Three Screen Favourites Lead a Prison Drama Told Only Metres From Your Seat

Stephen King‘s novella reaches the Melbourne stage after a celebrated run through Britain. David Berry plays Andy Dufresne, a mild-mannered banker locked away for a crime he did not commit, with Bert LaBonté as red, the inmate who becomes his closest ally behind the walls. Rodger Corser makes his first stage appearance in two decades as the sanctimonious warden. Staged in the intimate playhouse, it is a slow-burning study of friendship and stubborn optimism that lands harder up close than any screen version could.

A Classic Musical of Joy, Community, and an Exuberant Celebration of Love and Life

Following record-breaking, sold-out West End seasons where it became the best-selling musical of all time at London’s Barbican Theatre, this multi-Olivier Award-winning revival makes its way to Melbourne. Directed by the visionary Jordan Fein, this fresh and bold contemporary production offers a deeply moving lens on the iconic story of Tevye, a humble milkman trying to maintain his pride and family traditions in a rapidly changing world. Starring beloved Australian icon Sigrid Thornton as Yente, the production features one of musical theatre’s most celebrated scores, including “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Tradition,” and “Sunrise, Sunset”.

Jason Donovan Returns Home in a Bold New Production of a Modern Classic 

Jason Donovan takes on the role of Randle P. McMurphy in this new stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s classic novel. Set inside a psychiatric institution under the strict control of Nurse Ratched, played by Nadine Garner, the story follows McMurphy as he challenges the rules and authority around him. With Roger Hodgman directing, this Melbourne production brings together a strong cast for a thought-provoking night of theatre. 

Be part of Opera Australia’s triumphant return to the newly renewed Ian Potter State Theatre as the curtain rises on a Melbourne icon. This extraordinary gala celebration brings together music of immense scale and dramatic power composed by Richard Wagner. Renowned German maestro Michael Güttler leads the brilliant forces of Orchestra Victoria alongside a starry line-up of international vocalists, including dramatic soprano Catherine Foster and tenor Sergei Skorokhodov. Together, they will deliver an immersive and unforgettable evening of sweeping operatic arias and orchestral masterpieces.

Created in direct collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, this internationally acclaimed Broadway smash-hit makes its highly anticipated Australian premiere. A deeply personal and energy-filled musical memoir, A Beautiful Noise charts the legendary artist’s rise to superstardom. Mirroring the structural style of theatrical triumphs like Jersey Boys, the production explores his untold personal life and enduring legacy. The soaring narrative is set entirely to the monumental songbook that defined generations, featuring full-throttle live performances of chart-busting classics including “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline”.

The Australian return of the international smash-hit phenomenon SIX the Musical has opened in Melbourne for the third time in five years, with audiences flocking to sold-out performances. The award-winning global sensation will play at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre until 4 October 2026.

Love burns. Revenge remembers. Verdi’s most thrilling masterpiece.

A ruined Spanish theatre sets the stage for Verdi’s haunting Il Trovatore – a story of love, power and revenge filled with one musical highlight followed by another. Visionary director Matthew Barclay joins the company for Il Trovatore, whose recent projects include work for Sydney Festival, Opera Australia and West Australian Opera. Internationally acclaimed artists Helena Dix (Norma at The Met New York, Aida at Sydney Opera House) and Rosario La Spina (Opera Australia’s Turandot) return to the Melbourne Opera stage as the ill-fated lovers Leonora and Manrico.

Image source: melbourneopera.com

Australian screen and stage favourite Brian Vriends (All Saints, Wentworth, Underbelly, Sydney Theatre Company) has joined forces with award-winning criminal defence lawyer, actor and producer Celine Khoury to create 12 Angry Actors, a gripping new Australian play that confronts one of society’s most challenging questions: when someone has served their sentence, have they truly paid their debt to society?

An outstanding cast comprising some of Australia’s finest actors is set to take the stage in GWB Entertainment and Andrew Henry Presents’ widely acclaimed production of Arthur Miller’s timeless Pulitzer Prize-winning classic Death of a Salesman for strictly limited seasons in Melbourne (from 11 August) and Brisbane (from 28 August).

