Observer

OBSERVER: Dog Man The Musical

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Dog Man: The Musical , the performance adventure based on Dav Pilkey’s bestselling book series, returns to Melbourne for the school holidays from September 30 to October 4 at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne.Directed by Jason Langley and musically directed by Bev Kennedy, the show follows the chronicles of a canine superhero who loves to…

OBSERVER: Chip On Her Shoulder

Chip on Her Shoulder, presented in partnership with Theatre Works, will be presented at the Explosives Factory Theatre Works from October 7 -11.An Aussie living in New York, chasing a Broadway dream, sounds like a recipe for success, or disaster.This October, Chip On Her Shoulder, starring Vanessa Buckley (Doctor Doctor, La Brea, Home and Away)…

OBSERVER: Cluedo

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Cluedo, the murder mystery board game, is stepping off the board and onto the stage for a season to be presented at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre in February.“Continuing our tradition of presenting some of the world’s favourite mysteries on stage including Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and The Mousetrap, I’m delighted to present the…

OBSERVER: The Blok

First Nations theatre company, A Daylight Connection, delivers a new work, The Blok! presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy and Deadly Fringe from October 8-18 in the Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre.Directed by Kamarra Bell-Wykes, the play centres on a character called The Master, an auteur whose exponential success and dizzying sense of self-importance comes crashing…

OBSERVER: Ray Chen, violinist

Violinist and online personality Ray Chen redefines what it means to be a classical musician, with his viral reels and YouTube videos captivating millions of people around the world. His content highlights music’s ability to inspire joy, connection and healing in humans and animals.Joined by Julio Elizalde on piano, the virtuosic violinist will perform a…

OBSERVER: Job at Red Stitch

Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre presents the Australian premiere of Job, a gripping psychological thriller direct from its critically acclaimed Broadway season.Written by rising American playwright Max Wolf Friedlich, Job opens on Wednesday September 17 for a month-long run.The play centres on Jane, who, after being put on leave due to a viral workplace incident, is…

OBSERVER: MPAC recipients

Monash University Performing Arts Centres (MPAC) has announced the recipients of its Progress Links Commissions.MPAC has provided two successful applicants with $5000 plus a 5 to 10-day residency in 2025-26 in one of its venue spaces to develop a ‘proof of concept’ proposal for further commissioning and development within the MPAC program to create and…

OBSERVER: Othello

Directed by Tanya Gerstle, this production aims to ‘strip Shakespeare’s tragedy back to its brutal emotional core.’ A five-actor ensemble explores themes of jealousy, betrayal and the consequences of post traumatic stress. The men are battle-scarred and broken. The women are collateral damage.In a 90-minute, no-interval performance, audiences will be drawn into a physically charged…

OBSERVER: Star role for Georgina

Rising star of stage and screen Georgina Hopson (Titanique, Phantom of the Opera) will lead the cast of Anastasia which will have its Australian premiere at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in December, before touring to Perth and Sydney in 2026.“I can’t quite believe that I am going to be playing Anya in Anastasia –…

OBSERVER: JKS: A Comedy?

Australian comedian Tom Bollard’s new show JKS: A Comedy? will be presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival from October 1-12 at the Trades Hall, ETU Ballroom.A line-up of comedians are hanging out backstage – it’s all fun and games – until they hear the news that a comedy legend has died. Depending on…