While its title may match the chill of Melbourne winter, the arrival of Frozen brings welcome warmth and theatrical magic as the first major musical to debut locally since March 2020.
Mates blogger: Simon Parris
Simon Parris is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Simon's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Simon is a Melbourne-based theatregoer and critic, who reviewed for many years for Theatre People and the Sunday Herald Sun. He has also acted, directed and choreographed, and has served on the boards of the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Committee and The Opera Studio Melbourne. In addition to productions in Melbourne, on his extensive travels, Simon reviews shows in Sydney and on annual trips to Broadway and the West End. He now blogs independently at simonparrismaninchair.com.
The latest from Simon on MyTheatreMates
FROM DOWN UNDER – The Wedding Singer in Melbourne
Shoulder pads, big hair and vivid colours come back to the future in the vibrant Australian premiere season of The Wedding Singer.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Fangirls in Melbourne
Not just an original score but also an original and highly entertaining story, new Australian musical Fangirls explodes onto the Melbourne stage in a very welcome yet all too brief season.
FROM DOWN UNDER: La Traviata in Sydney
In celebration of the ongoing return to live theatre, Sydney turned on perfect conditions for the opening night of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour.
FROM DOWN UNDER: The Cane in Melbourne
Riding the crest of the oh-so-politically-correct zeitgeist, The Cane taps into the current craze for scrutinising old sins under today’s standards.
FROM DOWN UNDER – Hamilton in Sydney
Deservedly drenched with international awards and accolades, megahit musical Hamilton arrives in Australia in pristine form, the terrific local cast members not throwing away their shots at future superstardom.
FROM DOWN UNDER: The Winter’s Tale in Melbourne
As their 2021 autumn tale, Melbourne Shakespeare Company presents a lively, well-judged open-air staging of A Winter’s Tale in the charming surrounds of Central Park Malvern.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Come From Away in Melbourne
The joy of finally returning to live theatre in Melbourne is exponentially magnified by the heart lifting humanity of the first musical to reopen, Come From Away.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Chicago in Melbourne
Set to dazzle and divert, the Broadway revival of Chicago returns for its third Melbourne sentence with as sexy and sinewy a company of dancers as could possibly be wished for.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Opera Australia’s Faust in Melbourne
In a production as spectacularly staged as it is intelligently conceived, Faust is another mighty achievement from Opera Australia, demonstrating the full extent of their resources to sterling effect.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Jekyll & Hyde 25th Anniversary Concert in Melbourne
Well worth the 25 year wait, this was the Moment, not just for Anthony Warlow to actually play Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde on stage, but also for Australia to finally see a professional production of Jekyll and Hyde.
FROM DOWN UNDER: The Australian Ballet’s Sylvia in Melbourne
Brilliantly bolstered and boosted, Stanton Welch’s new Sylvia enlivens and enhances the 1876 original for an evening of pure theatrical enchantment.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Whoopee baby! Thoroughly Modern Millie returns in a splashy, starry staging that distils the very essence of musical comedy into an evening of unabashed joy.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Come from Away in Melbourne
Offering the pure joy of musical theatre at its unadulterated best, Come from Away is a breathless celebration of the finest qualities of humanity.
ON BROADWAY: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is a ‘cynical practical joke on theatregoers’
An Off-Broadway show with the nerve to charge Broadway prices, the “Bard Summerscape Production of” Oklahoma! plays out like a cynical practical joke on theatregoers. The egregious experiment is a blight on 75-plus years of American musical theatre.
ON BROADWAY: Moulin Rouge is ‘a feast for the eyes & ears’
A truly spectacular spectacular, Moulin Rouge burns through the budget of a hundred musicals, all in the quest for extravagant entertainment.
ON BROADWAY: Beetlejuice the Musical is a ‘sassy, crowd-pleasing guilty pleasure’
Pure escapist fun, new Broadway musical Beetlejuice runs high on daffy hilarity with an irresistible undercurrent of snarky wickedness.
FROM DOWN UNDER: Melbourne Theatre Company’s Storm Boy
Storm Boy is theatre for children and yet it is not children’s theatre. As memorable family entertainment it is very hard to beat, with the additional benefit of possibly inspiring follow-up conversations on deeper issues.
FROM DOWN UNDER: The Australian Ballet’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Melbourne
The Australian Ballet heads straight back down the rabbit hole, returning award-winning 2017 hit Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to the Melbourne stage for a very welcome encore season.
FROM DOWN UNDER: The Production Company’s Lazarus
Lazarus is unlikely to appeal to lovers of traditional musical theatre, but for those seeking theatre with an edge the production more than lives up to its tantalising promise.