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The Whisper
2024-02-15 - 2024-02-25 | Fortyfivedownstairs Theatre, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
In The Whisper, a tip-off sparks a journey of Indigenous family survival, made by horse and cart under the cover of dark. Set against the racialized backdrop of 1940s Australia, a Ngarrindjeri family must make the impossible choice to leave home and country forever.
Directed by Maryanne Sam (Coconut Woman, Yirramboi Festival), The Whisper tells a story of courage and bravery. It reimagines the journey of one Aboriginal family striving to stay together at all costs, in the context of the painful 20th century colonial policies of separation, child removal, and racial segregation.

The Wharf Revue Pride and Prejudice
2024-02-12 - 2024-02-24 | Union Theatre, Union Theatre, Level 2, Arts and Cultural Building, Monash Road (Off Swanston Street), University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
For more than 20 years The Wharf Revue has delivered razor-sharp political satire to audiences in Sydney and around the country. Now it’s Melbourne’s turn with The Wharf Revue Pride and Prejudice!
From the creator of the smash hit The Gospel According to Paul that sold out its 2021 season at Arts Centre, join Jonathan Biggins and the Revue’s Team of Rivals as they step into the Melbourne spotlight with this year’s hilarious Pride in Prejudice.
Featuring a line-up of characters including Anthony Albanese, Tanya Plibersek, Jacqui Lambie, Joe Biden, Sussan Ley and Peter Dutton, and riffing off shows including Q&A, Play School, Stephen Sondheim’s Company and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, The Wharf Revue Pride in Prejudice is: ‘The quintessential take down of Australia’s most well-known pollies.’ ABC

Meet Me at Dawn
2024-02-10 - 2024-03-16 | Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
Meet Me at Dawn at the Arts Centre.
Long walks on the beach can have their dark side.
A tour-de-force two-hander starring Sheridan Harbridge of Season 2023’s sell-out Prima Facie and Jing-Xuan Chan (SBS’s The Family Law), Meet Me at Dawn is the dramatic collision of love story and philosophical thriller. Riddled with mysteries and surprises, it conjures a strange, otherworldly space while capturing essential truths about the human condition with stark clarity.
When Robyn and Helen find themselves shipwrecked on a strange shore, their struggle to find a way back home will test their bond to breaking point.

Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show 2024
2024-02-10 - 2024-03-10 | Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Get ready to do the Time Warp again as The Rocky Horror Show returns to Melbourne in 2024! Experience the ultimate cult classic live on stage at the historic Athenaeum Theatre. Join us for a night of outrageous fun, infectious music, and unforgettable performances. Jason Donovan reprises his role as Frank N Furter.
Whether you’re a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran, The Rocky Horror Show at the Athenaeum promises an evening of delightfully twisted entertainment that will leave you singing and dancing all the way home.

A Body at Work
2024-01-27 - 2024-02-04 | La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
The debut solo show from queer artist and sex worker Frankie van Kan exploring what it means to be A Body at Work in the adult industry.
Serial nudist, Frankie van Kan (AKA Frankie Valentine—Stripped Queer, Club Briefs, Baby Got Back, Seen & Heard Cabaret) achieves the improbable task of exposing more of herself than ever before, in this deeply intimate piece of confessional theatre. Directed by Maude Davey, A Body at Work is the tale of a queer woman’s sixteen years—and counting, in the sex industry.
Beginning in a strip club, with insightfully refreshing antics of strip club culture and the perceived power dynamics between workers and clients, Frankie unpacks her own whorephobia and the unravelling of boundaries. As she regales you with stories of the body as a commodity and navigating queerness in this honest, humorous and heartfelt journey Frankie asks the question—will they love me at my Madonna when they’ve relished me at my whore?

Transwoman Kills Influencer
2024-01-27 - 2024-02-04 | La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
Transwoman Kills Influencer. Are trans people who we think they are? What makes a good person?
Famous pro-man advocate, Alejandro Mate, is missing. His disappearance leads back to his rumoured lover, a known Trans business woman and LGBTQIA+ advocate, Denise Catacutan. We are thrown back to the incident through the lens of the people who were there. Bryle, a drag queen and Denise’s assistant. Jen, Denise’s colleague and estranged friend. And Ms Catacutan, Herself. As we repeatedly relive the day of the disappearance, we see more and more details of the seemingly simple story and we are faced with the question. Did the trans woman kill the influencer?
Experience the unique and captivating production of Transwoman Kills Influencer, which combines videos and theatre to present a thrilling murder mystery. The play tackles the complex issue of discerning true goodness and righteousness. Through the Rashomon effect, the production highlights the impact of personal bias on our perception of the truth. As a result, viewers are encouraged to closely analyse the evidence and question what is presented to them, ultimately uncovering deeper realities that lie beneath the surface.
Transwoman Kills Influencer closes 4 February 2024.

Groundhog Day
2024-01-24 - 2024-04-07 | Princess Theatre, 163 Spring Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Direct from its record-breaking run-in London Groundhog Day the Musical is now playing at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre.
Phil Connors, a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Caught in a time loop, he’s forced to relive the same day again and again… and again. As Phil recognises that an infinite loop offers infinite possibilities, is there a lesson being learned and will he ever figure out the secret to break the cycle?
From the award-winning minds of Tim Minchin, Danny Rubin and Matthew Warchus, this brilliant new production based on the classic movie will play exclusively in Melbourne.

Fountain Lakes in Lockdown: A Drag Parody Play
2024-01-23 - 2024-01-28 | Alex Theatre, 135 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, VIC, 3182, Australia
It’s August 2021. Kath is up to pussy’s bow in sour dough. Kel’s commemorative pork and bat sausage flopped. Kim’s been asked to work from home (though that was because her colleagues prefer she doesn’t come into the office). Sharon has had a severe reaction to all the hand sanitiser.
Relive the uniquely Melbourne pandemic experience through the eyes of these uniquely Melbourne characters hilariously parodied by Art Simone, Thomas Jaspers, Leasa Mann and Scott Brennan. With quick wit and camp tunes, this will be a fabulous night out for everyone!

Queer Playwriting Award Showcase
2024-01-22 | Gasworks, 21 Graham Street, Albert Park, VIC, 3206, Australia
Witness the first staged readings of brand new queer-focused theatre works, with excerpts and Q&As from our top 4 finalists:
– The Queer Kingdom by Tom Ballard
– Day for It by Anna Lindstedt and Sally Davies
– Sexcapades by Rosemary Cann. (This project was made possible by the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.)
– Men on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown by Adam Fawcett
Be the first to experience new work on stage. Hear queer issues and voices, engage with new playwriting talent and have your say in the 2024 Award selection.

The Choir of Man
2024-01-17 - 2024-02-11 | Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
The Choir of Man is ready to give Melbourne a night at the pub like no other! A wildly talented group of instrumentalists, world-class wordsmiths and sensational singers; this cast of nine guys serve it all… live!
Prepare to be blown away with captivating renditions of chart-topping hits from legendary artists such as Guns N’ Roses, Adele, Avicii, Paul Simon, Sia, and more. It’s an unforgettable musical journey that will have you singing along and tapping your feet all night long!
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this extraordinary experience.

The Inheritance by Matthew López
2024-01-17 - 2024-02-11 | Fortyfivedownstairs Theatre, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Performed in two parts and inspired by E. M. Forster’s beloved novel Howards End, Matthew López’s landmark play. The Inheritance spans generations in its exploration of love, legacy, and what we owe to those who came before us. Kitan Petkovski directs this bold, sexy, and deeply moving production, featuring a stellar ensemble cast. Petkovski will again collaborate with the creative team behind his Green Room Award winning production of The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven.

All the Rest
2024-01-16 - 2024-01-20 | Theatreworks, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda, VIC, 3182, Australia
All the Rest at Theatreworks. A failed art gallery proposal and four house parties all on the same night. Could you think of a more cliché night for a struggling artist?
James is a painter whose rose-tinted view of the world is quickly brought to reality once he realises nothing is truly original – including his own work. And so, he does what any sensible person would do: try to get drunk and forget about it.
“All the Rest” is a dramedy all about the search for individuality, embracing imperfections, and finding human connection amidst a world filled with conformity and replication. Written by Law Revue alumni Finn McGrath. The show has a fast-paced wit while it dives into the introspective nature of creativity. It hopes to leave you grinning, whilst also leaving you overthinking your biggest life decisions – the perfect balance.

Seventeen
2024-01-15 - 2024-02-17 | Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank, VIC, 3006, Australia
Six teens assemble at the local park to celebrate the great unknown that is their future. Wild drinking, wilder dancing, regrettable pashes, and jaw-dropping confessions ensure that this night leaves no one unchanged.
The twist? Legendary stars of the stage and screen Fiona Choi, Robert Menzies, Genevieve Picot, Richard Piper, Pamela Rabe and George Shevtsov bring a lifetime of experience to characters with their whole lives ahead of them.
Set to a soundtrack of infectious bangers. A visually stunning playground sets the stage, drawing you into the inner lives of these riveting characters on the cusp of adulthood.

Legends in Concert
2024-01-11 - 2024-01-27 | The Palms at Crown, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, VIC, 3006, Australia
Direct from Las Vegas, the original, largest, and widely regarded as the world’s greatest live celebrity tribute show, Legends in Concert will be returning to Melbourne for the 6th time. Each legendary performer not only looks like the star they portray, but use their own natural voices pay homage to their iconic musical counterpart.
An outstanding cast paying tributes to Freddie Mercury, Cher, Adele, Elvis Presley, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John and Shania Twain, along with singers and dancers, and live band of the top musicians in the industry will light up the stage.

Laundry Shoot!
2024-01-09 - 2024-01-13 | Theatreworks, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda, VIC, 3182, Australia
Laundry Shoot at Theatreworks. In a laundry chute, a school teacher talks to God. Meanwhile, two posties start their rounds the morning an unknown invasion threatens their quiet community. As the day progresses, time and reality distort: the sun rises in the south-west, a dog can shapeshift, and there’s a boy missing. As the characters’ lives intersect, what is real and what have they created? Also, Enya is playing.
We all know the apocalyptic narrative that percolates around the idea of “the end times”. This story isn’t about heroes or villains struggling with the disaster that is the world – it’s about who people pretend to be when it all goes to shit. That sometimes those people are weird. And funny. And can form genuine, life-affirming connections. This new work from award-winning playwright Dora Abraham combines naturalistic text and dream-like movement to explore the power fantasy holds as a way to survive when the world has ended.
Laundry Shoot closes 13 January 2024.

Grease the Musical
2024-01-03 - 2024-03-10 | Her Majesty’s Theatre, 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Grease the Musical is back. An all-new production promises to be slicker, sexier, and more electrifying than ever before.
It’s one of the world’s most iconic and loved musicals. Nothing beats the feeling you get, going back to Rydell High. Danny, Sandy, Kenickie, Rizzo and the whole gang are back to give you a night out, like only GREASE can!
Get ready to be transported to a world of high school romance, unforgettable music, and pure, unadulterated fun!

Claire Come Home
2024-01-02 - 2024-01-06 | Theatreworks, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda, VIC, 3182, Australia
Content Warning: The following content contains discussions or references to suicide, self-harm, or related topics.
“Little mouse, we hold you a funeral. I’m sorry you were dead in our junk draws. I’m sorry I threw you across the room. I hope you flew.”
Look. I don’t want to kill myself, it’s just… I do think about cutting my hands off.
Beth, Claire’s best friend, is stuck at home. Jared, Claire’s boyfriend, is here too.
But Claire isn’t at home. Claire is in hospital recovering from a suicide attempt. And no one knows when she’ll be coming home.
As blood leaks from the kitchen cabinets, conversations turn into dance numbers and jokes turn into nightmares, CLAIRE COME HOME is a dark comedy about the absurdity and grief of waiting for a loved one to get better. This trope-flipping play asks you to sit on the couch and mind the seven foot laundry pile while the supporting characters take the spotlight.

