Theatre

Celebrities walked the purple carpet tonight for the Australian premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the musical playing now at the Capitol Theatre until May 19th. Nathan Atkins was on the carpet to capture all the fun on Opening Night:

Harry Potter Fanatics and cheap theatre ticket chasers assemble! As the Potterites amongst you are likely already aware, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is about to finally arrive in Melbourne, with the first preview performances taking place next week. Whilst the price of the show (especially the need to attend two performances) may be…

With Christmas just around the corner, an evening at the theatre is one of those quintessential traditions that many people venture on in order to elevate their festive spirits. Arguably, one tale in particular that seems reminiscent of the Christmas period is that of Peter Pan. Set in hibernal London during the winter, with messages…

The opening night of Evita was met with praise and applause as Tina Arena took to the stage in her starring role as Eva Perón. Adapting her wonderful pop vocals to such an iconic role would of been a challenge for the most seasoned performer, however Arena carried herself with poise and grace and pulled…

In a thrilling announcement, The Production Company have spilled that they are bringing David Bowie’s Lazarus musical to life on stage in Melbourne, May 2019. Lazarus was David Bowie’s final project, first seen on stage in New York in late 2015 and London in 2016, before his tragic passing. Premiering for the first time in Australia, it will be…

Melbournian actor, Stephen Lopez played Usnavi De La Vega in the debut Australian production of In The Heights in Melbourne in 2015. The show, a quadruple Tony award-winning work, written by Hamilton creator and Moana composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a modern summer musical boasting hot, Latino rhythms. A return staging of the show will be hitting the Sydney…

When you’re a teenager you often feel like the world is against you. You’re too mature to be a child but not yet independent enough to be an adult. This is often a period associated with angst and growing pains. The Climbing Tree examines these existential problems while framing them around a nation’s past and…

It’s been a century since Bertolt Brecht first wrote Baal, but there remains an undeniable timeliness to this tale of artistry, alcohol, and just how much of each excuses the fact that you’re an outrageous asshole. As a character, Baal embodies the romantic, tortured artist, trying vainly to remain frustratingly aloof from the consequences of…

History is a complex beast and this is certainly apparent in Madiba. This musical weaves together the late Nelson Mandela’s story and the history of South Africa’s apartheid. The show is ambitious and tries to cover a lot in its two-hour runtime. This is a celebration of the long road to freedom for Mandela and…

Every January, Sydney Festival helps kick off the new year with a massive cultural celebration, and 2019 is looking to be no different. The 2019 instalment of the festival includes eighteen world premieres, five Australian premieres, and eight Australian exclusives, and features a programme which runs the gamut of cutting edge contemporary theatre, visual arts and…

In the Mood is a revue show celebrating the music, fashion and dance from the 1940s. Younger audiences may be unfamiliar with the big band tunes and jazz era songs. But for the older crowd, this music is a part of the fabric of their childhoods and the stuff their parents used to listen to….

There’s a boxing ring in the middle of the room, chairs set up like a stadium in the midst of Northcote Town Hall. As we find our seats, two people are throwing punches to the surprise of audience members, and others are working out, sweating throughout the performance space. For a moment I was deeply…

For some people food is fuel, and then there’s Margaret Fulton. This food icon has been teaching Australians how to cook for seven decades. She’s also the subject of the rollicking musical, Margaret Fulton: Queen of the Desserts. The show had its Sydney premiere this weekend and is every bit as tasty and kitsch as…

Summer might be on its way, but even without the unpredictable Spring weather there is plenty to keep us entertained indoors. There’s never a particularly quiet month in the Australian arts calendar, so here are some of our picks for the best Arts events this month. From the Adelaide Film Festival, to an exhibition re-contextualising Frankenstein…

“There is a Fire, a bright flame that was lit in the past, it is still burning but the woods are burning out. My job is to put new woods in to keep the Fire burning.” This is a quote created and practiced by Jimi Bani‘s late grandfather, Adhi Ephraim Bani Jr. The fire represents…

