Justin Clarke

Did you know Australia’s last-standing pub theatre is right here in Sydney? Found below Woolloomooloo's 150-year-old Old Fitzroy Hotel, the Old Fitz Theatre is the place for boundary-pushing shows from some of the city's most talented creatives. If you find a night free, and feel like something different – and supporting indie work! – check out what's on here.  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.

The opening note of ‘The Circle of Life’ may just be one of the most recognisable in a Disney musical. If you don’t agree, then you may have to convince the entire theatre-going audience who were at Disney’s The Lion King on opening night. The full house’s roars could be heard all the way out of the Capitol Theatre’s front doors as the king of musicals triumphantly returned to Sydney – the first time in more than a decade. What type of show is The Lion King? It’s called The King of Musicals for a reason. If it’s not Elton John’s iconically recognisable music, or Tim Rice’s lyrics you’ve sung over a late-night karaoke session, then its Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi’s book featuring the characters you love, the characters you hate, and the ones you undoubtedly cry over – tears were definitely still shed during that scene. What’s so beautiful about The Lion King is the blurring of worlds and culture that merges in between all of these. Julie Taymor’s directorial conception blends African culture, language, movement and costume underneath masks and puppetry of the animal characters. Mufasa’s “crown” is a stoic, strong and towering headdress. The elegant lionesses soar and leap through the sky through Garth Fagan’s choreography as wing-like gowns flow behind them. The animals of Pride Rock are adorned with larger-than-life puppets of intricate designs and architecture: a re-engineered bicycle becomes leaping antelope, birds fly above the crowd on poles manipulated by performers, g

The Old Fitz Theatre space is perhaps one of the most transformative in the independent theatre scene in Sydney. With it quite literally being a black box, it can become whatever a production needs it to be. But one thing that it is notoriously a challenge to transform the space into, is one that can deliver a musical. The acoustics and density of the space mean you need a balance between the voice and the orchestrals and the tight space is limited for choreography. In short, it’s a real obstacle before you’ve even started. It’s with a great sigh of relief then to say that the world premiere of the new Australian hyperpop musical A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying overcomes this obstacle with ease – serving a whole heap of c*nt along the way. What type of show is A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying? The rise of the influencer – both as a noun and as a career – has dominated the online world over the past few years. Now, anyone with a camera and an opinion can be the next “influencer”. All you need is to find your niche. But what does being an “influencer” actually mean? Is it a two-way relationship between audience and self, or are influencers puppeted and built by the audience that grants them fame and clout?  For Avis O’Hara (Cassie Hamilton), AKA @theDIYDoll, she is the latter. The most fabulous and famous trans influencer on the internet, her relationship with her followers – coined The Dollmakers – is founded on allowing them to physically build her into

After a cancellation the previous evening due to the raging storm and winds, the opening night of The Phantom of the Opera was looking dire. But magically at the stroke of 6pm, when the team of Opera Australia’s Handa Opera rolled out the red carpet, the rain dissipated and a warm setting sun floated over Sydney Harbour. The Phantom still has magic left up his sleeve after all. Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour represents that age-old maxim, “The show must go on”. And go on The Phantom of the Opera shall! Rain, wind, or sun, the show is at the mercy of nature, but overcoming the natural challenges from Mother Nature makes it all the more thrilling to witness. Every outdoor spectacle presented by Handa Opera is consistently infused with decadence, and this restaging of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic is no different. This is a highbrow spectacle at its most luxurious. What type of show is The Phantom of the Opera? The musical version of the mysteriously masked Phantom living beneath the Paris Opera House has captivated audiences around the world for 40 years. His obsession with the young Christine Daaé and subsequent devious nurturing of her talents has played to more than 160 million people in 58 territories and 205 cities in 21 languages.  As a character, Christine is at the mercy of the men she’s surrounded by. Be it the Phantom’s obsessive love, her saviour in the shape of Raoul, Vicomte De Chagny, or the whims of the new owners of the Paris Opera House, Monsieur Firmin

"You paid a hundred and sixty thousand euros for this shit?" Marc asks his old friend Serge at the start of Lee Lewis’s restaging of the 1994 satire by French writer Yasmina Reza, Art. It feels sort of meta to be reviewing and speaking to a show whose literal tagline is “Everyone’s a critic. Especially your friends.” But, here we are.   Art has been having its own sort of renaissance on world stages, with the most recent revivals featuring three well-known male celebrities to draw in crowds. In London, it was Rufus Sewell, Paul Ritter and Tim Key, while on Broadway it was Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden and Bobby Cannavale. Australian audiences have been gifted with three long-time friends and collaborators Richard Roxburgh (Rake, The Correspondent), Damon Herriman (Justified, Together), and Toby Schmitz (Boy Swallows Universe, Gaslight). It’s a massive drawcard for audiences to have three actors of this calibre together on stage in a play about the worth of art and what holds together a friendship. And it’s one that has been proving to be working, if the “House Full” sign that’s been sitting outside Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre during previews is anything to go by. What type of show is Art? Marc (Roxburgh) is filled with “some indefinable unease” by his friend Serge’s (Herriman) most recent extravagant spend on a painting that essentially appears to be a blank, white canvas. It’s the recurring gag, the somewhat theatrical McGuffin to Reza’s satiric explor

The only artist with No.1 albums in six consecutive decades. More than 150 million records sold worldwide. Eleven Billboard No.1 albums. An EGOT winner consisting of two Academy Awards, ten Grammys, five Emmys, a (special) Tony Award, as well as nine Golden Globes. And now, a dedicated Hayes Theatre concert dedicated to her career. It’s the one, and only, Barbara Joan “Barbra” Streisand. If you’re in the theatre world, it’s impossible not to know her name. Outside of the stage, Barbra made her indelible mark in the music industry with her transformative voice and iconic sound. She’s an artist that’s crossed numerous genres and forms, which makes a Hayes Theatre tribute concert to her a perfect remedy for success. And ‘success’ is the most accurate word to use for Barbra: The Greatest Star. What type of show is Barbra: The Greatest Star? Barbra takes audiences on a melodic journey through the multitude of hits from Streisand’s career in an intimate evening of the “Best of Babs”. The song cycle journeys from roles she originated in on Broadway (Funny Girl), her numerous albums, iconic film roles (Yentl, Hello, Dolly!, A Star is Born), as well as her other star-studded collaborations with artists such as Celine Dion, Donna Summer and Neil Diamond. There’s enough Streisand here to make you fall in love with her all over again, or give you a crash course in Babs. Who are the cast and crew of Barbra? Directed by Brittanie Shipway (Once On This Island; The Pirates of Penzance) and w

Jay Gatsby invites you into the decadent world of The Green Light, nestled inside The Studio theatre of the Sydney Opera House, where the roaring '20s is reborn for an evening of decadence, debauchery and delight. Gatsby at the Green Light is back by popular demand and, with an extended run until March 2026, there’s clearly a demand for cabaret with a touch of elegance and plenty of grandeur.  What type of show is Gatsby at the Green Light? Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic text, The Great Gatsby, director Craig Ilott once more takes audiences into an exploration of the liquor-fuelled parties, yearning and lust of the illusive figure, Jay Gatsby, in an evening of professional cabaret. Ilott doesn’t so much play out the story of The Great Gatsby, but instead takes the crux of it – one of greed, love, decadence and the unreachable American Dream – to showcase some of the best talents in cabaret, aerial acrobatics, tap and circus. Set inside the fictionalised bar, The Green Light, designer Stuart Couzens creates a world that feels like you’ve stepped back into a speakeasy bar of Fitzgerald’s America. The three-tiered seating elements of Green Light mean that audiences have the choice of sitting back in the rafters and overseeing the party (much like the host himself) or the middle of the space set far enough back to see all but not be so close as to feel the intimacy of the stage.  Those who want to hear the heartbeat of the waiter-come-dancers around you, feel the heat of

Great Scott! All the way from 1985 to 1955 and now 2025, Sydney has landed the opening of mega-movie musical Back to the Future: The Musical, complete with a superb ensemble, captivating visual effects and enough nostalgia to power a time-travelling DeLorean.  For full transparency, Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time. Growing up watching Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown travel through time across three films was a large part of my movie-watching childhood. So when it was announced that it would be getting a high-octane staging, I was both ecstatic and sceptical. However, like the show’s original writer (and now the musical’s) Bob Gale said, “we’re not going to do this unless we can do it right”.   Thankfully, of the musical version I can safely say – to borrow from the Doc – “IT WORKS!” What’s the premise of Back to the Future: The Musical? After uncovering an old folder of photos in his parents’ basement, Gale wondered, after seeing a high school version of his father, whether he would have been friends with him back then. “The answer is no,” he joked at the opening night bows. The result of this is classic ’80s nostalgia – in both setting and plot.  BTTF follows teenager Marty McFly in Hill Valley, 1985, whose life is less than spectacular. He dreams of being a rock 'n’ roll star but he’s told he’s too loud and a “slacker” like his father. His family are just as hopeless. None more so than his father George McFly

I have reviewed many shows at the Sydney Opera House, and never – never – before have I been so utterly flabbergasted at the lack of scrutiny and professionalism upheld by a creative team in the running of a production.  For starters, the immense buzz in the the Drama Theatre’s foyer was squashed before the audience had even entered the stalls, as a sign informed us that Hollywood star Tom Cruise would in fact not be appearing at this performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor. This was swiftly followed by the show’s operator, Trevor (Edmund (Eds) Eramiha), wandering up and down the aisles, followed in tow by the stage manager Annie (Olivia Charalambous) as they asked us, the audience, if we had seen a lost dog, Winston, who it appeared was to be a character in the show. Completely unprofessional! After this was resolved, the director of the The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society greeted us all, ensuring that this production would not follow the mishaps in their previous works, and that they finally have funding and a script that suits their society. It would not be another low budget production (such as their summer season of James, where is your Peach?) and that they do have a full cast, as to avoid a repeat of the debacle of their most recent musical, Cat. The cracks that began to appear even before the curtain lifted on The Murder at Haversham Manor only continued to widen as the show played on, the whole evening building up into a fiasco of disastrous heights – and, it

Some plays roar and plead for your attention. Others hum softly, sitting in moments of elongated silence. American playwright Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, a quietly devastating story of single motherhood, illness and resilience does the latter – it earns your attention in the silences. As with life, the telling of these stories in theatre takes a village, and Mi Todo Productions have collected a dutiful village for this Australian premiere production at the Old Fitz Theatre. Nestled within a simple, white-washed apartment in Queens, this one-act play traverses the journey of a single mother, Mary Jane (Eloise Snape) and her toddler, Alex. It is neither grandiose nor extravagant, but instead approached as a ship-in-a-bottle type storytelling, with Mary Jane’s apartment and the children’s ward at the hospital being the only settings in our storybook. Born prematurely, Alex’s health issues give way to worsening seizures and the need for constant around-the-clock care. As the initial scenes commence, Herzog breadcrumbs her audience with details of Alex’s condition, with diagnoses including cerebral palsy, paralysed vocal cords, and lung disease. A small beeping offstage informs us of someone in need of care, and further conversations eventually reveal that Alex’s condition is worse than previously thought, as Mary Jane struggles to grapple with the gravity of the situation. (Pack tissues for this one, folks.) Less is more in this production, but it’s not without an impressive bit of

If the leading lady of a daytime telenovela was to read too many pop-psychology books while downing a double Espresso Martini, you might get something close to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. This musical comedy based on Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 cinema cult classic is given a neon-lit, red-curtained makeover at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre. With precision taking a backseat to passion, director Alexander Berlage (Cry-Baby, American Psycho) delivers a stylish descent into screwball mania. The action takes place in Madrid, Spain, where Amy Hack’s (Yentl) heartbroken actress, Pepa, is having a terrible, very bad day, which we see play out from depressive start to high-flung resolution. Her lover Iván breaks up with her over answering machine, and thus, her Odyssey-styled mission to find and confront him begins. Along the journey, Pepa butts heads with Iván’s scorned ex-wife Lucia (Tisha Keleman), his son and his own frustrated fiancée, as well as her wildly unravelling best friend, Candela (Grace Driscoll).  With a book by Jeffrey Lane (known for his musical adaption of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and music and lyrics by David Yazbek (Dead Outlaw), the original Broadway production of Women on the Verge had a relatively short lifespan – closing soon after it received poor reviews, and even poorer ticket sales. This is where Berlage’s adept hand at re-inventing cult flops takes charge – finding a space for his avant-garde style through sharp angles, frenetic choreography, and psych