Catch Me If You Can
2023-12-31 - 2024-01-07 | Frankston Arts Centre, 27-37 Davey Street, Frankston, VIC, 3199, Australia
Join PLOS for a ride through the 1960’s with high energy dance numbers and a riveting story about an incredible con artist who manages to fool so many for so long, with nothing more than his charm, imagination and chutzpah.
Based on the 2002 hit film of the same name starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hanks, the adventure romp Catch Me If You Can captures the astonishing story of Frank Abignale Jr, a world-class con artist who passes himself off as a multitude of identities, including a doctor, a lawyer, and a jet pilot – all before the age of 21. When Frank’s antics catch the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty, the story becomes a study of two sparring partners hot footing it across the globe yet connected by a secret mutual admiration.

A Midsummer Night's Dream
2023-12-16 - 2024-02-17 | Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, 100 Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
The jewel in the Shakespeare comedy crown. Get set to take a riotous ride through the interwoven world of Lovers, Fairies and Fools. See the gardens lit up at night, glowing and sparkling beyond your wildest imaginings. Reel with laughter as you witness the comedy that is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
When the feuding king and queen of the fairies cross paths with a quartet of runaway lovers and a group of tradesmen come amateur actors attempting to rehearse a play, one night in the enchanted forest becomes one wild ride! The fairies magically meddle in the lives of the mortals. Love triangles and transformations begin to occur with hilarious consequences!

Moulin Rouge! The Musical
2023-12-14 - 2024-02-04 | Regent Theatre, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza featuring over 70 songs including everyone’s favourite, “Lady Marmalade,” there are also thrilling new additions such as “Chandelier,” “Single Ladies,” and “Firework.”
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love.

The Problem is the Ending
2023-12-11 - 2023-12-16 | The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
The Problem is the Ending. Three characters seem to be imprisoned in a theatre. Who created them? Who ordered them to tell their story?
This new piece is an absurd tale with original music, written by Joachim Matschoss.

Into the Woods
2023-12-08 - 2023-12-16 | Clayton Community Theatre, 9-15 Cooke Street, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
Into the Woods intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Exploring the consequences of our wants and wishes. While we search for a cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn and the slipper as pure as gold.
FollowSpot Theatre Company is thrilled to be heading “Into The Woods” with a star-studded cast, a cow, a giant and a golden egg!

The Hunch Back of Notre Dame
2023-12-08 - 2023-12-16 | Geoffrey McComas Theatre, 1 Morrison Street, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia
OSMaD presents the Victoria premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame this December.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a musical based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo. Featuring songs from the Disney movie by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. It tells the story of Quasimodo, a hunchbacked bell-ringer who lives in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Quasimodo who longs for acceptance but is shunned and ridiculed for his appearance.
With a talented cast of 30 and an on-stage choir of 32 the show will sound unlike any production you’ve heard before.
The show features powerful ballads and soaring anthems. Including iconic songs “Out There”, “God Help the Outcasts” and “Hellfire”. It explores the timely themes of love, acceptance, and societal prejudice.
OSMaD is a non-professional theatre company known for it’s high quality and award winning productions. We can’t wait for you to join us this December as we bring this this epic story to life.

Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit
2023-12-02 | The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
It’s murder most foul. The crime of the century. It’s Agatha Christie, improvised!
Step into the world of a classic English murder mystery. Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit is the critically-acclaimed improvised comedy experience that brings the world of Christie to life, complete with mysterious characters, devilish red herrings, clever clues, and an amateur sleuth always on hand to outsmart local law officials and solve the case themselves.
Each performance sees a new whodunnit spun from the mind of Melbourne’s best improvising comedians. Hailing from The Big HOO-HAA!, Impro Melbourne and Impromptunes, these hilarious performers weave your suggestions into a fiendishly clever puzzle for you to solve. Your votes decide via secret ballot who lives, who dies and who will be unmasked as the killer. No two shows are ever the same!
Murder Village closes 2 December.

Kinky Boots
2023-12-01 - 2023-12-17 | Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
The Tony and Grammy Award winning musical Kinky Boots returns to Melbourne, with hit music by Cyndi Lauper. Filled with glitter, glam and a whole lot of sole, Kinky Boots is a reminder to celebrate your life triumphantly.
Kinky Boots has inspired audiences across the globe, showing everyone we can change the world when we change our minds.

