A Version by Jack Thorne after Charles Dickens. Conceived & Directed by Matthew Warchus. GBW Entertainment presents an Old Vic Production. Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. 23 November 2023 – 7 January 2024
The supreme theatricality of this Old Vic production sweeps the audience along with it into a state of giddy happiness. Above the stage and into the theatre there are hundreds of lights, the glittering lanterns and flickering candles of London streets. On stage, the whole cast – some of whom are musicians too – all in Victorian dress of long black coats and dresses, top hats and bonnets – sing and create patterns and dances charged with energy. Chris Nightingale’s music is familiar, a touch nostalgic, but just that bit different – and it conne
By Charles Busch. Presented by Little Ones Theatre. Directed by Stephen Nicolazzo. fortyfivedownstairs theatre, 45 Flinders Lane Melbourne. 21 November – 3 December 2023
The long and bitter rivalry between two fatally seductive vampiresses, La Condesa (Jennifer Vuletic) and Virgin/Madeleine (Artemis Ioannides), is portrayed in Busch’s iconic play. He authored one of the longest running plays in Off-Broadway history and it became a cult camp comedy classic alongside titles such as Elvira Mistress of the Dark and Death Becomes Her. Nicolazzo highlights all of these elements in this mischievous production.
Presented by the Viral Group. The District Docklands (Level 2 - Inside Potion Putt), 23 - 37 Star Crescent, Docklands, Melbourne. Until 30 December 2024.
This is an immersive experience that indulges and overwhelms all the senses with everything Christmas. The festive season is brought magically and emphatically to life in this pop-up Christmas themed bar. The cavernous lounge is replete with every imaginable Christmas decoration, trinket and Santa related iconography.
By Michelle Lee. Director & dramaturg Sepideh Kian. Michelle Lee & Arts House. Producer Bureau of Works. Arts House, North Melbourne. 23-26 November 2023
Semi-autobiographical How Do I Let You Die examines the ambiguity of living in secular Australia, subject to bushfires and everyday work, earning a living, bringing up children, and so on, and traditional Hmong beliefs that persist – stubbornly and necessarily – and of being Australian-born and knowing but not really sharing Hmong culture...
Circa Cairns. Playhouse, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 22 to 25 November 2023
Son is a performance piece by Circa Cairns, making its world premiere in Brisbane, the first show from Circa’s creative spinoff group to do so. As with Circa’s productions, the piece is multi-media, combining dance, physical circus skills and acrobatics, lighting and music – in this case the sublimely blissful work of music group, Kardajala Kirridarra.
Libretto and lyrics by W. S. Gilbert. Music by Frederic Clay. Preceded by Cradled Among The Reeds by Diana Burleigh. Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria. Director: Diana Burleigh. Musical Director: Geoff Urquhart. Directed by Naomi Tooby. The Malvern Theatre, Melbourne. November 23 - 26, 2023.
Ages Ago opened to huge success in 1869 at The Royal Gallery of Illustration (a name for a taboo 'theatre' in Regent Street, London) running a staggering 350 performances. This premiere by the iconic GSOV (Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria) is a real treat for Melbourne audiences to enjoy a rare glimpse into the world of W. S.
By Peter Heavenheld. Cracked Actors Theatre (CAT). 15 to 26 Nov, 2023
Playwright and producer Peter Heavenheld, of Ukrainian-Hungarian ancestry, has cleverly intertwined the migrant experience and Greek mythology in his new play Cleo’s Stratos, now showing at Cracked Actor’s Theatre in Albert Park.
Performed and co-devised by Carly Sheppard. Presented by A Daylight Connection. Directed & Co-Devised by Kamarra Bell-Wykes. Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street Southbank. 22 November – 3 December 2023.
Carly Sheppard returns to the Malthouse stage with an extended and developed version of her show Chase. The performance features a variety of characters that could be described as her alter egos. Sheppard retains much of the subversive and confronting content and her musings cover a range of topics such as intergenerational first nations trauma, environmental disaster and the pervasive and perverse nature of contemporary social media activity.
Written & directed by Kamarra Bell-Wykes. Presented by A Daylight Connection. Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street Southbank. 22 November – 3 December 2023.
This is a well-focused text that addresses the trauma of First Nations people in a graphic and emphatic manner. There is an explicit determination in this production to address the various aspects of this trauma: issues such as unjust incarceration, racist abuse, sexual violence, dispossession, and discrimination are all thoroughly and often viscerally addressed in this performance.
By Anton Chekov, adapted by Annie Baker. Presented by Theatre Guild Student Society. Little Theatre, Adelaide. 22-25 November 2023
Uncle Vanya looks after the run-down house on the family estate. He lives and works there with his mother, Maria, and his niece Sonya. She is the daughter of Vanya’s late sister and the now ageing Serebryakov, who has turned up at the estate with his new – and much younger – wife, Yelena.
