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Who is manipulating who and for what purpose? Inspired by fact, these questions are at the heart of an incendiary new play by Louisa Panucci about sex, money and loneliness. Thank you, Mistress pits a dominatrix against a multimillionaire (soon to be billionaire). Laura (Panucci), 25, who is studying medicine and used to work as a stripper in a club, plays the former. Fifty-year-old Henry Price (Marc Opitz) is an ultra-wealthy CEO, following in his father’s footsteps,

Such a special sound at an unforgettable concert that is well worth travelling far and wide to see and hear. Mellifluous vocals reach deep into your soul. In short, it feels like a warm embrace of gentler times – of yesteryear. Every one of the 24 songs is simply so enticing in the hands of this nonet. Songs from the Canyon* is the brainchild of artist manager Rick Chazan. Rick had an inspired moment after he listened to a Crosby, Stills & Nash cover at the Brisbane T

The voiceover at the start of the show speaks volumes. “How old were you when you stopped playing?” The reference is to imaginative and unstructured play, to make believe, if you will. Photos by Parenthesy Young children in particular have it in spades. It happens automatically, intrinsically. In short, it takes very little effort. But as one grows up, the art form is all but lost. Mayfair: A New Musical comes from a place of offering hope to an adult audience that am

The distinctive rasp and soul are there in abundance, as is the rhythm. In fact, syncopation is very much in her wheelhouse. Macy Gray and her most attractive sounding “wigged” band mates and backing singer and warm up act, soul and R & B singer Emi Secrest, are as one. Gray, resplendent in orange, has taken to the stage. Armed with a strong set list, she has fun with the audience. A few songs in, she officially introduces herself and the enthusiastic crowd roars in app

It is so silly, so over the top and so funny. If slapstick and physical humour are your bent, this has it in spades. Nineteen years after the outrageous Mel Brooks musical comedy opened on Broadway, Young Frankenstein comes to St Kilda’s Theatre Works. It is based on Brooks’ and Gene Wilder’s 1974 film that Brooks directed, with a surfeit of melodic musical numbers that continue to resonate strongly. Set in 1934, the story is that of a scientist by the name of Frederick F

Balletic excellence and stunning beauty characterise The Stuttgart Ballet’s adaptation of the classic fairytale popularised by the Brothers Grimm. With choreography by Marcia Haydée, after Marius Petipa, she and artistic director Tamas Detrich have crafted something quite delightful. It premiered in Stuttgart in May 1987. Photos by Kate Longley Unfolding in three acts, with two intervals, the first involving a prologue, the story is that of a girl born to the King and Qu

You have built a reputation as a bad boy, even though the moniker is untrue, but try as you do, you can’t break the tag until the truth finally outs. That, in a nutshell, is the plot of Cry-Baby: The Musical, which opened on Broadway in April 2008. Set in 1954, it is based on the 1990 John Waters’ film, starring Johnny Depp. Photos by Peter Haskin Both the movie and the musical centre on the relationship between Baltimore teenager Allison Vernon-Williams and orphaned Wade

Locked up, with no place to go. After all, you are in a jail, with ocean all around (think Alcatraz). And yet a horrible infection is spreading. Inmates are dying. Still, at least moonshine is on the menu, even though the screws tell you it ain’t. Welcome to the immersive experience that is Alcotraz. As far as the storyline is concerned, there is more going on here than at first meets the eye. The questions are: What? Who is in on it? and “For what purpose? So, this i

What a grand way to reintroduce the magnificent, newly renovated Ian Potter State Theatre to those who appreciate theatrical excellence. In short, hold a housewarming, with a cavalcade of top shelf entertainment to be savoured FOR FREE. Photos by Mark Gambino That was the offering from Friday, 9th October through to Sunday, 11th October 2026 in seven, hour-long performances. All were centred around the lyrebird, the outspread tail of which is the centrepiece of the iconic

Helen Garner’s semi-autobiographical 2008 novel about the hell of offering a spare room to a good friend with stage four cancer resonated strongly. It collected a series of gongs, including Victorian and Queensland Premiers’ Literary Awards and the Barbara Jefferis Award. And now, following five years of work, composer Dr Jane Hammond and librettist Theresa Borg have seen its world premiere as an opera. Photos by Jeff Busby Like the story it tells, it features discordant no

