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.

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.

Stirred Up review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | The Motley Wherehaus

There’s an art to preparing a good cup of tea, but Katy Burrows has other ideas. In Stirred Up, their debut solo show at Melbourne Fringe, Burrows blends clown, physical theatre and circus to turn a familiar ritual into something increasingly surreal, playing with the etiquette and social conventions surrounding the sharing of a hot drink.

The venue’s compact performance space means Burrows makes use of every nook and cranny to store their props, including on their own person. It’s a tea party for one as they begin catapulting spoons into the air by striking their handles against the table, aiming to land one in the teacup balanced on their head. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for them to pull off the trick, setting the tone for the amusement found in the smallest of gestures.

Stirred Up is modest in scale but effective in its execution, blending the mundane act of making and drinking tea with a measure of silliness and a dash of surrealism. At the beginning, Burrows works their way through the crowd, asking everyone’s names and drink orders. They then serve the beverages using the props at their disposal, adding to the whimsy, that is made all the more impressive by the number of orders they remember.

Ched & Charles review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Studio Nexus

They’re the Bert and Ernie of the circus world. Meet Ched and Charles, thick as thieves and the very best of friends. Created by NICA graduates Gabriel Walker and Luca Trimboli, Ched & Charles is a family-friendly circus show about friendship and finding the whimsy in the mundane.

The show opens with an acrobatic act that the pair make seemingly light work of as they flip and lift each other into the air, poking fun at their height difference and using it to their advantage. Once introductions are out of the way, we move to a café, where Ched orders a delicious sandwich. What should be a standard transaction becomes a literal balancing act, with Charles preparing the order while balancing on a ladder. It’s a playful twist on an otherwise everyday task.

Behind the Veil review | National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA)

In Behind the Veil, NICA’s second-year students present a world where productivity is paramount and happiness and self-fulfilment can only come from work. Through a variety of circus and acrobatics, this “perfect existence” gradually begins to fail, as the things keeping everything in order start to break down and revolt inevitably follows.

The show opens by introducing us to the residents of this town. They are all dressed in identical workmen’s overalls and caps designed by Reuben James. The costumes eventually transform into circus-appropriate outfits, where they become distinct from one another but still retain the factory-like uniformity of the original workwear. An industrial score by Christopher Lewis plays, evoking a factory conveyor belt and the monotonous nature of manual labour.

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett review | Meat Market

It's been just over a year since Bernie Deiter captivated Melbourne audiences with Club Kabarett, and while several acts are the same, it is still bursting with energy, dazzling with skill and reaffirming exactly why it struck a chord the first time around. Through circus, cabaret and live music, it becomes a rousing invitation to let go of restraint and jump into joy, resistance and collective release.



The contortionism from Soliana Erse is once again, jaw dropping to watch. It's one thing to (literally) bend over backwards and turn your head around but the speed and the smoothness at which she does this is mesmerising. Similarly, Jacqueline Furey’s fire act is, quite simply, hot, hot, hot. Flames lick her body and then some, and you can feel the heat and know this isn’t smoke and mirrors, it’s edge-of-your-seat realness.



Squid's Sunday Sideshow review | Samora Squid | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Tote

Samora Squid has been a sideshow freak artist for over 25 years, and it is now, at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, that they are presenting their first solo show with Squid's Sunday Sideshow.

The show opens with a straightforward triple dislocation of their arm. Yes, really. They then shake it all about like they just don’t care. As the performance progresses, it becomes increasingly challenging to watch the things Squid does to their body. It’s an intense experience at such close proximity. That said, I noticed I was one of the few people covering my eyes or looking away -  perhaps I’m more of a wuss than others. Although there was one guy who gasped "what the fuck!"

All eyes on Samora Squid: The sideshow daredevil goes solo | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Tote

For 25 years, Samora Squid has been twisting, bending, and testing the limits of the human body in sideshows and circus acts around the world. Now, alone for the first time, they’re turning the spotlight fully on themselves in Squid's Sunday Sideshow. Equal parts daring, absurd, and unexpectedly funny, Squid’s solo debut promises a ride where the audience never knows whether to gasp, squirm, or laugh - and often all three at once.

After nearly three decades performing in circus and sideshow nights, it came down to alignment and timing for Squid to finally take the stage on their own. "It was all about opportunity, and simultaneously having the motivation and discipline," they tell me. "I met the right people who were running the right venue, and they gave me a space to present something unusual and original and at the same time that registrations for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival were happening."

Piper's Playhouse review | Crown Melbourne

Going up the escalators to the entrance of Piper’s Playhouse is the beginning of an exhilarating and entertaining night in a Parisian cabaret club. It feels like stepping into a velvet-lined time capsule where glamour, mischief, and a hint of rebellion swirl together in the dim light, kicking-off with small morsels to awaken the senses and stir anticipation ahead of the evening’s grand reveal.

Revellers roam the makeshift halls, pausing for fleeting peep shows in hidden booths, whimsical bubble acts, and the promise of momentary absolution through confession. Champagne is already flowing via surprising means and a roving magician enchants with feats of close-up illusion.

