Theatre Reviews Melbourne

★★★½ The lyrical genius of Shakespeare collides with the razor‑edged storytelling of Quentin Tarantino in The Ghostlight League’s return to William Shakespeare’s Reservoir Dogs. Written by Sydney Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Steven Hopley and directed by The Ghostlight League Artistic…

★★★★★ I’ve got a riddle for you: where in Victoria can a single actor command a room so completely that an audience sits spellbound for an entire hour? The answer lies in St Kilda East at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre.…

★★★★☆ Since it was first performed in 1899, the endless adaptations of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya speak to its eternal themes. What does it mean to live a good life? Is there a path out of despair? How can we coexist…

★★★★½ Picture this: Six women, one small-town beauty parlour, a series of life-changing moments unfolding over coffee and clouds of hairspray. Steel Magnolias returns to Melbourne in full bloom, with an astounding production and tremendous cast delivering a jubilant finale against…

★★★★★ Bell Shakespeare’s new production has ruthless egos, shifting rivalries, existential dread – but no, we’re not in the wilds of Scotland, on the way to Inverness. This is Hollywood, circa 2006, where the hair may be blonder, but the…

★★★★☆ In times of political crisis and economic downturn, it is common for the arts to turn towards a nostalgia for the ‘glorious’ past. Subverse Theatre’s Silence, however, is anything but a lament for bygone eras. It is a very contemporary…

★★★★★ It is unusually easy to write about new Australian work, Losing Face. Melbourne Theatre Company has produced a comedy so expertly tuned and consistently funny that the review feels almost incidental beside the experience itself. The only responsible response…

★★★★☆ How do you reinvent one of the most beloved novels ever written? If you’re Isobel McArthur, the answer is simple: hand the microphone to the servants and let chaos reign. Direct from its Olivier Award-winning West End run, Pride and…

★★★★☆ The Melbourne Shakespeare Company continues its 2026 season with a production of Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Gary Abrahams, Eurydice is a compelling reinterpretation of the Greek myth thanks to its beautiful production design, impressive use of live music and…

Theatre Works St Kilda continues its packed 2026 season with Lazarus, written by John Harding and directed by Kamarra Bell-Wykes. A powerful and inspiring retelling of the life of Taungurung elder Larry Walsh, Lazarus remains an impressive production despite a few…

★★★★★ There are some shows that are pure entertainment, and there are shows that imprint themselves on you. Prima Facie, at the Comedy Theatre Melbourne, is firmly the latter. It is haunting, devastating and thoughtful theatre that forces you to dismantle your…

★★★★★ “Whose truth? Yours, or mine?” Melbourne Theatre Company’s Retrograde is an interrogation room; a stifling, claustrophobic attack on art and morality. Brought into question are Sidney, a young, Black actor on the rise and Bobby, an eager screenwriter, both…

★★★★★ Melbourne Theatre Company’s Shoelace Chaser understands that responsibility can arrive long before adulthood does. Written by AWGIE Award winner Madelaine Nunn and directed by Liv Satchell, this stunning new work explores the demands of family responsibility, the pressure of…

★★★½ Clockwork Possum Productions makes a confident debut with The Last Parma Night, now playing at Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran. Written by Max Meaden and directed by Will Nash, the production balances pub humour with heartfelt reflection in an…

★★★★★ What choices do we make when there are no good choices? Melbourne Theatre Company’s The Glass Menagerie is a moving exploration of three people bound and constrained on all sides – by family ties, by poverty’s strictures, and by…

★★★½ Mara is a modern cabaret style retelling of the familiar story of Cinderella, a prequel of sorts, chronicling the woman who will eventually become Cinderella’s stepmother. Written by Hanna Pyliotis, Mara steers away from many of Cinderella’s original themes…

★★★★★ Art the play is funny, outrageous, compelling – everything great theatre should be. Its star-studded Australian run, by star director Lee Lewis (whose credits include the first production of Prima Facie), deserves to sell out every night. The play…

★★★★★ From the moment you step into Club Kabarett’s sultry re-envisioning of Meat Market in North Melbourne, it’s clear this isn’t your typical night out at the theatre. Boys and girls, the sexy circus is in town! Prepare to be…

Swinging into Melbourne these April holidays, your favourite jungle friends are taking over The Capitol in the CBD in The Jungle Book: The Next Chapter, a fresh adventure inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales. Mowgli is back to visit his…

★★★★★ With Melbourne International Comedy Festival now in full swing, venues all across the greater metro are hosting a vast range of productions. Arriving at the Piano on Swan in Richmond, it was surprising to find that there was no…

★★★★☆ As far as we know, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never envisioned his two famous detective characters, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as comedians. Oh no. At no stage did Doyle portray them as capable of slapstick routines, ear-splitting banter or…

★★★★☆ Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett is not a tribute show. It’s a stunning piece of art in its own right, anchored by an incredible performance from Sheridan Harbridge. Chrissy Amphlett, best known as the lead…

★★★★★ The house is full, and chatter is at a peak. The opening night crowd is in high anticipation, and tonight at the Southbank Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company has an important story to tell. As the lighting rig lifts, we…

How does one review the First Curtain Festival, comprising seven unique, contrasting, thoroughly entertaining plays in five hundred words? I’ll do it in six: the true meaning of community theatre. I attended the Clayton Community Centre Theatrette for the inaugural performance…

★★★★★ It’s the start of autumn and on this peaceful Melbourne evening, the sun sets in a glow over Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre. There’s a natural surge of energy rising in the foyer tonight with the opening of Drew Anthony Creative’s The…

Updating the themes of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew with exuberant showmanship puts the business of experiencing live performance at the centre of this production by Melbourne Shakespeare Company.  In this case, director Emma Austin, together with set and…

La Mama presents Saints, a wordy interrogation of religion, history and land created by Elbow Room Theatre. The show questions the voices of history and religion, why events have been told the way they have, and why those voices were…

★★★☆☆ I went to the Melbourne Fashion Festival last night. Don’t worry, you’re still on the right review site. In These Shoes is a fashion cabaret show; part memoir, part commentary, part of the Festival’s 2026 program. The creator and…

★★★★☆ Go to work. Complete the work. Go home. Go back to work. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Pass Go, presented by Melbourne Theatre Company, is an offbeat comedy that slowly descends into dramedy. Written by Jean Tong, it…

The Theatre Works Explosives Factory is an odd little venue tucked away in a laneway behind Inkerman Street in St Kilda. Walking into the venue, you are sent straight up a set of stairs that leads directly to a ticketing…