Observer

OBSERVER: Hadestown The Musical

Saturday, May 17, 2025

A massive musical feast of rhythm, song, dance and soul-enriching music awaits audiences at Hadestown the Musical, now playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre.The wonderful show’s lyrics, music and book were created by contemporary American songwriter/musician Anaïs Mitchell, starting as a community theatre project before developing over time to reach Broadway and London’s West End.Presented by…

OBSERVER: The Barden Party

Friday, May 16, 2025

After a highly successful international 90-show tour spanning New Zealand and Australia, The Barden Party is bringing two award-winning productions to Chapel Off Chapel from May 26-June 1.Known for their bold musical reimagining of Shakespeare they will present a double-bill of Macbeth – A Sassy, Sexy, Bluegrass Twist with Romeo and Juliet. Both tales are…

OBSERVER: Normie Rowe – The Story So Far

Who could forget hits like ‘Que Sera Sera’, ‘Shakin’ All Over’, ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ and ‘It’s Not Easy’?They were truly unforgettable hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s, as is the man who sang them, singer and King of Pop, Normie Rowe.Today Normie is still on the concert circuit, delighting audiences who were young…

OBSERVER: Body Corp

Body Corp, being presented until May 25 at the Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre, is a choreographic collage that blurs the boundaries of bodies – creating mythic figures, complex with our connection to nature and technology.Patch-worked, multi-form choreographies evoke the unreal, travel in time, transfigure self and reality.Dancers merge with machines to become hybrid creatures…

OBSERVER: Storked

The Antipodes Theatre Company and Theatre Works present Storked until May 24 at Theatre Works, 14 Acland St., St Kilda. Written by Myf Hocking and directed by Maude Davey, Storked explores the choice to have children and the growing awareness that it might not be such a great idea in our world today. Through a…

OBSERVER: Ron and Isobel

Following a sold-out season at La Mama in 2019, the comedy Ron and Isobel returns for a season at the Motley Bauhaus, Carlton from June 11-22.Written by award-winning playwright Anna Lall and directed by Elizabeth Walley and produced by Double Garage Productions, Ron and Isobel is set in 1975 on Saturday, November 15, just four…

OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report

Shows Bairnsdale Production Line Theatre Company: Come From Away (by Irene Sankolff and David Hein) Until May 25 at the Forge Theatre and Arts Hub, Bairnsdale. Director: Peter Martignoles. Bookings: eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/leisure/whats-on-and-buy-ticketsBeaumaris Theatre: Knife’s Edge (by Alison Campbell Rate) Until May 24 at 82 Wells Rd., Beaumaris. Director: Deborah Fabbro. Bookings: TrybookingThe Mount Players: The Girl…

OBSERVER: Nice Work If You Can Get It

CLOC Musical Theatre presents the razzle dazzle musical comedy Nice Work If You Can Get It until May 31 at the National Theatre, St Kilda. Directed by Mark Taylor, with musical direction by David Clausen-Wisken and choreography by Susan Lewis, the show is set in the roaring 1920s and features the timeless music of George…

OBSERVER: Humans 2.0 – Review

Humans 2.0 merges contemporary dance with circus, creating a work where risk, excitement, and danger are ever-presentThe performance opens with prone bodies stretched out onstageAs the music begins to soar, the bodies roll and spin from side to side.Before long, they are upright, and their bodies fling from one performer to another.Ori Lichtik’s original score,…

OBSERVER: Les Miserables

The world’s longest running musical celebrates its 40th birthday with a grand concert version titled Les Misérables, the Arena Spectacular, touring globally and performing at the Rod Laver Arena until May 25.Presented by Cameron Mackintosh, the show is indeed spectacular – often breathtaking – performed by a multi-talented cast and fabulous orchestra of over 65,…