New and upcoming musicals in Melbourne

There is something perfect about Come From Away being the first theatre back on Melbourne's main stages. The musical is set on 9/11 in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, to which 38 planes were diverted when United States airspace was closed in the wake of the terrorist attack. The almost 7,000 passengers on board, terrified, claustrophobic and desperate for news about what was happening, were taken in by the people of Gander and surrounding towns, nearly doubling the population for five days. The townsfolk gave them food, shelter and most importantly, kindness and comfort during the most horrific time in recent American history – until 2020, of course.  The underlying message of kindness and compassion in the face of unspeakable horror is one that's sorely needed right now. When the planes begin to land, the women of Gander start up a collection for donations, with a song that could have been penned last year: "Can I help? Is there something I need to do, something to keep me from thinking of all the scenes on the tube? I need something to do 'cause I can't watch the news, no I can't watch the news anymore..." The feeling of helplessness, of being unable to tear yourself away from the news and of desperately wanting to do something, anything, productive is one all of us felt during the worst days of last year. But Come From Away is not just an Important Musical for Our Times, it's also a whole lot of rollicking good fun. The music is fantastic, heavily influenced by the

Even the most evil people – and by extension fictional characters – were at one stage babies. And if they were at one stage babies, they were also teenagers, with all the spots, BO and dearth of social skills that the developmental stage entails.  Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts takes that idea, throws in some songs, sticks it on a Firebolt broomstick and flies into the sunset with it. The production is the work of LA comedians Zach Reino (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Chris Grace (Superstore) and comes to Australia after two successful seasons at Edinburgh Fringe.  Expect a short, sharp and sizzling hour-long pop musical-cum-origin-story of contemporary pop culture's most evil wizard. Follow Tom Riddle as he navigates Hogwarts and learns about proper snake care, unforgivable curse and, most importantly, love.  The Australian production is presented by Theatre Works, Salty Theatre and Red Hot Productions. Salty Theatre co-founder, Ashley Taylor, says: "As a Potterhead, the opportunity to introduce this hilarious, off-centre and brand-new look at the world of Potter that we love so much was one that we couldn’t miss. We’re thrilled that it offers all of the diehard fans a glorious taste of the wizarding world they adore but in a more adult way. It’s a ridiculous Voldemort origin story that blends everything fans embrace with humour that wizarding fans and muggles alike can relate to." Tickets to Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts are available now via the Theatre Works website.

Chess the Musical is coming to Melbourne's theatre district in autumn 2021. The musical was a big hit in the 1980s and was created by lyricist Tim Rice and featured a score by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Chess is based off real events – namely the "Match of the Century" chess game that happened between the USA's Bobby Fischer and the USSR's Boris Spassky (and the politcal machinations that went on behind the scenes). The production features stars of Australia's musical theatre industry, including Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Paulini and Rob Mills, plus New York Metropolitan Opera singer Alexander Lewis (West Side Story for Handa Opera, The Merry Widow), emerging talent and The Voice contestant Brittanie Shipway (The Sapphires, Big Fish) The Voice semi-finalist Mark Furze (Home and Away, Underbelly) and opera singer Eddie Muliaumaseali’i (Show Boat, Das Rhinegold).  Chess started life as a concept album before seasons in the West End and on Broadway, and spawned the earworm pop hit 'One Night in Bangkok'. The Australian tour (which is also going to Perth) is being directed by Tyran Park (Barnum, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George) and will be a semi-staged, concert-style event. This means it will be showing at Regent Theatre for three days only, from April 22 to 24. Tickets for the musical event are now on sale. 

This is a review of the 2019 Sydney season of Fangirls. Tickets for the 2021 Melbourne season are available from noon February 23. Fangirls, a new Australian musical by Yve Blake, is an ode to the agony and ecstasy of teen longing – the feeling of loving so much you might actually, literally, die. And what better lens to view this feeling through than a young woman's love for a boy band heartthrob?  Edna (played by Blake) is obsessed with Harry from True Connection (Aydan, who made waves on The Voice). He takes lead vocals on all the group’s best songs and has the coolest hair (though they all have great locks). Edna's friendships – both IRL and online – are constructed in large part by their big, swoony celebrity crushes. Edna is having a bit of a tough time as the scholarship kid in a school full of rich students and a mum that just doesn’t understand. She feels a kinship with the unreachable Harry, who surely also feels trapped in his life. She’s sure that, if you pause concert videos at the right timestamp, you can see a real sadness in his eyes. If only they could run away together – an impossible notion, perhaps, but not in fanfiction, which Edna writes and shares online. But when True Connection announces an Australian tour, everything changes. What if Edna can make her fic come true?  Fangirls is operating on two main narrative threads: the first is this story of Edna, her mother (Sharon Millerchip), and her complicated friendships with Brianna (Kimberly Hodgson) and

