Melbourne theatre and musicals this month

There’s been a lot of hype about Because the Night, Malthouse Theatre’s new production where the audience can freely explore an immersive set while the cast performs around them. “Immersive” really is the word here, and for once the oft overused term doesn’t feel like a gimmick – nor does the intensely detailed open set undermine the integrity of the production. Because the Night is undeniably a work of theatre, but one that approaches the art with a bolt of inspiration that will attract new audiences to the discipline. 

While we may have been sworn to secrecy about Cursed Child’s plot, we can reveal that the hype – and rarely has a piece of theatre ever generated such fever-pitched buzz – is entirely deserved. After smashing box office records on Broadway and the West End, Cursed Child has (after a brief pause due to 2020) reopened to Melbourne audiences.

Audiences around the country can discover a traditional Wadawurrung story imagined as an all-ages opera in Parrwang Lifts the Sky. Though intended to show at the Arts Centre Melbourne (a plan that was dashed due to Victoria's fourth lockdown), you can now watch the opera online until late December. Written and composed by acclaimed soprano Deborah Cheetham (Yorta Yorta), Parrwang Lifts the Sky is based on a traditional Wadawurrung tale about a magpie named Parrwang.

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.