Already announced is the return of Emmy®, Golden Globe®, and Tony Award® winner Anthony LaPaglia, reprising his role as Willy Loman alongside one of Australia’s finest actors Alison Whyte, re-creating her critically acclaimed performance as Linda Loman. Josh Helman returns in his Green Room Award-nominated performance as Willy’s tortured son Biff Loman, with Ben O’Toole also reprising his celebrated performance as Biff’s feckless brother Happy.

Producers Neil Gooding and Alex Woodward have assembled an all-star cast featuring some of the country’s most recognisable and celebrated television actors for the upcoming national tour of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Under the direction of Lee Lewis, this dazzling new Australian production brings together an extraordinary ensemble led by Lisa McCune, Belinda Giblin, Debra Lawrance, Mandy Bishop, Jessica Redmayne and Lotte Beckett – a line up that reads like a who’s who of Australian television, now uniting on stage for one of theatre’s most cherished plays.

Strap in for a perimenopausal Weekend at Bernie’s – a wildly funny, no-holds-barred new comedy from Australian Writers’ Guild Award winner Marieke Hardy.

An Irreverent All-female Musical Comedy

This Olivier Award-winning production is a unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s classic. Five actresses play every young suitor, every fussy relative, and every servant, all while belting out karaoke classics. It’s a riotous, pop-fueled celebration of love and literature that has been hailed as a “smart, laugh-out-loud funny” reimagining of the world’s favorite rom-com.

If Only Life Were as Easy as Pie

Broadway’s smash-hit musical Waitress makes its highly anticipated Australian premiere. Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, this heartwarming production follows Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie maker who dreams of a fresh start away from her rocky marriage. Brought to life by a historic, all-female lead creative team, the show features a book by Jessie Nelson and an uplifting, hit score by Grammy® winner Sara Bareilles. Starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte, it’s an empowering and irresistible story of community, resilience, and personal transformation.

The Golden Age of Hollywood has a Dark Side

Exposing the racial fault lines beneath Hollywood’s glossy facade, Retrograde is a taut dramatization of a real encounter from Sidney Poitier’s past—ten years before he became the first Black man to win a Best Actor Oscar. Set during the McCarthyism-shadowed 1950s, the story follows a young Poitier as he faces a career-defining opportunity that takes a sinister turn when network lawyers begin questioning his politics and identity. Hailed as a “brilliantly tense” triumph during its West End run, this witty interrogation of power and integrity stars Donné Ngabo and Alan Dale.

Seven years in the making, this world premiere production brings the life of Miles Franklin to the stage using her own sharp and witty words. A powerhouse cast of five remains on stage throughout the performance, accompanied by seven live musicians, to navigate a journey marked by personal loss, sexism, and two world wars. The genre-spanning score—ranging from bush ballads and folk to pop and punk rock—captures the adventurous spirit of the woman behind the My Brilliant Career novel and the prestigious literary awards that bear her name. 

[Tuesday 28 April] UMAC will present the exclusive return of Back to Back Theatre’s landmark production Ganesh Versus the Third Reich this June, bringing one of Australia’s most acclaimed and internationally celebrated works of contemporary theatre back to the stage after more than a decade, for a strictly limited season at the Union Theatre.

This one-off Australian season offers a rare chance to revisit this modern classic ahead of its return to the global stage, as Back to Back Theatre prepares for a major international apperance at Paris’ Festival d’Automne in 2026.

An Irreverent All-Female Musical Comedy

Melbourne Opera presents a bold new production of Mozart’s greatest operatic achievement, Don Giovanni. Following the legendary anti-hero through a whirlwind of seduction and betrayal, the story balances dark comedy with profound tragedy. Featuring some of the most famous music in the operatic repertoire, this production showcases a stellar cast of Australian and international singers accompanied by the acclaimed Melbourne Opera Orchestra. Experience the gripping tale of the world’s most famous libertine as he finally faces his supernatural reckoning.

A Powerful New Australian Drama

This emotionally charged world premiere revisits the 1970 West Gate Bridge collapse, one of Australia’s worst industrial disasters. Featuring a powerhouse cast including Steve Bastoni, Daniela Farinacci, and Lachy Hulme, this searing production offers an unflinching look at the human cost of the tragedy, exploring themes of loss, resilience, and working-class pride.

