Actors playing Celine Dion, Jack and Rose on stage
Photograph: Supplied | Titanique
Photograph: Supplied | Titanique

The best shows to see in Sydney this month

The Emerald City's stages pack no shortage theatrical magic, from big musical spectaculars to uncut indie gems

Alannah Sue
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The colder months are starting to settle in, but Sydney’s huge year of theatre is hot to trot.

While Vivid Sydney lights up the city, you have a limited time to catch Bangarra Dance Theatre's irridescent new spectacle, Illume, which is lighting up the Sydney Opera House from within until June 14.

Love it or hate it, one of the world's most popular musicals is prowling back onto the Sydney stage this June, with a special 40th anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats kicking off at Sydney's Theatre Royal from June 17. Speaking of West End hits, you're in for some dramatic laughter when The Play That Goes Wrong kicks off a brand new tour at the Sydney Opera House from June 19.

If you're up for some camp comedy or cabaret, Sydney's new Pride Fest is also bringing bucketloads of fun queer shows to Oxford Street this month (check out our top picks).

Meanwhile, Bell Shakespeare presents a new take on one of the Bard's most exhilarating works, Coriolanusfrom June 20; and we're also keen to see some local indie theatre legends teaming up for the world premiere of Sistren, a comedy about sisterhood starring IRL besties Iolanthe (Seven methods of killing Kylie Jenner) and Janet Anderson (Overflow) from June 26. 

And if it’s musical madness you’re after, you don't want to miss the chance to laugh your head off at Titanique. After several extensions, this camp cult-hit parody has officially called a closing date in June (and it definitely won't be shipping off to any other cities!).

That’s all just for starters! Read on for our critics' reviews and more top theatrical picks below.

Musicals

  • Musicals
  • Haymarket
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

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.

  • Musicals
  • Redfern
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Prepare to board the “Ship of Dreams” for this camp-as-hell musical romp made-for-and-by-the-gays, starring cabaret legend Marney McQueen as an unhinged Celine Dion. After several season extensions, it is clear that Sydney can't get enough of this ridicoulously funny musical parody! (But it officially ships off after June 22!)

Plays

  • Drama
  • Woolloomooloo
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

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.

  • Comedy
  • Dawes Point
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Samuel Beckett’s Winnie, the hapless, half-buried heroine of his 1961 play, Happy Days, is one of those pinnacle roles in theatre. Comparisons to Hamlet are common, but apt. It’s such an actor’s role that it makes sense, arguably with certain caveats, that the actor in question takes up at least one directorial rein. It certainly makes sense to Sydney Theatre Company, who are giving us the legendary Pamela Rabe directed by Pamela Rabe (and Nick Schlieper) in this production.

Dance

  • Sydney
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

An otherworldly spectacle, Bangarra's Illume is a collaboration between Mirning choreographer (and the company's visionary artistic director) Frances Rings and Goolarrgon Bard visual artist Darrell Sibosado. Sibosado, known for his innovative contemporary light installations, lends his talents to the set and stage design in an epic theatrical experience.

Comedy, Cabaret and Circus

  • Circuses

It’s time to ring that bell and check in for an intoxicating blend of Parisian cabaret, dazzling aerial artistry and breathtaking burlesque. Following sold-out seasons at the Sydney Opera House and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, L’Hôtel returns to Sydney this winter, taking over the brand new Foundry Theatre.

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