Reviews

Shirley Valentine

Written by Willy Russell. Produced by Neil Gooding and Alex Woodward. Directed by Lee Lewis. Theatre Royal Sydney, Oct 22 – 26, then Twelfth Night Theatre Brisbane from Oct 29 - Nov 8, 2025.

Peeling her potatoes for her husband to make him chips and eggs when he gets home from work, Shirley Valentine fantasizes about a holiday to Greece where she will enjoy sex for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The play, written in 1986, is about a middle-aged woman in the midst of suburban drudgery with a sullen bully husband. Some aspects feel like a period piece but many of the one-liners ring true.

Shirley notes wryly that at the age of 42 all the good things in her life are in the past, but she felt like that when she was in her twenties.

Franck&Ravel

Presented by Queensland Symphony Orchestra. QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane. 17&18 October, 2025

French was most certainly on the menu for this latest instalment in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 season of eclectic delights. The guest conductor was the widely travelled Lionel Bringuier - a familiar face on many of Europe’s concert platforms and even across the Atlantic with the Los Angeles Philharmonic - whilst at the piano, the charismatic Jean-Efflam Bavouzet joined as guest soloist.

Fly Girl

By Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore. Ensemble Theatre, Sydney. Directed by Janine Watson. 17 October – 22 November 2025

From the Departure Lounge of Ansett Airways, Melbourne in the 1970s, with an overhead airport sign telling us exactly where we are at any minute, is the story of how Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot came to be. The heroine of the story and genuine Fly Girl is Deborah Lawrie, besotted with flying from an early age.

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: 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. 

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