Performing arts
How one of Australia’s best festivals keeps reinventing itself
From a performance on a boat to a gig by an iconic punk band, Mona Foma is a reminder that art can be joyful, pensive and much more than a distraction.
- by Elizabeth Flux
Latest
The musical genius stepping out from her husband’s shadow
Melbourne music lovers will next week have the chance to hear the work of the long-overlooked Clara Schumann as the MSO performs a concerto she composed at 16.
- by Barney Zwartz
Circus, drag and a larrikin striptease … anything goes in this ‘boylesque’ show
The latest Spiegeltent production promises to be good, dirty fun.
- by Daniel Herborn
Rising from the ashes: Duo rekindles Notre-Dame’s musical spirit
Inspired by one of the world’s greatest buildings and the devastating fire that almost destroyed it, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is staging a unique concert.
- by Ali Gripper
Women strive to define themselves in this love letter to the words the dictionary leaves out
This wrap of shows around Melbourne includes The Dictionary of Lost Words at Arts Centre Melbourne, 7 Captiva Road, and the 3MBS Marathon.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Barney Zwartz
P!nk gets the party started with her own acrobatic carnival
Sassy, bold, and happy to belt out her hits from a flying trapeze, it could only be P!nk, back in town for yet another run of stadium extravaganzas.
- by Will Cox
★★★★★
Melbourne live reviews
All musical theatre lovers should see this show at least once
This wrap of shows around Melbourne includes Rent at the State Theatre, The Crying Room: Exhumed, Greentea Peng, Cuddle, and Queens of the Stone Age.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Andrew Fuhrmann, Vyshnavee Wijekumar and Nadia Bailey
A shoebox of old letters sparked this acclaimed show about division
Inspired by his great-grandfather’s letters, S. Shakthidharan’s play Counting and Cracking is a Sri Lankan story but could be that of many other nations.
- by Elizabeth Flux
Is this the greatest rock movie of all time?
The Last Waltz features nearly two hours of performances from some of the greatest rock artists of the era.
- by Bill Wyman
‘Dating apps have a bad reputation’: How the star of The Tina Turner Musical found love
Singer Ruva Ngwenya started swiping with an open mind. The rest, as they say, is history.
- by Robyn Doreian
The eerie fairytale offering up a surreal exploration of grief
This wrap of shows around Melbourne includes MTC’s Meet Me at Dawn, Brodie Murray’s The Whisper, The Duchess of Malfi, and Blink-182’s return to Melbourne.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen