Jasmine Joyan

Let’s dive into the summertime theatrical fun currently on in Sydney. On now at Hayes Theatre is an ode to Barbra Streisand, which our reviewer says is a “must-see.” Check out our write-up of Barbra here. The excellent Gatsby at The Green Light has returned to the Sydney Opera House until March 15, transforming the Studio into a 1920s-inspired club plucked from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic world. Fancy a dazzling night out? La Ronde is here at Sydney’s Grand Electric, bringing an intoxicating mix of comedy, cabaret and circus to the stage – with a side of cocktails and chaos. From the creators of Blanc de Blanc and Limbo, this exciting new show delivers glitz, glamour and entertainment. Check out a sneak peek here. Pretty Woman: The Musical is now on at Theatre Royal Sydney. One of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time has been brought to life on stage, with singer-songwriter Samantha Jade making her theatrical debut as the lead character, Vivian. Scroll on for the best musicals, plays and more to see in Sydney this month. RELATED READS: It’s guaranteed laughs galore at the Comedy Store Make Tuesdays more fun with this affordable comedy show in the Inner West

There is a lot happening on Sydney's stages each and every month. But how do you even know where to start? Thankfully, our critics are out road-testing musicals, plays, operas, dance, cabaret and more all year round. Here are their recommendations. Want more culture? Check out the best art exhibitions in Sydney.

Pretty Woman: The Musical has arrived at the Theatre Royal for its Sydney debut. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, the feel-good stage spin of the classic film will leave you dancing in your seat, if not deeply moved. What the production sometimes lacks in depth, it makes up for in nostalgia, charm and good vibes. What is the premise of Pretty Woman: The Musical? The production follows Vivian Ward (Samantha Jade), a sex worker working on Hollywood Boulevard to survive. Despite her edgy exterior, Vivian dreams of a life captured in the song ‘Anywhere But Here’. Her luck begins to change when she meets businessman Edward Lewis (Ben Hall). What starts as a one-night business transaction turns into a longer deal – for $3000, Vivian becomes Edward’s partner for six days, while he secures a business deal, all whilst staying in the glamourous penthouse suite of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The mix of business, pleasure and pastel sunsets results in a cocktail of romantic fantasy, class mismatch and questions about who is really saving whom. Who are the cast and crew of Pretty Woman: The Musical? In her theatrical debut, singer-songwriter Samantha Jade is Vivian, opposite Ben Hall’s Edward. The pair have moments of flirtatious charm, which show glimmers of chemistry, but struggle to transition this spark into the sweeping passion the narrative is reaching for by its final scenes. Jade and Hall are supported by Tim Omaji as Happy Man/Mr Thompson, and Michelle Brasi

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can spit out venom so lethal that there is no antidote. There are not many works which can produce such poisonous sparring and emotional violence with the same acclaim and excellence as Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner’s work is a gruelling feat of art, which director Sarah Goodes tackles with a fresh ferocity and with all the classical nuance and complexity that comes with Albee’s work. What is the premise of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Martha (Kat Stewart) and George (David Whiteley) are a middle-aged couple who have spent their married life at New Carthage University where George works as an associate professor in the history department. The couple arrive home at two o’clock in the morning after attending a faculty party hosted by Martha’s father, who is also the University’s president. During what seems like a slight marital dispute after the party, Martha informs George that she has invited a younger couple who have recently joined the university to their house. As the argument begins to heat up, Nick (Harvey Zielinski) and Honey (Emily Goddard) arrive at the couple’s place just as Martha is cursing at George, foreshadowing the tumultuous night ahead.  The story uses the two couples’ relationships to explore ideas of truth and illusion. By using the privacy of a vicious domestic argument, the audience, like Nick and Honey, become a witness to a generally personal

