REVIEW BY TOM WORSNOP EDITIED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER RMIT Red Acts rounds off a strong year of student theatre with a production of the classic 1982 musical Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It tells the story of Seymour Krelborn (Sol Summers) who turns the fortunes of his struggling flower shop around by growing a strange alien plant – one that … Continue reading RMIT RedActs’ Little Shop of Horrors
REVIEWED BY JESSICA FANWONG EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2025, the University of Melbourne Musical Theatre Association (UMMTA) presented a delightfully absurdist new work (slash dating app with the quirkiest app sound) Quelched! Written by Conor Boussiotas and directed by James Pringle, this Fringe run is the full-show debut of Quelched! following its development session at UMMTA’s Sitzprobe … Continue reading Quelched! The Price of Building a Phallic Empire
REVIEW BY POPPY ELFICK EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER I walk into the Carlton Scout Hall and find my seat in front of the quaint stage. Before us are two sets of door frames – one full sized on the stage and a smaller set on the ground in front – and a tree wrapped in fairy lights. Here is the beginning of our trip down … Continue reading Curiouser and Curiouser: JCH’s Wonderful Wonderland
“The end is coming, and there’s nothing we can do.”
Cipta Theatre’s inaugural play, The Last Supper by Elizabeth Browne, closely traces the labyrinthine relationships between the introspective and misunderstood main character Judy, her husband and her parents. Continue reading The End Of The World As They Know It
Barkly Theatre gets off to a sinister, spell-binding start with their debut production. Picnic at Hanging Rock would be a bold choice for any debut. Published coinciding with the 1967 First Nations referendum, Joan Lindsay’s carefully manicured novel sculpts a world in turmoil. Four schoolgirls, perfect Anglo-Australian citizens, disappear from a Valentines’ trip to Hanging Rock; two are never found. Lindsay’s curlicued prose chronicles the … Continue reading Cake, Crinoline and Colonial Sins at Picnic
EMMA PARFITT DISCUSSES THE DEAD END COLLECTIVE’S DIVE INTO OUTER SPACE Dead End Collective advertised their new production, The Crystalline Consciousness That Speaks Meaning Into Flesh, as ‘a romp’, and a romp it most certainly was. With a talented ensemble cast and captivating production design, this show is a promise of more excellent things to come from Dead End Collective. In their brand-new original work, … Continue reading Out of this World with ‘Crystalline Consciousness’
MILO PENNEFATHER AND JULIAN MACHIN ON THEIR PROBLEMATIC NEW PRODUCTION Cancelled, Four Letter Word Theatre’s brazen new production, pulls none of its punches. The musical stars one Max Richmond, an arrogant lead singer whose disastrously insensitive remarks have spelled the collapse of his musical career. With the help of THEM, a down-and-out pop icon, Max hatches a plan to get back on top and win … Continue reading A Candid Look at ‘Cancelled’ Culture
Reviewed by: Zimo Lee The Effect by Lucy Prebble is a story about two volunteers in an antidepressant clinical trial. There, the characters Tristan (Freddie Carew-Reid) and Connie (Hazel Pigrum) form an unexpected attraction to one-another that blossoms into a heart-wrenching romance; are their feelings their own, or simply an Effect of the drugs? Short Straw Theatre Company boasts a performance that keeps the audience on their … Continue reading The Effect: Pulls You In—Hook, Line, & Sinker
Reviewed by: Pandaren PENG “Supreme Me” adapted from Dario Fo’s globally acclaimed play “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” tells the story of a man suffering from “Supreme Me” syndrome. Through his encounters at a police station, he uncovers the dark tactics behind a farmer’s “accidental death” and takes on the role of a senior inspector from the Supreme Procuratorate to review the case. His successful … Continue reading Element Theatre Company’s “Supreme Me”: An Unequivocal Success
Reviewed by: Molly Lidgerwood After four years, MUSC returns to Shakespearean comedy with their whimsical, enchanting and, “utterly original” production: Patience. Despite the tempting allure of staging tragedy, co-writers and directors Josh Higgins and Alexi O’Keefe delivered 50-minutes of pure entertainment and escape through their heartfelt homage to Shakespeare’s comedy. Their production is a triumph through the combination of its quick wit, ensemble performances, and … Continue reading “What Would You Wish For?”: MUSC’s Patience
The Dialog 