MARIEDL, Selfies with a Giantess
2023-11-28 - 2023-12-02 | The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Maria Fassnauer, known as ‘Mariedl, the Tyrolean Giantess’ was born 1879 to an extremely poor farming family in Tyrol, Austria, and died there 38 years later. But those simple dates bookend an extraordinary life. Her fame spread from the small village out into the wider world. Inevitably people came calling, including a man who was to become her manager. Together with her sister Rosa, she spent six years crossing Europe to be exhibited in theatres. Including at the World Fair in Brussels, in many a German panoptikum. She then crossed to England where she spent a year at the Hippodromes in London and Manchester. It was here that Clive Darril from Wagga Wagga, Australia, caught up with her. Clive made his infamous marriage proposal in front of the press, which she turned down. She had sponsorship deals, met royalty, made a huge sum of money which she gave to her parents and a variety of charities. Behind it all was a shy religious woman who had to work hard, standing for hours in position and then selling postcards of herself.
MARIEDL, Selfies with a Giantess closes 2 December.

The Odd Couple (female version)
2023-11-23 - 2023-12-02 | Essendon Theatre Company, 9 Bradshaw St, Essendon, Melbourne, VIC, 3040, Australia
Neil Simon’s revision of his hugely successful play, The Odd Couple, sees the lead characters transformed into Olive Madison and Florence Unger. Olive and their group of girlfriends are enjoying their weekly Trivial Pursuit night in Olive’s messy and ill-equipped apartment. As the game continues, Florence arrives, fresh from being dumped by her husband. Fearful that the neurotic Florence might attempt suicide, Olive invites her to move in as her roommate. However, Olive and Florence have VERY different personalities. Where Olive is messy, untidy, and unconcerned about the state of her apartment, Florence is obsessively clean, tidy, and obsessed with hygiene. Olive’s easy-going outlook on life soon clashes with Florence’s highly-strung neurotic tendencies, testing their friendship to the limit. When Olive organizes a double-date with the Costazuela brothers, their differences come to a head and sparks fly.

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
2023-11-22 - 2023-12-03 | Fortyfivedownstairs Theatre, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
One of the longest running plays in Off-Broadway history, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by Charles Busch tells the saga of two fatally seductive vampiresses whose paths first collide in ancient Sodom. Their bitter rivalry as bloodsuckers, but more importantly, as actresses, endures for two thousand years with stops along the way in 1920’s silent movie Hollywood and contemporary Las Vegas. Vampire Lesbians of Sodom is a demented tribute to horror cinema and divas of the Golden Age. A cult camp classic comedy in the same vein as Elvira Mistress of the Dark and Death Becomes Her.
With a cast of Melbourne’s finest, including Jennifer Vuletic (Wentworth, Looking for Alibrandi), Artemis Ioannides (Wentworth, Because the Night), Zoe Boesen (Abigail’s Party), Brigid Gallacher (In The Club), and John Marc Desengano (Looking for Alibrandi), this is Little Ones Theatre’s final celebration of all things ridiculous.
It’s time to laugh and get your fangs out.

Chase
2023-11-22 - 2023-12-03 | Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank, VIC, 3006, Australia
Meet Chase. She’s living her best life. Just a shame there’s no one left to see it.
Compelling, repelling, and funny. Joined by her zany crew of besties and YouTube subscribers for company, at the party to end all parties. The party to end the world! That’s if any of them actually even exist…
Equally offensive and endearing to theatregoers from every walk of life, Carly Sheppard has been developing and performing the character of Chase for nearly a decade. Now she joins forces with Kamarra Bell-Wykes (A DAYLIGHT CONNECTION) to deliver the most over-the-top, cracked version yet!
If only she understood half of what she helps others discover.
Meet Chase. You just might see yourself.

Whose Gonna Love 'Em?
2023-11-22 - 2023-12-03 | Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank, VIC, 3006, Australia
Written and directed by Kamarra Bell-Wykes, Whose Gonna Love ‘Em? I am that i AM is a post-traumatic performance thesis, winning the 2021 Patrick White Playwriting Award.
Starring Maggie Church-Kopp, Corey Saylor-Brunskill, and Maurial Spearim, accompanied by a live improvisational score by smallsound, Whose Gonna Love ‘Em? I am that i AM is an absurd group therapy session held somewhere in the deepest cells of the collective mind and the colonised heart.
