Tag Archives: musical

Review: A Transgender Woman On The Internet, Crying (Old Fitz Theatre)

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Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Mar 26 – Apr 11, 2026
Book, Music & Lyrics: Cassie Hamilton
Director: Jean Tong
Cast: Blake Appelqvist, Cassie Hamilton, Rosie Rai, Teo Vergara
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying by Cassie Hamilton is a work of considerable ambition: a musical that interrogates the fractious politics of contemporary trans identity with both intellectual rigor and genuine entertainment value. The narrative centres on Avis, a social media influencer whose transition to womanhood is conducted almost entirely through the counsel of her followers—an arrangement that strikes her would-be friend Corrin as not merely misguided but politically retrograde. Corrin’s overtures of friendship, we soon discover, are calculated; they intend to expose Avis and dismantle her influence. What emerges is a drama less about betrayal than about the impossible question of whether there exists, in Hamilton’s formulation, any “correct” mode of being trans.

Under Jean Tong’s direction, the production achieves that rare alchemy of the serious and the playful. The tone is urgent without being hectoring, consistently amusing yet never trivializing the stakes at hand. Lillian Hearne’s musical direction deploys electronica to construct what one might call a deceptively frothy soundscape—girl-pop textures that, upon closer listening, reveal considerable compositional sophistication. Dan Ham’s choreography pushes the performers to their limits, delivering bursts of energy while ensuring every movement remains flattering. Rachel Lee and Nick Moloney’s lighting design navigates the production’s numerous location shifts with efficiency, though one wishes for more granular calibration of emotional atmosphere. Ruby Jenkins’ set design leans toward the simple side but never feels insufficient.

Hamilton herself proves a formidable stage presence as Avis, negotiating an impressive emotional register with a nuance that compels genuine investment in her predicament. Her excellent singing voice is a genuine joy, only amplifying the appeal of her catchy songwriting. The compelling Blake Appelqvist brings necessary credibility to the challenging role of Corrin, and the chemistry between the two principals lends the production its persuasive force. In supporting roles, Rosie Rai and Teo Vergara deserve particular mention for their depiction of a gender-nonconforming community rendered with humour and, crucially, tenderness.

Women, cis and trans alike, have historically laboured under regimes of visibility that dictate permissible self-presentation, imposing unreasonable requirements and unattainable ideals. There always exist however, those who refuse such mandates, who proliferate alternative definitions of being, who continually expand the circumference of what womanhood, and indeed gender itself, might signify.

There is no question that gender remains a system of control, and though few of us can claim to have fully evaded its grip, there are countless ways to twist and subvert its rules, even to the point of exposing their meaninglessness. Conversely, those rules can certainly be followed strictly—so long as those who choose to adhere, learn to accept that others will find their own ways, of being human.

www.oldfitztheatre.com.au | www.instagram.com/atwotic

Review: The Prom (Teatro)

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Venue: Teatro (Leichhardt NSW), Mar 24 – Apr 26, 2026
Book: Rob Martin, Chad Beguelin
Music: Matthew Sklar
Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
Directors: Andrew Bevis, Nathan M. Wright
Cast: Erin Bruce, Renae Corser née Berry, Murray Cunninghame, Paige Fallu, Brad Green, Ewan Herdman, Nina Hurley, Scott Irwin, Abbey McPherson, Sophie Montague, Brendan Mungar, Caroline O’Connor, Luke Reynolds
Images by Robert Miniter

Theatre review
When a clutch of fading Broadway luminaries descends upon rural Indiana to champion a lesbian teenager barred from escorting her girlfriend to the high school prom, the 2016 musical The Prom possesses a compelling premise, yet its execution frequently falters; the book and songs, for what is ostensibly a deeply emotional story, seldom earn the investment they demand, and the humour often falls flat.

