Arts Centre Melbourne

Golden Blood is now playing at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of Melbourne Theatre Company's 2024 season. Read on for our critic's review of the recent Sydney season. Girl (played by Merlynn Tong, who is also the playwright) is 14. She dreams of moving to Australia. She wants to be a veterinarian, and to help all the marsupials she’s read about. The plush koala she clings to is a salve and a symbol of her ambitions.  Boy (Charles Wu, Miss Peony) is 21. He dreams of wealth – vast wealth. He wants to be a gangster. Maybe he already is one. He wants to attain the respect he’s seen his fellow criminals command. His father’s parang (a large knife, not unlike a machete) is a salve and a symbol of his ambitions. To be clear, Girl and Boy are siblings. Their alcoholic mother’s death has brought them back together, Boy having left the family home years ago for reasons we’ll later learn. Boy promises to protect Girl. In his way, he does – but being dirt poor in Singapore’s criminal demimonde is a tough row to hoe.  Bringing with it a strong sense of self, place, and culture... it’s a remarkable work. Golden Blood comes to Melbourne Theatre Company after a Sydney Theatre Company season and an acclaimed indie premiere season with Griffin Theatre (the company behind the winner of Best Play in the inaugural Time Out Sydney Arts & Culture Awards) in 2022, bringing with it a strong sense of self, place, and culture.  It’s a remarkable work. Over the course of its brisk 90 minutes, we follow B

Having earned five Tony Awards and secured its position as a Broadway smash hit, Peter and the Starcatcher – a Peter Pan spin-off that tells the magical story of the birth of Neverland – is hitting Australian stages for the first time in late 2024. After making its Australian debut at Canberra Theatre Centre in October, the fantastical show will arrive at Arts Centre Melbourne from November 8.  Telling the story of Neverland before it became what we know it as now, Peter and the Starcatcher is a whimsical exploration of imagination and nostalgia, described by the New York Times as “a blissful exercise in the make believe”. The stellar cast has now been announced and will include stars of both the screen and stage. Comedian and TV personality Pete Helliar will take on the role of Smee and Otis Dhanji (Aquaman, The Unlisted) will play Boy/Peter. Colin Lane of Lano and Woodley has been cast as Black Stache and Olivia Deeble (Home and Away) will play Molly.  Rounding out the impressive cast are Alison Whyte (Groundhog Day the Musical), Paul Capsis (The Rocky Horror Show), Ryan Gonzalez (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Hugh Parker (The Family Law) and Morgan Francis (Boy, Lost).  Originally written by the mind behind Jersey Boys and Adams Family, and developed by Disney Theatrical Group, the all-new production has been reimagined with direction from Australian David Morton. His award-winning theatre company Dead Puppet Society has been tasked with bringing the show to life for an Aust

Edit: A second Melbourne show has been added to Dolly Alderton's tour, after her first date completely sold out. She'll now be doing a show at the Palais Theatre on November 13 in addition to her booked out talk at the Arts Centre Melbourne on November 14. Tickets to her talk at the Palais Theatre are on sale now, you can buy them here – snap them up while you can! If you know a young woman who's an avid reader, chances are her eyes will light up at the mention of best-selling author Dolly Alderton. The British writer skyrocketed to popularity with her debut memoir-turned-TV show, Everything I Know About Love – a quasi-bible for those navigating life in the fraught 20s age demographic.  For the very first time, Alderton is headed Down Under for a tour of talks, off the back of her latest New York Times best-selling novel Good Material. She's heading to Arts Centre Melbourne for an appearance on November 14, and bringing along her latest stories for Melburnians to enjoy. Not only is she a beloved author, but Alderton originally gained recognition for her Sunday Times 'Dear Dolly' advice column – and she'll incorporate her favourite anecdotes from this within her live show, as well as her own insightful musings on various aspects of life. Audiences will have a chance to ask questions of their own, too, so get brainstorming.  Alderton will also make appearances in Sydney on November 5 and 6, Perth on November 10 and Brisbane on November 17 before heading to Wellington on Novembe