Category: Musical Theatre
Review: Fiddler On The Roof Is The Must-See Show Of 2026
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★★★★★ Fiddler on the Roof isn’t just a classic musical; it’s a gut-punch of laughter, heartbreak and top-tier violin, and it’s currently tearing through QPAC’s Glasshouse Theatre, presented by Trafalgar Theatre Productions. As has been the case a fair bit this year, I walked in knowing absolutely nothing about this…
Review: Come From Away Celebrates Hope, Humanity & Community
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★★★★☆ At the majestic National Theatre in Melbourne, I sit enthralled. In awe, almost. Chirping and trilling sounds fly above my head. It is the birdlife in the town of Gander, in the Northeastern province of Newfoundland, pulling me in. The stage, beautifully designed by Sally Martin, and scenic lighting,…
Review: & Juliet Brings Pure Joy To The Elder Con Adelaide
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Say whatever you want about jukebox musicals, but I genuinely adore & Juliet! It is such a joyful piece of commercial musical theatre that just forces everyone to have a good time, no matter how silly the segue into the song may seem! The second and third year students at…
Review: Human Centipede Musical A Must-See For A Good Laugh
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★★★★★ Last performed at the Anywhere Festival in Brisbane and at the Alex Theatre in Melbourne back in 2023, The Human Centipede Parody Musical returns to Brisbane for a limited run at the PIP Theatre. Inspired by the 2009 horror film The Human Centipede, it may not be the most…
Review: My Fair Lady Returns With All Its Classic Magic
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★★★★★ My Fair Lady has a rich history, from Bernard Shaw’s original play and Gabriel Pascal’s film Pygmalion, through Lerner and Loewe’s beloved musical adaptation and the iconic Audrey Hepburn movie. For generations, the story of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins has captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences around…
Review: She Kills Monsters 2026 Sydney Fringe Festival
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★★★½ She Kills Monsters by Epiphany Arts Inc. combines the brevity of the play’s ‘Young Adventurers Edition’ with the risqué humour of the original 2011 script. Despite its facade as a raucous Dungeons and Dragons adventure, She Kills Monsters harbours a compelling exploration of sisterly bonds. Those sisters are Agnes…
Review: Spamalot Is A Gleeful Ride To The Holy Grail
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★★★★☆ When you step into Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre and find the audience dotted with knights, damsels and the occasional peasant, it’s clear you’re in for a riotous night. Monty Python’s Spamalot, presented by Drew Anthony Creative, is a joyous collision of classic Python absurdity and musical theatre spectacle, a must-see…
Review: Anastasia Brings Theatrical Magic To Brisbane
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★★★★★ Anastasia joins the list of major touring musicals to make their final stops in Brisbane, following CATS, Annie and Jesus Christ Superstar. Perhaps that is one reason cast and creatives so often remark on the warmth and enthusiasm they receive from Brisbane audiences. The Scoop has followed the Anastasia tour since it…
Review: Class Of 2026 Musical Theatre Showcase Queensland Academy
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And just like that, it’s showcase season again. For the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre Class of 2026, Showcase marks the culmination of three years of intensive training. Presented as a continuous performance in a single act, Showcase combines individual and small-group musical theatre segments with short acting…
Review: The Heartbreak Choir Sings From The Heart
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★★★★☆ The Heartbreak Choir is PIP Theatre’s yearly self-produced mainstage show and the first one I have been able to attend. When I discovered PIP Theatre last year, I was pleasantly impressed. The venue is so welcoming and has an atmosphere that feels like home. It might be the mismatched furniture,…
Review: Sweeney Todd Breathes New Life Into A Classic
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★★★★★ In a great black pit, where the vermin of the world turn beauty to filth and greed, a humble barber returns from exile, bristling with grief. A grim question emerges from the haze: Could revenge be his inevitability? This chilling conjecture sits at the core of Sweeney Todd: The Demon…
Review: Gilbert & Sullivan A Soirée Of Song & Satire
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★★★★☆ Gilbert & Sullivan (G&S) were a dynamic duo whose names have been ingrained in the memories of so many theatregoers over the decades. Although I have seen a lot of theatre over the years, my knowledge of this iconic duo only really extends to The Pirates of Penzance. I think…
Review: Mamma Mia! Brings Joy To The Gold Coast
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★★★★☆ Mamma Mia! Here I go again..? When I was asked to review The Very Popular Theatre Company’s Mamma Mia! on the Gold Coast, I was hesitant. Having performed in Mamma Mia! myself just one month ago, I knew I was going to be looking at this production through a slightly different lens to any…
Review: High School Musical Keeps The Wildcats Spirit Alive
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★★★★☆ A sparkling standout production of High School Musical is breaking free at the National Theatre in St Kilda! Live on stage for a limited season, this energetic production, presented by James Terry Collective, captures the fun, friendship and nostalgia of the beloved Disney musical. You will walk out feeling…
Review: The Choir Of Man 2026 Brisbane Festival
