Culture
Live reviews
A gentle black man makes his way in a ruthless white world
Our reviewers give their verdict on the latest shows.
- by John Shand, Bernard Zuel and Peter McCallum
Latest
Music royalty Dionne Warwick performs One Last Time at Hamer Hall
In a tour celebrating 50 years of hits, the singer showed off both her musical ingenuity and her sparking wit.
- by Vyshnavee Wijekumar and Cameron Woodhead
This new musical set during the marriage equality debate shines light on a grey time
Set in 2017 during Australia’s marriage equality debate, Bearded follows two queer teenagers as they navigate coming out.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Will Cox, Andy Hazel and Andrew Fuhrmann
Resistance is futile when Primal Scream unleash their bangers
Our critics give their verdict on the latest shows around town.
- by George Palathingal, Kate Prendergast and Kayla Olaya
Dark Noon rips apart the American Dream with savage intensity
Our reviewers give their verdict on the latest Sydney Festival shows.
- by Joyce Morgan, Chantal Nguyen, John Shand, Cassie Tongue and James Jennings
In an electric gig, this performer proved that she isn’t bothered about norms
For the dancing alone, it’s worth the price of admission – with some of the best moves in the game, Tinashe is hypnotic.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Kate Jones and Tony Way
★★★½
Sydney Festival
Dusty ghosts haunt this retelling of a famous Sydney murder
Our reviewers give their verdict on the opening shows from Sydney Festival.
- by Peter McCallum, James Jennings, Kate Prendergast and John Shand
A critic’s view on Melbourne theatre in 2024
From a theatre company that keeps raising the bar, to an awkward return, to shows that punch above their weight, it’s been an interesting year on our stages.
- by Cameron Woodhead
★★★★
Stage shows
Expect the unexpected from a delightfully bonkers night at this pub
In Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern, the audience gets to control the action.
- by Michael Idato
Dear Evan Hansen is finally in Melbourne. Was it worth the wait?
The production won six Tony awards in 2016 – and you really must see this one in the flesh to understand what the fuss is about.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Andrew Fuhrmann
Crowded House came to Melbourne and the whole night was wonderfully uncool
The iconic band’s performance at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday night was a family affair – and a poignant and potent mix of old and new.
- by Will Cox, Tony Way, Cameron Woodhead and Jessica Nicholas