Category: Musical Theatre
Review: Class Of 2026 Musical Theatre Showcase Queensland Academy
•
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
•
★★★★☆ 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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
★★★★☆ 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
•
★★★★☆ 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
•
★★★★☆ 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
•
★★★★☆ 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
•
★★★☆☆ 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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
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
•
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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
★★★★☆ 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
•
★★★★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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
★★★★★ 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
•
★★★★☆ 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…
Review: Grey Gardens Is An Eerie, Elegant Tale Of Love & Entrapment
•
Interest in the Kennedy family is perennial. Every few years, another television series, film or book promises to reveal the “true” story behind America’s most scrutinised dynasty. This year, it was Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette that renewed the fascination. But on such well-tilled ground, it…
Review: Off Broadway Is A Vibrant Celebration Of Musical Theatre
•
It’s the world’s greatest musical numbers celebrated in an exciting spectacle of entertainment! With a brilliant cast of stars lighting up the stage, Off Broadway brings glitz and glamour, sparkles and sequins, inspiring electric energy and a flurry of feathers. Featuring favourite moments from musical theatre, Off Broadway is presented by…
Review: NAPA Ensemble Strikes Gold With Jagged Little Pill
•
Jukebox musicals are a divisive genre. People seem to either love them or hate them. I enjoy them as productions, but their soundtracks have never been on repeat in my playlist. Jagged Little Pill, however, has changed all that for me. Inspired by Alanis Morissette’s iconic 1995 album of the…
Review: Don Giovanni Sees Opera Australia At Its Most Inventive
•
★★★★½ A red petrol pump stands at stage left. It looks like scenery, a piece of period detail. Then you remember Chekhov: do not place a gun on stage unless somebody is going to use it. Opera Australia’s touring Don Giovanni does use the pump. By the end, it has…
Review: Pretty Woman Musical Makes Glamorous Finish In Melbourne
•
★★★★☆ Following a smash-hit national run covering five major Australian cities, Pretty Woman: The Musical struts into Melbourne’s iconic Regent Theatre for a glamorous finish. This glossy Jones Theatrical Group production retains much of the beloved 1990 rom-com’s storyline, with the sheen of a big-budget crowd-pleaser and generous sprinkles of nostalgia throughout. If…
Review: Afterglow Leaves Audiences On A High
•
★★★★☆ The traditions of barbershop include well fitted pinstripe vests, little bow ties, camaraderie, four strong male voices that unite in harmony to create something beautiful. Hey, that sounds kinda camp… Purple Tape Productions in association with Belvoir St Theatre presents the unique production Afterglow as part of Griffin Theatre…
Review: The Addams Family Is A Creepy, Kooky Triumph
•
★★★★★ Wonderfully eccentric, The Addams Family, as first created by cartoonist Charles Addams, has been the inspiration for countless pieces of media since their introduction in 1938. In 2010, the first stage adaptation in the form of The Addams Family musical hit the Broadway stage. Now, Joshua Robson Productions has…
Review: Bring It On Gives Us Something To Cheer About
•
★★★½ Bursting onto the stage at The National Theatre, Theatrical Inc.’s latest production, Bring It On: The Musical, is an explosion of athleticism, infectious energy and enough school spirit to power an entire pep rally. Based on the beloved noughties film franchise, Bring It On tells a new story that honours the…
