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37 (MTC, co-produced with Queensland Theatre) - 90 minutes, without interval
When I first saw 37 almost a year ago, I was suitably impressed by the authenticity, grit, vitriol and humour involved in the production....
Alex First
Jan 293 min read


Penn & Teller 50th Anniversary Tour, at Hamer Hall in Melbourne and QPAC in Brisbane - 90 minutes without interval
Magicians, comedians and crowd pleasers extraordinaire with the Midas touch … and they have been doing it for 50 years. Oh my!  In a...
Alex First
Jan 223 min read


Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen, at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne - 70 minutes
In a comic tour de force, Samuel Barnett has the audience in the palms of his hands. Â We hang on his every word, as he changes tack,...
Alex First
Jan 152 min read


Legends in Concert, at The Palms at Crown - two hours, plus interval
This all singing, all dancing, hit song fest just gets better and better, year after year. Â What a show! What a production! Â Elvis may...
Alex First
Jan 113 min read


Bearded, at Theatre Works - 100 minutes, without interval
Fear of coming out and the judgment associated with doing so are the subject of a new musical, focusing on the LGBTQIA+ community. Â A...
Alex First
Jan 103 min read


School of Rock The Musical (PLOS Musical Productions), at Frankston Arts Centre - 2 hours 30 minutes, including interval
It’s lively. It’s cheery. It upends political correctness. In fact, it is the perfect holiday treat.  I speak of School of Rock The...
Alex First
Jan 23 min read


John Foreman's Australian Pops Orchestra New Year's Eve and the Day Before Gala Concerts, at Hamer Hall - 2 hours 30 minutes, including interval
What a glorious way to bring in the New Year. Â Witness three powerhouse performances from musical theatre royalty, accompanied by...
Alex First
Dec 30, 20242 min read


My Top Ten Theatrical Productions of 2024
The world of creative theatre is one of many hues. As a Melbourne-based reviewer, naturally I see most productions in that city. I can...
Alex First
Dec 29, 20242 min read


SAUCE (Bare Witness Theatre Company), at The Butterfly Club - 60 minutes
One woman is a kleptomaniac who awoke to see her lawyer husband in bed next to her doing the horizontal rumba with a stranger. Â Another...
Alex First
Dec 21, 20242 min read


The 3 Little Pigs (AG Theatre) - 60 minutes
A new theatre company – AG Theatre – has given us a delicious twist or two on an age-old story (the fable dates back to the 1800s).  The...
Alex First
Dec 20, 20242 min read


Dear Evan Hansen (Michael Cassel Group & Sydney Theatre Company), at The Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne - 2 hours 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval
Poignant and compelling, the Australian premiere of six-time Tony Award winner Dear Evan Hansen – about a socially anxious 17-year-old –...
Alex First
Dec 19, 20243 min read


Ilarun: The Cutting Comb, at fortyfivedownstairs - 90 minutes, without interval
Racism, exploitation, colonialism and fear loom large in Ilarun: The Cutting Comb. Â Based upon lived experiences past and present, this...
Alex First
Dec 15, 20242 min read


Yayoi Kusama at NGV International
Mesmeric, captivating and imaginative. Â These are just some of the adjectives I would use to honour the extraordinary work of...
Alex First
Dec 14, 20243 min read


Skating in the Clouds (Melbourne Writers' Theatre), at Theatre Works - 90 minutes, without interval
Set locally, a pragmatist meets a dreamer. The attraction is there, but can they sustain a relationship? Â That is a key question raised...
Alex First
Dec 13, 20242 min read


A Very Naughty Christmas (Woodward Productions), at Alex Theatre - 85 minutes, plus interval
Mix the bawdy with the festive and you have the makings of a cheeky, cheery and fun filled show (based on a series of musical numbers and...
Alex First
Dec 11, 20242 min read


Love Actually? The Musical Parody, at Athenaeum Theatre - 90 minutes
What is the best way to appreciate Love Actually? The Musical Parody? Â Even though the irreverent script deviates somewhat from the 2003...
Alex First
Dec 9, 20242 min read


The Addams Family (OSMaD), at Geoffrey McComas Theatre, Hawthorn - 2 hours 35 minutes (including interval)
I must have watched all 64 episodes of mid 1960s black and white TV series The Addams Family, relishing every new encounter with the...
Alex First
Dec 9, 20243 min read


F**k Christmas, at Malthouse Theatre - 75 minutes
As we enter the theatre, trawling the aisles is a performer donning evocative Christmas attire and sporting disco era hair. Â She...
Alex First
Dec 1, 20243 min read


The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol, at Comedy Theatre - 2 hours, including a 20-minute interval
Whether it has become an annual pilgrimage or if you are seeing it for the first time, The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is an outstanding,...
Alex First
Nov 30, 20244 min read


One Day in September, at Athenaeum Theatre 2
Just how far has society moved forward in 2024? Â We say we embrace the LGBTQIA+ community and yet not one AFL footballer has yet come...
Alex First
Nov 29, 20243 min read
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