Melbourne live reviews
Melbourne Fringe
Melbourne Fringe Festival
A blacksmith forge and a return to the Tamagotchi era? This festival has it all
From the secrets of a public library to dating roulette, this year’s Fringe is in full swing. Keep an eye on our ever-growing list of reviews here.
- by Andrew Fuhrmann, Cameron Woodhead, Cher Tan, Donna Demaio, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Guy Webster, Hannah Francis and Vyshnavee Wijekumar
Latest
These two pieces are beautiful – but they don’t fit together
With Études and Circle Electric, The Australian Ballet is bringing together the new with the classical. Separately, they work. Together, less so.
- by Andrew Fuhrmann, Cameron Woodhead and Tony Way
Melbourne Fringe Festival 2024
This year’s festival has kicked off, with almost 500 shows on offer across Melbourne and greater Victoria. Here, our writers take a closer look.
The transcendent play that cuts to the heart of what it means to be human
In its exploration of two different relationships, the Pulitzer-winning play Cost of Living is truly great theatre.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Michael Dwyer, Tony Way and Andrew Fuhrmann
‘Triumphantly Wildean’: Oscar is a daring experiment in ballet storytelling
The first full-length narrative production commissioned by The Australian Ballet in more than 20 years is a stunning all-round achievement.
- by Andrew Fuhrmann, Cameron Woodhead, Bridget Davies and Tony Way
Now this is how you put on a production of Hamlet
Director Iain Sinclair has assembled an absolute dream team for this production – and it’s one of the biggest bargains in Melbourne theatre right now.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Kate Jones, Tony Way and Michael Dwyer
Helen Garner says this is the best thing she’s written. But does it work as an opera?
With a theme leaning so heavily on music, it’s not a surprise The Children’s Bach was adapted into an opera – but does it keep its magic when taken off the page?
- by Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Bridget Davies, Andrew Fuhrmann, Tony Way, Jessica Nicholas and Barney Zwartz
Everybody’s talking about ‘grace’. This is how it looks in action
Directed by Bert LaBonte in his mainstage directorial debut, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog at Melbourne Theatre Company is utterly transfixing.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Andrew Fuhrmann, Gemma Grant, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen and Tony Way
★★★★★
What’s on
The musical whodunnit so good you’ll want to see it twice
Packing an Agatha Christie-like drawing room mystery into a two-person show, Murder for Two offers up an evening of criminally entertaining musical comedy.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
If you hate Henry VIII then this is the musical for you
It would appear that & Juliet has been pipped at the post by Six the Musical for the poppiest show ever inspired by the 16th century.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Andrew Fuhrmann, Bridget Davies and Barney Zwartz
Any fan of Oscar Wilde should enjoy this salacious twist on his masterpiece
This take on The Importance of Being Earnest isn’t just terrific fun, it’s tethered to a deep appreciation of the interplay between Wilde’s biography and his art.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Jessica Nicholas and Andrew Fuhrmann
Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/melbourne-live-review-wrap-6g5h