Things to do in Melbourne today

Heather Mitchell’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg shares with us a piece of wisdom she received upon wedding her husband Marty: earplugs are the secret to a happy marriage. This nugget reflects the unexpected humour threaded throughout RBG: Of Many, One, which is seen equally in Mitchell’s biting impressions of her male contemporaries. Her version of President Bill Clinton makes a ridiculous yet convincing “nomnomnom” sound, while her Trump is just so… unnervingly Trumpian. This play might be modest in its set dressing and number of cast members, but its sizeable reputation precedes it. Aside from the gargantuan legacy of the former Supreme Court justice whose life this play chronicles, the reputations of both its star and playwright also measure much taller than RBG’s five feet. Suzie Miller, the lawyer-cum-playwright behind Prima Facie, has again put her legal expertise to good use to chronicle RBG’s epic life in a way that demonstrates her deep understanding of the case law underpinning her legacy.  Heather Mitchell is known for Binge’s Love Me and Sydney Theatre Company’s Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story. Here, under impeccable direction from Priscila Jackman, she excels with a character study so spot on that it feels completely effortless. We meet RBG as she waits anxiously for the call from President Clinton – will she be his next nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States? If she makes the grade, she’ll be the second-ever woman and the first Jewish woman

“I thought you were going to tell me I didn’t need the pills anymore,” says eighteen-year-old Anna (Max McKenna) to her child psychiatrist, Vivienne (Louisa Mignone). Anna has completely misread the tenor of the conversation, which was actually about the need for her to transition towards seeing a therapist trained to work with adults. This early moment encapsulates the key struggles of The Almighty Sometimes, a coming-of-age story illustrating a young woman torn between emancipation and comfort, with the reality of a never-defined yet ever-present mental illness adding layers of complexity to what would otherwise be a universally relatable tale.  This multi-award-winning drama by Kendall Feaver has been staged in Australia before by Queensland Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company, yet the issues explored in this iteration from Melbourne Theatre Company feel topical and fresh with tight direction from Hannah Goodwin.   Screen legend Nadine Garner (Savage River, Neighbours, City Homicide) plays Renee, a school teacher and dedicated mum to ‘troubled’ daughter Anna. Alongside Anna’s new boyfriend Oliver (Karl Richmond) and her psychiatrist, Renee grapples with supporting her daughter as she pushes against the routines and limits that kept her safe during her adolescence.  Having recently rediscovered pages upon pages of her childhood writings, Anna has begun to wonder if the version of her that existed before she went on medication was a child prodigy destined for literary greatn

Attention, sweet tooths: Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie are bringing back the annual Rocky Road Festival this May. It’s predicted that over a whopping 100,000 handmade blocks will be churned out across the 31 days, from a base recipe that’s every rocky road lover’s match made in heaven: fluffy housemade marshmallow and smoother-than-satin couverture chocolate. Sample something new, get your hands on made-to-order 1kg blocks or try a gourmet rocky road-infused creation at an interactive tasting session. How does a rocky road hot chocolate sound? The European chocolatiers plan to rock your palate with 31 distinct festival flavours, yet to be announced. Last year's flavours included Oriental Brittle, Caramel Mudcake, Turkish Toblerone, Strawberry Margarita, Honeycomb Macadamia, Tahitian Lime and Chilli, and much more. This year, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie are also promising Rocky Road-inspired pastries, ice creams, sundaes, waffles and coffee.  Those with the unfortunate dual diagnosis of an intolerance and a sweet tooth are in luck. Vegan and gluten-free creations will be available for tasting across the three chocolateries so nobody needs to miss out. Could it get any sweeter?  Click through to the website here for more information. Those who can’t venture out to the Yarra Valley, Surf Coast and Mornington Peninsula this year can get their fill of the festival’s chocolates straight to their door thanks

