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).

Antigone

Written by Sophocles. Co-directed by Courtney Stewart and Nigel Poulton. Presented by La Boite Theatre. Roundhouse, 5 - 21 March, 2026

Sophocles’ Antigone has survived millennia because its central question refuses to age, and La Boite Theatre’s latest production leans into that unsettling relevance with conviction and flair. Co-directed by Courtney Stewart and Nigel Poulton, this tight staging distils the tragedy into a focused and theatrically muscular encounter that balances epic scale with the renowned intimacy of the Roundhouse.

Year of the Rooster

By Olivia Dufault. Spinning Plates Theatre Co. At fortyfivedownstairs, Flinders Lane. 5 – 22 March 2026

Year of the Rooster is a hilarious, very black and sad fable about never-say-die optimism in the face of insuperable odds.  It is also the third part of Spinning Plates Theatre Company’s run of success with their ‘Beast Trilogy’ – The Crocodile, Rhinoceros and now this, The Year of the Rooster. 

Beyond Ballet Gala

Ballet Rogue. Adelaide Fringe. Goodwood Theatre, Goodwood Rd, Goodwood. March 1 – 21, 2026

Beyond Ballet Gala, presented by Ballet Rogue, was established by independent dance artist Mimi Yoshii in 2024, and comprises classically trained dancers from all walks of life, from pre-professional dancers making their debut on the stage, to professional and ex-professional dancers seeking further opportunities to showcase their skills.

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.

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