Directors Andrew Bevis and Nathan M. Wright nonetheless infuse the proceedings with ample dynamism and a spirited flair; Wright’s choreography, in particular, distinguishes itself through infectious exuberance executed with commendable vigour by a spirited young ensemble. Nick Fry’s set design is unapologetically flamboyant, draping the entire backdrop in shimmering, multi-hued sequins that delight the eye. Cornelia Cassimatis’s costuming matches this chromatic audacity, though occasionally sacrificing sartorial sophistication for spectacle. Roderick Van Gelder’s lighting, whilst compositionally conventional, nonetheless succeeds in amplifying the production’s kinetic vitality.

The cast labours with palpable dedication, their commitment evident even as the material proves resistant to transcendence. Among them, Brendan Monger’s Barry emerges as a singular delight, his impeccable comic timing compensating for the script’s deficiencies. Caroline O’Connor, portraying the narcissistic Dee Dee Allen, deploys a calculated theatrical excess that miraculously breathes life into even the most anemic one-liners.

That The Prom addresses queerphobia with such explicit moral clarity feels almost achingly prescient given its pre-Trump provenance; the subsequent decade has witnessed a grievous retrenchment of LGBTQIA+ rights throughout the American heartland, rendering the musical’s conceit not merely relevant but increasingly urgent—a sobering reminder that what once played as contemporary fiction now reads as documentary reality, contemplated with genuine anguish.

www.teatroitalianforum.com.au

Review: Phantom Of The Opera (Opera Australia)

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Venue: Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Sydney NSW), Mar 27 – May 3, 2026
Book: Richard Stilgoe, Andrew Lloyd Webber (based on the novel by Gaston Leroux)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: Charles Hart
Director: Simon Phillips
Cast: Melody Beck, Daniel Belle, Brent Hill, Debora Krizak, Michael Lampard, Amy Manford, Jayme Jo Massoud, Giuseppe Grech, Martin Crewes, Darcy Carroll, Andrew Dunne, Jarrod Draper, Jake Lyle, Lachlan O’Brien, Daniel Tambasco, Raphael Wong
Images by Hamilton Lund

Theatre review
It is Christine who possesses the talent, yet in The Phantom of the Opera, her destiny remains perpetually subject to the machinations of theatre owners, a vicomte, and a spectre. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation turns forty this year, and while its signature numbers still soar with a kind of transcendental bombast, the narrative itself has only grown more intractable with time—more difficult to admire, and certainly more difficult to love.

Director Simon Phillips offers a stylistic refresh that leans into the show’s signature kitsch, yet does little to render the story palatable for contemporary audiences. Set and costume designer Gabriela Tylesova injects vibrancy and grandiosity into the staging, while Nick Schlieper’s lighting conjures a melodrama commensurate with the heightened emotional register of the score. Guy Simpson’s musical supervision supplies the requisite intensity, capturing the ear with its unrelenting theatrical force. Less successful are the few video projections, which lapse into a digital garishness that even the production’s embrace of deliberate artifice cannot excuse.

As Christine, Amy Manford strikes a suitably delicate figure, commendable for conjuring flickers of strength within a character painfully starved of autonomy. Jake Lyle brings a convincingly tormented quality to the Phantom, while Jarrod Draper cuts an unmistakably dashing figure as Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny.

In the world of The Phantom of the Opera, misery proves the true universal—a fitting consequence, perhaps, of the patriarchal hegemonies that structure its every interaction. Whether one is behind the scenes pulling strings or centre stage in the spotlight, satisfaction remains elusive. The struggle for power yields only its accumulation by a few, yet the broader exercise of domination and subjugation yields nothing, in the end, but agony.

www.opera.org.au

Review: My Brilliant Career (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney NSW), Mar 21 – May 3, 2026
Book: Sheridan Harbridge, Dean Bryant (from the Miles Franklin novel)
Music: Mathew Frank
Lyrics: Dean Bryant
Director: Anne-Louise Sarks
Cast: Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward, Melanie Bird, Lincoln Elliott, Victoria Falconer, Kala Gare, Raj Labade, Drew Livingston, Ana Mitsikas, Christina O’Neill, Jarrad Payne, Jack Green, and Meg McKibbin.
Images by Pia Johnson

Theatre review
First published in 1901, when Miles Franklin was merely twenty-one, this seminal novel chronicles a teenage protagonist’s fierce determination to transcend restrictive gender conventions and forge an autonomous existence within the artistic sphere. Now, My Brilliant Career—that cornerstone of the Australian literary canon—has been reimagined as a stage musical by the formidable trio of Dean Bryant and Sheridan Harbridge, who craft the words, and composer Mathew Frank. Together, they amplify the original’s spirited verve to revelatory effect, delivering a production as profoundly moving as it is inspiring.

