Author: Leo Manson

★★★★★ New Theatre’s production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge is a powerful exploration of the fallacies of masculinity.  Tragic playwright Arthur Miller is best known for the 1949 play Death of a Salesman and the 1953 play The Crucible. A View from the Bridge came out not…

★★★★☆ The award-winning play, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) by Isobel McArthur, has made its Sydney debut as the second stop on its national tour. This adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel is told as it should be: through gossip. Directed by Simon Harvey, it follows the plot of Pride and…

★★★★☆ The Day of the Triffids was originally written as a novel by John Wyndham in 1951. Today, adapted by award-winning director J. James-Moody, it takes the form of a play at New Theatre in Sydney. The post-apocalyptic tale is set in London after a meteor shower leaves its population…

★★★☆☆ First, Do No Harm is an original play by AACTA-nominated and award-winning playwright Grace Malouf. It is one of three plays produced by NIDA in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre (and Talia M-K presents) as part of the NIDA KXT New Writers, New Works Festival. The show surrounds a couple’s…

★★★☆☆ Created by Jye Bryant, Here & Queer is a collection of six plays, running for a limited season at Flight Path Theatre, that jab at issues plaguing the queer community.  The short plays were written by Bryant with the intent of reintroducing himself to writing, with workshops beginning in…

★★★★☆ Can two hurt people heal each other? It’s a question with no clear answer, but Gruesome Playground Injuries, presented by new Sydney indie theatre company Unorthodox Productions, doesn’t shy from these complexities.  Gruesome Playground Injuries was written in 2012 by award-winning American playwright Rajiv Joseph. The play follows the…

★★★★½ A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying, a world premiere musical from Green Door Theatre Company, isn’t perfect, but it teaches us that it shouldn’t have to be. Following acclaimed concert presentations at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and the Hayes Festival of New Work, the show arrives in Sydney…

★★★★☆ Have you ever acted in a bad play before? Stage Kiss, on now at New Theatre, brings all that awkwardness to a hilariously cringeworthy (and relatable) light.  Written by American playwright Sarah Ruhl, Stage Kiss premiered in 2011 in Chicago. Though many years have passed since its debut, the humour remains…

★★★½ Monster, directed by Kim Hardwick, is a stripped-back exploration of who’s responsible when a child becomes violent, presented by Tiny Dog Productions for the first time on a Sydney stage, in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Co. Monster was originally written in 2007 by English playwright Duncan Macmillan. It follows…

Kicking off the 2026 season for New Theatre Newtown is Perfect Arrangement, directed by Patrick Kennedy, a play that blends fifties flair with sitcom hijinks to create two hours of amazingly acted hilarity.  The story follows Bob Martindale and Norma Baxter, two employees of the US State Department. The pair…

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.…

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.…

Multiculturalism is often said to be a major part of Australia’s national identity. This isn’t often reflected in Australian society. A Chinese Christmas, written, produced by, and starring Trent Foo shows us what a multicultural Australia should actually look like.  The show is presented by FooFrame Productions in association with bAKEHOUSE…

When It Rains, presented by UTS Backstage, is an original murder mystery play with an artfully constructed winding narrative. This is a show that takes you for a ride that will leave you constantly wondering what will happen next. The period piece is written and produced by James Neiro and…

Watching Don’t Panic! (It’s Happened Before), written and performed by Sam Bowden, feels like a drunk conversation with friends. Bowden turns pop culture references, conspiracy theories and ‘impolite descriptions of the English’ into a wonderful tale of hope. The one-man show first graced stages at the Sydney Fringe Festival in 2023.…

Illawara-based Theatre Visage’s Gaslight Sonata originated as a 15-minute play called Sedition. This was inspired by the Australian liberal government’s introduction of sedition laws. Since then, the play has evolved into an absolutely eccentric commentary on our contemporary world.  The absurdist dark comedy is directed and written by Steen. It follows an accumulating…