The best of Melbourne theatre and musicals this month

Adapted from the 2007 cult indie flick by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress made its New York debut in 2016 with a female-led creative team (a first in the history of Broadway). That line-up included direction by Diane Paulus, a book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarro and songs by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (whose knack for writing catchy, melodic pop hits are on full display here). Sprinkle in a tale of female friendship, dreaming big and finding courage – with some sugar, butter and flour, of course – and it’s no surprise Waitress ran for four successful years, with a stint on London’s West End, too.

Basically, about two thirds of Game. Set. Match., rigorously directed by Jessica Arthur, is a meet-cute that’s equal parts Nora Ephron and the golden age of screwball comedy. But then there’s a big ol’ rug-pull I won’t reveal that fundamentally alters the nature of what’s going on here in ways that are expertly seeded by Gamilaroi writer Megan Wilding. Suffice it to say that Wilding’s backhanded comedy bounces, serving up a grand slam in its final act. Encompassing 65,000 years of history, the last 230 or so of which have been pretty ordinary for First Nations folks, Game. Set. Match. traces a curveball of astonishing proportions, hinging on memory and consequence.

The raging debate around artistic worth is captured on an intimate scale in French playwright Yasmina Reza’s 1994 work, Art. Translated by Christopher Hampton, it receives a rollicking Australian production at the Comedy Theatre directed by Prima Facie’s Lee Lewis. This ferociously funny chamber piece sees three so-called best mates – the talented trio of Damon Herriman, Richard Roxburgh and Toby Schmitz – come to metaphorical blows over a plain white painting.

Hey Melbourne, the Mormons are back! After wowing audiences in Sydney with plenty of "did they really just say that?” humour, The Book of Mormon is heading to the Princess Theatre. For the uninitiated, The Book of Mormon follows two inept Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City on their journey to save mortal souls in a corner of Uganda ruled by a one-eyed warlord. It’s the brainchild of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone – hence, you can expect a lot of explicit language – along with Avenue Q and Frozen co-creator Robert Lopez.