Christie Whelan Browne News

The tables are turning in 2017 and Adelaide Festival Centre's Adelaide Cabaret Festival invites you to join the revolution and discover the sumptuous offerings in its 2017 program. Discover new venues and old friends and expect to feel upturned, challenged and delighted by incredible performers that could change your world view.

Melbourne Theatre Company's 2017 Season opens in 1940s style with Garson Kanin's Broadway classic Born Yesterday a screwball romance that has plenty to say about the dark side of politics and the power of knowledge. 

Melbourne Theatre Company Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO today revealed MTC's 2017 Season - a collection of works from around the world that celebrate the art of great, live storytelling. 

The only thing missing was the cow being in labour. Practically an episode of Packed to the Rafters if it were guest-written by Seth MacFarlane, The Beast brought together three pouty but no less gorgeous gals, the Australian Zachary Quinto, a True North reject and I'm pretty sure the guy from Wolf Creek along with playwright who's the playwright, don't forget he's so talented he's the playwright who wrote this between kissing Kat Stewart on the nose a lot in Offspring, Eddie Penultimate. If you're gunning to be the godparents of your best friend's children, take them to see this! It's bloodthirsty and backward, really gets to the core of humanity: Hipster nonsense.

Written by and starring Eddie Perfect, and directed by Simon Phillips, The Beast is an organic, free range, jet-black comedy that holds a hand-crafted chef's blade to the throat of modern Australia.

Arts Centre Melbourne's acclaimed daytime entertainment program Morning Melodies is pulling out even more stops for its Christmas concert this year as it celebrates 30 years of performances. The popular Christmas Melodies on 14 December will feature musical theatre star Kane Alexander, opera soprano Teresa Duddy, The Salvation Army Melbourne Staff Band and The National Boys Choir of Australia.

The Production Company produced one of its finest shows in recent memory with George and Ira Gershwin's Nice Work If You Can Get It. As the production notes state 'This bubbling 1920s-era musical sparkles with extravagant dance numbers, glittering costumes and a delicious love story between a wealthy playboy and the feisty bootlegger who melts his heart.' And sparkle it does. The production team excel with the material. Roger Hodgman's direction is slick and his use of space is particularly clever and inventive, filling every morsel of it with his talented cast. Also maximizing the abilities of her cast is chorographer Dana Jolly. Her choreography is sympathetic to the era but with a contemporary edge and is truly a feature of the production. Orchestra Victoria, under the precise baton of musical director John Foreman, bring the Gershwin classics to life with fervor and grace. Also absolutely nailing the period and style is Isaac Lummis' costume design which is a visual smorgasbord and completely highlights the period.

2015 HELPMANN AWARDS ***THIS ARTICLE WILL BE UPDATED LIVE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY 2015***

Some of Australia's top live entertainment names will join Helpmann Awards host, Todd McKenney on stage to present and perform at the star-studded 2015 Helpmann Awards Ceremony.

On Monday 21st September, stars of the Australian entertainment industry will come together at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne, in an unprecedented response to the issue of mental health. Tickets on sale now from Ticketek.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) as tickets to its ever popular Spirit of Christmas concerts are now on sale.

Luckiest Productions presents Britney Spears: The Cabaret Written by Dean Bryant Musical Direction by Mathew Frank Brisbane Powerhouse today 13 August - Sunday 17 August.

Under the musical direction of Mathew Frank, Whelan-Browne lets Britney's songs reveal telling stories often lost within their pop/heavily auto-tuned original versions. Familiar songs, from Out from Under, to Toxic to Lucky are suddenly interesting, and often achingly autobiographical in content.

Luckiest Productions presents Britney Spears: The Cabaret Written by Dean Bryant Musical Direction by Mathew Frank Brisbane Powerhouse Wednesday 13 August - Sunday 17 August.

Not so much a cabaret show as a cry for help, Britney Spears: The Cabaret has had acclaimed seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and is now embarking on a tour of Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Parramatta from July - September 2014.

Whether you've seen Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show on multiple occasions from its incarnation 40 years ago or last night's Melbourne opening was your first experience with the cult classic, one ensuing thought rings true; what was that all about, followed by wow...I think I actually enjoyed that. No doubt the more you see the Rocky Horror Show the more it gives you and the more meaning you create for yourself from the piece of science fiction theatre. Its cult status proves that more than just the audience at the Comedy Theatre last night enjoy this show.

Fans of the show, or the film, will be turning up in droves and, quite possibly, attending more than once during this season.

The Green Room Awards are Melbourne's performing arts awards and recognise the world-class Cabaret, Dance, Musical Theatre, Opera, Theatre and Alternative and Hybrid Performance productions that grace Melbourne's stages each year. From artistic excellence to technical innovation, a Green Room Award is the most revered accolade an artist can receive in Australia's cultural capital.