La Ronde review | Strut & Fret | Melbourne Spiegel House

There’s something exciting about a production that combines cabaret, burlesque and circus, with dazzling physical feats, risqué humour, elaborate costumes and a touch of mischief. Making its first visit to Melbourne at the Melbourne Spiegel Haus, La Ronde features an international cast whose talents span aerials, acrobatics, comedy and music, promising plenty of surprises to keep audiences entertained and titillated.

It’s an absolute joy to watch Swedish comedian David Eriksson work his way through his bag of tricks. Dressed in a punk top, sparkling pink skirt and gumboots, he brings a rock ’n’ rollness to his routine, with a cheeky irreverence that makes him instantly likeable. His oral dexterity has to be seen to be believed, adding a deliciously suggestive edge to his performance.

House of Games review | Tim Ellis | The Laneway Theatre

Tim Ellis has been practising magic for over 40 years, and in that time he’s transformed part of his home into an intimate 32-seat performance space. His current offering, House of Games, has proved so popular that the 2026 season is sold out, with additional Sunday matinees added and an extended run scheduled well into 2027.

Drawing on his love of board games, the show uses well-known favourites as the starting point for a series of close-up tricks that will leave you questioning what you’ve just witnessed. Associated with childhood, family gatherings and friendly competition, these items are steeped in familiarity, but Ellis turns them into something unpredictable, with illusions that are all the more baffling for taking place right in front of us.

Degustation review | One Fell Swoop and Shu Liu | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Ballarat Mining Exchange

Taking my seat at Degustation, I couldn’t help but feel like I was about to experience The Menu - albeit with considerably more acrobatics and, thankfully, considerably less culinary carnage. Around 80 guests are seated along a long white table, with four beautifully presented creations waiting at each place setting. Above the table hangs a suspended board, dressed with a tablecloth and an assortment of plates, glasses and decorative tableware. It’s an intriguing arrangement that immediately signals this is going to be a meal unlike any other.

The six artists from One Fell Swoop - Angelique Ross, Roya the Destroya, Claire Bindoff, Easa Min-Swe, Charice Rust, and Jonathan Morgan, (with the latter two also serving as directors) - wear outfits designed by Emily Barrie that mix bright colours, fabrics and styles to create an eye-catching, playful aesthetic. But it’s also the way the circus unfolds around the diners that makes Degustation especially interesting.

The Heart Beats in Counts of Eight review | Monash Uni Student Theatre (MUST) | Monash University

In a dystopian future where synthetics are virtually indistinguishable from humans, the line between the two becomes increasingly blurred. Drawing on science fiction, body horror and comedy, Madeleine Willshire’s The Heart Beats in Counts of Eight examines identity, belonging and what it means to exist in a society that was not built for you. Its premise offers plenty of scope to explore the connections between artificial intelligence and neurodivergence, though bringing these ideas together in a way that delivers dramatic force and emotional resonance proves challenging.

There is considerable ambition underpinning the work, and moments when the production makes effective use of its futuristic setting. However, the tension is inconsistent, with several scenes missing the conviction or atmosphere needed to ensure their stakes land. Music heightens the intimate conversations, making its absence elsewhere noticeable. Esmé Stripp’s direction could do more to sustain the suspense and give the characters’ actions impact. A-31’s attempt to rob the synthetics, for example, lacks the intensity to make the encounter be genuinely threatening. Stripp’s direction of the actors playing the four Hivemind synthetics is particularly impressive, including a well-executed dance sequence that lends the show an eerie sensibility.

Not Soooo Fresh review | Frenzy Theatre Co | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Trades Hall

 When I was invited to review Not Soooo Fresh, I immediately said yes, having been an avid purchaser of the So Fresh compilations over the years. But then I looked at the track listing for So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2010 and realised I knew less than half the songs. I also discovered I’d never heard of the 2008 film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. However, Frenzy Theatre Co’s melding of these two pop culture references made Not Soooo Fresh not only the perfect way to end my Fringe Festival experience, but also a perfect night out to laugh and enjoy myself.

Created by Belle Hansen and Sarah Bowers, this is a scrappy re-telling of the coming-of-age film, capturing its teenage angst, romantic misadventures and awkward journey towards figuring out who you are. The catch is that they’ve chosen to tell this story using the So Fresh album in track listing order. Honestly, it’s like witchcraft, with the songs fitting into the plot so perfectly you’d think they were written for the show.

So while there's not a choice in what songs are played or when they are played, there is a creative choice in how they are slotted into the narrative. As Musical Director, Bowers does an exceptional job in finding ways for these songs to be the voice for specific characters. Vanessa Amorosi’s "My Mysterious" introduces fraternal twins Robbie and Tom to the school as the girls fawn over them. Train’s "Hey, Soul Sister" as the love theme between Robbie and Georgia is hilariously on the nose, while Lady Gaga’s "Alejandro" during the 'snogging lessons' is ridiculously inspired.