Many productions that examine colonisation share stories that highlight its impact on a systemic level: the institutionalised violence, the collective suffering of mobs and the disintegration of culture. Declan Greene and Amy Sole’s Whitefella Yella Tree break from this to explore the consequences of colonisation in the microcosm of romance. This unique exploration of adolescents at the precipice of adulthood delves into the disruption and havoc colonisation had in their day-to-day lives. By focusing on the personal narratives during colonisation, the production artfully cultivates compassion through relatability. Indigenous people are shown not as a monolithic group defined solely by hurt, but as varied individuals falling in love, growing up and living with the ordinary complexities of life. But these complexities become more fraught under the pervasive presence of colonialists. What’s the premise of Whitefella Yella Tree? This two-hander production begins with the meeting of Ty (Joseph Althouse) of the River Mob with Neddy (Danny Howard) of the Mountain Mob. As cheeky and rowdy as any young adolescent boys would be, both young men meet every moon to exchange information about the strange white people who now live on their land. But it’s not just information being exchanged; it’s shy glances, cheeky jokes and young love all while the greatest existential threat unfolds before them. Ty and Neddy, while in training as a storyteller and a warrior for the mob respectively, are

Hola! Long before he created the smash-hit musical phenomenon Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda was best known for In The Heights – a colourful, high-energy celebration of community, culture and chasing your dreams. Set in New York’s Washington Heights, it blends hip hop, salsa and Latin beats to create an uplifting theatre experience. The Melbourne season will see Ryan González and Olivia Vásquez reprise their roles as Usnavi and Vanessa, with Mariah Gonzalez, Ngali Shaw and Steve Costi joining them in key roles. In The Heights is showing at the Comedy Theatre until September 6. For more information and to book tickets, head to the website. *** Time Out Sydney reviewed In The Heights when it played at the Sydney Opera House in July, 2024. Read on for that four-star review:   First hitting the Broadway stage in 2008 (before it inspired the 2021 feature film), this rags-to-riches story returns to the Harbour City with gusto for the first time since 2019. A fiery fusion of poetry and passion, In the Heights is an idyllic love letter to the riches of community, cariños and carnaval! The story is simple enough: Usnavi (Ryan Gonzalez, they/them), a bodega owner living in the largely Latin-American neighbourhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, dreams of returning to his homeland and pines for the strong and beautiful Vanessa (Olivia Vásquez, she/her). Amongst the struggles of the day-to-day – the rising threat of gentrification, the cost of living, tighter immigration laws,

Looking for something to warm your heart this winter? We've got just the answer: beloved musical Annie is returning to Melbourne after a smash-hit run in Sydney. With a knock-out cast that includes Anthony Warlow as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, Debora Krizak as Miss Hannigan and Greg Page (aka the OG Yellow Wiggle) as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this tale of hope, family and friendship is one you won't want to miss.  Annie is showing at the Princess Theatre. Now, who's ready to belt out 'It’s the Hard-Knock Life'? *** Time Out Sydney reviewed Annie when it played at the Capitol Theatre in April. Read on for that four-star review:   Just over a decade since it was last seen in Australia, Annie is back – bursting onto the Capitol Theatre stage filled with optimism, joy, and hope. Director Karen Mortimer revives this quintessential piece of musical theatre with a sentimental production that preserves the charm and flair found in Thomas Meehan’s book. For those living under a rock (mainly me), this Tony Award-winning musical follows the story of 11-year-old Annie, who is growing up in an orphanage in 1930s New York, under the cruel eye of Miss Hannigan. In the midst of the Great Depression, pessimism is all around, but chipper young Annie has the antidote: hope. Encouraging others to believe that “the sun will come out tomorrow”, Annie’s enduringly positive spirit seems to finally pay off, when billionaire Oliver Warbucks chooses to take her in for two weeks over Christmas. Fo

Many of us try not to think about death too much. Even if it is discussed or thought about, it’s considered in the abstract – a distant experience we will deal with someday, maybe later. From beloved Australian novelist Helen Garner, The Spare Room brings the later to now in an unflinchingly raw and brutal confrontation with death. Adapted and directed by Belvoir St Theatre’s artistic director Eamon Flack (Counting and Cracking), these heavy themes are carried with compassion, humour and drama in an evocative performance that lingers long after the final moment.  After going through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, Nicola (Elizabeth Alexander) decides to stay with her old friend Helen (Judy Davis) in Melbourne for three weeks while she undertakes an alternative cancer treatment. From Vitamin C-infused IV drips to sitting naked in “ozone saunas”, these alternative therapies claim to destroy cancer much in the same manner an octopus can break rocks. (Their words, not mine.) The three weeks force both Nicola and Helen to go beyond the platitudes and formalities, and to confront the raw and infuriating experience of both having a terminal illness, and supporting a loved one through it. a provocative portrayal of the communal experience of death  The play commences with a profound silence, held by Helen for a moment longer than comfortable. Davis’s command and authority are masterfully established in this stillness, and do not falter for the rest of the performance.

