One of the longest running and most popular shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the improvised musical Showstopper!. Like this very website, they kicked things off 18 years ago, in August 2008. Since then, there have been a dozen sell-out seasons, and they’ve even taken it to the West End (twice!) for which they…
Walking the streets of Edinburgh this week for my second ever time at the Fringe, it’s hard to escape the presence of Australians. I hear the accent in just about every audience, and there seems to be a comedian or a production on just about every stage. With the world’s second largest Fringe Festival in…
With billions of views, tens of millions of followers and sold-out shows across the globe, Max Amini has built the kind of comedy career whose statistics can sound almost implausible. Named by Variety as one of the “most watched comedians on the planet,” the Iranian-American performer delivered 2025’s most-watched stand-up special across all platforms with…
Making their fifth appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, last night I had the chance to see the hilarious Melbourne production Adults Only Magic Show at the iconic Scottish festival. The show receives rave reviews each year – and this, the 463rd time they’ve performed the show, will have been no exception. Helmed by magicians…
While the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is perhaps best known for its comedy programming, the world’s largest performing arts festival has something for everyone. British music promoter and musician Andy Macleod certainly understands this, as he debuts his new one-man show at the event, Soho Days and Camden Nights. It’s his second time at the Fringe,…
A tale that travels all the way back to 1905, Fiddler on the Roof is by no means a new musical, yet its timeless themes carry through to today. Premiering on Broadway in 1964, with a film version released in 1971, this musical now marks its 62nd anniversary with its premiere season at the Theatre…
Back in May, while I was attending the IPW travel industry conference in Florida, we had the privilege to preview a number of Broadway shows. Most of them were recent additions to the Broadway catalogue, like the brilliant Tony winners The Outsiders and Maybe Happy Ending. But the classic Chicago was also amongst them, which…
With the Edinburgh Fringe Festival about to kick off, we’ve been learning about all the Australians who have secured a spot amongst the thousands of daily performances at the Scottish event. Eight of these performances – including two we featured in our picks list earlier this week – are produced by a company called House…
Australians are once again taking over Edinburgh for the world’s largest Fringe Festival, which officially kicks off on August 7th. But with over 2,000 performances to choose from every day, grinding through the massive lists is a challenge. So we thought we’d lend you a helping hand and choose the six Australian performances we don’t…
“Switch On, Light Up, Come Alive” is the theme of this year’s Brisbane Festival, which runs from 4-26 September. This is Ebony Bott’s first Brisbane Festival as Artistic Director, featuring a range of events, including live music, theatre, opera, dance, talks, and film. We’ve chosen five must-see events that showcase new voices, storytelling, and local…
Walk down the street to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, where Pretty Woman the Musical has landed for the final leg of its debut Australian tour. Strap on those glossy red heels, tighten that bold red tie and witness the stage adaptation of one of the most beloved 90s romantic comedies, now with an array of songs…
Have you ever been swept up in an argument, so positive in your convictions, so certain of your truth, and then suddenly, you’re not so sure? A seed of doubt is planted, but you’ve passed the point of no return. To back down now would be to admit you’re wrong, so you stand firm, your…
Although scheduled as part of the winter school holiday show programme for the Sydney Opera House, Pay No Attention is thoroughly entertaining for all age groups. Advertised as suitable for 4-year-olds and up, this 60-minute show demonstrates the incredible skill and talent of a group of 13 young acrobats, with ages ranging from 11 to…
Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney is designed to challenge and subvert the way we think. Across 10 days and multiple venues, FODI is packed with talks, films and behind-the-scenes excursions that are driven by ideas and a sense of open dialogue. The Festival is meticulously curated, uninterested in outrage for its own sake, and…
Patience and Penitentia is a powerful durational performance by South Australian artist Ida Sophia that explores silence, punishment, and power within relationships. Over forty days, the artist, weighted down by rose-petal chains, performs a ritual of penance and silence. Dark red walls and a haunting soundtrack evoke memories of cavernous churches. Strands of rose thorns…
