Reviews

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Adapted by Simon Stephens from the novel by Mark Haddon. Mockingbird Theatre Company & Acting Studio. Directed by Chris Baldock. Belconnen Arts Centre, ACT. 20 March – 5 April 2025

There’s something magic about the way immersive theatre can help you see the inner worlds of people who experience life in very different ways.

Ophelia Thinks Harder

By Jean Betts and W. Shakespeare. Fingerless Theatre in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre. Director Alex Kendall Robson. 14 – 29 March, 2025

Ophelia Thinks Harder is a feminist re-interpretation of Hamlet which could be described as an ideological treatise on the subjugation of women. Whilst using Hamlet as her model, playwright Jean Betts cleverly incorporates familiar lines from other Shakespearean works as a not-so-gentle reminder that productions of his plays have been perpetuating the denigration of women for over 500 years.

Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo & Juliet

Queensland Ballet. Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 21 to 29 March 2025

Is there a more memorable tragedy about the fleeting allure of love or a more cautionary tale about the lethal consequences of family politics, power and violence than William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet? Sixty years ago, the prolific and innovative Sir Kenneth MacMillan interpreted the tragic tale for the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London, starring Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production, presented by John Frost & David Ian for Crossroads Live, and Work Light Productions. Directed by Timothy Sheader. Princess Theatre, 163 Spring Street, Melbourne. 16 March – 22 June 2025.

This is an exceptional production of this iconic musical and perfectly captures the edginess that the text exuded when it first exploded on to the theatrical scene in 1971. Depicting the last weeks of the life of Jesus from the perspective of Judas, Jesus Christ Superstar held the record for the longest running show in London until it was overtaken by Cats in 1989. It has enjoyed several revivals as well as film and television adaptations which attest to its enduring popularity and appeal.

The Cadaver Palaver

Written and performed by Christopher Samuel Carroll. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne CBD. 17 – 22 March 2025

Victorian adventurer and raconteur extraordinaire, Bennett Cooper Sullivan, has returned from his latest astonishing imbroglio and now feels compelled to recount to us his arduous journeys – Cairo, Edinburgh, London - his near unbelievable hair-breadth escapes, and his many brushes with vice and death – all to keep us on the edge of our seats and breathless with excitement! 

Death of the Human Resource

Adelaide Fringe. Studio Theatre at Goodwood Theatre and Studios. 19-23 March 2025

There’s a report of a murder. Maybe. No-one can find the body, so it could just be a missing person. Nevertheless, desperate for action, Officer Thalia and Sergeant Melpo rush to the scene of the crime: a typical office, where everyone from accounts, IT and the manager himself are suspects.

MARVELous

Action Reaction Entertainment. Riverside Theatre, Parramatta. Mar 15 – 21, 2025

Marvelous at Riverside Theatre is a spectacular showcase that would make even Iron Man (or woman) tip a helmet. This supercharged show sends audiences flying higher than Captain Marvel and is wrapped in a bundle of aerials, live vocals, dance, stunts, and a risqué edge.

Samwise Holmes (creator, director & writer) opens his tale with a cheeky hint of what’s to come. It’s naughty, loud, and packs a punch as it turns the other cheek. 

It’s Only a Play

By Terrence McNally. Pymble Players. Zenith Theatre, Chatswood. March 14 – 22, 2025

It’s opening night of a brand new Broadway play and the party is jam-packed with celebrities. Upstairs in the main bedroom, the cast, creatives, a critic and a coat-check boy are holed up, waiting for the reviews which will automatically ‘make’ or ‘break’ the show.

Two Hearts

By Laura Lethlean. Space Jump Theatre at Flight Path Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney. Directed by Kirsty Semaan. March 18 – 29, 2025

This play covers a relationship, born at a loud Sydney party, to its death a few years later in trauma and grief. Who’s to blame? How could the two participants have done things differently? Two Hearts follows the exciting formation and bitter ending of the kind of relationship we could all do without, but which will probably be heading our way.

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde. Presented by National Theatre Live and Sharmill Films. In cinemas from March 27, 2025

Written in 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s most popular play. It is a comedy of manners, the story of two bachelors getting into increasingly complicated situations in the pursuit of the women they adore.

The National Theatre production takes the script and gives it a Bridgerton makeover with bright primary colours and performances ‘as camp as a row of tents’.

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