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Castro’s Children (Music Theatre Melbourne), at Gasworks - 2 hours 30 minutes, plus a 20-minute interval
Stunning. What a revelation. Such is the power, passion and poise of the sparkling new musical Castro’s Children. Fidel Alejandro Castro...
Alex First
Jul 8, 20243 min read


The Boy from Oz (theatrical), at The National Theatre - 2 hours 10 minutes, plus a 20-minute interval
Born Peter Richard Woolnough, but performing as Peter Allen (10th February 1944 – 18th June 1992, his colourful life makes for an...
Alex First
Jul 7, 20243 min read


The Long Game, at Theatre Works' Explosives Factory - 80 minutes
It is a cliché to say politics is a dirty game. Suffice to say, The Long Game takes that truism and overlays it with the glass ceiling....
Alex First
Jul 5, 20243 min read


Disney on Ice: Road Trip Adventures (Feld Entertainment), at Rod Laver Arena and touring - 100 minutes, plus a 15-minute interval
In a word, stunning. That is my take on Disney’s latest and greatest show on ice yet. Officially named Disney on Ice: Road Trip...
Alex First
Jul 5, 20242 min read


Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Red Stitch), at Comedy Theatre - 3 hours 15 minutes, including two intervals
One of the most lauded plays of the 20th century, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a high stakes cat and mouse game. Husband and wife...
Alex First
Jul 4, 20243 min read


Disney's Beauty and the Beast, at Her Majesty's Theatre - 2 hours 10 minutes, plus a 20-minute interval
Superlatives hardly do justice to the magnificent staging of one of Disney’s all-time favourites, Beauty and the Beast, which has been...
Alex First
Jun 30, 20243 min read


Recollection (Pot Kettle Black Productions), at fortyfivedownstairs - 80 minutes, with no interval
Olivia (Eve Morey) is heartbroken. Her bright, talented, intelligent, 16-year-old daughter Molly (Molly Holohan) – an artist in the...
Alex First
Jun 28, 20242 min read


The Platypus, at Theatre Works (Buckets Nijinsky Productions) - 100 minutes, plus a 20-minute interval
The disintegration of a marriage with a decided difference. The Platypus is confronting, comedic (anarchic, even) and creative. Two...
Alex First
Jun 27, 20242 min read


Son Called Moon, at Chapel Off Chapel - 90 minutes, with no interval
Inspired by a journey of discovery undertaken by its creator, writer and composer Ari Jacob, Son Called Moon is a cerebral work featuring...
Alex First
Jun 23, 20243 min read


Finucane & Smith’s The Exotic Lives of LoIa Montez, at Chapel Off Chapel - 80 minutes, with no interval
The colourful and controversial life of the dancer, actress, courtesan and rebel born Maria Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert explodes onto...
Alex First
Jun 23, 20242 min read


When Night Comes (Broad Encounters), at the Austral - 60 minutes
Don a black cape and an exotic mask and be led on a journey of discovery through darkened hallways, up and down stairs and into a series...
Alex First
Jun 22, 20242 min read


Shrapnel (Kadimah Yiddish Theatre), at fortyfivedownstairs - 80 minutes, with no interval
Few are as fearless in opening up their lives, warts and all, as is Namibian born Natalie Gamsu. The singer, actor and cabaret performer...
Alex First
Jun 22, 20243 min read


Lightscape 2024, at Royal Botanic Gardens
The unmissable nighttime visual spectacle Lightscape has returned to the Royal Botanic Gardens for a third winter with a reimagined trail...
Alex First
Jun 17, 20242 min read


Samuel Beckett & The Rainbow Girl (Bloomsday in Melbourne), at St Martin's Theatre - 2 hours 10 minutes, plus a 20-minute interval
She could light up a room like no other and yet her tragic fate was sealed early on. I speak of the sparkling, enthusiastic Lucia Joyce,...
Alex First
Jun 17, 20243 min read


Cutting Onions (Running With Scissors Theatre Company), at The MC Showroom - 85 minutes
How do you know when it is best to end a relationship? That question is highlighted and spotlighted in the compelling and highly creative...
Alex First
Jun 16, 20242 min read


The Woman in Black, at Athenaeum Theatre and touring - 100 minutes, plus a 20-minute interval
The second longest running play (excluding musicals) in London’s West End, The Woman in Black is no neatly packaged fairy story. It is a...
Alex First
Jun 15, 20243 min read


One Song, at Melbourne Town Hall - 60 minutes
Music like, I dare say, you have never seen it performed before. An hour-long pulsating beat, complete with athleticism, instruments...
Alex First
Jun 14, 20243 min read


Daniel Kitson Collaborator - 70 minutes
Have you ever wanted to be an actor or voice over talent? Well, here’s your chance, although Daniel Kitson would hate me for saying so...
Alex First
Jun 12, 20242 min read


FOOD, at The Lawler, Southbank Theatre - 90 minutes, with no interval
One of the most remarkable interactive theatrical experiences I have had, FOOD is about the palate, gluttony, sleight of hand and so much...
Alex First
Jun 8, 20243 min read


Sea Symphony, in Theatre Works' courtyard
I can still recall imagery in my mind’s eye as a youngster after reading Joseph Conrad’s vivid stories about the power of the sea. The...
Alex First
Jun 8, 20241 min read
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