A Contemporary Retelling of Literature’s Most Enduring Love Story

Reimagining F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel through a fusion of ballet, tap, and jazz, BIG Live presents a large-scale theatrical event that is both a visual and psychological odyssey. Directed and choreographed by Joel Burke, this production reframes Jay Gatsby as a man gripped by romantic belief rather than irony. Featuring an original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Jason Fernandez and a world-class cast from the Mariinsky and English National Ballet, the show builds relentless momentum from the excess of the Jazz Age to the intimate longing of the green light.

It’s A Fine Line Between Pleasure & Pain

Chrissy Amphlett was a seismic force in a school uniform, defined by raw talent and stage-conquering energy. In this electrifying new cabaret, beloved performer and writer Sheridan Harbridge channels Chrissy’s fierce spirit. Co-created with director Sarah Goodes, Amplified takes audiences on a kaleidoscopic tour through the hits and heart of an artist well ahead of her time, taking the Divinyls from sticky pub carpets to the top of the global charts.

A Powerful Stage Adaptation of Hope and Resilience

This deeply moving, Pulitzer Prize-winning production invites audiences into the secret attic where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding during World War II. A remarkable opportunity to witness history through the eyes of a young girl, this play serves as a vital reminder of the importance of tolerance, courage, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

The Mormons are Back!

Australia’s biggest ever musical comedy returns to the Princess Theatre for a strictly limited season. Created by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez, this nine-time Tony Award®-winning production follows a mismatched pair of missionaries sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. Outrageous, hilarious, and surprisingly heart-filled, it remains a global phenomenon.

Laugh, Sing and Fall in Love All Over Again

One of the most awarded and adored feel-good musicals of all time, Mamma Mia! pairs the timeless hits of ABBA with a heart-warming story of love and family. Set on a Greek island, the plot follows Sophie’s quest to find her father on the eve of her wedding, bringing three men from her mother’s past back to the island for the first time in 20 years.

A Joyous, Feminist Triumph

The smash-hit musical returns! Based on Miles Franklin’s iconic novel, this award-winning reimagining follows the unapologetically ambitious Sybylla Melvyn. With a powerhouse score blending contemporary pop, bush ballad, and raucous pub rock, it is a fiercely independent celebration of self-determination that has captured hearts across Australia.

The Ultimate Celebration of The 1970s Disco Phenomenon

Based on the 1977 cult classic film, this reimagined production follows Tony Manero’s quest to break free from conformity and become king of the club. Packed with explosive energy and sensational choreography, the show features the Bee Gees’ greatest hits including “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever,” and “How Deep Is Your Love.”

Experience Swan Lake like never before

The world’s most romantic ballet gets a spectacular circus makeover in Duck Pond – a dazzling fusion of acrobatics, and pure theatrical brilliance.

Full of Circa’s trademark physicality and wit, this is Swan Lake as you’ve never seen it: sequinned ducks, a burlesque black swan, and a hapless prince caught in a whirlwind of feathers, beauty, and transformation. It’s touching, funny, and utterly entertaining.

Whether for a romantic evening, a special occasion, or a moment of joy with family – this is an experience to savour, and an event not to be missed.

Melbourne is a vibrant hub for musical theatre, offering world-class productions year-round. To make the most of it, plan ahead by checking upcoming shows at iconic venues like the Regent Theatre and Princess Theatre. Immerse yourself in the experience by arriving early, exploring the area’s restaurants and cafes for pre-show dining. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for exclusive premieres and limited seasons, ensuring you never miss a must-see production. Whether you’re a seasoned theatregoer or a newcomer, Melbourne’s musical scene has something unforgettable for everyone!

Image source: All Accor

Looking for a place to unwind and relax after enjoying a thrilling night at the theatre?

Book your stay at The Sebel Melbourne Moonee Ponds and experience top-tier comfort and convenience. Located just a short drive from Melbourne’s iconic theatres, The Sebel offers a perfect retreat to relax and recharge after an exciting musical show.