Melbourne live reviews
A clown dreams of his own funeral in the latest Cirque du Soleil show
In Corteo at John Cain Arena, audiences are treated to the complete Cirque du Soleil package – elite acrobatics, elaborate costumes and a great spectacle.
- Cameron Woodhead, Sonia Nair and Andrew Fuhrmann
Latest
- ★★★★★
- For subscribers
Before Hamilton there was In the Heights. Here’s why you can’t miss it
Smaller in scope but bigger in heart, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical made its debut on Broadway in 2008 before it was given the silver screen treatment in 2021.
- Sonia Nair, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Kosa Monteith, Andrew Fuhrmann, Cameron Woodhead and Jessica Nicholas
Mozart’s ‘Abduction’ gets a wildly modern makeover
Abduction by Victorian Opera is entirely rewritten for modern sensibilities, and its wit and self-parody clearly struck a chord with the audience.
- Barney Zwartz, Tony Way, Marcus Teague and Andrew Fuhrmann
- ★★★★★
- For subscribers
This big-hearted musical with a cast of heavy-hitters is not to be missed
Set in the ’90s, Kimberly Akimbo puts a new spin on a story about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.
- Sonia Nair, Tony Way, Andrew Fuhrmann, Will Cox and Cameron Woodhead
- ★★★★★
- For subscribers
One of the best live bands in the world is finally back in Melbourne
To attend a concert by The Hives is to be inducted into a sweaty, euphoric cult for just over an hour of frenetic power.
- Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Jessica Nicholas, Tony Way and Cameron Woodhead
This Dolly Parton musical has a wafer-thin plot – but who cares when the music’s this good?
You’ll have a much better time if you go in expecting a tribute concert over a fully integrated musical.
- Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar and Tony Way
Sigrid Thornton strips away the glamour in sweeping tragicomic vision
Yael Stone and Ash Flanders star as the queer children of Thornton’s ageing beauty in Mother Play, a domestic drama spanning decades.
- Cameron Woodhead
George Orwell intended 1984 to be a satire, but this play shows it’s close to the truth
While the design is impeccable, the slow creeping unease of the text doesn’t translate as easily to stage.
- Cameron Woodhead, Tony Way, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Michael Dwyer and Sonia Nair
This drag punk rock musical is magnetic and not to be missed
A global cult sensation since it was born in the clubs of New York in the late 1990s, Hedwig and the Angry Inch stands the test of time.
- Will Cox and Jessica Nicholas
I don’t know what this show was, but it was the most fun I’ve had in ages
Are Pete and Bas actors? An elaborate bit of performance art? And does getting answers to these questions really, actually matter?
- Will Cox, Cameron Woodhead, Sonia Nair and Karl Quinn