Reviews

Pretty Woman: the Musical

Book by Garry Marshall & J.F. Lawton. Music and Lyrics by Bryan Adams & Jim Vallance. Directed by Jerry Mitchell. Presented by JONES Theatrical Group, ATG Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions. QPAC Lyric Theatre, October 4 to November 23, 2025

There’s an undeniable buzz in the Lyric Theatre when those five, recognisable, opening notes strike. The audience knows exactly what they’ve come for: the big budget musical glitz, the fantasy of fairytale romance, the iconic fashion, and the quotable lines of dialogue. Pretty Woman: The Musical meets those expectations at QPAC with Hollywood sparkle and Broadway polish, offering a night of familiar comfort and pop-rock nostalgia for fans of the film.

Tons of Money

By Alan Ayckbourn. Original version by Will Evans and Arthur Valentine. The Guild Theatre, Rockdale. November 7 – 29, 2025

Looking for light, bright, somewhat off-the-wall entertainment, some silliness in the lead-up to the silly season. If you’re in Sydney, The Guild Theatre in Rockdale has just the ticket.

Blackadder II

Adapted by Dan Bellis and Harrison Ewart-Dart from the BBC television series written by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton and John Lloyd. Beaumaris Theatre. November 7-22, 2025

The beloved 1980s Blackadder series has been adapted to create an hilarious 3-act stage show now on stage at Beaumaris Theatre. Co-directors, Dan Bellis and Harrison Ewart-Dart adapted three episodes from the BBC television series 2 written by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton and John Lloyd, to create Blackadder II.

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

Based on the comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Book, Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner. Additional dialogue by Michael Mayer. Additional Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa. EUCMS (now Beacon Musical Society). Director: Penny Wilson. Epping Baptist Church, NSW. 1 -15 Nov, 2925

After 60 years Eastwood Uniting Church Musical Society (EUCMS) has faced the challenge of a changing its name to Beacon Musical Society. It’s a big decision which they are facing with “courage and optimism” just like the five-year-old characters in Charles M. Schulz’s whimsical comic strip “Peanuts”.  Like Snoopy, they will face the “Red Barons” of community theatre – rising rents, falling ticket sales, finding willing helpers – in a Sopwith Camel biplane of hope and enthusiasm.

Soirée

Presented by the Academy of Queensland Ballet. Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre, November 6–8, 2025

There’s something quietly transcendent about Soirée, Queensland Ballet Academy’s luminous 2025 season, a production that doesn’t just unite dance, music, and visual art, but lets them breathe together like three parts of the same soul. Inspired by the intricate woodblock prints of Cressida Campbell AM, Soirée is an evening that turns stillness into movement, translating brushstroke into breath, canvas into choreography.

The Whale

By Samuel D Hunter. University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. The Little Theatre. 7-16 November, 2025

Rarely do I review a play where I am unable to make comment on an area for improvement or a characterisation that just didn’t quite hit the mark, but The Whale, presented by the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild is flawless. It is visceral, powerful, claustrophobic and uplifting all at the same time. Geoff Brittain is to be lauded for assembling a wonderfully talented cast of five who bring the play to life with empathy and deep understanding of character.

Boeing, Boeing

By Marc Camoletti, translated by Beverley Cross & Francis Evans. Tugun Theatre Company, Gold Coast. November 7 – 29, 2025

Fasten your seatbelts and prepare to time travel back to the 1960s via the classic French farce Boeing, Boeing by Marc Camoletti.

Night of the Living Dead! The Musical!

Written by Jordan Wolfe. Directed by Yasmin Elahi. Presented by Ghostlight Theatre Co. EvilCorp Horror Maze, 7 - 23 November, 2025

Ghostlight Theatre Co. proves Brisbane’s independent theatre scene is a hotbed of fearless creativity. Their latest production, Night of the Living Dead! The Musical!, directed by Yasmin Elahi, is a riotous, blood-splattered, and surprisingly polished spectacle that fuses the undead with rock ’n’ roll. It’s a deliriously funny homage to George A. Romero’s cult classic and a testament to what can be achieved when a creative team commits wholeheartedly to theatrical chaos.

Elastic Hearts – Featuring the Music of Sia

Presented by Queensland Ballet. Choreographed and Directed by Garry Stewart. HOTA, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast. Thu 6 – Sat 8 November 2025

Elastic Hearts is captivating, exhilarating and profoundly moving from the moment the curtain lifts to the final bow. Set to the unmistakable music of Sia, reimagined with stunning orchestral arrangements by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, this production by Queensland Ballet is a bold, vibrant celebration of movement, music and emotion (and it’s super cool too!). The music alone is breathtaking, swelling through the theatre with cinematic depth and perfectly underscoring the choreography.

Harvey

By Mary Chase. Presented by Peter Goers in Association with Holden Street Theatres Inc. Holden Street Theatres: The Studio. 4-22 November 2025

It is always interesting to see how differently an actor approaches a role that they reprise, and for Peter Goers, this is a passionate revisiting of his role as lovable, gentle and kind Elwood P. Dowd in Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Harvey.  Interestingly, it remains the fourth-longest-running play in the history of Broadway.