Under Anne-Louise Sarks’s astute direction and Amy Campbell’s sensitive choreography, the production arrives with startling immediacy, rendering its feminist discourse with the electrifying urgency of a revelation only just unveiled. Sybylla Melvyn, that indomitable protagonist, captivates utterly; every element of the staging conspires to forge an unbreakable empathic bond, compelling our complete investment in her trajectory.

Kala Gare delivers a thoroughly virtuosic performance in the central role, commanding the stage with breath-taking intensity to create an indelible theatrical experience. Remarkably, Gare and the supporting ensemble assume the dual responsibility of dramatic interpretation whilst simultaneously constituting the instrumental foundation of the entire musical landscape—a demonstration of extraordinary artistic versatility. Under Victoria Falconer’s expert musical direction, each composition emerges as a triumph of exuberance, sustaining a level of entertainment that never once falters.

Set and costumes by Marg Howell evoke the visual vernacular of the late nineteenth century, yet—like every other element of the production—deploy considerable artistic license to ensure the work feels distinctly contemporary. Eschewing any slavish fidelity to historical accuracy that might risk feeling dowdy or remote, preventing the work from collapsing into the fusty dreariness of period-bound exactitude that might otherwise alienate contemporary sensibilities. Matt Scott’s lighting makes sparing use of grand gestures, focusing instead on the nuanced cultivation of atmosphere, achieving its mood-crafting objectives with impeccable restraint and consummate efficacy.

Girls should be taught not only that they possess every right to shape their own lives, but also that the denial of independence precipitates inexorably a descent into despondency, corrosive resentment, and a misery that permeates the very marrow of being. Sybylla’s narrative stands as a testament to resistance—particularly arduous resistance, for she must steel herself not against hardship, but against pleasure itself; she must privilege the austere dictates of intellect over the intoxicating, ephemeral promises of romantic entanglement.

Every instinct of her adolescent being strains toward those deceptively beautiful, ultimately hollow comforts, yet it is precisely this opposition to that which appears most desirable that renders her struggle both agonizing and transcendent. In her defiance, we recognize the heart breaking truth that the most exquisite cages remain cages still, and that the price of genuine freedom is often the conscious, painful renunciation of that which sparkles most brightly.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Head Over Heels (Hayes Theatre)

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Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Feb 20 – Mar 22, 2026
Book: Jeff Whitty
Adaptation: James Magruder (based upon The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sydney)
Director: Ellen Simpson
Cast: Thomas Campbell, Nancy Denis, Gaz Dutlow, Ellen Ebbs, Alana Iannace, Minerva Khobande, Lucy Lalor, Jenni Little, Adam Noviello, J Ridler
Images by Kate Williams

Theatre review
Adapted from Sir Philip Sidney’s 16th-century prose romance The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia and set to the effervescent catalogue of The Go-Go’s (including solo work by lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle), the jukebox musical Head Over Heels follows King Basilius of Arcadia as he flees into the wilderness with his royal court, desperately seeking to outmanoeuvre a quartet of ominous prophecies. While a deliberate queering of the narrative lends the production a timely, subversive edge, the 2015 creation remains conceptually thin—an exercise in nostalgic pastiche that, for all its exuberance, ultimately fails to transcend the limitations of its own conceit.