Tizzy up your hair and whip out your powder blue dinner suits – a musical comedy based on The Wedding Singer is coming to Melbourne. The Wedding Singer – the Musical Comedy has announced it’s coming to the Athenaeum Theatre from April 30 2021, following sold-out performances in the UK and on Broadway. The musical comedy is based on the 1998 Adam Sandler movie of the same name, which follows the story of a wedding singer who is stood up at the altar, only to fall in love with a waitress who is unfortunately engaged to another man. The film is a love letter to the 1980s with big hair and even bigger shoulder pads. The Wedding Singer – the Musical Comedy features music from Matthew Sklar (Elf the Musical) with the book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy (Herlihy is also responsible for writing The Wedding Singer film as well as Happy Gilmore and Billy Maddison).  Producer David Venn said: "After an extremely challenging year, we couldn’t be happier to announce a national tour of The Wedding Singer. It’s such a joyful, nostalgic romp of pure rom-com fun, and hopefully just what the doctor ordered." Tickets for The Wedding Singer – the Musical Comedy is in Melbourne for a strictly limited season from April 30 2021. Following the Melbourne season, the musical will play on the Gold Coast from June 16 and Sydney from July 1. Ticket go on sale December 1, or you can join the waitlist now.

Arriving just in time for Christmas in July, Disney’s smash hit Broadway musical Frozen is swooshing in from Sydney to make Melbourne as frosty as Arendelle. Icing up Her Majesty’s Theatre this June with whizz-bang tricks and astounding puppets in the mix, this spectacular stage adaptation features all the beloved songs ready for excited sing-alongs plus brand-new tunes from original songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The magnificent Jemma Rix, who was so spectacular as Elphaba in Wicked, takes on another enchanted role as the magically cursed Elsa, doomed to go it alone in her icy palace, whistling down the wind while belting out irrepressible earworm  ‘Let it Go’. SIX the Musical star Courtney Monsma plays her awkward estranged sister Anna, with Jersey Boys lead Thomas McGuane as Prince Hans, Sean Sinclair as the kind Kristoff and Jonathan MacMillan and Lachlan McIntyre sharing the role of reindeer herder Sven. Matt Lee (Mary Poppins) get the best gig in show as adorkably goofy snowman Olaf. Sydney editor Maxim Boon said of that city’s production: “In all the ways that matter most to a live performance – the sincerity of the portrayals, the power of the singing, the emotional depth of the relationships – Frozen does exactly what it sets out to do: it melts our hearts.” If the thought of sitting font row gives you chills, then sign up for the sure-to-be-inundated waitlist for tickets here, with priority access opening at 9am on Monday, March 1. Here's what

If it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, you might want to consider spending some time with your favourite sextet. If you've recently binged every episode of Friends but are still craving some nourishment from Central Perk, here's the perfect opportunity. This musical parody of one of the world's favourite sitcoms is coming to Melbourne after playing for almost a year in New York, around the US an then being delayed a year due to the events of 2020. All your favourite twenty-somethings will be on stage, as they try to negotiate life, love and work in New York in the 1990s.  The question on everybody's lips of course is who's playing who: who will capture the neuroticism of Ross, the quirkiness of Phoebe or the unyielding sarcasm of Chandler? Friends! The Musical Parody has now announced its cast which features Belinda Jenkin as Phoebe, Stefanie Jones as Monica, Sarah Krndija as Rachel, Joseph Spanti as Joey, Tyran Stig as Ross and Rowan Witt as Chandler.  The musical was penned by Bob and Tobly McSmith, who have a long track record of lovingly spoofing '90s TV shows, recreating TV's most memorable moments and creating soundtracks that bring something new to the stories we already know and love. And it goes without saying, but this is an unauthorised parody. 

Melbourne: Do you believe in freedom, beauty, truth and love? Yes? Good. A spetacular stage version of Moulin Rouge! wings its way to Melbourne's Regent Theatre this winter for its Australian premiere.  The stage version is closely based on the film and features (almost) all of the songs you know and love, including 'Lady Marmalade', 'Come What May', 'Your Song' and a whole new version of the 'Elephant Love Medley'. There are also a whole bunch of songs in there that were released in the years following the film's 2001 release date (for example, Katy Perry's 'Firework' is in place of 'One Day I'll Fly Away'). The show has been getting rave reviews. Time Out New York said, in a four-star review: "Moulin Rouge! may turn out to be the jukebox musical to end all jukebox musicals – if only because, among its particular type of jukebox musical at least, it’s hard to imagine how it can be topped." Alongside the choreography, direction and impressive song list, critics have been particularly dazzled by the set design, which has transformed Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre into a slice of Paris at the turn of the century. It's set to do the same at the Regent. Presale tickets are available from Monday, February 15 until 8am Friday, February 19 – visit the website and sign up as a subscriber if you want to access the presale. General sales start 9am February 19. 

