Stage Briefs

The Segmento Tarantella Festival 2023

Flora Georgiou reports on the Music and Dance, which runs across Victoria from November 17.

The annual Tarantella Festival celebrating Southern Italian Music and Dance across Victoria is scheduled to launch on the 17th of November and is running until the 3rd of December. A line up of local and international creatives will be entertaining the crowds with dance, music, workshops, storytelling, performances, along with a stunning multimedia exhibition.

The Dreamer by ARC Circus at Fringe World

The Dreamer, a dynamic new solo circus performance, choreographed by acrobat and dancer Robbie Curtis (Arc Circus Co., Cirque du Soleil, Circa, Circus Oz, Australian Ballet) which premiered to a sold-out season at Underground Festival at HOTA on the Gold Coast, will be at the Perth's Fringe World Festival from January 30 to February 4, 2024.

Theatrical Present Dogfight at Chapel Off Chapel

Following their recent successes including American Idiot and The Wizard of Oz, new musical theatre company Theatrical is presenting Dogfight, playing for a strictly limited season at Chapel Off Chapel from 9-26 November. 

Candide in Concert Collaboration in Adelaide.

In May 2024, South Australia’s flagship theatre and opera companies will come together for the first time in more than a decade. State Theatre Company South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will join forces to present a concert version of Leonard Bernstein’s beloved comic operetta and existential vaudeville, Candide.

Adelaide Premiere of A New Brain

David Gauci and Davine Productions celebrate 10 years of music theatre with another Adelaide debut show, a musical comedy about gratitude and fresh beginnings. 

Producer/Director David Gauci performed in the professional production of A New Brain in Melbourne and has wanted to bring this quirky musical to South Australian audiences ever since.

Seasons 2024

Theatre companies around Australia are now announcing their 2024 seasons. Read on for brief season introductions, and links to our more detailed coverage of each indiividual season.

Sydney Theatre Company

West Side Story Returns to Sydney Harbour in 2024

Opera Australia (OA) has announced that West Side Story will return to the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage in 2024, along with renewed partnerships with Dr Haruhisa Handa’s International Foundation for Arts and Culture and Destination NSW.

This production of West Side Story opened in 2019 remains the most successful of all Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour productions, having attracted record audience numbers, selling more than 65,000 tickets.

Final Grease Casting Announced

The producers of the upcoming production of GREASE have revealed the final performers joining the gang at Rydell High. The production opens at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne on 31 December 2023 and Sydney’s Capitol Theatre from 24 March 2024. 

Key cast members announced include Keanu Gonzalez (Hamilton) in the role of bad boy Kenickie, Lucy Fraser (Hairspray) as the perky Patty Simcox and Gareth Isaac (Mary Poppins) as nerdy Eugene. 

West End Veterans Lead Sydney Jewish Comedy Premiere

Veteran West End theatre couple Linal Haft and Buster Skeggs will return to the stage together for the Australian premiere of the legendary musical sketch comedy revue You Don’t Have To Be Jewish, coming to the Bondi Pavilion Theatre from October 25.