Michael Falzon is one of Australian musical theatre’s favourite leading men. Currently, he is showcasing his considerable talents in Evita, where he shares the stage with the divine Tina Arena. He is also the creator of Swing on This, a collaboration with Ben Mingay, Luke Kennedy, Matt Lee and Rob Mills, with whom he is currently…

Raw, real and deeply emotional, New Ghosts Theatre Company’s YEN gives us life as we’d rather not know it. Featuring some exceptionally talented new actors, who are expertly directed by Lucy Clements, this is heartfelt theatre at its most authentic. Fourteen year-old Bobby and his older brother Hench spend their days in their mother’s council…

Being a woman in this modern age can suck. The expectation to keep that waist small, to get those likes on instagram and to have those Kylie Jenner-esque lips. The expectation to be more or less perfect. It’s unreasonable, isn’t it? Sometimes the way we move about in society and the pressures we put on…

Delightful, different and refreshing, real life funeral singer Phoebe Deklerk‘s show Funerals with Phoebe proved to be the perfect ending to my amazing month of Melbourne Fringe Festival shows. Have you ever wondered what songs you’d like to have at your funeral? Or noticed just how similar wedding and funeral songs can actually be? Would you consider…

The film Funny Girl is celebrating its golden anniversary but this story feels so young and vital it could have been made yesterday. Theatre & Co. present their version of Funny Girl at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre. It’s something often associated with Barbra Streisand because it once catapulted her to fame. These are some big shoes to…

It’s a tale that is – by its own admission – one that is as ‘Old as time’. The story of Beauty & the Beast has inspired two-hit Disney films and the stage production has played all over the world. Stage Artz reprise their production to deliver an entertaining and family-friendly charity event. Stage Artz…

Jake Matricardi plays a centuries old stone gargoyle who was struck by lightning whilst perched atop a church, plummeting into the river and rising with blood in his veins and a heartbeat in his chest. Living his days beneath a bridge, this wondrous and creative one man production explores the gargoyle’s existence and the stories…

The first thing that hit me when I entered the dimly lit room in the midst of Sydney Road is the enveloping smell of incense. Basking in a red hued light, an array of flowers had been artfully placed around the area. The stage had been set and Consciously Kyah’s “Seeping” was about to begin….

First, there was the Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Abridged, and now we have Potted Potter – The Unauthorised Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff (a title that, like the eponymous show, tries desperately to cram as much as possible into a very short space). Covering all seven Harry Potter books…

Take a much-loved child star known for her angelic voice, throw in some musical theatre heavy-weights and a modern opera/musical whose composer is celebrating a milestone year, and you have a revival that could very well be the hit of Opera Australia’s 2018 season. The 40th anniversary restaging of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita,…

Starring the incomparable Tina Arena, Evita enjoyed its opening night at the Sydney Opera House last night. Nathan Atkins was there to capture the invited guests on the red carpet at the anticipated premiere! Evita is enjoying performances of the Sydney Opera House until November 3rd. Tickets and more details are available HERE.

The Wharf Revue have been proudly entertaining audiences by skewering politicians since 2000. This year’s instalment was the troupe’s first without co-founder and musical director, Phil Scott, but the show remained strong and funny. The opening night at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre was a rollicking one with a vaudeville feel that hit some really high notes….

I called my boyfriend just after four o’clock. He was leaving his boring office to get on the boring train with the potential of taking a squiz at the boring financial review before eating a boring dinner and you get the gist. His flamboyancy was lacking, but lets not tell him that just yet. “How…

The year is 1969. It’s the middle of August, summer is coming to a close but as you descend on the property of Max Yasgur for one of the single biggest events in music history, the air is notably warm with the throng of 400,000 bodies. With one of the most prolific musical lineups known,…

Unveiling its bold, imaginative and entertaining array of productions for the year ahead, the Sydney Theatre Company’s new program of thirteen shows across four venues is prepared to astound audiences from far and wide. Speaking about the season, Artistic Director Kip William’s has said: “In 2018 our season looked at leadership and social responsibility in…