Culture
Live reviews
From busker to arena spectacular, this hometown show was personal
For singer Tones and I, one of the perks of a sold-out hometown show at Margaret Court Arena was that she could bring her grandmother up on stage for a dance.
- by Kate Jones, Tony Way, Michael Dwyer and Cameron Woodhead
Latest
Megamix of murder and mayhem doesn’t quite kill it
Our reviewers give their verdict on the latest shows round town.
- by John Shand, Joyce Morgan and Shamim Razavi
Helen Garner says this is the best thing she’s written. But does it work as an opera?
\With a theme leaning so heavily on music, it’s not a surprise The Children’s Bach was adapted into an opera – but does it keep its magic when taken off the page?
- by Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Bridget Davies, Andrew Fuhrmann, Tony Way, Jessica Nicholas and Barney Zwartz
★★★½
Review
This horsey fantasy is clever, funny, irreverent - and also utterly bonkers
Our reviewers cast a critical eye over the latest shows around town.
- by Chantal Nguyen, Penry Buckley, Frances Howe, Peter McCallum and Harriet Cunningham
Everybody’s talking about ‘grace’. This is how it looks in action
Directed by Bert LaBonte in his mainstage directorial debut, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog at Melbourne Theatre Company is utterly transfixing.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Andrew Fuhrmann, Gemma Grant, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen and Tony Way
★★★★★
Melbourne live reviews
The musical whodunnit so good you’ll want to see it twice
Packing an Agatha Christie-like drawing room mystery into a two-person show, Murder for Two offers up an evening of criminally entertaining musical comedy.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
★★★
Sydney live reviews
The puppets are chilling in this opera’s classic ghost story
Our critics give their verdicts on the latest productions around town.
- by Kate Prendergast, Chantal Nguyen, Peter McCullum and Harriet Cunningham
If you hate Henry VIII then this is the musical for you
It would appear that & Juliet has been pipped at the post by Six the Musical for the poppiest show ever inspired by the 16th century.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Andrew Fuhrmann, Bridget Davies and Barney Zwartz
★★★★
Sydney live reviews
These sisters can act - and sing and dance as well
Our critics deliver their verdicts on the latest shows around town.
- by John Shand, Michael Bailey, Peter McCallum and Joyce Morgan
★★★
Sydney live reviews
Angus & Julia Stone would make a great Angus & Julia Stone covers band
Our reviewers take a look at the latest shows around town.
- by Shamim Razavi, Cassie Tongue and Peter McCallum
Any fan of Oscar Wilde should enjoy this salacious twist on his masterpiece
This take on The Importance of Being Earnest isn’t just terrific fun, it’s tethered to a deep appreciation of the interplay between Wilde’s biography and his art.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Jessica Nicholas and Andrew Fuhrmann