Reviews

The Doll Trilogy: Kid Stakes, Other Times, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

By Ray Lawler. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Melbourne. 10 February – 11 April 2026

Cane cutter mates Roo (Ben Prendergast) and Barney (John Leary) come down from Queensland in the off season – or ‘layoff’.  By chance, they run into a couple of girls – Olive (Ngaire Dawn Fair) and Nancy (Emily Goddard) – at the aquarium and end up as boarders and more at the Carlton boarding house run by Olive’s mother Emma (Caroline Lee).

Mama Does Derby

By Windmill Production Company. Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Directed by Clare Watson. Adelaide Festival. 27 February – 8 March 2026.

At the Adelaide Entertainment Centre as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Mama Does Derby delivers a thrilling, heartfelt and astonishingly well-executed theatrical experience. Created by Clare Watson and Virginia Gay and directed by Watson, this production blends theatre, music and roller derby into a seamless and electrifying performance that leaves the audience exhilarated. It is bold, energetic, emotionally resonant and without doubt an unforgettable highlight of the festival.

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare. Fingerless Theatre Company. Director Alex Kendall Robson. Flight Path Theatre. 4 Mar – 14 Apr, 2026

The Forest of Arden in Alex Kendall Robson’s As You Like It is happy, golden place where sheep graze and lovers and shepherds “run into strange capers” and sing sweet songs. As director, he focuses on “the sweetness of the play” and Shakespeare’s gentle social satire.  

Titus Andronicus

By William Shakespeare. Mercury’s Wings Theatre Company, Gold Coast. Griffith University Theatre, Southport. February 26 – Mar 7, 2026

Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare’s earliest revenge tragedy!

This latest presentation by Mercury’s Wings Theatre Co, on the Gold Coast, is a fastmoving, actioned-packed production demanding the entire cast be 100 % fit!

The Director, Dr Patrick Mitchell, has based the action in modern times with appropriate costumes while maintaining all the action of this legendary piece.

Campfire

By Split Focus. Ukiyo at Gluttony. Rymill Park, Adelaide Fringe Festival. 7 March – 10 March 2026.

Set deep in an imagined wilderness where shadows flicker and the unknown lurk just beyond the firelight, Campfire at the Adelaide Fringe Festival delivers a delightfully spooky circus adventure that blends physical theatre, aerial work, acrobatics and slapstick comedy into a fast-paced and entertaining hour.

The Diary of Anne Frank

The play by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett. Director: Drew Anthony. Drew Anthony Creative. Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne. March 5 – 21, 2026 followed by State Theatre, Sydney from March 25, 2026

Bursting onto Broadway in 1955, The Diary of Anne Frank, adapted by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, swept onto the stage like a beacon of light in the shadow of history. In a world darkened by the persecution of Jews in wartime Amsterdam, the play’s deeply human story of fragile hope and fierce dignity captured the hearts of audiences with electrifying emotional honesty. Its remarkable 717-performance run on Broadway cemented The Diary of Anne Frank as a theatrical classic, earning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and multiple Tony Awards, including Best Play.

Shakespeare in Love

Based on screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall. TheatreiNQ, Townsville Civic Theatre Boundary Street, Townsville. 5 -7 March 2026.

THIS IS a triumph on many levels for what is effectively a love letter to the theatre from Townsville’s resident professional theatre company, TheatreiNQ. 

I cannot apply enough superlatives to this truly outstanding production which would have graced any national or international stage.

Fag/Stag

Written by Jeffrey Jay Fowler & Chris Isaacs. Little Stormy Productions in association with Lambert House Enterprises. Directed by Les Solomon. Qtopia Sydney Sub-Station. March 7 - 21, 2026

This is a terrific little play, beautifully acted and realised in an appropriate location at the heart of Mardi Gras Sydney.

But this is not just a work for an LGBTQI+ audience as it is a gritty look at a friendship between an alpha straight young male and his gay friend, both navigating the choppy seas of love and hook-ups.

Written in Perth over ten years ago, the play has been a festival favourite around the world and it has lost none of its punch.

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde. The Guild Theatre, Rockdale. Directed by Brendan Jones. March 6 – 28, 2026

Some plays never lose their sparkle, and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of them — a work that rewards each return with fresh laughter and renewed admiration for its razor-sharp wit. There is something wonderfully fitting about experiencing it at the Guild Theatre, where wooden seats and the venue’s enduring charm provide the perfect backdrop for Wilde’s wit, and the familiar theatre lights beckon theatre-lovers inside.

All Sorts 5

All New Bite Sized Plays. Henry Lawson Theatre Company, Werrington, NSW. 6 – 21 Mar, 2026

Few community theatre companies reach outside the box for their material. They usually   choose plays that stretch their actors and creatives – and appeal to their audiences. The folk at Henry Lawson Theatre Company do something a little different for one part of their season each year. They invite aspiring playwrights in the company and the local area to submit short plays for their “All Sorts” program.

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.