Ellen Simpson’s direction is conventional without being uninspired, yet it fails to cultivate the crucial investment that might elevate the piece beyond its modest virtues. The production’s buoyancy is its greatest asset, an infectious lightness that often carries the day even as the characters remain at a narrative arm’s length. Music director Zara Stanton and choreographer Ryan González follow suit, offering pleasant, polished contributions that are content to serve the material’s needs rather than striving for innovation.

Josh McIntosh’s set sketches a charming pastoral world through its key features—a graceful proscenium arch and an evocative backdrop—but the effect is compromised by rolling units whose rustic utilitarianism clashes with the design’s more delicate aspirations. Sidney Younger’s lighting, though visually restrained, demonstrates scrupulous calibration, modulating energy and atmosphere with precision if not poetry. The cast, uniformly accomplished and visibly committed, labour against a fundamental limitation: the show’s characters are drawn as caricatures, and no amount of performative investment can quite animate them into three-dimensional life.

Head Over Heels illuminates the slender margin between inspired invention and well-worn trope. The production brims with undeniable flashes of creativity, yet they never quite coalesce into something genuinely artistic. Instead, the whole resolves into something more modest: a serviceable vehicle for entertainment, one with which many audience members will undoubtedly leave content, if not transformed.

www.hayestheatre.com.au | www.welldonecreative.com.au

Review: Evil Dead (Seymour Centre)

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Venue: Seymour Centre (Chippendale NSW), Feb 20 – Mar 21, 2026
Book & Lyrics: George Reinblatt (based on characters created by Sam Raimi)
Music: Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris, George Reinblatt
Director: Daniel Stoddart
Cast: Grace Alston, Jake Ameduri, Elaina Bianchi, Oliver Clisdell, Harley Dasey, Harrison Riley, Emma Wilby
Images by Peter Stoop

Theatre review
Five college students venture into a remote cabin for spring break, only to succumb one by one to demonic possession—unleashing bloody carnage upon their unsuspecting friends. This is Evil Dead: The Musical, a stage adaptation of Sam Raimi’s seminal horror film. Where the 1981 original genuinely terrified audiences, the musical version leans gleefully into slapstick, transforming the source material’s gruesome set pieces into comical, blood-soaked punchlines. The result plays less as parody and more as affectionate tribute—a theatrical love letter to a film that has since ascended to iconic cult status.

While the material itself may not consistently land with comedic precision, director Daniel Stoddart compensates with an infusion of irrepressible exuberance that propels the production forward. The contributions of choreographer Lochlan Erard and music director Mark Bradley, while adhering to conventional frameworks, provide a polished and professional foundation for the production.

Much of the evening’s success rests upon the sheer infectiousness of the cast’s enthusiasm, which effectively distracts from jokes that can otherwise skew toward the trite. In the central role of Ash, Harley Dasey demonstrates technical competence, even if his portrayal falls somewhat short of the roguish, beleaguered heroism the part demands. More memorable are supporting players like Emma Wilby as Cheryl and Harrison Riley as Jack, whose impeccable comic timing yields the production’s most substantial laughs.

Eric Luchen’s set design proves memorable in its effective realization of the narrative’s supernatural demands. Together with Renata Beslik’s costumes, the production’s visual landscape achieves a faithful, if overly conventional, period authenticity. It is Jason Bovaird’s lighting design, however, that injects genuine dramatic tension, its increasingly dynamic palette mirroring the story’s gradual descent into high-octane chaos and effectively propelling the production toward its bombastic conclusion.

Review: Putting It Together (Foundry Theatre)

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Venue: Foundry Theatre (Pyrmont NSW), Jan 6 – Feb 15, 2026
Words and Music: Stephen Sondheim
Director: Cameron Mitchell
Cast: Stefanie Caccamo, Michael Cormick, Nigel Huckle, Bert LaBonté, Caroline O’Connor
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Titled Putting It Together: A Musical Review, devised by Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie, the revue offers an ostensibly eclectic yet undeniably compelling survey of Sondheim’s oeuvre. The work unfolds as a loosely assembled showcase of songs—each brilliant in its own right—exploring intricate ideas and psychologically complex characters. Admirers of the Broadway master will find much to savour, and while the piece dispenses with a conventional narrative arc, the sheer intelligence and craft of Sondheim’s songwriting ensure its appeal to even the most discerning music lovers.

