Our Seventh String review | The Motley Bauhaus

In Our Seventh String, six friends and former housemates reunite at their Melbourne sharehouse after seven years apart. Over the course of the evening, long-held rivalries, love confessions, heartbreaks, and old resentments are reopened as the group contends with the changes they have all undergone in the intervening years, and what happens when the people you have spent so much of your life with are no longer the people with whom you should spend the rest of it.

Paperfolk Theatre is a new independent theatre company with emphasis on folk-inspired work, so it is no surprise that music plays a significant role in Our Seventh String. With music and lyrics by Emily Napolitano, Henry Smith and Lauren Green, the production features some moving and heartfelt songs, with well-crafted melodies and a variety of instruments that complement the various voices. With seven performers, there is a great range of vocal styles, but it is the duet with Frances (Miriam Ellins) and Thea (Harper Elwyn) that stands out as a particular highlight.

Bring It On: The Musical review | Theatrical Inc | The National Theatre

Bring It On: The Musical carries the legacy of one of the most beloved teen comedies of the early 2000s. The 2000 film, starring Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku, became a pop culture favourite thanks to its sharp humour, fierce rivalries, and endlessly quotable cheerleading drama. More than a decade later, the story made the leap to the stage with a musical adaptation featuring a score by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Miranda and Amanda Green, and a book by Jeff Whitty. Rather than simply retelling the film, the musical takes the spirit fingers of Bring It On and spins it into a new story set in the same high-stakes environment of competitive cheer.

The musical follows Campbell, the accomplished captain of the Truman High cheer squad, whose world is upended when a redistricting decision forces her to transfer schools. Struggling to find her place at Jackson High, Campbell becomes involved with a very different cheer team, sparking rivalries, friendships, and a battle for national championship glory.

Waitress review | Her Majesty's Theatre

Based on the 2007 film of the same name, the musical Waitress follows Jenna, a small-town waitress and talented pie maker trapped in an unhappy marriage as she searches for a way to reclaim her independence. Set in a working diner, the story blends humour and heartbreak as Jenna forms unexpected connections that begin to shift her perspective on love, freedom and self-worth.

The plot is nothing groundbreaking, however it does get into problems with how writer Jessie Nelson handles its more sensitive themes. The domestic violence between Jenna and her husband Earl is uncomfortably light, and an affair with an obstetrician should be seen as immoral rather than romantic. Threads are introduced but never fully developed, most notably the pie competition, which builds expectation but doesn’t lead to any meaningful consequence. As a result, the narrative momentum can be uneven, even when the surface of the show is engaging.

Robot Song review | Theatre Works

Robot Song is an emotionally driven theatrical work that weaves live music, inventive design, and impressive robotics to explore childhood isolation, creativity, and the search for identity. Eleven-year-old Juniper May receives a letter signed by her entire class declaring her “the most hated person in the school.” It becomes a catalyst for her unravelling as she struggles to understand why this has happened and how she is meant to cope. Based on a true story and created by writer and director Jolyon James, the production presents a lived-in world that draws the audience into the experiences of a young person navigating a challenging moment in their life.

At the heart of the production is a striking performance from Adeline Hunter, who convincingly captures the temperament and attitude of eleven-year-old Juniper without slipping into bratty exaggeration or sugary sweetness. Her portrayal feels grounded and truthful, allowing the emotional stakes to land with quiet force, including an expressive vocal performance that transforms each moment into something personal and affecting. Phillip McInnes shares a tender and believable bond as Juniper's father, where their scenes together are filled with warmth and affection that anchor the story’s emotional core.

I’m Only Dating These Men... review | Midsumma Festival | Theatre Works

Just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you can’t find love. Or so we’re told at the beginning of one of the longest show titles in recent memory, I’m Only Dating These Men Because My Uncle Bequeathed Me Money and I Need to Get Married By the End of the Year. It is a title with many other, far simpler options available to it, but its unwieldy length neatly encapsulates the creative instincts of Luke Costabile and Trent Cliffe. Why be straightforward or predictable when you can be random and eccentric. That same philosophy underpins this musical comedy about love, for better or worse.

Costabile plays Larry, a veterinarian who discovers he will lose his inheritance of $946,000 unless he is married by the end of the year. What’s a gay to do? Get married of course. Easier said than done, particularly when faced with a parade of strange and often alarming potential partners, all of whom are played by Cliffe.

Saturday Night Fever review | The Athenaeum Theatre

Saturday Night Fever follows Tony Manero, a young man from Brooklyn trying to escape the grind of his working-class life through disco, ambition, and the hope of love. The musical immerses the audience into the glittering, pulsating world of 1970s disco, but beneath the sequins and platform shoes, it touches on darker realities of family conflict, personal trauma, and the pressures of growing up. While the show’s set, costumes, and music vividly capture the era and energy of the dance floor, the tension between its flashy, celebratory style and the weight of its serious themes creates a complex, sometimes uneasy viewing experience.