In the final moments of writer/director Izabella Louk’s These Youths Be Protesting, a comedy about the chaos of youth and of climate change premiering at KXT on Broadway, Mây Trần’s Mandi explodes into a rage-filled monologue. All of the anger and fear that’s been bubbling inside of her comes pouring out. Her rage towards those in power who continue to deny that climate change is a direct result of their actions. Rage towards complicity and apathy. Rage towards a future that is uncertain, as climate disasters grow more catastrophic by the year. It’s here we feel the urgency of Louk’s message, echoing the voices of a generation who will inherit a world that is hurtling towards catastrophe. A finalist for the 2024 Martin Lysicrates Prize, These Youths describes itself as part Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, part Don’t Look Up. Blinking Light Theatre, an indie company whose ethos revolves around creating environmentally sustainable theatre, hands the megaphone to the youth for an exploration of climate activism and the importance of finding your voice. After a visit at a school fundraiser from local (fictional) politician Greg Moresby, the students of Sunlake Downs High School’s Recycling Club are presented with a giant novelty cheque, with the event being posted directly to Instagram (#campaigntrail). It’s not until they discover that Moresby has just approved a new mine to be built in “the only nice place in town” and a favourite local hang-out spot – The Dunes – that they realise t

What I would give to have been a fly on the wall when Mel Brooks was pitching his next satirical hit to Broadway producers. The thought of him describing his idea for a flashy, razzle dazzle number featuring a flamboyantly prancing Führer complete with Germanic paraphernalia and Swastikas would be enough to make anyone’s jaw drop. But in true Brooks fashion, his Tony Award-Winning musical The Producers boasts such a high calibre satirical penmanship, that against all odds, everything goes right! Based on Brooks’ own 1967 comedy film, The Producers opened on Broadway in 2001 with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the starring roles and ran for over 2,500 performances. Sydney’s newest production lands at the small but mighty Hayes Theatre, care of Joshua Robson Productions. Such is the fervour for Brooks’ hit show – with audiences anticipating much-loved numbers such as ‘I Wanna Be a Producer’, ‘Keep it Gay’ and ‘Springtime for Hitler’ – that the season completely sold out before it had even opened, and a transfer to Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres was added on to meet demand.  Anton Berezin (The Phantom of the Opera, Evita) and Des Flanagan (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), who are doing their best Lane and Broderick impressions here, lead the cast as the down-and-out Max Bialystoch and the chaotically shy Leo Bloom. The piece sort of pitter-patters through the first few numbers, before the larger-than-life supporting characters swoop in to give it the electric shock required. B

The Sydney Comedy Festival is back for another year and seems to be growing bigger on each return. This year, Sydney boasts around 850 performances across Sydney, energising the nightlife and entertainment precincts with laughs from April 13 to May 17. With a Tiffany Haddish headliner, to grassroots comedians on home soil, where do you even start figuring out which to see? Look no further than this list. If you’re wanting to pack in a whole bunch of names to boost those comedy numbers, consider checking out the new Comedy Gala on The Green at Tumbalong Park or you could even take to the high seas for a laugh. This year also sees the return of the Comedy Bar Crawl with FIVE Comedy Crawls across FIVE Sydney hotspots, as well as special curated outdoor events that are suitable for the whole family to join in the laughs. Big Names, big laughs Rove McManus - Tonight’s Guest: Rove McManus (Tales From the Talk Show Trenches) When and where: May 8, The Grand Electric. $50. Book here. With more than 25 years of talk show host duties under his belt, Rove is back to share the many conversations and interviews he’s had over his career. But this time, he’s the special guest. This is your chance to ask any burning questions you've had for an Australian television host and get the inside scoop on some hot celebrity-infused tea. Rove’s ready to spill and you’re invited to join him in it. Photograph: Supplied/SCF Reuben Kaye - Hard to Swallow When and where: May 16, Enmore Theatre. $35. J