. The opening night crowd of people my Dad’s age crackled with…
The Next Step: Legacy World Tour Adds New Performances
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Due to popular demand, new performances have been added to the Australian leg of global dance phenomenon The Next Step: Legacy World Tour. Featuring many of the beloved cast members from the iconic TV show, The Next Step: Legacy World Tour arrives in Australia from 8 April turning up the heat in 10 electrifying…
Review: Severe Lacerations To The Head 2026 Fringe World Perth
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Kate Smurthwaite is no ordinary comedian. She’s an utterly fearless firebrand with a hell of a lot to say. In her one-hour show, Severe Lacerations to the Head, the British comedian takes hilarious pot shots at Trump, calls out racism and Islamophobia in Perth, speaks passionately about the genocide in…
Review: The Social Ladder By David Williamson Ensemble Theatre
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The Social Ladder, David Williamson’s newest play, has opened at Ensemble Theatre Sydney in a world premiere season. It’s a sharp, social satire that has you laughing one moment and squirming in your seat the next. A hilariously cutting look at our collective desperation to climb the ranks, Williamson’s new…
Review: The Girl’s Guide To Saving The World Old Fitz Theatre
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The Girl’s Guide to Saving the World was written in 2014 by English playwright Elinor Cook. Though the concept of a blog is a long-gone medium, the refreshing direction by Roisin Wallace-Nash keeps this production, presented by With Pleasure Productions as part of the Old Fitz late night programming, feeling contemporary.…
Review: My Brilliant Career Shines In A Glorious Encore Season
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My Brilliant Career, brought to you by Melbourne Theatre Company, is back for an encore season after a smash hit in 2024. Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, this is a masterclass in Australian theatre. The award-winning musical brings bush ballads, pop, and pub-rock tunes all under the southern cross sky. What a…
Talented Trio Of Finalists Revealed In Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2026
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Three Australian writers will develop bold new theatre works as finalists in the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2026 (QPDA), one of the nation’s most prestigious theatre award programs. Melanie Tait, Michelle Law and Alberto Di Troia were selected as finalists following a competitive, nationwide search for captivating stories and audacious ideas. The three finalists…
Kala Gare Relights The Fire In My Brilliant Career
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Back by popular demand, Melbourne Theatre Company kicks off its 2026 season with My Brilliant Career, based on the novel by Miles Franklin. Led once more by the formidable Kala Gare, and featuring much of the original cast, this smash-hit musical earned critical acclaim and five Green Room Awards, including Outstanding Production. Set…
Win Tickets To Mamma Mia! The Musical In Melbourne
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Fans of the beloved ABBA musical can rejoice as the MAMMA MIA! The Musical makes a triumphant return to Melbourne this summer. Independent theatre company AG Theatre brings the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award nominated show to Melbourne’s historic National Theatre in St Kilda, kicking off on 7 February 2026. Seen and loved by over 65 million people…
Review: Now You See Me Live Astounds Perth
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Created by Tim Lawson and Simon Painter, Now You See Me Live contains bona fide magic of the highest degree, guaranteed to astound. This spectacular stage production reimagines the Lionsgate franchise, eliciting a quality of awe rarely experienced beyond early childhood. The first surprise appears mere seconds into the show, closely followed by…
Announcing Freak Out! The Afterparty To Close Out Midsumma Festival
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For one night only, FREAK OUT! THE AFTERPARTY is set to become the ultimate late-night closer destination for the Midsumma Festival. A wild collision of burlesque, circus, cabaret, and live acts, all set to the pulsing, nostalgic beat of a 90s house music soundtrack runs on Saturday 7 February 2026. …
PIP Theatre Launches 2026 Season With Over 30 Productions
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PIP Theatre recently celebrated the launch of its 2026 Season in a significant moment for the independent company based in Milton, Brisbane. With a season boasting over 30 productions running concurrently in their Level 1 Studio and Level 2 Main Theatre, PIP Theatre cements itself as a year-round hub of…
Review: Any Moment Is A Promising New Pilot Musical With Heart
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Seeing a brand-new pilot musical is always an interesting experience. The audience has never seen the show performed. They don’t know the music. The staging. Will there be dancing? Is there a band? I know I was thinking all of the above when I arrived at PIP theatre to attend…
Review: Lacrima by Caroline Guiela Nguyen 2026 Sydney Festival
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In the last few years, mainstream discourse has criticised the production of fast fashion, which has cast moral judgment on those who purchase such goods. The implicit blame falls on consumers of lower socio-economic classes who may rely on fast-fashion due to its affordability. But where does high fashion fall…
Review: Elixir Revived 2026 Fringe World Perth
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Head First Acrobats return to Perth Fringe World this year with a bang in their new show: Elixir Revived. A high-energy production filled with daring acrobatics and cheeky humour; it’s a perfect way to end a night out with friends at Northbridge’s Pleasure Gardens. Made up of four boys: Callan…
