5 Shows to See in Australia Right Now
Destinations such as New York City and London are known for having incredible theatre districts, but you may be surprised to hear that there is some wonderful theatre being performed in Australia as well.
While it may not be the first tourist activity you would think to do there(although their most popular landmark is an opera house), we definitely encourage you to check out some of these shows if you're going there in the next few weeks.
If you're wondering why we're talking about Australian theatre, it's the third largest location of our readership behind the United States and Great Britain. So let's give them some attention,
'Hay Fever' at the Sydney Theatre Company
An irresistibly heartless comedy
The Bliss family love intrigue, love arguing and really love a spotlight. They are everything a respectable family ought not to be – unconventional, uncensored and unapologetic.
When each of the four outrageously eccentric Bliss family members invites a guest to their rural retreat, the unassuming visitors face a hectic living melodrama from which there seems to be no escape.
Deliciously funny comedies were Noël Coward’s forte. Hay Fever is a “wonderfully witty and deliciously snarky” (Time Out) classic full of secret seductions, misjudged meetings and wicked revelations.
An exceptional cast led by Heather Mitchell as Judith Bliss, the prima donna to end all prima donnas, includes Harriet Dyer (Travelling North), Tony Llewellyn-Jones (Amigos), Josh McConville (After Dinner) and Helen Thomson (King Lear).
Having had us in hysterics with After Dinner in 2015, director Imara Savage and designer Alicia Clements reunite to give us a country weekend like no other.
Hay Fever promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable and seductively comic affair.
The show run thru May 21st. For tickets and info visit sydneytheatre.com.au.
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'Lake Disappointment' at Carriageworks
“Kane and me were both rising stars. I was rising to the top of the hand-modelling world and Kane was doing his plays. Kane got his first action film and I became his double. We clicked. Everyone said so.”
A new Australian work by Luke Mullins and Lachlan Philpott with collaborator James Brown and Director Janice Muller, Lake Disappointment plunges beneath the surface of an image obsessed world and strums an unnerving riff on contemporary identity.
The show runs through April 23rd. For tickets and info visit, carriageworks.com.au
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King Charles III at the Roslyn Packer Theatre
The Queen is dead. Long live the King?
Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Play, Mike Bartlett’s spectacular King Charles III predicts an audacious future history. This is an epic writ now.
This exclusive Australian premiere comes to STC fresh from its West End and Broadway runs. Described as “ingenious” (The Guardian) and “easily the sharpest, most sophisticated political drama I have ever seen on stage” (Time), King Charles III has been unanimously lauded by audiences and critics alike.
Sometime in the not too distant future, the Queen is dead. Having waited a lifetime to fulfil his destiny, Prince Charles ascends the throne with Camilla by his side. As William, Kate and Harry look on, Charles wrestles with his new responsibilities… but how to rule? Let the royal games begin…
As political pandemonium and civil unrest threaten, Charles is forced to confront the contradictions of monarchy, democracy and his own moral conscience.
Exploring power and betrayal, the play skilfully reveals the people beneath the crowns as nuanced flesh and blood, and turns a Shakespearean lens on relationships in the world’s most famous and exposed family.
Directed with tremendous vision and wit by Almeida Theatre Artistic Director Rupert Goold, this is provocative and insightful political drama at its best - with a glint in the eye, a stiff upper lip, and the relevance of the daily news.
King Charles III is an international sensation not to be missed.
'A remarkable achievement.' Sydney Morning Herald
'Generously entertaining and genuinely gripping.' The Daily Review
The show runs thru April 30th. For tickets and info visit, roslynpackertheatre.com.au
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'The Detectives Handbook' at the Hayes Theatre Company
Chicago, 1950. A city in the grip of a crime epidemic. Two dead cops have just been discovered.
Enter Frank Thompson, a hardboiled detective who knows just what it takes to get a result. His new partner, Jimmy Hartman, couldn’t be more different. Young, fresh and enthusiastic Jimmy is determined to clean up the mean streets without breaking the rules. Following the clues, the old dog and the young pup are led into a world of seedy bars and femme fatales. Will the new recruit teach the experienced detective a thing or two about police work? Will officers Hammett and Spade ever clean out the evidence locker? Will the criminal mastermind be discovered? And just who is the mysterious Miss Raines?
“The Detective’s Handbook is an especially exciting show for us to be presenting at Hayes Theatre Co,” said Hayes Theatre Co Chair Neil Gooding. “Firstly, it is a new, totally original Australian musical, which is fairly rare in itself. Secondly, it is the first fully staged production of a show that has been guided through our New Musicals Australia program. The Detectives Handbook is smart, funny and has a distinctive voice, with music by Olga Solar and book and lyrics by Ian Ferrington.”
“It's a rare honour to be working on a new Australian musical, said Director Jonathan Biggins. “The Hayes is both the ideal laboratory and nursery - musicals are unusual hybrids that need a lot of attention to help them grow! This is a witty, quirky show with a distinctive and unexpected voice and we've got a great cast to showcase its potential.”
THE DETECTIVE’S HANDBOOK is the result of when a former rapper develops an obsession with the golden age of detective novels. Coupled with a bright and lively jazz score, this new Australian musical is guaranteed to have you laughing out loud as Thompson and Hartman investigate the crime in an hilarious clash of the old guard and the new recruit, determined to do it 'by the book'.
The show runs thru May 7th. For tickets and info visit, hayestheatre.com.au
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'Fiddler on the Roof' at the Capitol Theatre
Direct from Broadway, Australian superstar Anthony Warlow returns to Sydney to star in a brand new production of one of the greatest and most loved musicals of all time – Fiddler on the Roof. Playing from 24 March for 6 weeks only!
Directed by the acclaimed Roger Hodgman, and boasting the spectacular choreography of Jerome Robbins, this eagerly anticipated new production also stars Sigrid Thornton as Golde, Mark Mitchell, Nikki Wendt and Aria Award Winner, Lior.
Fiddler on the Roof has captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences around the world for over 50 years with its humour, warmth and honesty. The show follows the heart-warming journey of a family that has its traditional life turned upside down as the modern world starts to impact on life in their idyllic village. Fiddler on the Roof’s humour, passion and warmth has touched audiences all over the world with its celebration of life, love and family.
The show runs thru May 8th. For tickets and info visit, capitoltheatre.com