Under Cameron Mitchell’s direction, the production is polished, if overly restrained and polite, with choreography that renders each movement fluid and visually harmonious. Nick Fry’s set design deftly evokes the glamour of twentieth-century America, while Trudy Dalgleish’s lighting lends a complementary sheen that further elevates the scenic palette. Nigel Shaw’s costumes, though understated, are nonetheless elegant and flattering, contributing quietly but effectively to the overall aesthetic.

A highly accomplished cast anchors the production, led by Bert LaBonté, whose charisma and warmth cut through the material, ensuring the evening never lapses into stasis. Stefanie Caccamo’s relentlessly dynamic vocals are a particular delight, each phrase delivered with astonishing precision and expressive control. Michael Cormick, Nigel Huckle, and Caroline O’Connor likewise register strongly, each enjoying moments of distinction within a staging notable for its consummate professionalism.

Completing the picture, Kevin Wang’s musical direction proves a standout, drawing remarkable richness and depth from a pared-back ensemble of two pianos and rhythm section. Sondheim’s songs remain incontestably magnificent, and this iteration of Putting It Together demonstrates how even the lightest touch of theatrical framing can unlock a remarkable degree of magic.

www.foundrytheatre.com.au

Review: Pretty Woman (Theatre Royal)

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Venue: Theatre Royal (Sydney NSW), Nov 30, 2025 – Mar 1, 2026
Book: Garry Marshall, J.F. Lawton
Music & Lyrics: Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance
Director: Jerry Mitchell
Cast: Michelle Brasier, Ben Hall, Doug Hansell, Samantha Jade, Tim Omaji
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Vivian is a sex worker hired for a week by Edward, a corporate high-flyer briefly in town for business. The two appear to share almost nothing in common, save for an unspoken desire to abandon the very careers that have come to define them. Yet they spark instantly, and against all expectations, find themselves tumbling into a romance neither had anticipated. The musical adaptation of the 1990 blockbuster Pretty Woman retains all the swooning charm of the original, with a score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance that lands comfortably within the Broadway tradition—perhaps not as indelibly memorable as the genre’s greatest hits, but melodic and satisfying all the same.

The production, directed by Jerry Mitchell, makes no attempt to reinvent the wheel, yet offers ample pleasures for those drawn to theatrical verve and straightforward sentimentality. Samantha Jade is an endearing Vivian, imbuing the role with a touch of soulfulness that helps counterbalance the show’s unmistakably sanitised veneer. As Edward, Ben Hall may be short on effortless charisma, but he delivers each vocal line with precision and grace. And where the central couple falls short in chemistry, Tim Omaji steps in with exuberance to spare; in his dual turns as Happy Man and Mr Thompson, he injects the evening with irresistible pizazz and a buoyant joie de vivre.

At its heart, Pretty Woman is a story about people who have stopped expecting anything good to come their way, and who suddenly find themselves confronted with the possibility of something better. Both Vivian and Edward begin from places of quiet resignation, navigating lives that feel predetermined and constrained. Their unlikely romance becomes a small but potent reminder that even in moments coloured by hopelessness, human connection can open a path toward renewal. The show’s enduring appeal lies in this simple promise: that love, however improbable, can interrupt despair and, just briefly, allow two lost souls to imagine a different future.

www.prettywomanthemusical.com.au

Review: The Lovers (Theatre Royal)

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Venue: Theatre Royal (Sydney NSW), Oct 31 – Nov 16, 2025
Book, Music & Lyrics: Laura Murphy
Director: Nick Skubu
Cast: Natalie Abbott, Jason Arrow, Jayme-Lee Hanekom, Loren Hunter, Stellar Perry, Mat Verevis
Images by Joel Devereux

Theatre review
Helena loves Demetrius, who only has eyes for Hermia, who happens to fancy Lysander—who, luckily, fancies her back. Into this romantic tangle stumble Oberon and Puck, whose antics send the entire affair spiralling into chaos. In The Lovers, Laura Murphy reimagines Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a pop-fuelled rom-com, and it proves a stroke of brilliance. Murphy’s songs are crafted with such wit and precision that an otherwise frivolous love polygon becomes something exuberant and uplifting—a celebration of desire, confusion, and the sheer delight of losing oneself in both.