I’m Only Dating These Men... explores the messy, funny world of gay love | Midsumma Festival | Theatre Works

In I’m Only Dating These Men Because My Uncle Bequeathed Me Money and I Need to Get Married by the End of the Year (now that's a mouthful!), Larry is a man racing against time to find love - or at least a legal spouse - before an eccentric uncle’s conditions upend his life. The two-man musical turns dating into a hilarious obstacle course, introducing audiences to a parade of absurd, unforgettable characters while exploring what love, partnership, and connection really mean. Creators, Trent Cliffe and Luke Costabile, take us inside the making of the show, from its wild comedic moments to the personal experiences that shaped its heart.

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:

Checked Out: The Musical review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Trades Hall

Don’t we all love an enforced work function? Having to spend even more time with the people you already spend most of your life with? For the weary employees of Woles, a “lavish” celebration from head office looms ever closer as they struggle to balance their chaotic personal lives with the daily grind of supermarket employment. Written by Josh Connell (also Musical Director) and Steph Lee (also Director), Checked Out: The Musical shines a spotlight on the harsh realities of five workers contending with rude customers, a profit-obsessed boss, and the angry backlash of price gouging. There’s only one way they are going to get through it - with song. Several of them, in fact.

Turning Retail Routine into Musical Comedy with Checked Out: The Musical | Melbourne Fringe Festival

Fresh from a musical about group assignments, Josh Connell and Steph Lee are turning their attention to the soul-sucking grind of retail work for this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. Checked Out: The Musical draws on their own experiences in the service industry to explore the challenges, annoyances, and unexpected absurdities of customer-facing jobs, all set to an engaging, lively soundtrack, while also providing a cracking critique of the wider systems that define modern work culture.

"It has definitely been super fun to turn retail experience into this heightened version of reality," Lee tells me. "But also the work has an element of saying ‘stuff you’ to these corporations that you work for. It feels freeing to release pent-up frustrations through humour and song."

Ordinary Days review | fortyfivedownstairs

Ordinary Days has long been regarded as one of those small-scale musicals that carries a surprisingly large emotional weight, and Clovelly Fox’s production affirms just how effective Adam Gwon’s work can be in the right hands. With direction by Tyran Parke and an ensemble that leans into the show’s quiet humanity rather than overstatement, this staging offers a measured, thoughtful take on a piece that balances humour with poignancy.
 
The musical follows four young New Yorkers whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Warren is an ambitious artist striving to make his mark while caring for his mentor's cat after he is arrested. Deb, a graduate student from the middle of nowhere, navigates the city in search of opportunities her upbringing denied her. Meanwhile, Jason and his girlfriend Claire face the challenges of moving in together with the difficulty of letting go of the past.

In The Heights review | Comedy Theatre

Melbourne has turned the volume up to eleven with In The Heights, a vibrant burst of music, movement, and pure heart that spills from the stage. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s beloved musical ignites to life with warmth and energy, planting the audience into a neighbourhood alive with stories. From the first electrifying note to the final bow, this is a celebration of the delight that comes from being part of a community.



In The Heights follows Usnavi, a bodega owner in lively Washington Heights, as he wrestles with whether to stay and carry on his family’s legacy or chase his dreams elsewhere. The story weaves through the lives of the colourful residents, including Nina, a young woman returning from college, Benny, a dispatcher caught between two worlds, and Vanessa, Usnavi’s love interest dreaming of a better life. Against a backdrop of pulsating music and exhilarating choreography, the musical explores identity, family, ambition, and the bonds that hold this neighbourhood together.



Kimberly Akimbo: A Musical review | Melbourne Theatre Company

Kimberly Akimbo: A Musical might seem like your typical coming-of-age musical, but it quickly proves to be something stranger, darker, and slightly more surreal. The story follows a 16-year-old teenager who has a rare genetic condition that causes her to age four times faster than usual. As she negotiates her way through high school, first love, and a wildly dysfunctional family, Kimberly is also racing against time in her quest to experience life before it slips away.

Marina Prior takes on the role of Kimberly and does a fantastic job of conveying the character’s unique challenges. She captures the confusion and vulnerability of a teenage girl trapped in an older body with subtlety and heart, never tipping into over-the-top comedy. Her performance is authentic and sincere, which is no small feat given the material. Darcy Wain is an absolute scene-stealer as the awkwardly endearing Seth. He shares an effortless chemistry with Prior and his presence brings a welcome charge to the show, making Seth its quiet anchor amid the mayhem.

Here You Come Again review | Comedy Theatre

Here You Come Again is a jukebox musical that weaves Dolly Parton’s celebrated country tunes into the story of Kevin, a man stuck in lockdown during the height of the COVID pandemic. Lonely and directionless, he finds unexpected guidance in the form of an imagined Dolly - part muse, part motivator - who helps him make sense of his stalled life. With a simple two-person cast and a setlist of familiar hits, this production aims to offer a gentle message about finding resilience when everything feels uncertain.

The success of a show like this rests heavily on the rhinestone-studded shoulders of whoever takes on the role of Parton, and it has well and truly struck pink with Tricia Paoluccio. Under Gabriel Barre’s direction, she captures Dolly’s voice, laugh, and mannerisms with uncanny precision. It’s not simply an impression, but a fully realised performance with her musical numbers also a highlight. Alongside the talented onstage band and Andrew Worboys’ musical direction, these songs are delivered with wonderful energy and authenticity.