Moomba Festival makes the most of Melbourne's still warm March weather over the Labour Day long weekend. It's Australia's largest community festival and involves events like skateboarding and BMX competitions, fireworks, kids yoga, disco tours, drag queen storytime and so much more. As with many events recently, there are some significant changes to Moomba 2021 but the good news is that it is going ahead. There will be no parade, water skiing or (gasp!) Birdman Rally, but there will still be the Moomba Carnival (with rides and food trucks); roving performers and creative activations; a busking competition in the CBD (the winner gets a "golden ticket" to Melbourne's best events); street art installations and pop-up concerts across the city; a "digital forest" at ArtPlay and a Moomba Conversation event at Library at the Dock (Docklands Library).  Additionally, Sidney Myer Music Bowl will host concerts from the Cat Empire, Spiderbait and Jebediah plus notable building across Melbourne will be lit in red (à la Dark Mofo we might add). The Australian Skate League National Championships will also go ahead at Riverside Skate Park. Steps are being taken to ensure the safety of the event, including (free) ticketing to manage crowd sizes. Moomba takes place from March 5 to 8 2021. 

The first rule of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is that you don’t talk about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Safeguarding spoilers is an expected responsibility for anyone who attends the Potter-verse’s first on-stage outing. There’s even a hashtag: #KeepTheSecrets. But in truth (as far as theatre critique is concerned, at least), JK Rowling needn’t have worried. This marathon, five-hour spectacle has a plot so dense and sprawling, so wonderfully, unashamedly elaborate, it would take many thousands of words more than any theatre review to even scratch the surface. 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. And not just because of the quality of the production. The masterminds behind the show – led by Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany – have not merely set out to put on a play, but rather craft a rich and detailed immersive experience. To this end, Melbourne’s Princess Theatre has undergone a top to bottom $6.5 million makeover, transforming its interiors to match a Hogwartsian, Potterfied aesthetic. If this sounds like an unnecessary extravagance, it’s probably an indication this play isn’t for you. The success of Cursed Child, which has smashed box office records on Broadway and the West End, is powered by its unapologetic exclusivity. Those without any prior knowledge of Harry and co will be baf

There is something perfect about Come From Away being the first theatre back on Melbourne's main stages. The musical is set on 9/11 in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, to which 38 planes were diverted when United States airspace was closed in the wake of the terrorist attack. The almost 7,000 passengers on board, terrified, claustrophobic and desperate for news about what was happening, were taken in by the people of Gander and surrounding towns, nearly doubling the population for five days. The townsfolk gave them food, shelter and most importantly, kindness and comfort during the most horrific time in recent American history – until 2020, of course.  The underlying message of kindness and compassion in the face of unspeakable horror is one that's sorely needed right now. When the planes begin to land, the women of Gander start up a collection for donations, with a song that could have been penned last year: "Can I help? Is there something I need to do, something to keep me from thinking of all the scenes on the tube? I need something to do 'cause I can't watch the news, no I can't watch the news anymore..." The feeling of helplessness, of being unable to tear yourself away from the news and of desperately wanting to do something, anything, productive is one all of us felt during the worst days of last year. But Come From Away is not just an Important Musical for Our Times, it's also a whole lot of rollicking good fun. The music is fantastic, heavily influenced by the

They say you should never speak 'Macbeth' while in a theatre, lest you invite tragedy. The cast of the Australian Shakespeare Company's latest foray into the Scottish Play need not worry about that particular superstition, however, as they will be performing William Shakespeare's Macbeth outside in the Royal Botanic Gardens this summer.  From January 30 to March 6, Melburnians are invited into the gardens to see the Shakespearean tragedy unfold among the trees. Steeped in witchcraft, murder and the lust for power, Macbeth has become something of a timeless, cautionary tale for those who would blindly and ruthlessly chase ambition.  The Australian Shakespeare Company's production stars Nathaniel Dean as Macbeth and Alison Whyte as the real power behind the throne/murder weapon, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is being held at night on the Royal Botanic Gardens' Southern Cross Lawn, to take advantage of the balmy summer evenings. Food and drink options are available on-site and to pre-order, or guests can pack a picnic. High and low chairs are also available to hire.