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★★★★☆ Brisbane Festival certainly knows how to make an entrance. For opening night, QPAC was playing host to the all-female cast of Strong Is The New Pretty, while just outside, the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent had gone in completely the opposite direction with The Choir of Man. Nine British blokes. A…
Review: How To Succeed Proves Some Things Never Change, & Others Really Should
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★★★☆☆ Bounding out of the time vault and onto the Hayes Theatre stage comes LPD Productions’ How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, directed and choreographed by Cameron Mitchell. Based on a 1952 satirical self-help book by Shepherd Mead, the musical version of How to Succeed was first performed in 1961…
Review: Heathers Opens In Sydney To Viral Online Video
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★★★★★ The thunderous applause that filled the theatre on opening night in Sydney was testament to just how eagerly Australian theatre lovers had been waiting for Heathers: The Musical to hit our shores. The national tour’s opening at the Roslyn Packer Theatre was made even more eventful by falling on…
Review: State Opera Takes A Magical Journey Into The Woods
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★★★★★ A man stands before the red velvet curtain. Not the narrator, but Artistic Director Dane Lam himself. Presenting with casual charm, Lam offers three things to celebrate: last night marked the premiere of one of five new productions created in South Australia. Into The Woods features an entirely South Australian cast.…
Review: She Loves Me Brings Letters, Love & Lots Of Laughter
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There is something rather delightful about discovering a musical with no preconceived expectations. Before heading to review Phoenix Ensemble’s production of She Loves Me, I knew virtually nothing about the show, not its story, its musical style or even the era in which it was written. By the time the…
Review: Hansel & Gretel Is A Dollhouse Nightmare With A Lullaby At Its Heart
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★★★★★ Fog drifts between towering pine trees on a circular green stage. Sunlight falls from the left. Then the platform begins to rotate, as though the world itself has started turning, and Jonathon Oxlade’s set delivers its first surprise: a weathered dollhouse flashes into view. Its front has been lifted…
Review: Ride The Cyclone Is Alive With Dark Humour
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Since its premiere in 2009, Ride The Cyclone has slowly garnered a cult following. The show was written by Canadian playwright Jacob Richmond, with music by Brooke Maxwell. It’s now seen various versions pop up around Australia, but this production finds its home in Marrickville’s quaint Flight Path Theatre. Produced…
Review: Into The Woods Finds The Magic In Happily Ever After
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Into the Woods is a show that holds a concrete position in musical theatre history. The tale first debuted in 1986 and is a perfect example of the classic Stephen Sondheim theatrical style. Since then, many have retold this twisted fairy tale. Company of Dramatic Arts (CODA) has produced a…
Review: A Beautiful Noise The Neil Diamond Musical
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★★★★★ If you only make it to one show this year, choose A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Staged in Melbourne’s majestic Princess Theatre, this production demonstrates just how powerful a finely crafted jukebox musical can be. Conceived with Neil Diamond’s own guidance, the show carries a remarkable sense…
Review: Fiddler On The Roof Celebrates Resilience, Faith & Love
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★★★★☆ It’s back – again! Fiddler on the Roof, one of the great musicals of the 1960s, returns to Sydney on stage at the Theatre Royal. Created by Jerry Bock (music) Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book) based on stories by Sholem Aleichem, Fiddler is rarely out of production, though many (like…
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: Anastasia Finds Its Way To Adelaide In Glorious Style
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★★★★★ In a musical about deposed and murdered royalty, Australian theatre supplies two living queens. Rhonda Burchmore and Nancye Hayes finally enter the same story in the second act, and Anastasia rises with them. Like the best fairy tales, their gifts have ignored the passing years. Anastasia the Musical grew…
Review: & Juliet Brings Shakespeare To The Pop Era
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What do you get when you mix pop hits, ’80s and ’90s fashion, and an insanely talented cast? The Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre’s production of & Juliet, of course. If you’ve been following along on my reviewing journey, you’ll know that I love a good jukebox musical, and &…
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…
Review: SIX Serves A Royal Flush Of Pop Perfection
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★★★★★ It’s simply one of a kind, no category! SIX the Musical has blasted into Melbourne with an outstanding cast of queens rocking the roof off the Comedy Theatre. In a display of entertainment like no other, audiences will feel a surge of power, inspiration, sisterhood and beauty in this…
Review: Jesus Christ Superstar Rises To The Challenge
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★★★★☆ A guitarist stands in silhouette against a blood-red backdrop. Mark Lanigan-O’Keefe attacks Andrew Lloyd Webber’s opening riff, his shadow thrown across the stage as though Jimmy Page has wandered into Golgotha. The image captures the challenge facing Therry Theatre. Jesus Christ Superstar belongs to musical theatre, but it was…