Legally Blonde the Musical review | The National Theatre

Legally Blonde the Musical, based on the iconic 2001 film, has won acclaim and awards worldwide for its witty book, catchy score, and the effervescent tale of Elle Woods’ transformation from underestimated blonde to Harvard Law star. This production by Theatrical Inc channels that same spark, bringing comedy, standout musical moments, and some four-legged scene-stealers to the party.

Emily McDougall gives a highly spirited performance as Elle, with enough presence to lead the musical. She brings charm, determination, and an infectious confidence that carries the role with ease. However, to better match her movie counterpart, her costumes could be more unapologetically feminine, boldly pink, and cleverly subversive to fully capture the character’s appeal. Similarly, the blonde wig she wears needs to be securely set, as the lifting adhesive around her face became increasingly visible and distracting.

Beetlejuice the Musical review | Regent Theatre

Beetlejuice the Musical has landed in Melbourne with a blaze of black-and-white stripes, undead antics, and high-octane madness. Adapted from Tim Burton’s beloved 1988 film, this musical version cranks up the mayhem, blends in a hefty dose of heart, and delivers a gloriously grotesque night at the theatre.

The book by Scott Brown and Anthony King honours the original film and Burton’s offbeat vision while injecting a welcome touch of originality. Lydia’s grief and her complicated relationship with her father take centre stage, adding depth and emotional complexity. The chaos, macabre oddities, and laughs from the movie are all here, but now there's added warmth and feels.

The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale review | Comedy Theatre

I’ve never read The Lord of the Rings or seen the films, but you shouldn't need prior knowledge to enjoy a show, and that’s exactly why I was excited to see Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale. I was curious how 1,200 pages of epic fantasy would be adapted into a three-hour musical, and even more intrigued by how this world would be conceived in theatre.

Visually, the production is captivating. Simon Kenny’s set design draws the audience into Middle-earth with subtle, seamless transitions as the story moves through various landscapes. The use of puppetry to bring creatures and enemies to life is a standout feature, cleverly used to build tension and horror within the limits of live performance. The costumes and make-up are consistently eye-catching and detailed, with the Orcs' imposing black outfits and masks particularly effective in conveying menace and power. Gollum is another highlight that convincingly displays what centuries of living underground can do to someone's face and body. Meanwhile, Galadriel’s golden robes convey the ethereal radiance and otherworldly presence of the Elven queen.

弦外之影 Hidden Tunes review | The Motley Bauhaus

Presented by Small Ripples Theatre, 弦外之影 Hidden Tunes is a Mandarin language pop musical focusing on the #MeToo movement at a prestigious music university. Exploring the themes of sexual assault and violence against women within a musical setting comes with its own challenges and sensitivities, and for the most part, this production does an admirable job at presenting entertainment through pain.

A group of students are ready to take on the new year at university under the tutelage of the revered and influential Professor Yang. When Xiao Qian (Lansy Feng) is assaulted by the Professor, rumours spread like wildfire across the campus, with even her friends uncertain as to who or what to believe. The story is predominantly told through the eyes of A Jia (Yujia Du) a new student and friend to Xiao Qian who strongly suspects something terrible has happened, but where acknowledging it would cause problems for her.

My Brilliant Career review | Melbourne Theatre Company

Written in 1901 by Miles Franklin, My Brilliant Career follows a young woman living in country Australia in the late 19th century who desires something other than marriage and domesticity. Fast forward 120 odd years and this has been reimagined into a wonderful musical with book by Sheridan Harbridge and Dean Bryant, music by Matthew Frank and lyrics by Bryant.

Actors and musicians perform as one, with the cast adopting both roles. Kala Gare possesses an effervescent defiance as Sybylla, the teenager who wants more than to live happily ever after with a husband. Her changing moods and conflicting aspirations and uncertainties are superbly presented by Gare. She delivers many show-stopping songs that pull you out of your seat and right into the moment where nothing else exists except seeing her belting out a tune.

Peter and the Starcatcher review

Adapted to the stage in 2011 by Rick Elice, after the 2004 novel, Peter and the Starcatcher serves as an origin story for Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Hook and Mrs Darling from Peter Pan. Two ships are bound for the kingdom of Rundoon tasked with delivering precious cargo. An assortment of characters find themselves onboard and through a series of circumstances and choices, end up stranded on a strange and seemingly uninhabited land. And so begins the whimsical tale of The Boy who doesn't want to grow up.

There is a wonderful ensemble in this production including Paul Capsis and Alison Whyte, who are always a delight to watch. Otis Dhanji as The Boy portrays a sensitivity and yearning for the apparently unachievable that is evident the instant he appears. Olivia Deeble shows great skill in displaying the deep fire and conviction that lies inside the stubborn yet fearless Molly. The scenes between Dhanji and Deeble present a touching and blossoming relationship, and their closing moments, while slightly rushed, are treated with considerable emotion and affection.