Congratulations to Debora Krizak, who took out the People's Choice Favourite Performance in a Musical Award at the 2025 Time Out Sydney Arts & Culture Awards, presented in partnership with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. ***** Just over a decade since it was last seen in Australia, Annie is back – bursting onto the Capitol Theatre stage filled with optimism, joy, and hope. Director Karen Mortimer revives this quintessential piece of musical theatre with a sentimental production that preserves the charm and flair found in Thomas Meehan’s book. For those living under a rock (mainly me), this Tony Award-winning musical follows the story of 11-year-old Annie, who is growing up in an orphanage in 1930s New York, under the cruel eye of Miss Hannigan. In the midst of the Great Depression, pessimism is all around, but chipper young Annie has the antidote: hope. Encouraging others to believe that “the sun will come out tomorrow”, Annie’s enduringly positive spirit seems to finally pay off, when billionaire Oliver Warbucks chooses to take her in for two weeks over Christmas. Four spirited young performers share the titular role in this production, alongside an alternating cast of child actors. On opening night, Dakota Chanel’s Annie is a ray of sunshine, fully embodying the doe-eyed optimism of the character, balancing warmth and comedy with the more tender and emotional segments. The whole ensemble of “orphans” share an incredible chemistry, which is strongly on display in their perfor

We on the affirmative team contend that taking a high school debating tournament, making feminism the topic of discussion and turning it all into a play is a recipe for a fascinating night of theatre.  This will be the fourth year in a row that Trophy Boys has played to local audiences, following sold-out seasons at La Mama in 2022, fortyfivedownstairs in 2023 and Arts Centre Melbourne in 2024. This time around, the dark drag extravaganza is playing once again at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio from August 12-24. Tickets range from $30-60 and you can get yours here. Read on for Time Out Sydney's five-star take on the 2024 Sydney run of Trophy Boys. *** If you had asked me what I thought the next canonical Australian text would be before I watched Trophy Boys, I certainly wouldn’t have pegged a play that features a sign boldly emblazoned with the words “Feminism has failed women” set against a backdrop of portraits of “powerful women leaders”. (Jacinda Ardern, Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Malala Youzafi and Grace Tame are accounted for, to name a few.) And yet, with this hilariously profound production, Trophy Boys proves that a provocative and unexpected approach can pay off handsomely.  We are introduced to a gang of four private school boys from the fictional Saint Imperium College as they strut into a classroom with the kind of boisterous raucousness that can only come from teenage boys. However, these aren’t your average young men – this queer black comedy fea

Fearlessness, thy name is woman. We’ve seen it in Juliet’s defiance, Lady Macbeth’s ambition, and even Viola’s convictions. And what of the “feeble” Ophelia? Well, she is more than fearless, perhaps more than any of Shakespeare’s women, because she holds something that very few still have, and that very few still hold sacred: her virginity. Not the narrow, cherry-popping concept of virginity as we understand it today, linked to sex or purity – but rather, Ophelia is reclaiming the original meaning of the word, an embodied sense of virtuousness defined, above all, by being true to thine self.  Playwright Jean Betts flips the script on one of Shakespeare’s famous tragedies in the fantastically profound and introspective Ophelia Thinks Harder. The script stays (mostly) true to the original plot of Hamlet – however, this story begins just before Queen Gertrude’s remarriage to Prince Hamlet’s uncle, King Claudius. The audience is introduced to a young Ophelia as she manages the weight of her strained relationship with Hamlet, her father’s expectations, the death of her mother, and her coming into adulthood – all while the Danish kingdom is on the brink of collapse. Interweaving humour and heartache with contemporary dialogue and an array of beautifully selected lines and speeches from across Shakespeare’s canonical works, Betts has created an incredibly witty and thought provoking play.  Heavy lies the head that takes up this masterfully complex script, but director Alex Kendall R

