Observer

OBSERVER: Annie

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Annie has arrived at the Princess Theatre. Still going strong since its world premiere in August 1976 in Connecticut.Based on the popular Harold Gray’s comic strip Little Orphan Annie and Thomas Meehan’s book, it gave rise to the musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, and has played worldwide since its…

OBSERVER: Chunky Moves Phantasm

Australian contemporary dance company Chunky Move premieres Phantasm, the haunting new contemporary dance work from Australian choreographer Melanie Lane, from August 8-16 at Chunky Move Studios, 111 Sturt St, Southbank.Developed as part of Lane’s 2023-2024 Chunky Move Choreographer-in-Residence tenure, Phantasm draws from stories of feminine spirits and fictions to conjure a liminal space of ghosts,…

OBSERVER: Dial M For Murder

Smoke and Mirror Productions present Frederick Nott’s Dial M for Murder from August 7-16 at Theatre Works, St Kilda.Directed by Dean Drieberg, this production has been five years in the making – a victim of the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, but now with the support of Theatre Works, Dial M For Murder is described as ‘an…

OBSERVER: Comedy Pageant

Comedy Pageant, a one-night-only comedy spectacular, will be presented at the Brunswick Ballroom on Thursday, July 31.Comedians won’t just tell jokes, they will compete, strut and sparkle their way through beauty pageant-inspired games to decide who will be crowned the 2025 Mid-Winter Grand Supreme Comedy Queen.The iconic Brunswick Ballroom will transform into a diamond encrusted…

OBSERVER: Love, Love, Love

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Families are rarely without drama, but in English playwright Mike Bartlett’s Love, Love, Love, the drama runs so deep it borders on tragic.The play explores, among other things, whether adult children can reasonably blame their parents for their lack of direction or unfulfilled potential.The story follows two idealistic Oxford students who meet in 1967, charting…

OBSERVER: Smokescreen

Set some 50 years ago, Smokescreen is actually a contemporary play written by Christopher Samuel Carroll about the dissonance between human capacity for rationalisation and the resulting destructive outcomes.Oil executive, Glen (Carroll) and advertising guru, Bud (Damon Baudin) meet in an airport lounge to discuss ways around the impending crisis facing the oil industry –…

OBSERVER: High Tea and Opera

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

The second annual Winter Soiree by the Country Women’s Association of Victoria’s Umina Branch is again shaping up to be loads of fun.Melbourne’s The Hotel Windsor will host the High Tea and Opera on Monday, August 25. Last year saw a combination of opera and charity go hand in hand to raise funds for the…

OBSERVER: Australian Music Vault

The Australian Music Vault has announced a new display, Kylie Minogue: The Music Videos featuring six iconic costumes including the white jumpsuit worn in the video clip for Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ and, a Jean-Paul Gaultier outfit worn in the video for fan anthem All The Lovers . The Gaultier costume will…

OBSERVER: Cabaret de Paris

In a tribute to the French cabaret scene Cabaret De Paris, created by Michael Boyd Productions, entertained an enthusiastic crowd at The Palms at Crown with the wonderful Rhonda Burchmore providing star power.Promoted as a burlesque extravaganza, the show was a series of songs with Parisian or French themes, all either sung live by Burchmore…

OBSERVER: Bloomshed’s Pride and Prejudice

Bloomshed returns to Darebin with a bold new take on Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice from July 30 to August 10 at the Darebin Arts Centre, Preston.Bringing their signature wit to the depths of the housing crisis, this raucous production flips the table on the Bennet sisters’ quest for love and security through a…