Final Queen review | Midsumma Festival | Gasworks Arts Park

Final Queen is a drag circus horror comedy one-woman spectacle, which already sounds like a fever dream, but in the hands of creator/performer Harrison Sweeney and co-creator Rachel Kerry, the chaos is controlled, playful, and often very funny. The story follows drag sensation Grace Lightning as she receives the life-changing call that Kylie - yes, THE Kylie - wants her to audition for her world tour. This requires an urgent road trip from Sydney to Darwin, because of course that is where global superstardom begins.

But a road trip isn't a road trip unless you take your besties with you, so naturally Grace’s (expendable) sidekicks, Jax and Kelly, both brought to life by Sweeney through swift wig changes and defined character work. Jax reads as the seasoned drag queen who has seen everything twice, while Kelly is flirtatious, phone-obsessed, and delightfully chaotic. The driving montage neatly sketches each personality with minimal staging, proving how much Sweeney can do with very little, something he accomplishes repeatedly with this production.

Duck Pond review | Princess Theatre

Circa return to Melbourne with Duck Pond, a reimagining that fuses two timeless tales, Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling. In the former, a cursed princess trapped in a swan’s body finds love with a prince, only for deception and obsession to lead to tragedy. In the latter, an outcast mocked for his difference endures cruelty and loneliness before discovering he was a swan all along. These parallel narratives form the backbone of Duck Pond, a production that uses circus as both spectacle and storytelling.

Acrobatics are seamlessly integrated into the plot, with silk routines, lifts, throws, and balances doing as much narrative work as the text itself. Through its movement, the show connects Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling around ideas of flight, vulnerability, and transformation. The tossing, jumping, carrying, and leaping are shaped by the journeys of the Black Swan and the Duckling rather than circus grandness for its own sake.

2025 My Melbourne Arts Awards

For twelve years now, I’ve been publishing my favourite theatre of the year. It started as a simple best-of list and slowly became my ritual, part celebration, part love letter to the Melbourne theatre scene. But for 2025, I’m shaking it up! :)

Instead of crowning just one “best show”, this year I’m recognising the people behind the work. The directors, performers, writers, designers, and creative forces who made this year what it was. Fourteen categories, because the performing arts is never just one thing, and neither is excellence. (In retrospect, there's other categories I should have considered - namely Best Clown, Best Cabaret Artist, Best Dancer and Best Experimental - and will consider these for inclusion in the 2026 MMA Awards.)

I say some version of this every year, because it never stops being true. The shows that stay with you longest are not always the big, glossy productions with a marketing budget and recognisable names. Sometimes it’s the little show that ran for four nights and played to ten people that absolutely wrecks you. Support independent theatre makers and venues. Some tickets cost less than $30 and can deliver the most original, daring, and affecting work you’ll see all year.

There’s already plenty to be excited about in 2026. Take a risk. See something you’ve never heard of. Walk into a space you’ve never been to. Melbourne theatre thrives on curiosity, and these awards exist to celebrate exactly that.

And with that, here are the nominees and winners in the 2025 My Melbourne Arts Awards:

Final Queen: Where drag meets danger and gay glam meets gore | Midsumma Festival | Gasworks Arts Park

Armed with a hot pink Holden Commodore, circus queen Grace Lightning, the last surviving member of a cross-continental drag convoy, is screeching through the Australian outback fighting to stay alive from the horrors trying to end her. Harrison Sweeney is bringing campy terror, drag glamour, and outback chaos together in Final Queen, a show that defies genre. Inspired by everything from classic slasher films to iconic divas, he and co-creator Rachel Kerry have crafted a story on survival, spectacle, and queer joy. We sat down with Sweeney to talk horror, circus theatrics, and what it takes to turn a solo drag performance into a multi-character, gasp-and-giggle extravaganza.

Final Queen wears its cinematic influences proudly on its blood-splattered sleeve, and Sweeney draw on a wide range of horror techniques to shape the show’s look, tone, and scares. "The main influence is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of the original slashers! Indeed the entire subgenre of slasher films was a huge inspiration to us," he tells me. "Rachel and I also looked at Australian outback films like Wolf Creek to help spark ideas. She is a horror guru! Her extensive knowledge of horror films and tropes has been so incredibly helpful in the creation process. We were interested in exploring the Final Girl trope (as referenced in the title), and bringing that to life on stage in a solo show. “Final Girls” like Laurie Strode from Halloween and Ripley from Alien influenced the character of Grace and the story. And we mustn't forget the Scary Movie franchise for some hilarious horror parodies!"

Queen Machine review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Trades Hall

Queen Machine opens with Anna Lumb on a podium, performing a lively, high-energy hula hoop routine. She’s carefree, confident, and clearly loving the moment. But that was before she suffered a career-threatening injury - snapping her ankle clean off her leg. A full break. The only thing keeping her foot attached to her leg was skin and muscle. Ouch. Surgery followed, involving titanium implants to repair the damage.

