Reviews

My Brilliant Career

A new musical based on the novel by Miles Franklin. Book by Sheridan Harbridge & Dean Bryant, music by Mathew Frank and lyrics by Dean Bryant. Presented by Melbourne Theatre Company. Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, 140 Southbank Blvd, Melbourne. 23 January – 28 February 2026.

This iconic Australian novel seems an unlikely contender for a musical adaptation. However, this production transforms the novel into a vibrant contemporary performance that inevitably sweeps the audience away. This is thanks to a variety of strengths that make this an unmissable and fabulously idiosyncratic Australian experience.

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

By Bill Russell and Janet Hood. Heirlume Productions. The MC Showroom, Prahran, Vic. 29 Jan – 1 Feb, 2026

Melbourne’s Midsumma festival is now in full swing with great offerings such as Elegies for Angels, Punks and Ragins Queens which gives life and voice to those lost and left behind in the wake of the AIDS crisis.  This new production revives Bill Russell’s free verse poetry and Janet Hood’s music, striking right to the heart of what it means to survive and be remembered.

Taruna Jayawardhana's 'A Classic Tale'.

Written, performed, and presented by Liam Hartley. Based on an Original Story by Taruna Jayawardhana. Directed by Calum Johnston. Good Chat Comedy Club, 29 January, 2026

There is something delightfully audacious about building an entire one man show around a piece of teenage creative writing and then treating it with both sincere theatrical care and merciless comic scrutiny. A Classic Tale, written, performed and produced by Liam Hartley and based on an original story by Taruna Jayawardhana, leans into the audacity with elan.

God’s Cowboy

By Les Solomon. Little Stormy Productions. In association with Lambert House Productions. Directed by Ella Morris. Flight Path Theatre. January 21 - February 21, 2026

Sydney is hosting some high-profile arts events as part of the Mardis Gras Festival – but God’s Cowboy has the bragging rights for most ambitious new Australian work.

How wonderful to see a well-resourced independent theatre production with so much excellent young talent on the stage and behind the scenes.

Producer/Agent Les Solomon has more energy than some people a third of his age. He often produces plays with a queer theme but in this case, he’s penned it himself.  

#Since 1994

By Mei Chi-Ling. Eye Catching Circus, Cluster Arts Global Pty Ltd and Fringe World. The Gold Digger, The Pleasure Garden, Northbridge, WA. Jan 21 - Feb 1, 2026

#Since 1994 features an all-female acrobatic team from Thailand. Impressive, balletic and often funny, this show is in in its last few days at FringeWorld.

The Social Ladder

By David Williamson. Ensemble Theatre, Sydney. Directed by Janine Watson. 23 January – 14 March 2026

Just when we thought he was done with playwriting, David Williamson comes back to his Ensemble Theatre ‘home’ with a new play for the third time in two years. And there’s a 4th play due to open at the end of July when he’ll be 84! Has an elderly Australian playwright ever presented 4 new plays in 2 years before? 

Cirque Nouvelle

Produced by Cameo Rascale Entertainment. Wendouree Performing Arts Centre. 24th Jan, 2026 and touring.

Those living in the major cities of Australia have access to a plethora of entertainment: musicals, plays, concerts, cabarets, indie productions - the list is endless.

But for those in regional cities, the pickings are generally far slimmer, and what theatre there is, usually comes for one night only. And if you have a prior engagement…tough.

P*RN

Written & directed by Keelan Armstrong. Midsumma Festival. Explosives Factory, Theatre Works. 27 – 31 January 2025

A show about pornography?  Why?  Because it’s there, it’s a fact, it’s huge, it’s all pervasive but strangely hidden, it’s part of many, many people’s lives, but… Let’s not talk about it.  P*RN personalises the subject, drags the dark secrets into the light…

Any Moment

Book, Music and Lyrics by Bradley McCaw. Pilot Pathways Production produced by Bradley McCaw and Pip Theatre. Pip Theatre, Brisbane. 22-24 January, 2025

Being the first musical to be developed by the Australian Musical Theatre Festival (2019), this profit-share pilot production has been created to showcase local musical theatre talent, most notably graduates from the Griffith Conservatorium Musical Theatre program in Brisbane. Creator Bradley McCaw began writing what was initially conceived as a song cycle in 2018, gradually expanding the work through the addition of new material and a series of try-outs across various venues, including a recording of selected original songs.

The Day After the End of the World

By Maya Djurdjevic. University Dramatic Society and FringeWorld. Auditorium at Midland Junction Arts Centre, WA. Jan 27 - Feb 1, 2026

It is rare to see a full-length play at FringeWorld, and I was pleased to see University Dramatic Society (UDS) mount this World Premiere Apocalypse play at the Midland Junction Arts Centre. Well written, and with a good cast, it’s great to see UDS back at Fringe and sharing their talents off campus.