Australia - Sydney Theater Reviews

REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On A MIGRANT'S SON
by Jade Kops - November 05, 2023

A MIGRANT’S SON is the engaging and passionate story of Michaela Burger’s family history expanding over 100 years. A story of grit, determination, ambition and love that centres around her larrikin father Luke....

Guest Reviewer Hamavand Engineer Shares His Thoughts on THE HEN HOUSE
by Jade Kops - September 12, 2023

If an education in cleaning chicken carcasses is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it at The Hen House....

REVIEW: Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Comes Up Short Despite Sydney Theatre Company's Bold Aesthetic
by Jade Kops - September 11, 2023

The comedy of Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST loses power with a performance that fails to trust the source material. ...

REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Hamavand Engineer Shares His Thoughts on RAZOR GANG WARS
by Jade Kops - September 06, 2023

Based on the real life story of when the razor gangs battled for supremacy on the streets of Sydney in the 1920’s, RAZOR GANG WARS is staged in the unique setting of a 200-year-old sandstone crypt beneath St James’ Church in Sydney...

REVIEW: Cameron Mackintosh's Revival of MISS SAIGON Arrives In Sydney With A Stronger Focus On The Fallout Of American Arrogance
by Jade Kops - August 26, 2023

Presented by Opera Australia, Cameron Mackintosh’s Revival of MISS SAIGON reunites the creatives from the 2004 Touring Production, which reached Australia in 2007, to reincorporate elements of the 1989 West End original while shifting the focus to make a more powerful message than the central love s...

REVIEW: MURDER FOR TWO Pairs A Multi-talented Duo With Hilarious Take On The Classic Murder Mystery For An Incredible Night Of Theatre
by Jade Kops - August 15, 2023

Kellen Blair (Book and Lyrics) and Joe Kinosian’s (Book and Lyrics) clever comic murder mystery MURDER FOR TWO is brought to life by Gabbi Bolt and Maverick Newman under Richard Carroll’s direction. ...

REVIEW: Miranda Michalowski's SATURDAY GIRLS Is A Heartwarming And Humerous Exploration Of Navigating Female Friendships And Adolescence.
by Jade Kops - August 13, 2023

Presented as part of Belvoir St Theatre’s 25A series, SATURDAY GIRLS is an honest expression of the teen female experience with the added challenge of sexual discovery. ...

REVIEW: Bernadette Robinson Takes On Ten Great Ladies Of Music with Her New Show DIVAS.
by Jade Kops - August 08, 2023

Australian singer and actress Bernadette Robinson brings her latest vocal tribute to Sydney with her latest cabaret concert, DIVAS. ...

REVIEW: SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET - A MUSICAL THRILLER Is Given A Gloriously Gothic Treatment
by Jade Kops - July 31, 2023

Victorian Opera’s incoming Artistic Director Stuart Maunder AM revives his a deliciously dark but incredibly clear expression of Stephen Sondheim (Music and Lyrics) and Hugh Wheeler’s (Book) SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET – A MUSICAL THRILLER....

Review: WALANBAA YULU-GI: BURN THE FLOOR at The Palms At Crown
by Josh Stent - July 25, 2023

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REVIEW: THE HERO LEAVES ONE TOOTH Considers What Happens When Myths Become Reality But 'Evolution' Still Hasn't Fully Fixed Things.
by Jade Kops - July 23, 2023

Erica J. Brennan’s new play THE HERO LEAVES ONE TOOTH reimagines a world where female superpowers are more than just cautionary myths. ...

REVIEW: The Challenge Of Living Across Cultures as Australians with Chinese Heritage Is Contemplated In the Heartwarming and Humorous MISS PEONY.
by Jade Kops - July 16, 2023

Michelle Law (playwright) draws on childhood memories of when she finally saw people like herself on screen to create MISS PEONY, a work that celebrates retaining a connection to her heritage while challenging what it means to identify as Chinese in 21st century Australia. ...

REVIEW: DRIFTWOOD THE MUSICAL Puts Eva de Jong-Duldig's Memoir About Her Australian Jewish Family's Journey Across The World On Stage
by Jade Kops - June 09, 2023

In the former Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle the story of a family fleeing religious persecution plays out in DRIFTWOOD THE MUSICAL. ...

REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Hamavand Engineer Shares His Thoughts On BROADWAY DIVA
by Jade Kops - May 29, 2023

Following her 2022 BroadwayWorld Awards Wins for her cabaret/play PUPPETS, Olivia Ruggiero’s BROADWAY DIVA joined the opening season of QTOPIA’S: Live At The Bandstand....

REVIEW: Two Twenty-Somethings In The 21st Century Navigate The Aspects Of Social Behavior That Have Sadly Become Accepted In THE CULTURE.
by Jade Kops - May 15, 2023

Laura Jackson’s (Playwright and Performer) THE CULTURE considers what modern society has deemed ‘accepted’ behavior with a realistic expression of the possible lives of two twenty-somethings. ...

REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Hamavand Engineer Shares His Thoughts on ROLLING THUNDER VIETNAM
by Jade Kops - May 12, 2023

ROLLING THUNDER VIETNAM has made its eagerly awaited return to the stage after it took Australia by storm when it first toured in 2014 and received critical acclaim, making it one of the most talked about musical and theatrical events ever to be created and produced in Australia....

REVIEW: Julia Robertson and Zara Stanton's Musical Theatre Adaptation METROPOLIS Is A Beautiful Interpretation Thea von Harbou's Dystopian Tale.
by Jade Kops - April 30, 2023

Thea von Harbou’s 1925 dystopian tale of the dangers of class divides and favouring progress over humanity is given the musical theatre treatment in Julia Robertson (Book, Lyrics, Director and choreographer) and Zara Stanton’s (Music, Orchestrations and Music Director) new adaptation of METROPOLIS. ...

INTERVIEW: Guest Writer Hums Engineer Interviews Tyran Parke, Artistic Director of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival
by Jade Kops - April 24, 2023

BWWAustralia's Guest Writer Hums Engineer chats with Tyran Parke, Artistic Director of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival being held in Launceston, Tasmania from 17 - 21 May 2023...

REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On JULIA
by Jade Kops - April 06, 2023

Justine Clarke is astounding as the PM 570 in JULIA. Writer, Johanna Murray- Smith has eloquently constructed a superb Play that explores Gillard’s journey as the first female Prime Minister in the heavily misogynistic Australian political environment. ...

REVIEW: Sharing Stories And Songs, PHILIP QUAST: THE ROAD I TOOK Reflects On A Memories That Made Up A Life On Stage
by Jade Kops - March 22, 2023

Philip Quast returns to the Cabaret stage to share more stories from his 40 plus years on stages around the world with PHILIP QUAST: THE ROAD I TOOK. ...

REVIEW: Gravity & Other Myths Brings Circus Back To Summer at The Sydney Opera House with THE MIRROR
by Jade Kops - February 13, 2023

THE MIRROR intrigues and delights with an evening of circus, contemporary dance and modern music as it ‘reflects’ societies views on what entertains and engages the masses. ...

REVIEW: Sydney Symphony Orchestra brings the music of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 to life with a concert and movie combination.
by Jade Kops - February 05, 2023

Sydney Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Nicholas Buc, continues its journey into the world of the Harry Potter movies with HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 IN CONCERT....

REVIEW: JANET'S VAGRANT LOVE Is A Heartfelt Cry For Compassion And Change From A Mother Wanting A Safer World For Her Young Blak Sons.
by Jade Kops - January 21, 2023

A cry for change told through the medium of song and yarns, JANET’S VAGRANT LOVE is a powerful piece of cabaret theatre presented by Elaine Crombie on behalf of mothers of young Blak men across the country....

REVIEW: The Classic Fairytale Is Given A Contemporary Twist In Rogers And Hammerstein's CINDERELLA
by Jade Kops - November 09, 2022

Following on from its 2013 Broadway premiere, Douglas Carter Beane’s (Book) stage adaptation of Richard Rodgers (Music) and Oscar Hammerstein II’s (Lyrics and book) CINDERELLA waltzes onto the Lyric stage to captivate Sydney audiences of all ages....

BWW REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On TIDELINE
by Jade Kops - October 25, 2022

Director Anna Jahjah brings the Australian premiere of TIDELINE to the Chippen Street Theatre stage....