Review: Sisa-Sisa Bankstown Art Centre 2026 Sydney Festival
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There are nights in the theatre where applause feels insufficient, where clapping hands struggle to meet what has just been offered. Sisa-Sisa is one of those nights. This double-bill of solo dance works is not performance as spectacle, but performance as remembrance – an act of listening to bodies that carry histories…
Review: Barbra Proves She Is Still The Greatest Star
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Barbra Streisand is an icon of the performing arts world with a dazzling career that spans over six decades across music, theatre and screen. Hayes Theatre Co have opened their 2026 season with an immaculate homage to her extraordinary talent in Barbra: The Greatest Star. It’s a show filled with…
Review: Alice In Wonderland Ballet Is A Dazzling Golden Age Delight
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Alice in Wonderland, a brand-new full-length ballet, has arrived, presented by Ballet Theatre Queensland (BTQ) for a spectacular limited season at QPAC. This marks BTQ’s second new work in as many years, following Snow White, which premiered in 2025. Like Snow White, this production features an entirely original score by…
Film Review: The President’s Cake Is A Tender Portrait Of Fear & Survival
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★★★★★ There are tyrants who demand monuments, and tyrants who demand cakes. The President’s Cake understands that the latter can be just as lethal. Set in Iraq in the 1990s, under Saddam Hussein and the weight of Western sanctions, Hasan Hadi’s debut feature reduces dictatorship to a child-sized task: nine-year-old…
Announcing Jersey Forever Tour In 2026
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The boys are back! Jersey Forever reunites the original four stars of the record-breaking, mega hit musical Jersey Boys in a fresh tour in 2026. They boys will be performing for one night only at Twin Towns, Tweed Heads on Friday 13 February, following previously announced tour dates in Wyong,…
Film Review: Sirāt Is A Haunting Road Into The Unknown
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A father searches for his missing daughter at a rave in southern Morocco, accompanied by his young son. The country is in a state of emergency. The military arrives to evacuate the LSD-soaked ravers from their beat-driven utopia. Father and son escape the militia and follow a band of raver…
Announcing Tonsils + Tweezers For New Indie Theatre Collective
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Sharehouse Production Company in association with The Old Fitz Theatre is thrilled to present their debut production, Tonsils + Tweezers from 17 -27 February as part of Fitz’s 2026 Late Night programming. This is the debut production for Sharehouse Production Company, a newly formed Sydney-based collective founded by four housemates…
Matthew Predny On Love, Power & Afterglow
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Afterglow is heading down under next week for its highly anticipated Australian premiere. The critically acclaimed off-Broadway play, written by S. Asher Gelman, is a modern, intimate exploration of desire, honesty and connection. The Scoop chatted with Matthew Predny, one of the play’s three stars, ahead of the season. Matthew gave…
Announcing 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards Winners
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The winners of the 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced last night at a star-studded ceremony. 29 awards were presented, shared between 19 productions which played on Sydney stages during 2025. Almost 500 members of the Sydney theatre community gathered at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre to celebrate. Best Mainstage…
Circus of Illusion Returns This Easter: Win Tickets!
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Celebrate Easter with Circus of Illusion, featuring the acclaimed illusionist and Australia’s Got Talent finalist Michael Boyd as he returns with his spectacular show to Sydney’s State Theatre for two shows only on Saturday 4 April 2026. Audiences are invited to escape into a dazzling world where sawdust and sequins meet cutting-edge illusions and jaw-dropping magic in Circus of Illusion –…
Film Review: Somebody To Love Palace Cinemas
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Director Paolo Genovese solidifies his dominance on the International film scene with another smash hit in the form of Somebody to Love (also known as Follemente or Madly). Following the global success of 2016’s Perfect Strangers, Genovese once again captures the humour and vulnerability in human behaviour to deliver a universally relatable narrative. Set in the…
Kate Hudson-James Steps Into The Spotlight With & Juliet
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The worldwide smash-hit musical & JULIET is heading to Toowoomba’s esteemed Empire Theatre in March, featuring an all-singing, all-dancing, all-star cast of more than two dozen young performers. In the title role is Kate Hudson-James, making her professional debut. The role marks a homecoming for Kate who is a former Toowoomba resident and…
Review: Danny And The Deep Blue Sea Old Fitz Theatre
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Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, presented by NicNac Productions at the Old Fitz Theatre, originally ran in 1983 off-Broadway. John Patrick Shanley’s play is a short one, clocking in at just 75 minutes. It’s this short runtime that helps capture the often rapid ways relationships form, making every second count.…
Review: Mama Does Derby 2026 Sydney Festival
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The queue for Adelaide-based Windmill Production Company’s latest creation Mama Does Derby stretches down the Sydney Town Hall steps. The crowd, surprisingly older than expected, is buzzing. The cramped Druitt St foyer is packed with punters eyeing off the roller derby merch. Inside, the ground floor of the venerable old…
