Things to do in Melbourne this week

There has been a disappointing run of big name shows underserved by low-key production design of late, with both the revivals of Rocky Horror and Grease seriously lacking in the razzle-dazzle department. So why does a similarly stripped-back staging of musical maestro Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb’s Chicago pull it off, like so many of the cast’s silken mesh costume changes? Perhaps something in the bare bones of this deceptively dark comedy, set in the Windy City in the fast and loose 1920s, lends itself to simplicity? Delivered via a sassy brawl between warring molls Velma Kelly (Zoë Ventoura) and Roxie Hart (Lucy Maunder), it’s a broken bottle-sharp commentary on an America that values celebrity crime most malignant over justice and the good of heart, that cuts even deeper now we’re staring down the barrel of a possible second Trump term. That swirling, prophetic darkness lends itself well to scenic designer John Lee Beatty’s darkened stage flanked by cabaret chairs and dominated by a bandstand atop which gamely charismatic musical director James Simpson leads a brass-heavy band through John Kander’s razzmatazz music.  “Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate … What if your hinges all are rusting? What if, in fact, you’re just disgusting?”The contradiction is inherent in the work. And so when Roxie opens the show by shooting dead the beefy but not bright Fred Casely (Devon Braithwaite, a stand-out in a spectacular ensemble) because he had the

For most of us, Lego is a nostalgic hobby from bygone childhood years, but there are an exceptional few who took these tiny building blocks from a fun pastime to the next level. Lego artist Nathan Sawaya is one of these talented individuals who is showcasing his fascinating sculptures with a new exhibition that has to be seen to be believed.  The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience exhibition features more than 100 contemporary artworks, all crafted using more than one million Lego bricks to make large-scale, life-like creations.  After a sold-out season back in 2011, it's returning to our city as part of a huge world tour with brand new pieces, having already visited 100 cities across 24 countries. Sawaya is the only person in the world who has the double title of Lego Master Model Builder and Lego Certified Professional. Whoa.  Some of the works showcased in the exhibition include a giant version of Sawaya's most famous sculpture, 'Yellow', which stands at more than six feet tall, plus an installation with 250 kinetic Lego skulls, a piece called 'Infinity Rainbow' that features seven life-sized sculptures, the 30-foot long 'Big Swimmer', dazzling 360-degree digital projections and lots more. The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience opens on April 14 at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Tickets go on sale on March 21 at 7pm, and you can sign up for the waitlist here. Find out more about the exhibition at the website.  Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to what's

Attention, sweet tooths: Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie are bringing back the annual Rocky Road Festival this May. It’s predicted that over a whopping 100,000 handmade blocks will be churned out across the 31 days, from a base recipe that’s every rocky road lover’s match made in heaven: fluffy housemade marshmallow and smoother-than-satin couverture chocolate. Sample something new, get your hands on made-to-order 1kg blocks or try a gourmet rocky road-infused creation at an interactive tasting session. How does a rocky road hot chocolate sound? The European chocolatiers plan to rock your palate with 31 distinct festival flavours, yet to be announced. Last year's flavours included Oriental Brittle, Caramel Mudcake, Turkish Toblerone, Strawberry Margarita, Honeycomb Macadamia, Tahitian Lime and Chilli, and much more. This year, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie are also promising Rocky Road-inspired pastries, ice creams, sundaes, waffles and coffee.  Those with the unfortunate dual diagnosis of an intolerance and a sweet tooth are in luck. Vegan and gluten-free creations will be available for tasting across the three chocolateries so nobody needs to miss out. Could it get any sweeter?  Click through to the website here for more information. Those who can’t venture out to the Yarra Valley, Surf Coast and Mornington Peninsula this year can get their fill of the festival’s chocolates straight to their door thanks

