Observer

OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Shows The Mount Players: Mr Bailey’s Minders (by Debra Oswald) Until May 24 at the Mountview Theatre, 56 Smith St., Macedon. Director: Sonja Prater. Bookings: themountplayers.comCLOC Musical Theatre: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, May 15-30 at the National Theatre, St Kilda. Director: Shaun Kingma, Musical Director: David Clausen-Wisken, Choreographer Melanie Ott. Bookings: cloc.org,auMordialloc Theatre Company: The Other Place…

OBSERVER:: Fabulous Caprettos

The Fabulous Caprettos perform at Frankston Arts Centre on Friday, May 22 at 8pm in the Main Theatre.Four legends unite for a night of Australian hits, including Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets/The Angels), Rai Thistlethwayte (Thirsty Merc/Joe Satriani/Sammy Hagar/TOTO), Joe Camilleri (The Black Sorrows) and Wendy Matthews (Multi Aria Award Winner) live together as The…

OBSERVER: Swing Affair

Monday, May 18, 2026

Mack the Knife was a ripping song (sorry!) to commence Morning Melodies at Hamer Hall.Rhys Tolhurst sang the song languidly and sexily. He introduced the four-piece band: Musical Director Mike Pensini on keyboards, Gerry Pantazis on drums, Harry Morrison on double bass and Tim Wilson on saxophone and flute. What a quartet!Each musician enjoyed solos…

OBSERVER: Gran Partita

The MSO’s Gran Partita concert was a celebration of all things woodwind. The first half comprised Strauss’ Sonatina 1 in F major under the direction of David Thomas.Composed between 1941 and 1943, it serves as an introduction to a more modern sensibility of counterpoint and texture where composition was concerned. Whilst maintaining a lyric sensibility,…

OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

The Sheep Detectives (PG). 109 minutes. Now showing incinemas.A surprisingly deft blend of family film (in the tradition of Babe) and Agatha Christie style murdermystery, this is one of those genuinely rare birds that will captivate both children and adults.Hugh Jackman plays George, a gentle farmer who lives in the kind of gorgeous countryside onecan…

OBSERVER: Death of a Salesman

GWB Entertainment and Andrew Henry Presents have announced the return of Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic play Death of a Salesman to Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, for a strictly limited two-week season from August 11.Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner Anthony LaPaglia will reprise his role as Willy Loman, for which he received rave…

OBSERVER: Confined 17

The Torch announces an immersive public program for Confined 17 – its landmark annual exhibition featuring 497 artworks from 424 First Peoples artists with lived experience of incarceration in Victori.The exhibition is until June 14 at Glen Eira City Council Gallery.Through a series of live events, The Torch invites the public to engage directly with…

OBSERVER: Sweet as pie

Saturday, May 9, 2026

The Australian premiere of Waitress opened to an appreciative packed house at Her Majesty’s Theatre, where it can be enjoyed until July 19.Audiences are greeted by a spectacular lattice cherry pie design covering the front curtain, with numerous racks of delicious-looking pies rotating in two tall glass towers standing either side.The comedy-drama stage musical evolved…

OBSERVER: Waitress

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Broadway’s smash-hit musical Waitress is playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne until July 19.Leading the cast as Jenna is Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Chicago, Shirley Valentine), while Gabriyel Thomas (Cats, Sister Act) and Mackenzie Dunn (Grease, Annie) play Becky and Dawn, Jenna’s coworkers at the diner.Rob Mills (& Juliet, Wicked) is Dr Pomatter, and John Waters (Jesus…

OBSERVER: Welcome to Hell

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Hell on earth could well be a corporate training session where recruits are ‘onboarded’ – an odious word if ever there was one – but, for Andy Balloch, it represents an opportunity to chastise and satirise and, for that matter – demonize everything that’s problematic in society. His Welcome to Hell contribution to the Melbourne…