Top 10 Shows of 2024

Another year gone, another year of extraordinary theatre created and performed in Melbourne. I only managed to get to 111 shows (the shame!), due to being out of the country for four months, but as I have been doing for over a decade, I must compile a top ten list.

I say this every year but it's something that deserves repeating every year: sometimes the show that you remember for a long time after, is not the big splashy extravagant piece with recognisable names and a huge budget, but the one that was on for four nights with ten people in the audience. Support your independent theatre makers and venues - some can cost you as little as $20 and can be the most original, inspiring and thought-provoking performances you might see.

There's already plenty to get excited about in 2025, so I urge you to take a risk, seek something new, unknown and different in the new year.

And here are my top ten shows of 2024:

 

1. The Inheritance - review

This was one of the first plays I saw this year and I remember it like I watched it last week. An epic seven-hour play directed by Kitan Petkovski centred on a group of gay men spread across three generations as they try to find their place in the world. He assembled an inspired ensemble, led by Charles Purcell and Tomás Kantor, whose chemistry on stage was nothing short of amazing. 

The design elements further elevated The Inheritance to greatness with the ever-impressive Rachel Lewindon and her sound design, Katie Sfetkidis' lighting and Bethany J Fellows' set design all working together to bring the best out of this unforgettable production.

Petkovski no doubt spent hours, days, weeks and months preparing for The Inheritance. Taking on this Tony-award winning play would have been a daunting task but he smashed expectations on what independent theatre can achieve. Shows like this do not come around often and The Inheritance is my favourite show of the year.

 

Click here to read our interview with Kitan Petkovski

 

2. The Crying Room: Exhumed - review

An extension to the 2020 online zoom of The Crying Room, this live production by performance artist Marcus McKenzie was also an early in the year show that has stayed with me, and brings out McKenzie's strongest performance yet as he explored and processed grief, mourning and moving on, following the death of his brother.

McKenzie displayed incredible skill at establishing bonds with his audience with profound moments that uniquely impacted each person, but there were also some funny, silly instances that McKenzie found a smart balance with and keep drawing us into his realm of thought.

 

The Crying Room: Exhumed was intense and heartbreaking with a rawness and genuine vulnerability that caught you off guard and sat with you for quite some time after the show had concluded. It was a stunning work on time, trauma and memories that solidifies McKenzie's exceptional skills and knowledge around language, performance and experimental theatre.

 

3. Julia - review

12 years ago, Julia Gillard delivered a speech that was voted as the most unforgettable moment of Australian TV history by Guardian readers. The "misogyny speech" was a heart pounding 15-minute parliamentary address by Australia's first and only female Prime Minister. In Julia, playwright Joanna Murray-Smith entrancingly brought to the stage pockets of the former Prime Minister's life, from when she was an 8-year-old child to her formative years and her ultimate ascension as Prime Minister of Australia while centering on this world-famous speech.

Justine Clarke was a revelation as Gillard, accurately representing the younger version of herself with much enthusiasm as she is spirited away by life's possibilities, with perhaps a glint of naivety. Alongside Clarke's commanding performance was an extremely talented and creative team ensuring we reflect back on the incredibly harsh and unfair treatment of one of the best Prime Minister's this country has had.

4. Global Smash Club - review

My first foray into the world of Finucane & Smith was way back in 2010 with Carnival of Mysteries. I remember the sense of awe and excitement as I wondered from room to room, seeing what magic I would uncover. In the 14 years following, this powerhouse duo has consistently put on spectacular productions that focus on love, joy, and community. Global Smash Club celebrated twenty years of Finucane & Smith, and the timing of this production could not have been better, as it came at a time when I needed this reminder. Twenty years of this dynamic duo giving their all, not only to their audience, but to the countless artists they have provided opportunities to allow their "voices" to be heard.

Moira Finucane is an astounding storyteller with a caring and uplifting perspective in seeing society, and her story about snails was a perfect example of her way with words and building togetherness. For all its fun and raciness, Finucane & Smith speak to something so much more powerful. Their shows spread a message of hope, that the shit things happening in the world can be overcome, but we first need to come together and see each other, care for each other and love each other. If ever there was a reason or purpose for the performing arts, it is Global Smash Club.

5. Putting on a Show - review

I fucking adore Alex Hines and I fucking love anything she does. She is one of the biggest risk takers in comedy and really pushing the boundaries around what comedy is and how it is structured. Her new show this year, Putting on a Show, was part stand-up, part sketch, part confessional but fully twisted and totally fucked up. And it was absolutely brilliant.

Hines has a magnetic presence, particularly as alter ego Juniper Wilde, but here, she pulls us deeper into her world. As Juniper she can lean into the bat-shit crazy and looseness and run with it, but in Putting on a Show, Hines was herself, and while she was still outlandish and over-the-top, there was an absorbing sensitivity and openness present that's previously not been offered. 

And as the lights began to dim, there was this indescribable feeling that ran through the audience as we eagerly awaited to go somewhere that we've never been before. That's magic. That's Alex Hines. That's Putting on a Show. And it was unmissable.