Nick Skubij’s direction leans into the work’s pop sensibilities, resulting in a production that feels consistently sweet and effervescent. At times, his approach may lack a certain inventiveness or sense of play, yet there is an undeniable momentum that keeps the show engaging throughout. Isabel Hudson’s set and costumes are tasteful but somewhat pared back for a story so gleefully fantastical. Fortunately, Trent Suidgeest’s lavish lighting design and David Bergman’s refined video projections lend the staging a grandeur that transforms it into something visually majestic and memorable.

We meet a superbly cohesive cast of six, each performer brimming with talent and conviction. Natalie Abbott’s Helena and Stellar Perry’s Oberon prove especially magnetic—both returning from the 2022 production with a mastery that infuses every scene with confidence and flair. The vocal work throughout is first-rate, and under Heidi Maguire’s deft musical direction, the show achieves a gleam of polish that ensures it is the songs, above all, that continue to echo long after the curtain falls.

www.theloversmusical.com.au

Review: Bonny & Read (Qtopia)

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Venue: Qtopia (Darlinghurst NSW), Oct 29 – Nov 8, 2025
Music and Lyrics: Ben James, Aiden Smith, Emily Whiting
Book: Aiden Smith, Emily Whiting
Director: Holly Mazzola
Cast: Elliot Aitken, Tori Bullard, Percy Chiu, Max Fernandez, Ben James, Helen Jordan-Lane, Gabi Lanham, Jack Mitsch, Alex Travers
Images by Patrick Phillips

Theatre review
Mary Read’s longing for the sea compels her to disguise herself as a man and sign aboard a merchant vessel. Fate brings her face to face with the infamous pirate Anne Bonny, and what begins as captivity soon evolves into love. In Bonny & Read, writers Ben James, Aiden Smith, and Emily Whiting revisit this 18th-century romance through a distinctly contemporary lens, crafting a musical that reclaims two legendary women from history’s margins and lets their passion sail freely at last.

The songs are engaging, if somewhat conventional, elevated by Iris Wu’s sumptuous musical direction and the cohesive aural textures shaped by sound designer Sam Cheng. While the story itself is compelling, the book of Bonny & Read can feel unnecessarily convoluted, and Holly Mazzola’s direction does little to untangle its narrative knots. Still, her instinct for spectacle is undeniable, and with Lauren Mitchell’s energetic choreography, the production maintains a lively momentum even when its storytelling falters.

Geita Goarin’s production design is modest but evocative, sketching the period with just enough texture to spark the imagination. It is, however, Luna Ng’s lighting that truly captivates — rich in drama and ambition, it shapes the emotional contours of the piece with clarity and grace, revealing the story’s subtler undercurrents and giving its sentiment a luminous depth.

Vocally, the cast ranges from competent to exceptional, with Gabi Lanham delivering a standout performance as Mary Read, her voice both rich and assured. The acting, however, is uneven across the ensemble. Tori Bullard brings sincerity and emotional intensity to Anne Bonny, offering a grounded presence amid the production’s more variable performances.

The story of Mary Read and Anne Bonny is a vivid reminder of queer forebears whose lives were too often erased or silenced by history. Their courage — at sea, in love, and in defiance of rigid conventions — still echoes across the centuries. Bonny & Read illuminates this hidden legacy, celebrating two women who claimed their freedom on their own terms, and suggesting that queer communities might take a page from the pirate’s book: to chart daring courses, embrace audacity, and live boldly, even when the world seeks to bury them.

www.qtopiasydney.com.au