The Comedy Theatre

Spotlighting the archetypally ‘odd couple’ relationship between Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenney, Neil Simon’s classic comedy The Odd Couple is taking to the stage at the Melbourne's Comedy Theatre this year – with the entertaining pair bringing to life the delightfully dysfunctional journey of the two main characters. Having met on the Channel 7 TV series The Real Full Monty back in 2018, the pair have become something of a double act: working together on Mates on a Mission and The All New Monty, and on stage in The Rocky Horror Show and the Broadway production of Hairspray (where they played a very convincing husband and wife). The casting of the pair in Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning comedy further solidifies them as a duo – with the characters of Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison having previously been reprised by famous duos including Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, Martin Short and Eugene Levy, Jamie Farr and William Christopher and British comedians Bill Bailey and Alan Davies.The comedic play – which was first staged on Broadway in 1965 – documents the changing friendship between two recently single writers who find themselves living together while both processing relationship breakdowns, professional challenges and personal revelations. The main throughline focuses on the wildly different characters and how their unique traits inform their relationships – with other people, themselves and (crucially) with one another.  With prolific producer John Frost at the helm, S

When Red Stitch Actors' Theatre put on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in late 2023, the gripping play enjoyed a critically acclaimed run. Now, in a historic partnership between Red Stitch, GWB Entertainment and Andrew Henry Presents, the production is returning for a mainstage commercial season at the Comedy Theatre in June and July.   For the first time in Red Stitch's 23 year history, the Melbourne-born theatre company has secured a commercial partnership which will see the production transferred from its 80-seat converted church hall home, to a mainstage theatre. This landmark partnership is reminiscent of arrangements common in major theatre capitals like London and New York, where independent theatre productions often transfer to the mainstage. Time Out reviewed Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? during its initial run last year. Read on for our 2023 review of the production. The Red Stitch Actors' Theatre in St Kilda East – piled with books and boasting a fully stocked bar – sets the stage for a night of emotional warfare in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The space is cosy, which will later prove constricting for bottle throwing and violent throttling, but works to confine Martha (Kat Stewart) and George (David Whiteley) in their suburban marital hell.  Albee’s script endures for its unflinching dissection of a marriage marred by rage anddisillusionment, sharpened with barbed insults and clever repartee. Debuting in 1962, theplay echoes the era’s anxieties

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived… Holy Six! Australia can’t get enough of Six the Musical. The pop-powered global phenomenon has already had multiple record-breaking seasons across the country. And now, due to popular demand, the disgraced wives of King Henry VIII are warming up their voices for another lap Down Under. Six the Musical will hit the Comedy Theatre from August 3 and tickets are currently on sale until September 8. Have you had enough of modern royal gossip? Hanging your head in shame over those cracks about Princess Kate secretly getting a BBL? Distract yourself with this modern twist on British Tudor history. It’s packed with pop bangers so catchy that they’ll flush any other thoughts out of your head. As our critic described it in their four-star review: “What if the Spice Girls did a concept album about King Henry VIII’s wives, and Baz Luhrmann directed the concert video?”  That, in a nutshell, is the vibe. More like an 80-minute concert than a traditional musical, Six has become a cultural phenomenon since its premiere in 2017, redefining the boundaries of musical theatre and engaging audiences of all ages. Every year, it is seen by more than 3.5 million people worldwide.  The premise is sort of hilarious: all six women who married old mate Henry are forming a pop band, and they’re battling it out to determine who will be crowned the lead singer. The stakes? The one who had the worst time of being married to the infamous Tudor King will