Latest Reviews
MICF – Jay Wymarra AmaJayus
By Jessica Taurins AmaJayus is a harrowing retelling of a life unlived for a long, long time. The titular Jay - comedian and drag performer Jay Wymarra - grew up in northern Australia as a queer, Indigenous, deeply depressed person... well, at least the story is...
MICF – Demi & David – Comedy Show
By Jessica Taurins Demi & David - Comedy Show (Grocery Store) is like the Wario Ware of comedy shows. Every minute, nay, every second is tied together as loosely as a Woolies bag worn as a t-shirt, with scenes lasting anywhere from a few minutes to six seconds....
The Exact Dimensions of Hell
By Natalie Ristovski CW: This review contains descriptions and discussion of sexual assault and grooming. It is rare in this country to see theatrical works that sidestep the mainstream. Gone are the days when La Fura Dels Baus or Jan Fabre could sneak their way into...
Almighty Sometimes
By Adam Rafferty Winner of the 2019 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award Prize for Drama, Kendall Feaver’s excellent Almighty Sometimes feels to have taken too long to reach the Melbourne stage, yet the scheduling of its launch here this week has become eerily timely....
MICF – Adrian Bliss Inside Everyone
By Nick Pilgrim Running for three madcap weeks between March and April, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival grew from modest beginnings almost four decades ago to the world-renowned behemoth it has become today. A mixture of new and established talent, the...
MICF -She Slayed: A Drag Murder Mystery
BY David Gardette Drag cabaret legend Dolly Diamond doesn’t miss a beat in her new show for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. She Slayed – A Drag Murder Mystery throws together four Drag Divas in a rough around the edges, very silly but laugh out loud...
MICF – The Beaks Stickybeak
By Nick Pilgrim The Beaks - Stickybeak The Tower, Malthouse Theatre Southbank Reviewed on Thursday April 18, 2024 As the Melbourne International Comedy Festival starts winding down for another year, there is still plenty to see and do. Critiquing the 2024 event has...
A Case For The Existence of God
By Darby Turnbull The newest generation of Western plays; where the promises of opportunity, bounty, freedom under a capitalist construct haven’t just been broken but shattered repeatedly; have a very complex relationship with hope. The playwright as both omnipresent...
MICF – Josh Staley Lie to Me
By George Dixon Josh Staley - entertainment that satisfies. Close-up magic is always amazing; close-up magic without a table that takes you on a journey is even more so. With Josh Staley, that journey is peppered with delightful comedy, sometimes a bit corny as if,...
Features
Patrick Whitbread: ready to rumble (even in the rain)
When Patrick Whitbread took to the stage in the role of Riff in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour it not only marked his Opera Australia debut, but also his professional debut in a leading role. Whitbread's first ever role was playing Louis in The King and I in...
Conor Leach talks the catharsis of Fourteen
The new smash-hit Australian play, Fourteen, begins its national tour at Riverside Theatres on 3rd May. Based on Shannon Molloy’s award-winning memoir of the same name, Fourteen is the inspirational true story of growing up gay in central Queensland, adapted into a...
Elijah Williams Makes A case for the Existence of God
Acclaimed Seymour Centre favourites, Outhouse Theatre Co (Consent, Ulster American) returns with an Australian premiere from one of America’s most celebrated contemporary playwrights. A case for the Existence of God is Samuel Hunter's heart-wrenching, compassionate,...
Gregory J Wilken talks Toy Symphony at Qtopia, Sydney
By Sarah Skubala Qtopia, Sydney’s inaugural performance season kicks off next month with Michael Gow’s Toy Symphony, presented by Ad Astra Theatre Company, the crown jewel of Brisbane’s professional indie theatre scene. Producer and actor Gregory J Wilken will be...
Sydney Comedy Festival – Ting Lim
Ting Lim – Enmore Theatre Thursday 16 May – Sunday 19 May https://www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au/event/ting-lim-well-this-is-awkward/ How would you describe the show to someone who knows very little about it? I find it very hard to say no. I’m a yes person. It’s about...
Rebecca Massey Talks Holding the Man
Holding the Man is a play that has been described as the love story which defined a generation. Based on Timothy Conigrave's autobiographical book, Holding the Man traces the devastating results of HIV though the lens of Tim and John and their enduring and tragic...
News
MPAC presents captivating music, boundary-pushing dance-theatre and classic performing arts this winter
Monash University Performing Arts Centres’ (MPAC) program of captivating music, boundary-pushing dance-theatre, and classic performing arts continues this winter, across its stunning venues, the David Li Sound Gallery and the Alexander Theatre. Highlights include:...
THE 2024 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL HAS COME TO A CLOSE
Over the last 26 days more than 800 performers have taken part in the biggest dedicated comedy festival in the world. A final tally of 689 shows and more than 8000 individual performances across 185 stages in 134 venues make 2024 the biggest Festival ever. A whopping...
FINAL MELBOURNE PERFORMANCES FOR THE ODD COUPLE NOW ON SALE
Rehearsals are underway for Neil Simon’s classic comedy The Odd Couple which will open at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from 18 May and the Theatre Royal Sydney from 27 June. Due to huge demand, extra Melbourne performances have been scheduled up until 23 June, on...
The American Australian Association & Tectonic Theater Project present: The Laramie Project in Australia for the first time
The American Australian Association, in partnership with the US State Department, Tectonic Theater Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation, is proud to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia with a the first Australian staged...
Competitions
Win a double pass to Ghosts.
Win one of 2 double passes to Ghosts. The passes are for the 7:30pm show on Thursday the 30th of May. It’s playing at Theatre Works on Acland Street. To be in the running, please email your response and name to the below question to: ...
Win a double pass to Billy Elliot
Win a double pass to Billy Elliot the Musical by CLOC 8pm Thursday 16th May at the National Theatre, St Kilda To enter, simply email allison.hilbig@theatrematters.com.au with: - Your name - Confirmation you can attend on Thursday 16th May - Why you...
... because theatre matters.
About Us
Theatre Matters is a community group that loves, promotes and discusses all things to do with Australian theatre.