Reviews

West Gate

By Dennis McIntosh. Presented by Melbourne Theatre Company, directed by Iain Sinclair. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank, Melbourne. 10 March — 18 April 2026

At 11.50 am on 15 October 1970, the West Gate bridge collapsed while under construction killing 35 workers. Despite being an historically well-documented event this tragedy has often been buried in the Australian and Victorian psyche. 

Mary Motorhead & Trade

Composed by Emma O’Halloran, libretto by Emma O’Halloran and Mark O'Halloran. Produced by Linda Thompson, presented by The Australian Contemporary Opera Company. Directed by Greta Nash, conducted by Elaine Kelly. The Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank, Melbourne. 6-13 March 2026.

Emma O’Halloran’s operatic adaptation of Mark O'Halloran’s two plays sees a very unique context for two confronting stories. Mary Motorhead (Emily Edmonds, mezzo soprano) is a murderer who brutally stabbed her husband in the head with a 12-inch carving knife. In a solitary and confined space which represents a prison, she reflects on the motivation and circumstances of her chilling crime. Trade depicts an encounter between a Young Man (Callum McGing, tenor) who meets his Older Man (Christopher Hillier baritone) client in a seedy hotel. 

Rumors!

By Neil Simon. The Spotlight Theatrical Company. Spotlight Theatre, Basement Theatre. 13 - 28 March, 2026

Did you ever have a day when absolutely everything went wrong? Rumors! makes you realise that things could always get worse – and when they do, the result (from the outside looking in) is utter hilarity. Beneath the laugh-out-loud mayhem, lurks Neil Simon’s sophisticated wit and commentary on marriage, secrets and status. This was Simon’s only farce – and it’s a doozy.  Four quirky couples, a suicidal deputy mayor and a hair-trigger gun all come together at an ill-fated anniversary party, creating absurd havoc.

Desire and Longing

Performed by Xenia Puskarz Thomas and David Belkovski. Opera Queensland Studio Series, Opera Queensland Studio, 13 - 14 March, 2026

At Opera Queensland’s Studio, Desire and Longing offered something increasingly rare in performance: intimacy without compromise. Xenia Puskarz Thomas and David Belkovski created an atmosphere of startling immediacy, drawing the audience into a world where sensuality, memory and yearning were not merely themes but living forces in the room. In the Studio’s warmly lit cabaret setting, with candles flickering on tables and festoons glowing at the rear of the stage, the atmosphere was both elegant and inviting.

The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband

Written by Debbie Isitt. Directed by Jacklyn Radbourne. Sandgate Theatre. March 13 - March 28.

This title is one of the most unusual, but it is most suited to what follows.

Wright & Grainger – Eurydice

Presented by Wright & Grainger, ParrotOx, Tom Oliver Production and Joanne Hartstone. Adelaide Fringe at The Mortlock Chamber Library. 19 Feb – 22 March 2026.

In the hands of the extraordinary storytelling duo Alexander Wright and Phil Grainger, ancient myth becomes something vivid, contemporary and utterly spellbinding. Their production of Eurydice at the stunning Mortlock Chamber as part of the Adelaide Fringe is not merely theatre, it is an experience that lingers long after the final words are delivered.

Lawrence Mooney

Full Moon Party. Adelaide Fringe 2026. The Box. Garden of Unearthly Delights. March 9th - 22nd, 2026

Despite a packed house, comedian Lawrence Mooney’s Full Moon Party didn’t always match the anticipation. Showcasing many impressions, the audience did not have the benefit of the usual costumes and wigs differentiating between characters. Mooney opened with his impression of actor Russell Crowe. Playing a compere/mediator between his alter-egos, Mooney’s humour is not for the politically correct, but I suspect the audience knew that when buying a ticket.

Macbeth

By William Shakespeare. GRADS. Directed by Grace Edwards, The New Fortune Theatre, University of Western Australia, Nedlands WA. Mar 11-21, 2026

Well respected actress Grace Edwards makes her directorial debut with the latest oof GRADS Theatre Company’s Shakespeare productions in the New Fortune Theatre, The University of Western Australia’s roofless Shakespearian Theatre. With many Shakespeare performances under her belt, nine of them in this venue, The Scottish play, was a great choice for Grace’s first show, and she has assembled an impressive cast.

Exit Laughing

By Paul Elliott. Hunters Hill Theatre. Club Ryde Ex. Mar 6 – 29, 2026

Exit Laughing is a hilariously engaging production with a unique blend of humour and heart, exploring themes of friendship, grief, and the meaning of celebrating life, even in the face of loss.

The ensemble cast, led by Phillipa Coleman as Connie, delivers sensational performances that breathe life into the complex relationships at the table. 

Sing Sing Sing

Hosted by Jason Barry-Smith. Presented by Opera Queensland. Opera Queensland Studio, 14 March, 2026

Opera Queensland’s Sing Sing Sing continues to prove that participation can be every bit as artistically satisfying as observation. This is not opera as a museum piece, preserved behind glass and admired in silence. It’s opera with its collar unbuttoned a little, handed back to the room, and all the better for it. Always well attended, and clearly building a loyal following, the event has found a sweet spot between musical substance and social ease.

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