Melbourne writer Michelle Lee has an exceptional grasp on capturing the atmosphere and sound of a place. In Single Ladies at Red Stitch, the place is Smith Street – the Collingwood side – around the posh new Coles. Single Ladies closed before it opened in 2020 and the joy of being back in the St Kilda theatre to see a new play set in Collingwood is as exciting as it was to drive to Fitzroy for a haircut and rooftop tapas after lockdown. It was developed through Red Stitch’s Ink program for new writing, which continues to produce new writing that finds its way into the Australian playwriting canon. Lilike (Caroline Lee) has lived in Collingwood for so long that she’s invisible, despite her blue hair and loud determination to stop development. Her biggest regret is letting her brother buy out her half of their terrace. Anne (Andrea Swifte) has bought one of the flats above Coles off the plan. It’s smaller than she’s used to living in but it’s convenient, the cafes are nice and she’s certain that the old-school Collingwood feeling of community will eventually welcome her. Rachel (Jem Lai) can’t think about buying yet. She’s renting in the same block and delivering Uber meals. She knows that the popular $30 pad Thai is from a packet but is distracted when she’s driving, and a nervous dog has escaped from Lilike’s yard with its dodgy reno. If you live in Melbourne, you know these women and this place. People from Lilike’s generation remember Smith Street as a working-class family

Update 16/02/2021: We're Probably Really Really Happy Right Now has been postponed a week due to Victoria's circuit breaker. New dates are Feb 27-Mar 6. There are a lot of reasons to be angry about the world today, but it would take more words than we have to list them. But you can see the ire of contemporary life comically, energetically unpacked in We're Probably Really Really Happy Right Now, a new work coming to Theatre Works Glasshouse this February. Created by early-career playwright and actor Ellen Grimshaw, We're Probably Really Really Happy Right Now takes an axe to some arguably some of life's most irksome elements; think capitalism, misogyny and even tall poppy syndrome. Directed by Sarah Vickery, the production is a wild ride inspired by everything from classical music and performance art to experimental choreography and Commedia dell’arte. Come expect gender binaries to be diced, sliced and sauteed over a low heat until tender. 

Quite a few playwrights have tried to tackle the #MeToo movement since the Harvey Weinstein story broke in late 2017, but MTC artistic director Brett Sheehy says Canadian writer Hannah Moscovitch has landed a point that few others have managed. The play came to MTC’s attention when the company’s literary director, Chris Mead, attended a reading at an international play festival. “It looks at a university teacher who has a relationship with an 18-year-old student,” Sheehy explains. “It explores their first meeting, then five years later, then five years later again. It’s very much about who controls the narrative of their affair over that period of time, but also the impact of that relationship in both of their lives.” Sheehy says he hopes it will help unpack some of the stickier points of a movement that’s frequently misunderstood. It does so by uncovering how power dynamics work in certain relationships. “I think this is the one that absolutely has nailed the answer to that question that I think so many people still ask, and mainly older people in our community. And I think it’s vital that they get a handle on that answer so we can all move forward so there’s not just this generational divide for the next 40 years.” Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes will be directed by Petra Kalive (Hungry Ghosts) who calls the production "an exciting and pressing new work." Starring Dan Spielman (The Code) and Izabella Yena (Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears), the play premieres to A

"Read the book first,” they always say. But the first time I stumbled across Loaded, Christos Tsiolkas’ thrilling 1995 debut novel and hedonistic love letter to Melbourne, it was via Ana Kokkinos’ exhilarating movie adaptation Head On. Living half the world away in Glasgow, I might not have known the trundle of trams down Sydney Road or the way St Kilda’s palm trees cling to the great sweep of Port Philip Bay, but the sights, sounds and seediest back rooms of the city burst to recognisable life. And then there was wild child Ari, queer, hungry, confused and angry teenage drug-dealing bad (but good) boy, as played with astounding swagger and staggering good looks by Alex Dimitriades. Our backgrounds were different, but our battles to square away the competing facets of our lives overlapped. I knew what it was like to loathe elements of myself, and to worship at the altar of excess. I could taste the tang of his misadventures. Ari was out of control. But he was a survivor. This was something new. Unapologetic I can’t tell you how many times I watched that VHS or devoured Tsiolkas’ searing novel. So I came to Loaded understanding it could burn bright across platforms. I was psyched to see playwright Dan Giovannoni (Cut Snake) and director Stephen Nicolazzo (Merciless Gods, The Happy Prince) bring it to life at the Malthouse. But like Ari’s best laid plans, that didn’t quite pan out, thanks to you know what. But just like Ari, they got back up on their feet and now we have an ast