Observer

OBSERVER: Koreaboo

Monday, October 5, 2026

Koreaboo, by playwright and actor Michelle Lim Davidson, is a personal and surprisingly humorous exploration of identity, family and belonging.Drawing on her own experience of being adopted by an Australian family, the production follows Lim Davidson’s journey to uncover the truth of her origins and reconnect with her birth mother in South Korea.When Hannah (Lim…

Observer

OBSERVER: Back To Me

Domestic violence is a delicate subject to address, but Penelope Swales embodies the role of a woman surviving from day to day living in her car.Written by Jules De Cinque and Swales, this is a show that is both touching and intimidating, given the prevalence of inappropriate aggression in our society.Self-composed songs provide an insight…

Observer

OBSERVER: Age Of Reason

Jayda D’Agostino’s cabaret contribution to the Melbourne Fringe Festival is a tribute to the works of John Farnham.She has the vocal range to meet the demands of the pieces she has chosen to sing and she is backed by very competent musicians, but it is in the narrative between songs that the show suffers a…

Observer

OBSERVER: The Ex Files

Sunday, October 4, 2026

The city of Melbourne becomes the grandest set imaginable for Matt Bell in one of the queerest criminal investigations of all time.The audience become voyeurs in the journey craftily linked by headsets that allow us to hear Bell over the city’s din.Each location on the trail enables Bell to reveal the details of the felony…

Observer

OBSERVER: Briefs – The Works

The creatives behind Briefs: The Works nailed the title because it delivers exactly that – the works!While the full-frontal nudity certainly commands attention, it’s far from the show’s defining feature. What truly sets this cabaret, burlesque, drag and circus spectacular apart is its extraordinary artistry, razor-sharp humour and jaw-dropping talent.These drag performers don’t just lip-sync…

Observer

OBSERVER: The Enormous Radio, at Newport

This performance is actually by radios, not humans. They take a back seat as we found out during the opening VIP night at Chamber Made’s The Enormous Radio by Roslyn Oades and Bob Scott hitting the airwaves to a throng of humans at The Substation in Newport.To understand, best I use a piece from their…

Observer

OBSERVER: (Almost) Killing It in Hollywood

All love the stories behind Australians making it big in the huge artistic pond that is Hollywood.But for every Hemsworth and Kidman, there is a Williams.Ash Williams, that is, a Melbourne comedian who did indeed make it in Hollywood, but fame came at a price.Ash’s memoir (Almost) Killing It In Hollywood takes us behind the…

Observer

OBSERVER: Malthouse 2027 Season Launch

Seasons come and go but 2027 promises to be one of significance for Malthouse Theatre, for in just having its 60th year Anniversary from starting back in 1976, its recently appointed Co-CEO, and Artistic Director Dean Bryant is responsible for the assembly of bold new Australian works for the 2027 Malthouse season.Award-winning Bryant brings with…

Observer

OBSERVER: Frozen

Babirra Music Theatre presents Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical until October 11 at The Round, Nunawading.Theatrical artistry merges with state-of-the-art technology, achieving a visually spectacular interpretation.Under the visionary direction of Joel Batalha, the creative team includes musical director Peter Verhagen, choreographer Kim Adam, US based set designer Eric Luchen, costume designer Leonie Campbell, co-lighting designers…