Theatre and musicals in Melbourne this week

Melbourne’s stages have seen a slew of jukebox musicals tread the boards over the past few years. They’ve ranged from the powerful (Tina – The Tina Turner Musical) to the cheesy-yet-crowd-pleasing (Mamma Mia! The Musical) and the glossed-over tributes (MJ the Musical). Thankfully, at a time when it feels more important than ever to encourage people to get out and support the local arts industry, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical arrives at the Princess Theatre full of razzle-dazzle, an abundance of infectious energy and a stacked setlist guaranteed to appeal to the masses. What is A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical about?  Written by Anthony McCarten, directed by Michael Mayer and created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise opens on a dour therapy session between an older Diamond (played with commanding gravitas by Terence Crawford) and his doctor (Monica Sayers). It’s an unflinchingly sharp first introduction to the musical legend – all the more surprising given the heavy involvement of Diamond and his wife Katie – who is being particularly stubborn about revealing anything about the “clouds” that darken his demeanour. Enter the doc whipping out a book of all his lyrics, and suddenly, in true musical theatre fashion, the songs are quite literally spilling onto the stage in the form of the ensemble singing a teasing medley of hits to come.   From there we’re transported back in time as a young Diamond (Will Swenson) gets his big...

When Western Sydney playwright S Shakthidharan first invited us into Counting and Cracking, his collective and poetic reckoning with Sri Lanka’s devastating civil war (1983 to 2009) and the persecution of the Tamil peoples, its simple staging made way for magnetic storytelling driven by character.There was little need for bells and whistles with a voice as strong as his. Instead, the drama spun out in a dusty courtyard. The actors’ magnificent performances were enough, aided with simple props, signposts, musicians on stage and a heart of dance. Co-written and directed with Belvoir lead Eamon Flack, The Jungle and the Sea, now playing at MTC’s Southbank Theatre, looks very similar at first glance.  Once again, the transportation relies on the bare bones of a tall-walled courtyard. But there’s a huge difference in Dale Ferguson’s set design: here, there is no door, and the stone is pocked with bullet holes. So is The Jungle and the Sea spinning a similar story? Yes and no. While Counting and Cracking spent more time in Sydney, turning on its wounded heel to look back at the desperate race to escape war, here we mostly live through that horror, with a brief glimpse at a brighter future in the Harbour City.We see waves of fear and loathing crash over the island nation as the Sinhalese government brutally clamps down on the Tamil Tiger insurgency, with all-too devastating echoes of Israel’s merciless destruction of Gaza and its repeated declaration of ‘safe’ zones, only to...

This is not the Amazon. Neither the jungle, nor the multinational behemoth set on destroying any semblance of local community in our bonfire, AI-driven destiny of poisoned skies, blazing fires and toxic slop waters.  But Break of Day’s giant revolve on the Malthouse’s mighty Merlyn stage allows us a diorama cut-through of an analogous production line packing facility where Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? star Kat Stewart’s put-upon Pamela works like a dog all night long just to make nowhere near enough money to get by.  Like many of us, she feels thoroughly invisible in a system that’s designed to crush her into dust. We love Kat Stewart! We do! Savage River playwright Steve Rodgers has crafted a very specific character in the magnificent Stewart’s Pamela. One that’s all-too recognisable in our late capitalist death-spiral that purposefully crushes the human spirit. A worn-thin single mum, she’s trying to keep food on the table and is forced to share a bed with her teenage daughter, the academically-minded Rae (Sherry-Lee Watson), in their poky one-bedroom rental.But as strong as Pamela is on the page, with her pin-drop monologues about walking the estate in an outer city suburb somewhere in Australia, it’s Stewart who nails the bone weariness of Break of Day. As directed with urgent authority by Sarah Goodes, Stewart’s an empathy machine you can’t take your eyes or ears off. What’s Break of Day all about?  The working class. An increasingly amorphous group too-rarely...

If you thought history class was boring, Six the Musical is here to change your mind. Created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, this high-energy musical returns to Australia and will be at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from July 24. In this foot-tapping show, the six wives of King Henry VIII are reimagined as modern-day pop stars out to reclaim their stories. One by one, Catherine of Aragon (Sarah Murr), Anne Boleyn (Mia Paris Scalise), Jane Seymour (Cara Bessey), Anna of Cleves (Kadesa Honeyhill), Katherine Howard (Angela Brischetto) and Catherine Parr (Lorinda May Merrypor) take the mic, wowing you with their power ballads and rock anthems. Since its breakout debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, the show has become a global sensation thanks to its infectious songs, sharp wit and empowering message. It’s making a triumphant return to Australia, so get ready to say “Yasss Queen”. For more info and to secure your tickets, head to the website.  Read on for our five-star review of Six the Musical from 2024. *** Divorced, beheaded… live? This unconventional pop rock musical takes a dry historical topic and turns it into a rowdy 80-minute concert to rival the Spice Girls themselves. Everyone knows that King Henry VIII had not four, not five, but six wives – enough to require a mnemonic technique to keep track. History has reduced the legacies of these ladies to little more than singular words in a rhyme detailing their fearsome fates, but what if we carved out space to...

Melburnians, this news is Big. Huge. Pretty Woman: The Musical is coming to town. The beloved Broadway and West End hit will land at the Regent Theatre from July. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, Hairspray), with music by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, this adaptation of the iconic Julia Roberts–Richard Gere romance brings Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis to life on stage. Aussie singer, songwriter and actress Samantha Jade will star as Vivian while Ben Hall (Neighbours, Better Man) will be Edward, joined by Michelle Brasier and Tim Omaji in key roles. There's wit, there's glamour and there's all the unforgettable lines you know and love. Expect a toe-tapping score, excellent choreography and, of course, a heartwarming rags-to-riches story.  Pretty Woman: The Musical promises a dazzling night out in the city that loves its musicals. You can grab your tickets here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Want more? Discover the best of Melbourne theatre and musicals this month.