My first encounter with the viridescent power of Wicked was through the sliding door of a suburban dance studio. Face pressed against the glass, I strained to hear the optimistic refrains of ‘One Short Day’, eyes bulging and dopamine levels skyrocketing. So widespread is the pop-cultural impact of this fan favourite musical, that half of Melbourne likely has a similar memory of discovering Wicked.  This faithful revival of the bewitching blockbuster sees the show fly into Melbourne for the third time in 15 years with an abundance of pine-hued pizazz, after celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Broadway premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. It’s also worth noting that the Gregory Maguire novel that forms the basis of the plot was published back in 1995. After all this time, it’s only fair to check in and ask: does Wicked remain evergreen? The costumes, choreography and sets are as slick as they come, which is exactly what’s expected from a show that’s had this many chances to get it ‘right’. This version of Wicked is not reinventing the wheel – instead it’s the cast who keep the cogs turning in a fresh way.   There’s no mistaking that these performers are magical. While Melbourne always loves to get a show before Sydney, our advantage here is that the cast has had time to fully take command of their characters – and they’re flourishing.  Courtney Monsma’s G(a)linda is slap-your-knees, let-out-a-squeal funny. She re-shapes the virtue-signalling mean girl role and makes Glinda

What's better than a pasta and vino dinner? A pasta and vino dinner that won't break the bank, of course. So let's thank the spaghetti gods in the sky that in the midst of this cozzie-livs crisis, culinary maestro Adrian Richardson (La Luna Bistro) is hosting a winter pop-up restaurant where you can get dishes of slurp-worthy pasta squarely below the $22 mark, cocktails starting at just $12 and glasses of wine that won't cost you more than a tenner a pop.  Pasta Bambino has sprung up at Adrian's Bouvier Bar on the Brunswick East end of Lygon Street, and it's set to be your go-to cosy destination this winter for affordable northside date nights, get-togethers with friends and everything in between.  “Some of my fondest food memories are helping my Italian grandparents in the kitchen and making pasta from scratch. That’s how I first got my feeling for food,” says Richardson.  These memories are the inspiration behind Pasta Bambino's simple but humble rotating menu, which is comprised of beloved dishes his Nonna taught him to cook as a child. From traditional favorites like casarecce bolognese to indulgent delights like fresh ricotta gnocchi with pesto, there's something to suit every craving – and true to Richardson's ethos, each sings with locally sourced ingredients and ethically procured meats.  You'll also discover an enticing array of appetisers you can get stuck into, such as crispy fried mozzarella and stuffed arancini, perfect for pairing with a Spritz or glass of som

When the opportunity arises to witness dazzling dancers from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance all in the one show, you’d be a fool to pass it up. Well, you now have the chance to do just that because A Taste of Ireland returns to Melbourne from March 17 until May 26. You can catch this energetic extravaganza all across Victoria, including: Melbourne CBD, Dandenong, Moonee Ponds, Wangaratta, Preston and St Kilda. Kicking off on St Patrick's Day at The Palms at Crown, A Taste of Ireland combines world-class Irish dancing, melodic folk music mashups, live acapella tap battles and craic galore for an exceptional night of entertainment. You can expect to hear classic tunes you know and love like ‘Danny Boy’ and ‘Tell Me Ma’, made all the more enthralling by brand new sets, costumes and effects, all of which will take you on a journey through Ireland’s tumultuous history. The show’s intricate dance routines are choreographed by national champion Brent Pace and Ceili Moore, world champion and former lead dancer in Micheal Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. This duo have made a name for themselves on international stages over the last few decades, however they’re both from Irish dancing families in Australia – giving this show a unique local connection.  A Taste of Ireland is going on tour across Australia with one stopover in the Darwin and shows across New South Wales from April 12 to May 5, before returning to Melbourne for three final shows.  Head to the show’s website to learn more an

Combine your twin passions of art and literature this month at the Melbourne Art Book Fair. Hosted by the National Gallery of Victoria and running alongside Melbourne Design Week, the Melbourne Art Book Fair features more than 100 stalls selling art books from local and international publishers. It’s the perfect chance to pick up a gorgeous guide to your favourite creative, or discover an arty edition to spruce up your lonely coffee table. In addition to the art book bonanza, the Melbourne Art Book Fair will also include talks, workshops and events to celebrate art and design both local and international. FlexMami will present The Art of Good Conversation, inviting visitors to respond live to a question from her popular ReFlex converstation cards. For those with little ones, Future Press will give kids the chance to be the writers, illustrators and designers of their own eight-page book. There'll also be a focus on zine making thanks to the folks at the Sticky Insitute, with lots of hand-made goodies to discover. The Melbourne Art Book Fair is on from Thursday, May 23 until Sunday, June 2. Entry is free and tickets to selected workshops can be bought online at the NGV's website. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Check out what else is happening at Melbourne Design Week.

