Theatre & Dance
Latest Melbourne theatre and dance reviews and previews
Melbourne Festival 2019 highlights
It’s the end of the festival as we know it. Starting next year, Melbourne Festival is moving from its regular October slot to late August and combining with White Night to become a new mammoth winter festival. So director Jonathan Holloway is ensuring this current iteration of Melbourne Festival goes out with a bang, with an epic program of music, theatre, visual arts, dance and cabaret. We know as well as anybody that it can be a daunting task to sort through a program of this scope, so we’ve picked a selection of our faves. These are the shows we reckon you’ll fall in love with, whether you’re challenged, provoked or just awestruck by their beauty. Plus, there’s a dining experience with a mentalist that we know is just going to blow your mind. What’s not to love? Melbourne Festival runs Oct 2-20. For the full program, see www.festival.melbourne – and start planning your night out with our handy guide to Melbourne International Arts Festival Feasts.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
While we may have been sworn to secrecy about the plot, we can reveal that the hype is entirely deserved.
How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne
Venerable American theatre critic Jonathan Kalb once remarked that the only way to really enjoy theatre was in large doses. The playwright Terrence McNally recommends three nights a week at a minimum. Excellent advice! But what about your precious doubloons? That much theatre doesn't come cheap – not unless you strategise. Group bookings Most venues offer discounts group bookings, many for groups as low as eight. That's, like, what? Four couples? Two families? One book club? Easy. This is especially useful for those big musicals at the top end of town. Ticketek have their own group bookings department where you can expect to save between $5 and $20 per ticket depending on the promoter. The advantage of a group discount is you won't get stuck in seat ZZ 99 for the sake of saving a few bucks. Just the opposite: you might end up with a few perks thrown in. Subscription Duh. Of course, taking out a season or part-season subscription will save you money. But don't forget that subscriptions aren't just for the big "arts precinct" companies. You can also purchase season tickets for ambitious independents. At a place like Red Stitch you can save almost 30% per ticket by signing up for a full season. You might also consider purchasing subscriptions to smaller companies that don't have a permanent venue. Concession Again, duh. You don't need us to tell you that most venues offer some kind of concession rate for "eligible card holders". But wait – there's more! Many companies al
Theatre, dance, musicals and opera on now in Melbourne
A guide to Melbourne's theatre scene
Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres
Melbourne is blessed with a wealth of theatres, from the grand old dames to the kooky hidden gems; no city in Australia can lay claim to as many in as good a condition as ours. But inside those venues, not all seats are created equal. Sure, there are some shows so spectacular and unmissable you’d happily sit anywhere, but most experiences in the theatre can be augmented by the best seats in the house. And occasionally ruined by the worst. So, without further ado, we give them to you. RECOMMENDED: How to score cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne.
Latest theatre reviews
Wonders review
Even the most sceptical of audience members will become true believers at this illusionist's show
Black is the New White review
Nakkiah Lui's hilarious family comedy is finally at Melbourne Theatre Company
The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes review
Geelong’s world-renowned Back to Back Theatre is returning to Melbourne Festival
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory review
Roald Dahl's wickedly funny classic gets the Broadway treatment in this new musical
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Four fantastic shows to see at this year’s Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne International Arts Festival is back again in 2019, with a stellar line-up of shows, exhibitions and gigs between October 2 to 20. If you’re a festival first-timer the stacked list of performances can be daunting – and even long-time festival fans appreciate a hot tip. The list of theatre shows coming to the city is particularly strong, with everything from rock‘n’roll biographies to a hilarious mother-versus-son verbal sparring match getting a run. Here are four shows to put on your Melbourne International Arts Festival bucket list in 2019.
