review – TINSEL and TAP SHOES

MICF Review: James Barr – ‘Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum)’ at Trades Hall Music Room (2026)

Playing until Sunday April 5 (excluding Wednesdays) at the Trades Hall Music Room. Tickets and more info at: comedyfestival.com.au/james-barr

Review: ‘Back to Te Maunga’ at La Mama Courthouse Theatre, Carlton (2026)

A beautifully written and performed two-hander that boasts a strong Māori voice, Back to Te Maunga is a meditation on regret, grief and the unbreakable bonds of male friendship.

Review: ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ at Palais Theatre, St Kilda (2026)

You may think a comic opera written in 1879 would feel dated, but Victorian Opera has breathed new life into the Gilbert and Sullivan swash-buckling classic, playing at the Palais Theatre until 6 February.

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (2026)

Playing at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Southern Cross Lawn until February 28. Tickets and more info at: shakespeareaustralia.com.au.

Review: ‘Shakespeare’s Best Bits’ at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens (2025-2026)

Riotous and ridiculous in equal measure, Shakespeare’s Best Bits is an anarchic comedic romp that gives its talented troupe of six actors a chance to show off their glorious comedy skills, in a phenomenally entertaining two hours of slapstick comedy inspired by the Bard’s great works.

Review: ‘Cats’ at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne (2025-2026)

Celebrating forty years since its first staging in Australia, Cats the musical is currently playing at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne until January 31 before moving to Brisbane in February.

Review: ‘Vampire Zombies… From Space!’ (2024)

2024, 98 mins, Lightbulb Film Distribution/Walkden Entertainment
Directed by Michael Stasko
Starring Andrew Bee, Rashaun Baldeo & Jessica Antovski

Review: ‘Love Actually – The Musical Parody’ at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre (2025)

Playing at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre until December 23, Sydney’s Darling Quarter Theatre until December 23 and Brisbane’s Royal ICC Theatre until December 21.

Tickets and more information at loveactuallymusicalparody.com

Review: ‘Icefall’ (2025)

2025, MA15+ (strong violence), 96 mins
Walkden Entertainment/Defiant Entertainment
Stars Joel Kinnaman, Cara Jade Myers, Danny Huston
Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky