Observer

OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

Friday, February 6, 2026

Send Help (MA). 113 minutes. Now showing in cinemas.Sam Raimi is back! After helming the forgettable Oz The Great And Powerful (2013), he disappeared from the big screen for almost ten years, returning, unfortunately, with an entry in the never-ending Marvel franchise, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022). But, four years later, Raimi…

OBSERVER: Terminator Two

Due to popular demand, a new show has been added to the epic reimagining of James Cameron’s sci-fi classic Terminator 2: Judgement Day at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall from February 25 – 28 February.To celebrate T2’s 35th anniversary, the film will receive the live score treatment for the first time, transforming one of the…

OBSERVER: Chinese New Year

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s annual Chinese New Year concert comes to life with renowned conductor Li Biao and cellist Zlatomir Fung on Saturday, February 21 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall.Celebrating the Year of the Horse will be soloist Mindy Meng Wang (pictured). Known for her theatrical live performances, this Melbourne-based musician plays the guzheng,…

OBSERVER: Songs of the Bulbul

Songs of The Bulbul is a masterclass in Kathak Dance woven with Sufi story telling.The hour-long solo performance of Aakash Odedra at the Playhouse Theatre fascinates from the outset.He performs the dynamic choreography of Rani Khanam with expertise and exacting precision.The story of the Bulbul or Nightingale is brilliantly portrayed and cleverly interwoven with a…

OBSERVER: AO at MLC Kew

One of Melbourne’s finest orchestras, Australasian Orchestra, has a blockbuster concert coming up on March 1.Conducted by AO artistic director Robert Dora, the opening concert of 2026 features Rachmaninov’s romantic Symphony No 2, and a work entitled Cascades, in a new orchestration by Melbourne’s Jess-amie Kaitler.This follows the AO tradition of mixing traditional classical works…

OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report

ShowsLilydale Athenaeum Theatre: The Game’s Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays (by Ken Ludwig) February 12 – 28 at Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre, 39-41 Castella St., Lilydale. Director: Lucia Morris. Bookings: 9735 1777 lilydaleatc.comPEP Productions: Ride the Cyclone, February 13 – 21 at the Doncaster Playhouse. Director: Daniel Kim; Musical Director: Isaac Stott; Choreographer: Maya Lee….

OBSERVER: My Brilliant Career

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company, the award-winning Australian musical My Brilliant Career has made a stunning return to the Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, playing until February 28.Wow, what a show! This reimagined interpretation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel under the direction of Anne-Louise Sarks takes musical theatre to another level.With book by Sheridan Harbridge…

OBSERVER: Backpill – Redux

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

A wonderful piece of ensemble theatre, the revival of last year’s production of Blackpill: Redux was a high octane ambitious show which ultimately disappointed due to poor production values and stage craft.A young man Eli (played by Oliver Tapp) is fired from his job due to inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague he met on…

OBSERVER: Peter Pan – A Twinkle In Time

The most famous pre-teen boy in history, “apart from Macauley Culkin and not including the 30-somethings masquerading as children from Stranger Things”, is suffering from an existential crisis.Fresh off a sold-out season of #Swifttok at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Peter Pan: A Twinkle in Time is a new, equally silly one-man comedy act by…

OBSERVER: Sugar

A Midsumma Festival and Arts Centre presentation, the one-person cabaret-style show Sugar was a wonderful celebration of all things LGBTQIA+ due mainly to the scintillating performance of Tomas Kantor.The play is the story of a sugar baby, a younger person seeking a transactional relationship with a sugar daddy, an older wealthier individual. While starting off…