Theatre and musicals in Melbourne this week

Bernie Dieter and her band of legendary misfits have returned to Melbourne once again, to deliver a serving 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", has taken over North Melbourne's historic Meat Market until May 24. 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 little bit more...

Australians of a certain generation know all about the fractious debate surrounding the worth of abstract contemporary art. There was a national conniption when the Whitlam government cleared the then-record-breaking $1.3 million purchase of Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’ for the National Gallery of Australia in 1973. Two years later, after a double dissolution election, Governor-General John Kerr notoriously dismissed the Whitlam government on November 11, 1975.  The vanquished Prime Minister took an immortal swipe at his political executioner on the steps of Old Government House: “Well may we say, ‘God save the Queen,’ because nothing will save the Governor-General.” With ‘Blue Poles’ now valued at around $350 million, you might say that Whitlam had the last laugh on that front. But the spiritual battle for the arts continues apace, with some of Australia’s most vital institutions subject to savage budget cuts that endanger their very existence and the cultural wealth of our nation.  This raging debate around artistic worth is captured on a much more 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. What’s Art all about? Art is a ferociously funny chamber piece in which three so-called best mates come to metaphorical blows over a plain white painting. Only it’s not plain white, according to Damon Herriman’s arty...

Perhaps the most telling image in Megan Wilding’s magnificent Game. Set. Match., marking her mainstage debut as writer, is right there waiting as we sit down in the Malthouse’s Beckett Theatre. Crustless halves of a white bread sandwich are smeared over the eyes of an imperious figure, the late Betty Hughes. Blinded on her lofty pedestal, a monochrome photographic portrait perched on an easel, this white woman is no longer able to see. But would she have bothered to care about what we’re about to observe anyway? This tellingly tasty vandalism sits to one side of the austere, cream-and-teal-painted private room, conjured by set designer Isla Shaw, in which the tennis great is venerated, her white dress, rackets and a youthful portrait framed on the wall.  Wilding, who also stars as Ray, is tasked with tidying the clutter left behind in Betty’s literal wake, a celebration of her achievements on court and, latterly, as a power figure in the Australian Open organisation.  Clutching a bin bag, Ray’s startled by Joshua, a pale-blue-suited figure in a daze. Portrayed by Rick Davies, best known for TV shows including Offspring and Apple Cider Vinegar, he immediately insists he’s no threat to her. Odd first words called out by Ray.  Joshua missed the funeral, something of a big deal, we soon find out, and is more messed up, emotionally, than the room. Sounds like an intriguing set-up. But what’s it all about?  Well, I think that symbolism speaks for itself. Or rather, for the smart...

Fresh outta the oven and served up hot to an adoring audience at Her Majesty’s Theatre (complete with the mouth-watering aroma of a fresh-baked pie wafting through the air), Waitress the Musical arrives in Melbourne as a sugary slice of wholesome musical theatre – but will you want to go back for a second helping?  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. What is Waitress the Musical about? Set in the American South, Waitress follows the story of Jenna (Natalie Bassingthwaighte), a small-town waitress and baker who works at Joe’s Pie Diner, alongside her friends Becky (Gabriyel Thomas) and Dawn (Mackenzie Dunn). She’s unhappily married to the ghastly Earl (a truly brutish man played with a villainous sneer by Keanu Gonzalez), but upon discovering she’s pregnant, ends up in an (increasingly awkward) affair with her obstetrician, Dr Pomatter (Rob Mills). Mix in a looming pie-making...

Buckle up, Melburnians! Spiegelhaus has just announced a third extension of Blanc de Blanc Encore, taking its run to a record 40 weeks at the pop-up entertainment precinct on the Lonsdale Street Golden Square Car Park’s rooftop. The number is fitting, giving Spiegel Haus' big role in delivering Melbourne Comedy Festival's 40th birthday program. It's quickly become *the* place to be for all things arts and culture in the city, so much so that the Lord Mayor, Nick Reese, and Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks, are huge supporters of the extension.  If you’re ready to pop the Champers, laugh ’til your belly hurts and revel in tricks you didn’t know were humanly possible, strap in for a glittering night at Blanc de Blanc Encore.  The cabaret spectacle is the headline affair at Melbourne’s brand-new Spiegel Haus that only rolled into town for the first time in late 2025. The pop-up entertainment precinct has set up camp on the rooftop of the Golden Square Car Park on Lonsdale Street, dazzling new and returning Melburnians alike. Blanc de Blanc Encore fuses a delectable mix of circus, cabaret, jazz and comedy (with a couple of bottles of bubbles for good measure) for an effervescent night out – leave the kids at home for this one.Watch Blanc de Blanc Encore at the Spiegel Haus, Melbourne until May 24. Book your tickets here.

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 has landed at the Princess Theatre until July 19. This somewhat unconventional musical comedy cleaned up at the Tony Awards after it debuted on Broadway in 2011, going on to break box office records and garner near-unanimous critical acclaim when it opened on London’s West End. When tickets for the show’s Australian debut in Melbourne were released in 2015 – nearly a year in advance of opening night – the Princess Theatre recorded its highest pre-sale period of any production in its 159-year history, also going on to win the Helpmann Award for Best Musical. 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.  So what’s the secret of the show’s success? As Time Out London’s Theatre and Dance Editor Andrzej Lukowski wrote, Mormon was always going to be a hit, but what made it into the Mormania phenomenon is the fact that non-South Park fans love it too. The songs are excellent. Filthy, witty and outrageous, but also sumptuous and note-perfect, they nod to the golden age of the American musical.  As for how the show has...