Reviews

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare. The National Theatre (NT LIVE). Playing in select cinemas nationally from February 28, 2026.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play, a tragedy written sometime between 1599 and 1601. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his attempts to exact revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother.

The Mirror Crack’d

Written by Agatha Christie, Adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff. Directed by Alison Lees. Presented by Centenary Theatre Group. Chelmer Community Centre, 14 February - Sunday 8 March 2026

There’s something quite radical about staging Agatha Christie in 2026 and trusting the audience to sit still and listen. Centenary Theatre Group’s production of The Mirror Crack’d, adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff and directed by Alison Lees, draws the audience into an evening of attentive listening and shared sleuthing alongside Jane Marple, demonstrating that genuine suspense arises not from spectacle, but from language, restraint and the gradual tightening of narrative tension.

The Doll Trilogy: Kid Stakes, Other Times, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

By Ray Lawler. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Melbourne. 10 February – 11 April 2026

Cane cutter mates Roo (Ben Prendergast) and Barney (John Leary) come down from Queensland in the off season – or ‘layoff’.  By chance, they run into a couple of girls – Olive (Ngaire Dawn Fair) and Nancy (Emily Goddard) – at the aquarium and end up as boarders and more at the Carlton boarding house run by Olive’s mother Emma (Caroline Lee).

Broadway Baby!

Rupert Noffs and Bev Kennedy. Ginger’s – The Oxford Hotel. Sunday 22nd February, 2026

After wowing audiences at Ginger’s last September and October with Mark Trevorrow and Bev Kennedy in their show Old Friends Sing Sundays, Rupert Noffs returned to Ginger’s last night for his very first one man show. And what a night! The room was packed, the atmosphere buzzing – and the show itself was everything the audience expected it to be.

Calendar Girls

By Tim Firth. Huon Valley Theatre, Tasmania. Director: Lauren Asschers. Props: Rebecca Forbes. Huonville Town Hall. 20-28 February 2026

Calendar Girls is an inspiring story of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. Networks of women, through friendship, adversity and hard work have and will always continue to transform the world around them.

This is evident in the camaraderie on stage and the commitment of the Huon Valley Company to use part of the proceeds of the production for a cause akin to that of the characters in the show. This determination and generosity of spirit is what makes Calendar Girls endure.

Age of Reason - A Love Letter to Coming of Age and John Farnham

By Jayda D’Agostino. Fringe World. Rosemount Hotel, North Perth, WA. Jan 29 - Feb 5. 2026

Opening with the title song, Jayda D’Agostino’s Age of Reason, is precisely what it suggests in the title, a coming-of-age story, set to the John Farnham hits that shaped Jayda’s childhood and early adulthood.

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett

Presented by: Velvick Ltd. Adelaide Fringe. Aurora Spiegeltent at The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Rundle Road, Adelaide. Feb 21 – March 22, 2026

I reviewed Bernie Dieter’s Weimar Punk in the Cabaret Festival of 2022 and have been anxiously awaiting her return. I was not disappointed, she is back, and better than ever with Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett!

Accompanied by her 3-piece band and a troop of accomplished artists, Bernie (chanteuse extraordinaire) serenades us and spreads her message of consent, inclusivity, and the breaking down of inhibitions and barriers.

Improvised Movie Mash-Up

Presented by The Changing Jennifers. Adelaide Fringe. The Bally at Gluttony. 21 Feb - Sun, 22 March, 2026

Perhaps the most enviable skill that an actor can bring is the lightning-fast ability to create and weave a story on the run. The Changing Jennifers have that in abundance. Part of their magic lays in the madcap unpredictability, and dare I say, the total unbelievability of their stories.  Their latest Fringe show, Improvised Movie Mash Up takes the audience on a zany, fast-paced roller coaster ride of the improbable, untenable and hilarious.

A Night of Sherlock Holmes

Three classic stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in radio play format. Directed by Jason Nash. Nash Theatre, Brisbane. Playing Feb 20 - March 14, 2026.

Arthur Conan Doyle published the first the Sherlock Holmes and Watson stories in 1887 but continued developing the characters with another three novels and up to fifty short stories. Doyle was a physician as well as writer which helps to explain his subject matter in his books. Certainly, Sherlock Holmes must be one of the most widely known characters of English literature.

London Calling

By Paul Dabek (Paul Dabek Presents) and Matt Tarrant (MindBlown Productions). The Moa at Gluttony. Adelaide Fringe Festival. 20 February – 22 March 2026.

London Calling is a joyous whirlwind of cabaret, circus, magic and comedy that lives up to its ‘Pick of the Fringe’ reputation. Over a fluid and thoroughly entertaining 60-minutes this British-themed variety spectacular delivers laughter, skill and spectacle in equal measure.

A magician with comedic panache hosted the show with charm and a sharp wit making London Calling feel like a guided tour through a wonderfully madcap London night out. This set the tone from the outset, effortlessly blending audience interaction, magic and comic flair.

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