One of my new year resolutions — and one I intend to keep — is to revitalise this personal website ShentonStage as my primary editorial home this year.
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.
NEWS: Aequitas presents UK premiere of Australian hit e-baby at Brockley Jack Theatre
e-baby, Jane Cafarella’s 2015 comedy-drama about surrogacy, gets its UK premiere in a brand-new production at London’s Brockley Jack Theatre. Presented by Aequitas Theatre, it runs from 19 to 30 November 2019.
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.
WATCH: Step into the When The Rain Stops Falling rehearsal room with behind-the-scenes videos
As The Kindling Collective’s new production of Andrew Bovell’s When The Rain Stops Falling takes to the Lion and Unicorn Theatre stage, we take a peek at some exclusive videos from rehearsals to get a feeling for what to expect from this physical show. Book you tickets now!
NEWS: Award-winning intergenerational tale When The Rain Stops Falling is revived at the Lion & Unicorn
Andrew Bovell’s award-winning, world-covering, generation-spanning, time-leaping drama, When The Rain Stops Falling is to receive a revival at London’s Lion and Unicorn Theatre later this month, when Kindling Collective returns the play to the stage. Book you tickets now!
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: West Side Story in Sydney ★★★★★
One of the most iconic musicals of all time, this West Side Story is an explosion of colour and culture clashes which immerses all your senses at the Sydney Opera House. This heart wrenching tale of lovers from two sides is a rollercoaster journey, taking its audience through every emotion.
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.
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.
‘There is a palpable excitement about being able to keep the mobiles phones ON’: Kelly Wilson on Much Ado About Not(h)ing
How did real life tragedy spark a new 21st century, social media-embracing adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy, now with added brackets, Much Ado About Not(h)ing? Creator Kelly Wilson tells us all about it. Book your tickets now!
WATCH: The cast of Much Ado About Not(h)ing tell us what’s different about this Shakespeare and why audiences should see it
“It’s Shakespeare but not as you imagine Shakespeare to be.” So say the cast of Much Ado About Not(h)ing, the new staging of The Bard’s comedy which brings the action into the world of social media and encourages audiences to leave their phones on. Watch them talking about the production, then book your tickets!
NEWS: Shakespeare meets Facebook in new adaptation Much Ado About Not(h)ing
A new adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous comedy, updating the Bard’s tale for an era of social media, Much Ado About Not(h)ing, comes to the Cockpit Theatre later this month. Get your smartphones ready and book your tickets now!
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.
FEATURED SHOW: Discover the brilliant audience reactions to unique cabaret, Vaudeville of the Vulva
“I left feeling elated” and “I can’t remember when I last laughed so much” are just a couple of the glowing audience responses to hit cabaret about lady parts, Laura-Doe’s Vaudeville of the Vulva. Take a look at the glowing feedback from fans of the show, then rush to book your tickets.
‘Even though I’ve heard it lots of times I still find it really informative’: Director Penelope Chater on Vaudeville of the Vulva
“Watch the feather duster!” That’s the ambiguous advice from director Penelope Chater, whose production, Laura-Doe’s Vaudeville of the Vulva, arrives at the Bread and Roses Theatre next week. Watch her interview, then book your tickets!
‘We have been conditioned to diminish the potential for pleasure that is present in our bodies’: Laura-Doe Harris on Vaudeville of the Vulva
Why did entertainer and somatic sexologist Laura-Doe Harris begin performing her international hit cabaret about female sexuality, what are the myths she’s still trying to dispel and how did a call from her Mum spark her imagination? Discover this and more in her interview about Laura-Doe’s Vaudeville of the Vulva, then book your tickets!
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.