As you enter the Studio space at the Sydney Opera House your senses immediately switch on. There is a smokiness to the room that makes everything slightly soft around the edges and amidst the hum of people finding their seats, the sound of crickets and nocturnal wildlife can be heard. The scene is set for…
Joining two art forms, orchestra and acrobatics, LOUDER is much more than just the mere slapping together of the two. This production showcases a unique offering; an opportunity for audiences to bear witness to the evolution of acrobatics and orchestra. And they do it together. Director and visionary, Darcy Grant, eloquently observes that, “contemporary circus…
Produced and created by Indian Ink Theatre Company, Balloon Dog at the Sydney Opera House is a contemporary adaptation of Kabuliwala, the 1892 Bengali short story by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It is the story of a five-year-old girl called Mini who befriends a local service station worker called Kabir (Jehangir Homavazir). They form an…
From Broadway in New York to Disneyland in California, North America has long mastered the immersive experience. With new productions and spaces opening regularly, there’s also always something new to experience. Here’s just eleven of my favourite places to visit in the U.S.A. when looking to immerse yourself in art, music, scenery, cowboys (you’ll see…
Matt Tarrant is a highly regarded magician, mentalist, producer, creator, and performer. He has recently taken the role of Chair of the Adelaide Fringe Foundation. We spoke to him about what the Foundation provides for artists and venues and how it fits into the Adelaide Fringe. Congratulations on your appointment as the Adelaide Fringe Foundation…
Canberra is at its best on a clear winter morning, when the cold sharpens the light and the crowds are thin. I had come to the National Gallery of Australia for the opening of its major winter exhibition, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, a show Nick Mitzevich, Director of the National Gallery of Australia, described as the…
“The smartest thing and the dumbest thing you will ever see” is festival director Reuben Kaye’s typically pithy summation of Po Po Mo Co, and as usual, he’s spot on. Short for Post-Postmodern Comedy, the troupe features four female performers and begins with a content warning; “there will be a lot of nudity, starting… now”….
“I didn’t come here to f*ck spiders,” Dylan Adler announces as the lights come up to show the purple kimono-clad performer seated at a grand piano. “I came to fuck you.” And over the hourlong performance of Haus of Dy-lan, he certainly f*cks with the audience, allowing them to guess just how much truth there…
Meet Bev, or Chiko, who, in his own words, is “not the best truckie, just the best looking.” He’s every stereotype of Australian masculinity you could conjure up, from his impressive mullet to his truck-themed stubbies (translation: shorts). Written and performed by Jonny Hawkins, Truck Driver at the Sydney Opera House, is an insight into…
If you need any evidence that history repeats itself, look no further than this 1960s rock musical, HAIR. Celebrating an age of freedom, rebellion against war, and experimentation, tackling issues of race, sexuality and gender identity. HAIR takes us back to the 1960s/70s counterculture hippie movement whose obstacles are not so dissimilar from those we…
Choreographed, written and performed by Martin del Amo, Scary Piece of Work at the Sydney Opera House is perhaps the most bizarre show I have ever seen. Pitched as a work that explores fear, its universality and our individual responses to it, this one-person production was a cocaine-fuelled fever dream that left audiences wondering what…
Sheltering at the Sydney Opera House is a triple-bill from the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre. Bangarra’s unique style of dance fuses traditional First Nations movement and narratives with contemporary dance to tell stories that resonate and challenge the audience. Sheltering acknowledges and honours the theatre’s history through the work Sheoak, while looking forward to the…
In NSW, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make up over 56% of those in youth detention, but only around 4% of the youth population. Presented by the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), Saplings at the Sydney Opera House sheds light on the youth justice system. Written by Yuwaalaray playwright Hannah Belanszky and directed…
Oscar Wilde‘s satiric play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a “Trivial Comedy for Serious People”. South Australia’s State Theatre Company have sprinkled their own flavours into this delicious mix. The best way to describe the event would be queer and quirky – in the most over-the-top camp way imaginable. The plot begins with Jack…
Death, grief, loneliness, goblin demons, and a “crusty old” bio-exorcist in black-and-white stripes are probably not the ingredients you’d expect for one of musical theatre’s most unexpectedly heartfelt shows. Yet that strange emotional cocktail is exactly why Beetlejuice the Musical has developed such a fiercely devoted following around the world. Beneath the chaos, the absurdity,…
