Theatre and musicals in Melbourne this week

Bernie Dieter and her band of legendary misfits are descending upon Melbourne once again, to deliver a whole month of debaucherous fun and frivolity. Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett, starring the legendary queen of Weimar punk described as an "electrifying cross between Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich and Frank-N-Futer in sequins", will take over North Melbourne's historic Meat Market from April 3 to May 11. Audiences can expect riotous original songs, immense vocal talent and a jaw-dropping line-up of contortionists, sword swallowers, fire breathers and aerialists. For more info and to secure your tickets, head to the website. Read on for our five-star review of Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett from the 2022 Melbourne Fringe Festival. *** It’s easy to see why Dieter’s award-winning show has garnered such esteem since touching down in Australia earlier this year. Less than two minutes in and our M.C., Bernie has thrown off her tartan dress to reveal glittery tights and feather-tipped shoulder pads. Soon after, she’s straddling an audience member and enlisting the help of two others – lovingly named ‘Shaven Haven’ and ‘Silver Fox’ – to carry her back to the stage in the splits. The fourth wall is not so much brought down, as elegantly side-stepped by her sky-high stiletto heel. All the while, Bernie’s quick-wit and dirty mouth find comedic beats in the unlikeliest – or, as it were, the most unwilling – of audience members. "Tonight is about letting loose, letting go, and getting a...

If there's one fantasy series to rule them all, it's hard to go past The Lord of the Rings. And now, Middle-earth is about to collide with our cultural capital, with the news that The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, has landed in Melbourne. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved epic trilogy, the stage production is showing at the Comedy Theatre until June 22. This musical invites audiences to join the Hobbits on a quest, bringing Middle-earth to life with a cast of multi-skilled actor-musicians in a theatrical event that celebrates community, courage and camaraderie – featuring an original folk-inspired score.  *** Time Out Sydney reviewed The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale when it played at the State Theatre in January. Read on for that three-star review:   For elder Millennials like me, The Lord of the Rings franchise conjures memories of a simpler time: a time when movies were treated more like a coveted form of storytelling rather than just another option in an endless barrage of ‘content’ to ‘stream’. A time when I would go to the local cinema to watch each new instalment in the adventures of my favourite beardy boys club with my dad, who even loaded my sister and I into the car for a day trip to Sydney to check out an epic exhibition about how those epic movies were made across the ditch in New Zealand. (So many used prosthetics! So cool!) I believe that there’s elements of LOTR lore that are so inescapable that you need not have watched the movies or read the...

Is it getting hot in here? Come on Melbourne, it’s time to head way down, to Hadestown. Seen by 3 million, streamed by more than 350 million and adored by fans all around the world – the acclaimed West End and Broadway musical phenomenon Hadestown will make its Melbourne premiere at Her Majesty's Theatre in May 2025, after having its Australian debut at Theatre Royal Sydney in February.  For the uninitiated, the gist is this: written by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown is a genre-defying musical adaption of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in a dystopian steampunk-esque underworld, set to an evocative score that blends New Orleans-style jazz and blues with modern American folk music – with a live brass band on stage, to boot. The show won eight Tony Awards when it opened in 2019, including Best Musical, and is still playing to packed houses five years later. Hadestown already has a dedicated fandom around the world and here in Australia, and it has an edge that will also appeal to everyone who isn’t already a die-hard musical theatre fan.  The Melbourne premiere of this sensational musical is presented by Jones Theatrical Group and Opera Australia. Jones Theatrical Group's Susan Jones says Melbourne audiences "embrace musicals like no other city".  "In return, musicals delight in performing here due to the rousing receptions and support that they receive. Hadestown will be no exception. Creator and writer Anaïs Mitchell is such an...

In 1984, director Trevor Nunn was doing press for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express when he offered the perfect maxim for a Webber fan: “Here is my money. Hit me with the experience.” Arguably none of Webber’s shows have hit harder than his 1971 rock-opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, which arrives at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre after a much-lauded run in Sydney. First revived at London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2016 for the show’s fiftieth anniversary, it’s been restaged in Australia by director Timothy Sheader. Sheader favours a ‘more is more’ approach, leaning into every ‘Webber-ism’ that made the show a success in the first place: rock'n'roll maximalism, near-inhuman vocal lines, emotional spectacle. No crucifix is too glittery or top note too loud. Megawatt vocals and an electric ensemble cast make it a cut above the other Webber revivals we’ve seen in the last couple years. Yet its heavy-handed approach also exposes the limits of spectacle for spectacle’s sake, even when it comes to Webber. It’s a dazzling experience, but ultimately soulless.  The curtain rises on a disassembled rock concert: amps, concert speaker boxes and microphone stands peppered around a set of towering balustrades, exposed steel beams and grating that hide the band. Set and costume Designer Tom Scutt puts us somewhere between Rent’s gritty urbanism and the steampunk simplicity of Hadestown. Meanwhile, lighting designer Lee Curran adds a splash of Mad Max to things by throwing dirty...

If you've always dreamed a dream of seeing the musical Les Misérables live in a spectacular arena setting, now's your chance. The beloved production is officially marching towards Melbourne for the Australian leg of a massive world tour, following rave reviews and sold-out crowds across the UK and major European cities. Describing itself as “the most spectacular arena production of a musical ever staged”, this epic tour is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the world’s longest-running musical, the record-breaking London production of Les Mis, which is still playing to sell-out audiences today.  Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular will arrive at Rod Laver Arena on May 14 for a 15-show run. Super-producer Cameron Mackintosh has assembled a world class creative team, with the exciting new production design being specifically created for each venue – and the international cast is also absolutely top tier.  Australia’s leading lady, Marina Prior, is playing Madame Thénardier. Maria is certified musical theatre royalty – before she blew everyone away as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of The Phantom of the Opera in the early ’90s, she also played Cosette in the original Australian production of Les Misérables. Highly recognisable British comedian, actor and author Matt Lucas (best known for Little Britain) is also reprising the role of Thénardier. He first triumphed in the role in the 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2 in London, and later in the...

Do you like the strange and unusual? Then buckle up, because the juice is loose!  The Australian premiere of Beetlejuice the Musical is about to open in Melbourne, with the musical adaptation of Tim Burton's kooky cult classic – starring the unnerving, green-haired and striped-suit wearing ghost – transforming the Regent Theatre into a world of footballer zombies, exorcisms and much more weirdness. It will star local legend of stage and screen Eddie Perfect in the titular role – who has already scored a Tony nomination for the music and lyrics he wrote for the hit Broadway musical. He will be joined by Melbourne-based triple-threat Karis Oka as Lydia Deetz – the quick-witted teenage outcast who finds herself befriending the dead couple who haunts her family’s new home. Other key cast members include Elise McCann (Groundhog Day, Mamma Mia! The Musical) as Barbara Maitland; Rob Johnson as Adam Maitland; Erin Clare as the zen but zany Delia Deetz; and Tom Wren (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Charles Deetz – the dad who desperately needs a holiday from ghosts. In case you haven’t watched the beloved 1988 comedy-horror film by Tim Burton, Beetlejuice follows the story of recently deceased couple Barbara and Adam, who call on a mischievous bio-exorcist ghost to help them rid their home of the pesky new family who moved in. When Beetlejuice is unleashed, gleeful havoc ensues. But they don't expect him to take a shine to the family's daughter Lydia Deetz, a teenager...