Reviews

Georgy Girl

Book by Patrick Edgeworth. Music and Lyrics - The Seekers (with additional songs by multiple pop and jazz composers). Produced by Encore Theatre Co. Directed by Denise Sam. MDs: Denise Sam and Michael Stocks. Choreography by Trista Little. Princess Theatre Launceston. 16-25 October, 2025.

My most vivid recollection of The Seekers is undoubtedly tied to the runaway hit song "Georgy Girl". It played on a constant loop on the radio for what seemed like years. Long enough for me to form a genuine attachment to the lyrics. Ironically, I was a scrawny child, as opposed to chubby, but I still found the song to be hugely aspirational. 

The Musical of Musicals: The Musical.

Music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart, book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart. Everyman Theatre. Directed by Duncan Driver and Duncan Ley. A.C.T. Hub, Kingston, 17–25 October 2025.

June (played by Hannah Ley), unable to pay her rent, asks her friend Willy (Will Collett) to help her in order to avoid the predations of her wicked landlord, Jitter (Jarrad West).  The additional advice of her idol Abby (Louiza Blomfield) may or may not help.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

By Phillip Grecian (adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie). Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. Directors: Ann Harvey and William Dowd. Lighting Design and Sound: Gareth Kays. Sound Scape: Greg Gurr, Ann Harvey and Scott Hunt. Set: William Dowd. The Playhouse. 15-25 October 2025

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered one of Christie’s best novels. Adapting a first-person narration for the stage can be very difficult but Phillip Grecian (playwright) and co-directors, Ann Harvey and William Dowd, facilitate this with aplomb.

Women in Red

By Mo Yan Chi Lai. Melbourne Fringe. Festival Hub: Trades Hall – Common Room. Oct 15 – 19, 2025

Women in Red refers to the traditional rice wine fermented at the birth of a daughter and drunk on her wedding day; this show is an exploration and celebration of womanhood brought to life by an impeccably talented solo performer, Mo Yan Chi Lai. She forges a solid bond with her Cantonese roots lets us in to her world and proclaims at the start of the show that she is a ‘Hongkongnese’ and wants to share her women’s stories with us.

Daytime Deewane

By Azan Ahmed. National Theatre of Parramatta. Director Sepy Baghaei. Riverside Theatre Parramatta. 18 – 25 Oct, 2025

British playwright, poet and actor Azan Ahmed remembers his father’s stories of the daytime raves in England in 1980s and 90s where young South Asians came together to escape strict family rules and the discrimination practised at night clubs. He recalls “Tales from my Baba’s teens, him cutting up the dance floor at 90s Daytimers. My aunts and uncles had similar stories … of young 2nd generation British Asians cultivating their own genres of music, fashions and slang which blended their identities.”

City of Angels

Book by Larry Gelbert. Music by Cy Coleman. Lyrics by David Zippel. Hornsby Musical Society. Directed by Logan McArthur. Playing at the Pioneer Theatre, Castle Hill. Oct 17 – 26, 2025

A jazzy, witty ride through noir and ambition, elevated by breathtaking design, lighting and choreography.

City of Angels is a dazzling and unconventional musical weaving a clever, jazz-infused homage to Hollywood’s golden age with a sharp-witted exploration of art, ambition, and the blurred line between reality and fiction. This production balances wit, melody, and satire with remarkable precision — a stylish love letter to film noir and the messy business of storytelling.

Chimp

Devised & performed by Conor Lynch. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Trades Hall, Old Council Chambers. 17 – 19 October 2025

Conor Lynch imitates or impersonates a chimpanzee just about perfectly.  Just about.  Dressed in a black singlet, black shorts and black shoes with separate toes, he represents a chimpanzee that we come to know and like and interact with over the course of an hour. 

Jubilee featuring Trial By Jury

GSOV’s 90th Anniversary Celebration featuring the works of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Director: Diana Burleigh. Musical Director: Timothy Wilson. Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne. 17 – 19 October 2025. The Arts Centre, Melbourne, 6 November 2025 (Special Trial by Jury presentation)

Two monumental anniversaries collided in glorious harmony as Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria (GSOV) celebrated both 150 years since W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan began their legendary collaboration, and 90 years of GSOV’s own musical legacy.

Convergence

Australian String Quartet. Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, North Tce, Adelaide. Oct 17th, 2025

I have to admit to being a Benjamin Britten opera fanatic, have been since University. However, I was not as familiar with his string quartets, that is, until I attended Convergence at the Elder Hall, performed by the esteemed Australian String Quartet on the eve of their 40th birthday.

Queen Machine

Written & performed by Anna Lumb. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Quilt Room, Festival Hub: Trades Hall. 15 – 19 October 2025

Anna Lumb has a story to tell – and a point to make.  And she is a performer with many strings to her bow.  So, her show begins in form-fitting silver, and some expertly done and funny robot moves (setting up her theme, incidentally) and then some awesome hoop work... And we get to then her story...

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.