Calling all insomniacs with a penchant for round-the-clock revelry: Sleepless Footscray Festival is returning for a third edition this May. This festival of public art, music and unexpected activations will bring dormant laneways and forgotten indoor spaces to life, transforming them into inviting nightscapes.  The heart of vibrant Footscray will play host to a series of adventurous events celebrating the world-class diversity and creativity coming out of Melbourne’s Inner West. Running from May 4-19, the festival will consist of an eclectic line-up including music, film screenings, art installations, theatre and more.   For lovers of offbeat cinema, the Melbourne Nocturnal Film Festival will bring the weirdest and most wonderful local shorts to Footscray’s Bluestone Church Arts Space for three days.  For those aiming for auditory delights, the Melbourne Trap Orchestra will play a high-energy greatest hits set at Kindred Studios. Over at Footscray Records, Cowpunk band Goatlaw and post-punk disco groovers Carpal Tunnel will play for one night only. If it’s a musical journey you’re after, Astra Choir will literally transport you from the chambers of commerce to the halls of higher powers.  Festival artistic director Troy Rainbow says Sleepless will give Melburnians an opportunity to support the arts during a difficult time for the live entertainment industry. “By making Sleepless as accessible as possible, we’re giving music and arts lovers the opportunity to support the incr

The Immigration Museum on Flinders Street is getting its first major exhibition in several years and it’s all about leaning into what makes us happy. The exhibition, called Joy, opens on Friday, March 1 and will run through until August 29, 2024. Joy features seven brand new commissioned installations from leading Victorian-based creatives, each expressing the artists’ own personal joy. You can expect an emotive adventure where colour and storytelling combine, and big happy moments that sit alongside more reflective ones. Experience the vibrant power of joy as you walk amongst room-sized interactive artworks, or contribute your own joy with the collaborative ‘share your joy’ wall. Venezuelan-born Australian artist Nadia Hernández has filled the Immigration Museum’s hallway with bold collage works, ‘future positive’ fashion designer Nixi Killick has created a ‘joy generator’ and queer artist Spencer Harrison has created a runway where you can strut your stuff. Jazz Money, a Wiradjuri poet and artist, has fused sculpture, audio and mural for a work reflecting the history of the museum site, while local artist Beci Orpin has taken over a room with a giant toy rabbit made to be hugged. Afghanistan-Australian visual artist and poet Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali have also created a large-scale mural illustrating a Persian myth.  Lastly, much-loved pop artist and designer Callum Preston has constructed a full-scale replica of a nineties video store, a joy he never thought he would miss u

Italian polymath, painter, inventor and astounding genius Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most celebrated artists and scientists of all time, yet seeing his works is typically out of reach for the average Aussie. Well, all that’s about to change thanks to the Lume Melbourne’s new immersive experience opening on March 16.  Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius will feature massive projections of some of the world’s most famous works of art, including the ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’. These four-storey high projections showcase da Vinci’s breathtaking Renaissance paintings in a way that’s much more accessible than a trip to the Louvre.  Alongside da Vinci’s visually stunning artworks, this exhibition will also focus on his excellence as an inventor with ideas far beyond his era. His pioneering work in architecture and engineering laid the foundation for the technology we enjoy today. That’s why alongside his art, the exhibition will also feature groundbreaking inventions from his notebooks recreated to scale by Italian artisans, including flying machine concepts that predate human flight by more than 400 years.  As if that wasn’t exciting enough, for the first time in history, original pages of da Vinci’s sketches and writings will touch down in Australia. The Codex Atlanticus is a 500-year-old collection of Leonardo’s innermost workings, previously displayed in the likes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre. Now, Melburnians and visitors alike will be able t

Working in a secret lab, scientists at Victoria's main four zoos have discovered a way to clone dinosaur DNA, found inside mosquitoes trapped in amber. They've filled in the missing sequences using frog DNA to create moving, roaring dinosaurs, which you can see until July throughout the zoos. What could possibly go wrong? OK, we might have got a little bit over-excited about the prospect of dinosaurs at the zoo. These dinosaurs are large-scale models of these ancient beasts, but they will be roaming around at Healesville, Werribee, Kyabram and Melbourne zoos once again. If you're lucky, you might see a keeper waking a sleeping dinosaur, or come face to face with a moving prehistoric creature. At Melbourne Zoo, keen explorers can explore the Dino Trail and embark on an adventure into The Lost Wild tunnels and unearth hidden fossils, while enjoying dino-themed treats or tackling a scavenger hunt. Or at Werribee Zoo, become a palaentologist and go on a dino dig to excavate fossils or navigate volcanoes and lava streams. There will be daily activities and plenty of dino facts to learn, with each of the four zoos offering slightly different experiences and activities.  All four dino experiences are running from now until July 14 and the cost is included in zoo admission. Opening hours vary slightly for each zoo. For more information, visit the Zoos Victoria website. So go on and make a visit, before they go extinct again.  Looking for more things to do? Here's a guide to what's o

