Author: Sarah Skubala
Review: Cirque KOOZA Is The Blockbuster You Need To See Live
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★★★★★ Attending Cirque du Soleil has become an annual highlight, but KOOZA this year came with an unexpected upgrade: a front-row seat. Reviewing a Cirque production is both one of the easiest and hardest things to do. The experience itself is almost impossible to describe. How do you put into…
Sabrina Wall Talks Triple Bill & The Growth of Voxalis Opera
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Brisbane-based Voxalis Opera has built a reputation for championing emerging artists while presenting opera that speaks directly to contemporary audiences. Its latest production, Triple Bill, continues that mission through three intimate works exploring heartbreak, mental health and family, including the Australian premieres of two contemporary operas. Rather than relying on…
Review: The Book of Mormon Blesses Brisbane Once More
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★★★★½ The arrival of The Book of Mormon brings one of musical theatre’s biggest comedy hits back to Brisbane. The first major touring musical to grace the city’s sparkling new Glasshouse Theatre, it remains as provocative as it is popular more than a decade after its Broadway debut. Anyone who…
Review: Heathers Brings Big Fun To The Gold Coast
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★★★★★ Anyone who’s seen Heathers: The Musical knows it’s unlike almost any other night at the theatre. Audiences cheer as though they’re at a rock concert, queues for merchandise and the post-show meet-and-greets stretch into the night, and fans, affectionately known as Corn Nuts, arrive in costume to celebrate a…
Film Review: CatVideoFest 2026 Proves Cat Videos Are Even Better On The Big Screen
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Let’s address the obvious question first. Why would anyone pay to watch cat videos on the big screen when they can spend hours watching them for free online? The answer is surprisingly simple. Because CatVideoFest isn’t really about the videos themselves; it’s about sharing them. Part compilation film, part celebration…
Review: Queensland Symphony Orchestra Levels Up With The Music Of Video Games
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★★★★☆ With no gaming enthusiasts among The Scoop’s Brisbane reviewing team, I approached The Music of Video Games by Queensland Symphony Orchestra from the perspective of a curious outsider. As a Gen Xer, my regular gaming days are long behind me, but the concert proves you don’t need an encyclopaedic…
Review: THREE By Australasian Dance Collective Is A Theatrical Feast
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★★★★☆ Now in its fourth iteration, Australasian Dance Collective’s triple bill THREE returns to the Brisbane Powerhouse, showcasing two brand new works and a Queensland premiere. THREE serves as a fertile ground for artistic risk, and this year’s program is no exception. Featuring MAARUNG by Joel Bray, CUDDLE by Harrison…
Review: Snow White Ballet Returns In Enchanting Style
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Ballet Theatre Queensland returns to QPAC these school holidays with its highly acclaimed production of Snow White. Premiering in January 2025 as a brand-new full-length ballet, it marked a significant milestone for the company, featuring original choreography by Clare Morehen and a newly commissioned score by Lucas D. Lynch. Following…
Will Swenson On Neil Diamond & The Power Of A Beautiful Noise
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The smash-hit Broadway show A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical will make its Australian premiere in Melbourne next month before heading to Sydney in November. Acclaimed Broadway star Will Swenson, who originated the role of Neil Diamond on Broadway, will lead the cast. Rehearsals are well underway, and Will took…
Review: 360 Allstars Celebrates The Joy Of Mastering A Skill
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★★★★☆ BMX, basketball, breakdancing, acrobatics and drumming come together in 360 ALLSTARS, a high-energy urban circus that celebrates the artistry of street culture through an impressive display of athleticism and skill. Directed by Gene Peterson and presented by Onyx Productions, 360 ALLSTARS features an international cast of world champions and…
Review: Echo by Australasian Dance Collective Takes Joyful Flight
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Dance is often described as a universal language, and in Echo, that language is spoken with remarkable energy, curiosity and conviction. Now in its eighth year, Australasian Dance Collective’s Youth Ensemble celebrates movement as a conversation between artists, generations and communities. Featuring performers aged 14 to 19, the Ensemble brings…
Review: The Agent Brings Laughs To The Anywhere Festival
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★★★★☆ She’s licensed to sell… Between impossible house prices and never-ending interest rate hikes, reality is exhausting enough. Thankfully, The Agent, a new comedy play by Meryn Cooper, is here to let audiences laugh their way out of it for a while. A world premiere for the Anywhere Festival in…
Review: Eat Slay Zombie Brings End Of The World Home
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★★★★½ “Eat Slay Zombie” sounds like something Gen Z would scream while live-streaming the apocalypse. Thankfully, this production understands exactly how ridiculous that sentence is and runs with it at full speed. Off the back of a successful 2024 season at QPAC, Eat Slay Zombie returns to Brisbane as La Boite Theatre’s…
In Conversation With Eddie Perfect: Beetlejuice The Musical
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It is rare to be given a chance to sit down with the writer of a Broadway musical. But this is exactly what happened in Brisbane last week with Eddie Perfect, composer and lyricist of the Tony-nominated Beetlejuice The Musical. The Scoop joined key media, invited guests and local musical…
Meet Claire Lyon: My Fair Lady’s New Eliza Doolittle
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Last weekend, renowned Australian soprano Claire Lyon was unveiled as the next Eliza Doolittle for the upcoming 70th Anniversary season of the much-loved musical, My Fair Lady. Based on Julie Andrews’ 2016 production, My Fair Lady will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in September before a season at Arts Centre Melbourne in November. The…