Her life story has hardly been straightforward but, dare I say, that is what makes it compelling. I speak of Iranian immigrant Sahra Davoudi, who arrived in Melbourne at age 25 and had to learn English. In fact, the first words she mastered were “sorry” and “hey, how you goin’?” She tells us about a childhood marked by a significant injury. Suffice to say it involved a reenactment of the movie Titanic at age 11. Then, there’s a career trajectory against her mother’s w

What do you call a loving relationship that can’t readily be categorised? Rhomboid, according to the central character in Eric Jiang’s humorous and poignant play of that name. A dictionary definition of the term is also apt in terms of what unfolds, for it refers to a lopsided diamond. Photos by MOUK. MEDIA Filipino Xavier (Ken Paolo) and Caucasian Sebastian (Lawrence Hawkins) get together in their final year of school. There is the awkwardness that often accompanies th

It was a stunning night of song and ceremony that will long remain with me for its richness and redolence. I speak of First Peoples’ stories woven into Country. Photos by Tiffany Garvie Gugu Dindi Gunyah. Many Rivers. One Home. marked the opening of the newly refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre at Arts Centre Melbourne. That includes fresh, acoustically designed seats and wider space between rows of seats, a new glittering ceiling and upgrades to the lighting and sound s

Can artificial intelligence develop from an increasingly valuable tool for business and personal use to a destructive force that will wipe out the human race? Unfortunately, this question appears no longer to be purely in the realm of science fiction. It is increasingly being debated and speculated about. Photos by Pia Johnson The doomsdayers are convinced the threat of that happening is real – likely even. It is hard not to think about these things while watching Tom H

Who doesn’t love Elton John’s expansive musical repertoire and who doesn’t appreciate the fine work of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra? Bringing the two together is akin to lighting a bonfire that is an instant drawcard. Genius, no less. Photos by Laura Manariti and Alex First You could rightly call this a celebratory concert because 40 years ago Elton John invited the MSO to accompany him on a national orchestral tour. So, this is a tribute show, in which Jason Dean, who is

Unquestionably dark and haunting, Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw paints a devastating picture of distress and, possibly, madness. It concerns a governess appointed to look after two orphaned children on the strict condition that she never contact their guardian, an uncle too busy to take care of them. Photos by Jeff Busby Apprehensive about taking on the role, soon enough she warms to it because the youngsters – a boy and his elder sister – seem bright and respons

Integrated dance, light and sound at their mesmerising finest. That, in a nutshell, is Triptych. While the definition of the title refers to a work of art divided into three sections, there are – in fact – four works on show. They are described as an epilogue, acts 1 and 2 and a prologue. The respective running times are about nine minutes, nine minutes, 20 minutes and nine minutes, with brief breaks in between. In the epilogue, three female dancers, hair tied up and

Sensitivity and soul permeate a fresh song cycle about life and its vicissitudes from first time writer and director Isabelle Davis, which strikes a chord. Emotionally resonant throughout, The Eternally Hopeful features four talented performers from their teens to their thirties who pour their hearts into the material. Photos by Alec Farrow I speak of Jacqui Dwyer, billed as Hopeful 1, Kate Allnut as Hopeful 2, Hamish Pattenden, at the tender age of 16, as Hopeful 3 and Luk

Are men savages? Does the battle for supremacy, for power and control, of man against man know no bounds? Is it in our DNA? The answer to all these questions is a resounding “yes” if Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding’s iconic work Lord of the Flies is anything to go by. It was his first novel, published in 1954, while its huge impact as a stage production was first felt in July 1995. Photos by Matthew Chen That was when the Royal Shakespeare Company at St

They are so damn good. It is not just the broad variety of circus arts on show that had me mesmerised, but the extremely high level of achievement from the second-year student ensemble. The physical feats of the fresh-faced performers, orchestrated by director Kate Fryer, all but defy belief. Photos by Alex First and Rob Blackburn That, plus the splendid showmanship and comedic interludes, provides a massive “wow” factor. The 15-strong contingent that take to the stage