Observer

OBSERVER: Malthouse 2026

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Vivia Hickman, Malthouse’s Executive Producer, says that hope was a guiding force in choosing productions to showcase for 2026.An eclectic mix of old and new, including dance, drama, and comedy, is on offer.Here are just some of the highlights.The season kicks off with Black Light, starring real-life actor sisters Rachael and Lisa Maza.Written and directed…

OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

Caught Stealing(MA). 107 minutes. Available to rent or buy on selected digital platforms.Following the artificial, hollow and unsatisfying The Whale (which received wild praise and an Oscar for Brendan Fraser), director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem For A Dream, Mother!) makes a huge return to form with Caught Stealing, which while openly embracing its influences, also…

OBSERVER: What Lies Beneath

Sarah Miller’s What Lies Beneath, uses the myth of Demeter and Persephone as the centrepiece of her production.What is difficult to establish is just how integral that myth is or the message Miller wishes to convey.In the myth, Persephone (Daphne Gerolymou-Papadopoulos) is abducted by Hades, the God of the Underworld, leaving Demeter (Rosa Voto) bereft.Between…

OBSERVER: AYO in 2026

Friday, October 10, 2025

The Australian Youth Orchestra invites audiences across the country to experience a season of exhilarating music-making, boundary-pushing repertoire, and a renewed commitment to accessibility.From Adelaide to Darwin, Sydney to Perth, AYO’s concerts will feature world-class soloists and international conductors, thrilling premieres, and unforgettable performances that celebrate both the greats of classical music and the voices…

OBSERVER: Mrs Warren’s Profession

Generational change and class structure intertwine in Mrs Warren’s Profession, a sharp societal critique of the limited options available to late-Victorian working-class women.Real-life mother and daughter duo, Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter, portray Mrs. Kitty Warren and her daughter Vivie in George Bernard Shaw’s classic 1893 melodrama directed by Dominic Cooke.Banned briefly by the chief…

OBSERVER: Fairytales ruined

“Ready to ruin fairytales forever” was the stark warning that we were given when invited to witness Brothers Bare as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival at Theatre Works Explosive Factory.Forget any connection to the fairy tales of old, ones that you would share with your children with bedtime reading, this play is strictly for…

OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Steven (MA). 92 minutes. Now available on Netflix.Director Tim Mielants and star Cillian Murphy, who collaborated so well on Small Things Like These, reteam for Steve, a highly energised drama that mainly rides on a wave of emotion, hitting viewers square between the eyes.Set in the mid 90s, the story focuses on Steve (Cillian Murphy),…

OBSERVER: Greeking Out

Let’s talk about myths, baby. Greek myths, to be exact.Welcome to Mythology 101 with Professor Ari, an engaging masterclass of all things ancient and Greek.First, please take note of the ground rules. Opinions are not welcome. This is a lecture, not a free-for-all.Greeking Out, a one-woman show created and performed by Rebecca Perich, is a…

OBSERVER: Chip On Her Shoulder

A premiere performance as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival at Theatre Works Explosive Factory. Chip on Her Shoulder is a play for anyone ready for laughs and emotional bonding.Written and directed by Jen McAuliffe who commenced writing while working in theatre in New York. Under the mentorship of Steve Leff she developed the play,…

OBSERVER: Instruction and work.text

If the thought of experimental theatre has you breaking out in a sweat and lunging for your oodie and the TV remote, you need to see a Subject Object production.This UK-based collective, led by Creative Director Nathan Ellis, has brought two distinctive works — Instruction and work.txt — to the , and they are fabulous.Although…