Oktoberfest at Hofbräuhaus
From September 21 to October 26 Hofbräuhaus Melbourne is throwing an authentic, Oktoberfest celebration right in the heart of Chinatown. This is the 51st year of Hofbräuhaus in Melbourne and the venue is throwing a huge opening party on September 21 (the same day as in Munich) to celebrate. The party kicks off at lunchtime on September 21 with the crowning of the new duke or duchess of Hofbräuhaus who will have the esteemed honour of tapping the first keg. Fancy yourself as Hofbräuhaus royalty? Anyone who books a table between noon and 3.30pm on the day goes into the draw. If you’re selected you’ll also receive a $300 Hofbräuhaus voucher and a ceramic Bavarian stein which will be filled free of charge every time you visit the venue (until Oktoberfest 2020). The venue is offering, besides the regular seven Bavarian Biers on tap, three special biers for the celebration; two Oktoberfest biers and a Bock bier (a strong German lager) plus traditional Oktoberfest food (think pork knuckle, sausages and crumbed-to-order schnitzel), Bavarian music, traditional dancers and feast platters to share with your freunde (friends). For group bookings you can even arrange packages including the popular ‘the real Oktoberfest’ package which for $65 per person gets you a bretzel, a stein of Bavarian bier, a nip of schnaps and a platter to share. Test your Oktoberfest spirit during lunchtime with a stein-carrying competition where the man and woman who can carry the most steins (without droppi
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Sandwich Chefs have launched a delicious new menu
As any lunch fan will attest, making a good sandwich is an art unto itself. Only amateurs haphazardly slap a filling between some bread and call it lunch – sandwich artists, like those at Sandwich Chefs, take your midday sambos seriously by combining only the most delicious artisanal bread, cheeses and perfectly roasted meats. Sandwich Chefs have been slicing, spreading and assembling their magnificent sandwiches for more than 30 years, delighting diners with their deli-style sangers. After all that time, the titular chefs have learnt a thing or two about making sandwiches and are launching a brand new menu that showcases sandwiches from around the world. The tasty new range includes American sandwich favourites like the Cheesesteak, Cubano and New York’s favourite lunchtime treat, the Reuben (featuring 14-hour slow-roasted beef plus pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island Dressing). Love chicken? Try the Schnitzel Club (it comes with Australia’s favourite brunch item, smashed avo) or try Sandwich Chef’s gourmet bánh mì. Traditionalists will want to get around the 14-hour slow-roasted pork or beef rolls (served with apple sauce and/or gravy) or if you can’t decide you can always opt for a make-your-own sandwich. Plus to celebrate the shiny new range of sangas, Sandwich Chefs are giving away a trip to New York alongside lots of instant win prizes when you spend $9.90 or more in store.To find out more, visit the Sandwich Chefs website.
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IKEA launches an Australian Slow TV channel
IKEA caused a bit of a stir in marketing circles a couple of years ago with its series of deliberately boring YouTube commercials. These included a teenager doing the dishes for five minutes, a couple on a couch kissing in front of a TV for eight, and some young people arm wrestling for six. The ads played in front of YouTube content and many people skipped them, but they also garnered a cult following of joyfully disbelieving fans. The ads were inspired by the Scandinavian trend of ‘Slow TV’ in which almost nothing happens – designed as an antidote to our over-stimulated lives (some cool examples of Slow TV screened on SBS last summer). Now, IKEA is using the phenomenon as a way of promoting their new 2020 catalogue. They have launched an Australian Slow TV channel live streaming the 14-day (336-hour) journey of its products in shipping containers on board a ship to Australia. The channel, which in perfect Nordic understatement IKEA says “does not aim to excite”, is narrated by Kent and Sara Eriksson, narrators of the original IKEA Sleep Podcast. The Swedes are reading from the new IKEA catalogue with the sound of waves gently crashing against the ship’s stern in the background. Sounds a bit – well, dull, right? And that’s exactly the point. IKEA say they want to help Australians get a good night’s sleep, and watching this YouTube channel may indeed have that exact effect. And if you’re inspired to go buy a new IKEA bed to do it on, well that’s entirely up to you. The c
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