The best shows to see in Sydney this month

This award-winning iteration of My Brilliant Career, which debuted at Melbourne Theatre Company in 2024, is a musical theatre adaptation with a book by Sheridan Harbridge and Dean Bryant, music by Mathew Frank, and lyrics by Bryant. It follows Sybylla Melvyn (Kala Gare, SIX the musical), a fiercely independent young woman growing up in rural Australia in the 1800s. Chafing against the limitations placed on her as a woman – particularly the expectation that she should marry for security – Sybylla dreams instead of becoming a writer and forging a life of her own making. As she navigates family hardship, social pressures, and a romance with the self-made Harry Beecham (Raj Labade, The Talented Mr Ripley) that threatens to derail her ambitions, Sybylla must ultimately choose between the conventional path laid out for her and the uncertain, self-determined “brilliant career” she longs for.

With all the doom and gloom in the world today, we sure could use a belly laugh. Good news – the Sydney Comedy Festival is turning 21 and you're invited to the celebrations from April 13 to May 17, 2026. That’s five glorious weeks and more than 400 shows that guarantee plenty of LOLs.  SCF has two exclusives this year: Star power shines through the likes of Tiffany Haddish who brings her stand-up to the State Theatre on April 25 and the Enmore Theatre on April 26. And, if you loved the 2024 Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, catch its creator Richard Gadd for a special in-conversation event at the Sydney Opera House on May 11. Consider your funny bone officially tickled.

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.

If you’re looking for a night out where serotonin is dialled up to the max – it’s a seat at The Grand Electric. La Ronde is a cheeky, jaw-dropping performance hitting the intimate stage in Surry Hills this autumn. It has wowed audiences in Adelaide, Newcastle, Darwin, Auckland and Sydney, and now it’s now back in town for a second season. The high-adrenaline affair made waves as one of the must-see shows of the Adelaide Fringe – clocking up an immense amount of five-star reviews in the process. While some of the other shows by the same creators, like Blanc de Blanc, are a little more risqué, La Ronde is a fun night out for anyone over 15. Live music sets the stage for some gravity-defying stunts and glitzy disco fever. There’s so much variety in the show that it’s got something for everyone from avid theatre-goers to couples on date night. With a super interactive ringside experience, it also serves as the ultimate group night out where bubbles and gasps flow generously.

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.