Sydney Theatre Company’s new production of Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles marks the second time this comedic-yet-tense finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama has appeared on the Sydney stage. With a focus on struggle, resilience and change in both the personal and generational senses, the play explores the evolving relationship between 21-year-old Leo (Shiv Palekar, The Tempest) and his 91-year-old grandmother, Vera (Nancye Hayes).  After Leo’s cross-country cycling trip goes terribly wrong, no one is more surprised than Vera when he turns up on the doorstep of her Greenwich Village apartment in the middle of the night. Over the course of this one-act drama, the pair navigates grief, identity, generational differences, and the weight of the past.  Kenneth Moraleda’s direction brings out the play’s delicate balance of humour and emotional depth, ensuring that each moment feels intimate and impactful, and a sense of the love and care between Leo and Vera is quickly established. However, something about this play left this reviewer wanting more. [Nancye] Hayes is a dynamic performer...with fantastic comedic timing Although both Leo and Vera’s motivations remain uncertain, one thing is made clear: both protagonists are staunchly counter-cultural ‘lefties’. But this doesn’t mean they always see eye to eye. Leo is an impassioned young Obama-era ‘woke-ist’ who’s critical of the 'institution' – although his girlfriend Bec (Ariadne Sgouros, Belvoir’s The Curious Incident of the Dog

What was the time of death for the American dream? In her Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat, Brooklyn-born playwright Lynn Nottage offers a compelling starting point: with the heedless disregard for the plight of the working class, which flatlined with the North American Free Trade Agreement. Set in Reading, Pennsylvania, as the country’s once-strong Steel Belt turned to rust, the play is a sociological exploration of class struggle in the United States. Directed by Zindzi Okenyo (Is God Is, Orange Thrower, Choir Boy) the play’s timely Australian premiere is here to close out Sydney Theatre Company's huge 2024 season. Sweat is oft-quoted as the “play that explained Trump’s win” in the 2016 presidential elections. However, this description does not do justice to the depth of Nottage’s work and extensive research. Sweat is not merely an explanation, as that connotes a retrospective reflection – rather, when it debuted in 2014, the play served as a prescient warning that highlighted the dissatisfaction of blue-collar workers, who were once regarded as the backbone of the American economy. There is an eerie sense of déjà vu that comes with watching this play in light of the result of the United States’ recent presidential election. Sweat’s themes and concerns are just as relevant today, and have arguably become worse for both the working and middle classes. The story unfolds in a bar, the watering hole of choice for the factory workers who toil away at the local steel mill. The n

Well-behaved women seldom make history, and a well-behaved production seldom breaks new ground. A celebratory (if not a touch tokenistic) musical tribute to real women who have left their own impact on the zeitgeist, Well-Behaved Women debuted on the New York stage in early 2020. It’s a contemporary song cycle that explores the stories of sixteen her-storical figures, and this new production directed by Blazey Best (Tell Me on a Sunday) tasks just four of Sydney’s most respected performers to portray all of them.   From the compact stage of Surry Hills’ Belvoir St Theatre, the show kicks off with an impressive bang. Zahra Newman’s (star of STC’s Dracula, Belvoir’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill) performance as Eve (from the bible) is a sultry rendition of the original sin, leaving you as mesmerised as Eve herself was by that serpent. Newman takes up space with an assertion of authority, commanding attention with her every movement. The stage quickly fades into blackness, and for a moment, it seems we might be intruding on the fateful moment when Eve takes the apple. As quickly as Newman’s performance begins, the show suddenly cuts to another song – this one centered on Queen Boudica, warrior queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, portrayed by Sarah Murr (& Juliet). Murr’s own gravitas continues to build on Newman’s momentum – tasked with portraying a lesser-known figure, her vocal clarity allows the audience to hear every lyric of Boudica’s story clearly. Murr’s vocal