6. RBG: Of Many, One - review

In RBG: Of Many, One, playwright Suzie Miller traces Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life from her Brooklyn-based childhood in the 30s to her rise as the second ever female justice of the Supreme Court to her death in 2020, at the age of 87. There weren't many surprises to the story for anyone who knows it, but the performance by Heather Mitchell was phenomenal.

I got chills watching her as she let Ginsburg take over her mind, body and soul, and at times It felt like the real Ginsburg had somehow got on stage. Mitchell's physicality was beyond belief, where she virtually shrunk herself to Ginsburg's stature and encapsulated her delicate and petite frame. Through Jennifer White’s guidance, Mitchell transformed her voice and accent, finding an authenticity between that of a New York accent and a woman who grew up in Brooklyn. Whenever I hear the name Heather Mitchell now, my initial response will no longer be to think of Ashka from Spellbinder but Ruth Bader Ginsburg in RBG.

 

7. Shark Heist - review

Cam Venn's Shark Heist was supposed to debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2020, but that 2020 was not meant to be a year for live shows. Four years later, and the wait was definitely worth it, in this absurd heist tale with sharks, seductive dancing and the hunt for the world's largest diamond.

Shark Heist was a prop heavy show and Venn made great use of all of them, even if they were only used for a few minutes. Much of Shark Heist required assistance from the audience and while this may be unnerving for some, Venn never picked anyone but rather requested if anyone would like to join him, so the crowd could safely enjoy it without fear of being chosen to come on stage.

Shark Heist proved that Venn is not a one (egg laying) trick pony. There was an enormous amount of energy, craft and skill that went into this show and you could see how genuinely psyched Venn was to be bringing it to people.

8. Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship) - review

Liv Satchell is one of my favourite theatre makers/writers. In Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship), Satchell introduces us to two people from the age of 13 at a ballkids training session for the Australian Open and how this fateful encounter changes Holly and Sam's lives. For Good.

It was a moving tale of friendship between Sam and Holly, and while dramatic things occurred, such as bouts of depression and cancer, it never fell into melodrama and Satchell's focus remained on the loving bond between these two people.

Actor Izabella Yena is another name that gets me excited when I see it in a program. She is an immensely charismatic performer who constantly gives herself over to her characters and she was all aces as Sam. What seems like a straightforward role, Yena turned into an exceptionally layered and intuitive portrayal.

Ballkids was a delightfully endearing highlight reel on the connection that humans strive for, and need, to get through the chaos that gets served to us. It was a love letter to all our friends, those that have come and gone, and those that remain. There were no faults or unforced errors in this surprisingly engrossing story.

 

9. Lady MacBreast - review

 

It's hard to believe that Po Po Mo Co (Post Post Modern Comedy) is almost ten years old. This queer collective of theatre makers has been making work as a group, and as individuals, that frames the world via a lens that is wild, absurd and ridiculous. Its new production of Lady MacBreast - no guesses as to what this is about - indicates there's no signs of them slowing down, and is the quintessential reminder of the intelligence and creativity they possess.

Lady MacBreast did not shy away from going too far. While the narrative kept true to the essence of Macbeth, the way scenes and characters were interpreted and presented, elicited constant laughter and gasps of shock and surprise from the audience.

 

Each of the four performers displayed immense skill in physicality and comedy, as they took on numerous roles. Lily Fish was majestic as the bumbling King Duncan and Hallie Goodman easily received everyone's attention as the breastacular Lady MacBreast.

Po Po Mo Co is a company that never settles. It constantly looks to grow and discover imaginative ways to project society back on us through its queer clowning perspective.

10. Running into the Sun - review

Using music, projections, movement, song and scripted scenes, a2's Running into the Sun is a nine-person ensemble that explored how fucked up the world is via the lives of two friends, while simultaneously leaving you feeling joyful and warm. 

Nadiyah Akbar's captivating choreography took place with four dancers capturing with their bodies what Ben Ashby's considered script could not convey. The way these bodies surrounded the actors, and took over the stage, was suffocating and comforting at the same time. There were so many perfectly balanced contrasts happening throughout.

There was a strong fluidity and connectivity with Running into the Sun as it moved from one artistic style to another and from collective anxiety about the future to the personal and intimate challenges facing Ash and Morris without diminishing the importance of either. Back and forth, back and forth we go. It was exhausting but exhilarating, much like real life. There was so much, and I'm going to repeat this for emphasis, SO MUCH care and consideration put into this production with what it wanted to say and I'm filled with much anticipation as to what this company, that recently relocated to Melbourne from Wellington, comes up with next.

And just because rules were made to be broken, here are the shows that were pipped at the post:

11. The Almighty Sometimes (review)
12. The Roof is Caving in (review)
13. House of the Heart (review)
14. The Sun and the Hermit (review)
15. Pass the Parcel (review)

If you fancy a further trip down memory lane, then have a look at my Top 10 shows of 2023.