Her life story has hardly been straightforward but, dare I say, that is what makes it compelling. I speak of Iranian immigrant Sahra Davoudi, who arrived in Melbourne at age 25 and had to learn English. In fact, the first words she mastered were “sorry” and “hey, how you goin’?” She tells us about a…
Author Donald Horne coined the expression “the lucky country” in his 1964 book titled “The Lucky Country: Australia in the Sixties”. But whether you see us as a lucky country now (or in the past) depends upon your experiences and perceptions. And now to a musical of the same name, tackled with humour and heartache,…
There are apologies and then there are apologies. Some are genuinely heartfelt, while others are confected. In other words, the latter aren’t real apologies. Still, all get a workout in the highly interactive and engaging show, Sincere Apologies. Positioned alongside a standing microphone in the middle of a few rows of wooden seating in the…
From cabaret to comedy, music to dance, theatre to the visual arts and a lot more, diversity is the key to the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival. That was on display at the opening night gala at the Capitol Theatre, which gave us a taste of the almost 500-strong show lineup in this, the festival’s 43rd…
Vive la difference. Award-winning UK theatre collective SUBJECT OBJECT and Nathan Ellis, who is behind the concept and the text of two immersive, interactive shows, don’t run with the pack. In instructions, they call upon a different unrehearsed actor each time over 10 shows to follow their directive, as the actor auditions for a role…
From high octane pop and rock to soulful melodies and operatic arias, this is a rampant, raucous, defiant, unabashed and provocative celebration of cabaret. These divas and deviants know how to party and ensure all of us are along for a particularly wild ride. They’ve been upending the art form for 20 years, doing things…
Tough, gritty and uncompromising. That is the incendiary combination that marks the work of co-creators Patricia Cornelius (also writer), Susie Dee (also director) and Nicci Wilks (also performer). They have done it before with RUNT, a study of the underdog, and now Bad Boy, which tackles misogyny and domestic violence. A female actor, Wilks, get…
How unexpectedly and thrillingly different – a bold and unique theatrical offering from the UK, which makes its international debut at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Think WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) crossed with Norse mythology in a story that melds passion and pain with humour and bravado. Mythos: Ragnarok features professional wrestlers – gigantic men and fearsome…
Think outrageous, absurd and hilarious and you have the starting point for Le Freak. It is show that sets out to shock and delight, and that it most certainly does. The talent incorporates trans, queer, disabled and indigenous performers. They execute a series of outlandish sketches, interspersed with video content. The show also features a beloved puppet ferret who…
Risqué and ribald, the R-rated treat that is Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett features an astounding cavalcade of talent. Provocative costuming, sexual tension, bawdy humour, original music and death-defying feats of strength, dexterity and precision are the order of the day. Aerial skills, pole dancing and fire eating are hot on the menu, as is hilarious audience interaction. There…