Sarah Murr Sets Sail On Her Next Big Adventure
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After a sold-out extended season in 2025, Hayes Theatre Co will raise the Jolly Roger once again as they revive their acclaimed version of The Pirates of Penzance, opening next week at the Foundry Theatre. New recruit Sarah Murr joins the cast, and The Scoop sat down for a chat on Friday…
From Easy Street To Easy As Pie: Waitress Star Keanu Gonzalez On Playing Earl & Pushing His Craft
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The long awaited Australian premiere of Waitress is finally hitting the stage in Melbourne and it is already generating a lot of audience excitement. This heartwarming and empowering musical tells the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie maker who longs to escape her rocky marriage and start…
Review: The Sapphires Sparkle In A Soulful Brisbane Premiere
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★★★★☆ There’s an immediate sparkle to The Sapphires that’s hard to resist! Directed by Wesley Enoch and presented by Queensland Theatre Company in a co-production with Canberra Theatre Centre, the Brisbane premiere production tells the story of four Yorta Yorta women who find their voice, and their fame, in the…
Review: Elastic Hearts Brings Joy Through Dance & The Music Of Sia
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★★★★☆ It is not uncommon in our country’s thriving theatre scene to have multiple shows opening over the same weekend. Such is the case in Brisbane right now, with at least five shows plus a festival hitting the stages over the next few days. One offering that should not be…
Inside The Last Parma Night: Mateship, Memory, & Moving On
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Next month, Clockwork Possum Productions premieres its debut work, The Last Parma Night, at Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne. Written and produced by Max Meaden, the new Australian play explores friendship, nostalgia and the uneasy transition into adulthood, all set against the familiar backdrop of a local pub’s parma night.…
Michael Ralph On Xanadu, Creativity & Bringing The Magic To Adelaide
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The Elder Conservatorium’s Bachelor of Music Theatre company is rolling into 2026 with Xanadu as its first major production of the year. Packed with roller skates, high-energy choreography and a whole lot of spirit, this cult favourite promises a joyful start to the season. Ahead of opening night last night,…
Review: MJ Cranks It To Eleven In A Roof Raising Brisbane Triumph
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★★★★★ It is Brisbane’s turn to experience the explosive power of MJ the Musical, celebrating the music of one of the greatest artists of all time, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Last night’s Brisbane opening night crowd was electric, and The Scoop had the privilege of experiencing it all…
Review: The Prom Brings Big Smiles & Pure Joy To Sydney
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★★★★★ There’s something big happening at a little theatre in Sydney’s Inner West, and people are starting to take notice. Teatro at the Italian Forum is carving out a space as a bold new creative hub, launching its slate of Australian premiere productions with the exuberant and big-hearted musical, The…
Review: The Phantom Of The Opera Lights Up Sydney Harbour
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★★★★★ A lingering storm nearly upstaged one of the year’s most anticipated theatrical events. Instead, it receded at the final hour, setting the scene for a spectacular opening night of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’s The Phantom of the Opera. Nothing quite prepares you for theatre on this scale in…
Elementary, My Dear Melbourne: Innes Lloyd Unleash Holmes’ Lost Casebook
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Comedy duo Innes Lloyd have entertained Melbourne audiences for over ten years with their hilarious adaptations of well-known literary characters, including Dracula and Frankenstein. In 2026, they are bringing a brand-new show to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Lost Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle teased readers with hints of…
Paige Fallu Finds Heart, Pride & Joy In The Prom
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The Prom arrives this month at the newly revitalised Teatro at the Italian Forum, bringing its heart and high-energy celebration of pride to Sydney audiences. The Tony-nominated Broadway smash-hit has become a global favourite for its infectious score and powerful message of acceptance. Anticipation is building ahead of the Australian…
A Wedding As A Cover Story: Faisal Hamza On Belvoir’s Radical New Play, A Mirror
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Belvoir St Theatre is thrilled to present A Mirror, a smart new hit play about art versus power, premiering on 21 February and starring Eden Falk, Faisal Hamza, Yalin Ozucelik and Rose Riley. Written by Sam Holcroft and directed by Margaret Thanos, this sharp comedy skewers theatre, politics, war, egotism…
No One Is Coming To Save You: Inside Sharehouse Productions Urgent Debut
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Next week, Sharehouse Productions makes its debut at the Old Fitz Theatre with Tonsils + Tweezers, an Australian work by playwright Will O’Mahony, directed by Lucy Rossen. Set on the eve of a high school reunion, Tonsils + Tweezers follows two best friends reckoning with grief, masculinity and the fallout of…
Bec Moret Invites New Audiences Into Opera With Gente, gente!
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Gente, gente! Productions sails into 2026 with a bold new double bill directed by Bec Moret, featuring Ralph Vaughan Williams’ one act opera Riders to the Sea and a selection of works by his protégée, Dame Elizabeth Maconchy. Conducted by Dr Joanna Drimatis, the production centres female perspectives on and off the stage. Women…
Review: Cats Lands On Its Feet For A Brisbane Farewell
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CATS marks the third touring musical to make its final stop in Brisbane, following on from Annie and Jesus Christ Superstar. Brisbane musical theatre lovers are always happy to be lucky last, and once again, the opening night audience welcomed the show with much enthusiasm. The Scoop has followed the…