In the aftermath, Lumb begins to reimagine her body as part-machine, “a post-human, fembot future”, as the show’s description promises. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what the audience ends up experiencing. Sure, the idea gets mentioned, but most of the show's time is spent elsewhere: on her painkiller dependency, surreal dreams featuring Patrick Swayze, and a newfound hobby of learning guitar. These detours dilute what could have been a sharp, provocative exploration of transformation and identity.

CAKE - Late Bite review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Meat Market

Cake - Late Bite serves up an hour of gleeful anarchy and creative indulgence, brimming with pizzazz and flair. It’s loud, unapologetic and unpredictable - a night that values attitude over polish, and joy over order. Led by our host, Memphis Belle, we’re treated to a collection of circus, burlesque and drag that titillate and tease. Full of cheeky disorder, Cake - Late Bite is a proud celebration of identity and self-expression in all its forms.

Serenity brings a spark of personality and wit with a lively and self-assured drag act that earns instant bonus points for opening with a lip sync from my favourite film. Zach Johnson shifts the tone with a short but thrilling balancing act involving a bottle, a balloon and a paddle held in his mouth. It’s the kind of performance that has you holding your breath, because one millimetre off and it would all go south, yet he keeps it perfectly steady.

Stories that Must be Heard: Truth in the Cage and Limbo review | Melbourne Recital Centre

Presented by Nightingale Performing Arts Australia, Stories That Must Be Heard brings refugee stories to the forefront and gives a voice to those that are too often ignored. The musical double bill of works composed by Chloé Charody shifted seamlessly between emotional intensity and breathtaking physicality, producing performances that are compelling and sobering.

Truth in the Cage is a movingly intimate song cycle tracing Mohammad Ali Maleki’s seven years in detention on Manus Island. Charody uses his poems to create music that is raw, unflinching, and resilient. Through themes of loss, identity, and optimism, the songs provide a searing insight into life under confinement, conveying the anguish and the enduring human spirit of someone who survived years of unjust incarceration.

Proteus review | National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA)

The circus show Proteus follows a diverse group of characters living together in a strange city, capturing the blend of public spaces and private moments. Co-directed by Sage Bachtler Cushman and Hugo Oliveira, this production offers a thoughtful exploration of human connection through acrobatics, aerials, movement, and physical storytelling performed by NICA's third-year students.

The ensemble is impressive, with each performer given room to shine. Sammy George's contribution stands out as especially hypnotic. His flips and landings are executed with such silent precision that it looks like he's landing on a cloud. He moves with composed grace and calm, maintaining a mesmerising presence throughout the show. Similarly, Immy Turecek's acrobatics and lyra act commands our attention with her skills and charisma. Even during transitions, when she's momentarily isolated among Barrie Michael Baxter's imposing set pieces, her fluidity holds our gaze.

Humans 2.0 review | Arts Centre Melbourne

If 2017's Humans explored the concept of what it means to be human, then Humans 2.0 smashes straight through it. This new show from Circa is a moving study of connection through circus.  Directed by Yaron Lifschitz, it's an unforgettable evening of skill, sweat, and spirit as we delve into the challenges of being human.

From the very beginning, the cast of eleven command total control of the space - and us. Every second feels earned, as they throw themselves into the air and work in perfect sync to execute acrobatic feats that demand absolute commitment to one another. You see the sweat dripping off their bodies, watch their chests rise and fall with heavy breathing, and marvel at the muscular, sinewy frames that are in constant motion.

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett review | Meat Market

Bernie Dieter has taken over North Melbourne's Meat Market with her spectacularly electric Club Kabarett. It's an evening to forget our burdens and worries, shed inhibitions, and indulge in the joy and defiance being presented on stage. Before the show begins, the artists mingle through the crowd, giving a taste of the cheeky and saucy humour that awaits us. And once it kicks off, it is a non-stop ride of thrills and exhilarating chaos.

As our MC, Dieter seduces us into a night of revelry and debauchery. Her flirtatious, loud personality connects with everyone in the audience, and you can be sure that if she calls upon you, there is no willpower on Earth strong enough where you will be able to decline her invitation. But she takes care of us; she is genuinely happy to have us in the room and to perform for us. Her cover of Martha Wainwright's "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" has us all holding our breath, captivated by her powerful vocals and potent message she conveys regarding the state of women's rights today.

Tender review | Gasworks Arts Park

Presented by an all-queer cast, Cirque X's Tender looks at what it means to be tender through circus, acrobatics, and musical and dance numbers. The word itself conjures up different definitions and ideas, and in this production, the acts offer unique perspectives and explorations of what tender can be via various lenses such as relationships, sex, sexuality and desire.

The opening teaser by J Twist and Chris Barnett is hands down one of the most seductive and tantalising experiences I've ever had in the performing arts. The pair appear either side of a cube structure and stare defiantly out to the audience. They are "outside the box" and challenging us to join them on this adventure of discovery. They exude sexuality and sensuality as they gradually begin to remove their clothes which climaxes with a surprising reveal that sets the tone for the rest of the evening.