Culture
Live reviews
Pop princess perfection: Dua Lipa does it her way
Our reviewers catch up with the latest shows around town.
- by Chantal Nguyen, John Shand, Bernard Zuel, Harriet Cunningham and Peter McCallum
Latest
The man next to me didn’t even applaud. I couldn’t recommend this show more highly
It wouldn’t be a good festival if every show were easy to like or a sure thing – a program packed with tepid crowd pleasers serves no-one.
- by Elizabeth Flux
History and music collide in a joyful duo of concerts
Much has changed since the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra last visited Melbourne, but their music is just as powerful as ever.
- by Tony Way, Cameron Woodhead, Gabriela Sumampow and Vyshnavee Wijekumar
‘You don’t see standing ovations mid-song very often’: This Jesus Christ Superstar is unmissable
The early ’70s musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice has arrived back on the Melbourne stage with the energy and passion of a rock concert.
- by Cameron Woodhead
It’s Hamlet – but this time the women are in charge
Our critics take in the latest shows around town.
- by Bernard Zuel, Peter McCallum, Michael Ruffles, Shamim Razavi and Kate Prendergast
Sharp and savage: This iconic story is still shockingly relevant
This restaging of The Removalists by Melbourne Theatre Company shows that the play is just as unsettling and important now as it was in 1971.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Jessica Nicholas and Tony Way
Their music conjures private moments – so how did they pull off an arena show?
Cigarettes After Sex defies the stadium setting, delivering the same intensity and intimacy as if they were playing a hazy club in the middle of nowhere.
- by Nadia Bailey, Andrew Fuhrmann, Karl Quinn, Jessica Nicholas and Cameron Woodhead
Australian Ballet’s Carmen misses heights of dark passion
A few spine-tingling moments, yes, but this austere contemporary-dance interpretation of a classic story of desire, jealousy and murder was weirdly hollow.
- by Andrew Fuhrmann, Will Cox, Michael Dwyer, Karl Quinn, Sonia Nair and Cameron Woodhead
You can’t look away from this mesmerising one-woman performance
Our critics give their verdict on the latest shows around town.
- by Chantal Nguyen, James Jennings, Peter McCallum, Joyce Morgan and John Shand
Glimpses of greatness as plucky first-timer tackles epic role
Our reviewers give their verdict on the latest shows around town.
- by John Shand, Michael Ruffles, Peter McCallum and Shamim Razavi
Not many people can make an arena go silent. Billie Eilish can
Performing at Rod Laver Arena the musician is genuinely charming, keenly observing her surroundings and finding magic there.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/live-reviews