Our latest Sydney theatre reviews

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...

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...