If you spend any time on Pinterest, Instagram or really just out and about in the past few years, you’ve probably noticed that the mid century modern aesthetic is having a big ol’ moment in Australia. From architecture and art to furniture and colour palettes, everything mid-century is once again en vogue. What better timing then, for the Art Gallery of Ballarat to host a multidisciplinary exhibition that will take you on a trip to the striking mid-century neighbourhoods of the Californian Coachella Desert. Lost in Palm Springs will bring together fourteen internationally recognised photographers and creatives from the United States and Australia to capture and reimagine the distinctive yet enchanting nature of the famous Californian resort city. As Ballarat enters its coldest season, Melburnians are invited to take the short train trip to get a taste of summer and a glimpse into the magical qualities of Palm Springs. You might even learn that this desert destination has more in common with Aussie suburbs than you think. The exhibition, which was developed by the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts, explores the link between the post-war ‘great Australian dream’ of mass affordable housing, and the sprawling mid-century architectural imaginings seen in Palm Springs. Lost in Palm Springs will feature works from acclaimed creators, including Aussies Kate Ballis, Tom Blachford, Anna Carey, Sam Cranstoun, Paul Davies, Rosi Griffin, Vicki Stravrou, Robyn Sweaney and Gosia Wlodarczak. Alo

Calling all bookworms, literature lovers and BookTok obsessives: the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) line-up has just been unveiled. This year’s program reads like a list of the crème de la crème of the 2024 literary world, featuring New York Times best-selling authors, Pulitzer and Booker Prize standouts, festival first-timers and MWF exclusives. The festival will spread big bookish energy across the city and surrounds via a week of workshops, talks, events and panels, running from May 6-12. This time around, the central theme of the program is 'Ghosts' – which invites attendees to ponder ghosts in the machine, ghostly characters, ghostwriters and stories that endure to haunt us.  Much-loved Tom Lake author Ann Patchett will venture Down Under from the US for the first time in ten years. She’ll join forces with Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) to talk about their discarded (or almost discarded) manuscripts.  Japanese author turned global star Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold sold more than a million copies, and now he’s on the way to Melbourne to discuss his ultra-popular works.  After winning the coveted Booker Prize last year, Irish novelist Paul Lynch will also be on deck to talk about Prophet Song, his tale of dystopian Dublin.  Plenty of stellar local writers will treat festivalgoers to their takes on their craft, including Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe, unflinching journalist David Marr and legendary novelist, essayist and playwright Christos T

If the names Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James get your attention, then listen up – because there's a new attraction coming to Melbourne that you're going to love.  The NBA Exhibition, the official fan experience endorsed by the famous basketball assocation, will bounce into our city on April 3. Showcasing the lifestyle, culture and rich history of the NBA over 20 themed sections, the exhibition includes heaps of interactive activities, virtual reality experiences, and even the chance to pose for a photo with a replica of the heralded Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, the prize awarded to the winner of each NBA final.  Test your b-ball skills, go for a slam dunk or see how you measure up to some of the NBA's biggest stars. Plus, snap a pic in the augmented reality photo booth with your fave player and marvel at the collection of more than 50 rare and autographed NBA memorabilia, like jerseys and sneakers worn by some of the legends of the game. There's also a gallery of original NBA-themed artwork by Australian and First Nations artists and a section in the exhibition dedicated to Aussie NBA players. This exhibition is essentially heaven for an NBA fan.  If this exhibition sounds like it's just as good as scoring a three-pointer then grab your tickets here. To find out more, check out the website.  Looking for more things to do in Melbourne? Check out this guide to what's on this week.