With the ‘debate’ over a proposed religious discrimination bill before the federal parliament again, the arguments put forward by religious leaders once more appear less focused on enshrining the right to practice faith freely (fair) and more on the freedom to persecute LGBTQIA+ people and other groups also deemed ‘sinners’.  For those of the Pentecostal faith, including Hillsong-attending former Prime Minister Scott Morrison – singled out by audience members in the sassy call and response opening sequence of Homo Pentecostus (the latest from Considerable Sexual License creator Joel Bray) that’s a very long sinners list.  This list is mined for comedy gold in a hilarious sight gag corralled by equally charismatic co-star Peter Paltos. Wheeling out the sort of overhead projector that would be very familiar to anyone who went to high school in the ’80s or ’90s, he flicks out a comically long acetate sheet of tick boxes, proceeding to check off the various levels of mortal sins with a red sharpie. Perplexingly, if you enjoy yoga or Star Wars, you’re damned and should turn away from the downward dog Dark Side.  All the while, Paltos’ voice, narrating these increasingly ludicrous no-nos, begins to distort demonically. As does his hand, straying from absent-minded dick doodles towards violent scratches in which Bray, caught in the projector’s hellfire glare on the vertical blinds lining the rear of the stage, gesticulates as if possessed, then baptised in a very suggestive eruption

The Immigration Museum on Flinders Street is getting its first major exhibition in several years and it’s all about leaning into what makes us happy. The exhibition, called Joy, opens on Friday, March 1 and will run through until August 29, 2024. Joy features seven brand new commissioned installations from leading Victorian-based creatives, each expressing the artists’ own personal joy. You can expect an emotive adventure where colour and storytelling combine, and big happy moments that sit alongside more reflective ones. Experience the vibrant power of joy as you walk amongst room-sized interactive artworks, or contribute your own joy with the collaborative ‘share your joy’ wall. Venezuelan-born Australian artist Nadia Hernández has filled the Immigration Museum’s hallway with bold collage works, ‘future positive’ fashion designer Nixi Killick has created a ‘joy generator’ and queer artist Spencer Harrison has created a runway where you can strut your stuff. Jazz Money, a Wiradjuri poet and artist, has fused sculpture, audio and mural for a work reflecting the history of the museum site, while local artist Beci Orpin has taken over a room with a giant toy rabbit made to be hugged. Afghanistan-Australian visual artist and poet Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali have also created a large-scale mural illustrating a Persian myth.  Lastly, much-loved pop artist and designer Callum Preston has constructed a full-scale replica of a nineties video store, a joy he never thought he would miss u

How many details do you remember from your childhood? What about your adolescence? In Emma Mary Hall’s World Problems, Carly Sheppard plays a woman who seemingly remembers almost everything. Sheppard crawls forth from a large funnelled tube reminiscent of a black hole and begins to recount details of a childhood spent in suburban Adelaide, switching between the mundane and monumental. The vast majority of the sentences that make up what turns out to be an hour-long monologue begin with “I remember…”, with the exception of rare moments where she points out the gaps in her memory. Landmark historical events like September 11 and the fall of the Berlin Wall intertwine with day-to-day details like moments at school or the best fish and chip shop in the entire world. At first, we can trace the narrative to a specific time period – she remembers dial-up internet and her first Nokia, but not her first smartphone. Gradually though, hints of a dystopian future characterised by social disintegration and ecological disaster emerge. Where does memory stop and speculation begin? It’s difficult to tell.  Dann Barber’s greyed-out set and costumes mirror the warped timeline, as tight sci-fi-style garments are layered over with casual garb that could fit within many parts of the 20th or 21st centuries. An analogue TV and a timeless teddy bear (soon ripped apart to great effect) add to the thought-provoking jumble of it all. As the production continues, we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore,