Originally reviewed March 2021 for Theatre People.

I’d like to start this review by saying…I LOVE MELBOURNE.

Walking along Southbank Boulevard to the Arts Centre I did so many mental fist pumps, “Yes…Melbourne is BACK!” Restaurants were buzzing, street artists were out in force and Melbournians were simply just enjoying a lovely late March evening.

And LIVE THEATRE! Having enjoyed Come From Away and Harry Potter’ recently, plus a cabaret show or two, and punishing my credit card with Moulin Rouge pre-sales, it’s just incredible to be out and enjoying another art form…live comedy.

Originally reviewed January 2021 for Theatre People.

Tap…tap…tap…is this thing on? Blowing out the cobwebs from my reviewer toolkit as live performances around Australia kick-off again, from large scale musicals to intimate cabaret shows. I honestly can’t believe that my last review was November 2019. Absolutely grateful to be back!

Originally reviewed November 2019 for Theatre People.

There are some roles that people are just born to play. Elle Woods in Legally Blonde is one of those roles that was meant for Samm Hagen. 

I’ve been lucky enough to chart and follow Samm’s career, from her debut role as Waitress #1 and Sherrie cover in Rock of Ages, to Molly Jensen cover in Ghost The Musical, Pat in Kinky Boots and most recently one of the Divas in Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. 

But to say that the pink sparkly high heels of Elle Woods, previously inhabited by Reece Witherspoon the movie version and Lucy Durack in the 2012-13 production, were destined for Hagen is an understatement.

Originally reviewed November 2019 for Theatre People.

Billed as “all the show stopping, heart racing, life changing musical theatre hits in one night”, the first Show Stoppers event, held at the historic Bank on Collins, certainly lived up to expectations.

The brainchild of founder and producer Jackie Scott, hosted and co-produced by Mike Snell (Legally Blonde, Wicked, Aladdin) featured some of Australia’s favourite and well known musical theatre darlings as well as up-and-coming stars.

Originally reviewed June 2019 for Theatre People.

Looking to fill that giant Monday night hole that the conclusion of “Game of Thrones” has left in your life? Do you desperately need your Daenerys, Jon Snow, Sansa, Bran, Tyrion fix? Want to wash the bitter taste of season eight out of your brain? Then look no further than “Thrones! The Musical” a sell-out darling of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Originally reviewed March 2019 for Theatre People.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took the soapy melodrama of Neighbours and combined it with the impromptu hilarity of Whose Line is it Anyway? 

Well, wonder no more as Colette Mann and Geoff Paine, in their Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut, spend a 50 highly entertaining minutes demonstrating the “Mann Paine Method” (thumbs up) and how you can successfully act big on a small screen.

Originally reviewed March 2019 for Theatre People.

Have you ever been sitting at your favourite pub, enjoying a drink with mates and all of a sudden you hear your favourite song playing. You resist the urge to singalong, to stomp your feet, to get up and let it belt from the top of your lungs. No? Just me then. Okay.

But if you have experienced this sensation, then The Choir of Man is your type of show. Truth be told, it’s a show for anyone who enjoys music, mateship, a beer or two and just having a jolly good time.

Originally reviewed January 2019 for Theatre People.

Two years after the original Blanc de Blanc debuted at The Studio at Sydney Opera House, the delightfully decadent circus cabaret returns with Blanc de Blanc Encore.

Originally reviewed December 2018 for Theatre People.

Returning to where it all began, the masters of misdirection and the mistresses of mayhem are back to thrill, excite and entertain Sydney audiences this holiday season.

The Illusionists debuted at the Sydney Opera House in 2012 and this brand new production “Direct from Broadway” is nothing short of jaw-droppingly spectacular.