Reviews

American Song

By Joanna Murray-Smith. SA Premiere. Flying Penguin Productions in association with the Goodwood Theatre and Studios. 23 Oct — 2 Nov 2025

American Song, written in 2016, is a masterclass in acting by Renato Musolino, directing by David Mealor, set design by Kathryn Sproul, and writing by Australian playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist, and newspaper columnist, Joanna Murray-Smith AM. It should not be missed.

Control

By Keziah Warner. Presented by flatpack. Explosives Factory, Theatre Works. 23 October – 1 November 2025

Control is a sci-fi play about three visions of the future, via three variations of ‘control’: being controlled, attempting to regain control, and losing control.  In its way, it is reminiscent of Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ Black Mirror television series in which the characters adopt and use technology, only to find that they are trapped and the outcomes are not at all what was expected.

Zemzemeh: Rhyme & Reason

Written and performed by Siyavash Doostkhah and Greta Kelly. BMAC Queensland Multicultural Centre. October 24, 2025

In Zemzemeh: Rhyme & Reason, Persian Sufi mysticism met contemporary electronica, sacred poetry met sacred geometry, and the result was not so much a concert as a meticulously crafted, ceremonial act of transcendence. Presented by BEMAC, this work by the duo Zemzemeh (Siyavash Doostkhah and Greta Kelly) offered a rare and potent fusion of ancestral devotion and digital-age innovation, weaving together threads of music, poetry, visual art, and philosophy into a seamless spiritual fabric.

Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt

Music by Missy Mazzoli and libretto by Royce Vavrek. Presented by Lyric Opera of Melbourne. Conducted by Patrick Burns. fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane Melbourne. 17–25 October 2025.

This is a story about an unconventional woman staged by a company renowned for its unconventional approach to opera. Lyric Opera of Melbourne was established in 2003 and its contemporary outlook creates a space for new and emerging artists to reinvent the genre and cast attention on fresh talent and different perspectives. 

Malacañang Made Us

Written by Jordan Shea. Directed by Kenneth Moraleda. Queensland Premier’s Drama Award Winner, Presented as part of MELT Festival. Queensland Theatre Co. Bille Brown Theatre. 18 Oct – 1 Nov 2025

There’s something thrilling about witnessing a world premiere that’s already earned its accolades before opening night. In the case of Malacañang Made Us, winner of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2025, the pre-show buzz was justified. What unfolded on the stage of the Bille Brown Theatre was a work of intelligence, heart, and finely tuned theatrical craft.

Rock of Ages

Book by Chris d’Arienzo. Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp. Directed by Kylie Ball & Michelle Higgins. Vocal director Tony Woodhouse. Choreographer Lynda Tama. Musical Director Paddy Higgins. North Queensland Opera and Music Theatre, Townsville Civic Theatre, Boundary Street, Townsville. 22 October – 1 November 2025.

IF ONE was to hand out awards in community musical theatre for exuberance, enjoyment and pure hard work, then hands down it would go to this production.

Wittenoom

Written by Mary Ann Butler. Co-Produced by IO Performance and Mudlark, in association with Theatre North. Directed by Chris Jackson and Jane Johnson. Earl Arts Centre, Launceston. 23-26 October, 2025

Sometimes a production is so creatively concise and fascinating in content; so invigorating in performance and so evocatively staged, it’s difficult to know where to start with a review - especially when the subject matter is so important. The inescapable fact is, it would be remiss of me not to extrapolate on the subject matter depicted in the play. 

The incredible truth being that the toxic fallout experienced in the ‘former’ asbestos mining town of Wittenoom - remains to this day, even though the mine was closed in 1966.

4 Minutes 12 Seconds

By James Fritz. Presented by Crying Chair Theatre and Secret House. Directed by Jane Angharad. Flight Path Theatre, Marrickville. 22 October – 1 November 2025

‘The world is a very different place now,’ says David, the father in this brilliant little play that touches down at Flight Path Theatre for a short stay. He’s referring to what has happened to his 17-year-old son Jack and girlfriend Cara after 4 minutes 12 seconds of private images have been broadcast to the world. Over 500,000 people saw them, including Cara’s dangerously infuriated family. How is Jack’s mortified mum Diane going to take it?

Daniel Muller-Schott Performs Tchaikovsky

Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. 22 October, 2025

 

Tchaikovsky is well-known for his emotional Romantic music, his turbulence and melancholy, but his homage to Mozart with Variations on a Rococo Theme expresses his and his generation’s nostalgia for Mozart’s earlier world of refined elegance and restraint. 

Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical

Book, Music and Lyrics by Steven Kramer. Directed by Sheridan Harbridge. Hayes Theatre Co. 17 October - 22 November, 2025

This musical gallops away with laughs galore, a glorious big band sound, spectacular choreography and a heart the size of the big red.

Historical accuracy has been sidelined to make room for the cheapest of gags and horse puns as writer Steven Kramer puts it.

The nags are played by actors.  Joel Granger is delicious as Phar Lap.  Much fun is made of his New Zealand origin. The audience is introduced to the future champion with a lavish kiwi accent who struggles to pick up sandwiches with his hooves.