‘Come Alive!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular Coming To Adelaide October 29

Feature-‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is coming to Adelaide, opening at the Morphettville Racecourse on October 29. This is the third stop on the production’s Australian tour which has already delighted fans across Sydney and Perth. Following its six week run in Adelaide the spectacular will then move on to Brisbane before farewelling Australia in Melbourne in early 2027.

Performed beneath a purpose-built Hippodrome, this all-ages spectacular reimagines Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s iconic soundtrack from the 20th Century Fox motion picture like never before—live, loud and breathtakingly close, with world-class circus artistry, dazzling visuals and electrifying performances.

Since its Australian premiere in May in Sydney, COME ALIVE! has become a must-see favourite, bringing to life beloved anthems including This Is Me, Rewrite the Stars and A Million Dreams.

Leading the all-Australian cast of actors, singers, dancers and acrobats Des Flanagan (CATS, Moulin Rouge!) as The Showman and Ruby Clark (The Lord of the Rings) as Max have won over audiences along with the local and international circus sensations responsible for bringing this internationally acclaimed production to life.

David Hutchinson, CEO of The Path Entertainment Group said: “After an ongoing sellout run in the UK, we have been thrilled to see Australian audiences so warmly and enthusiastically embrace COME ALIVE! We look forward to taking the show to Adelaide for the next stop on our national tour after being so warmly welcomed by fans new and old in both Sydney and Perth.”

At the helm of the production is Drama Desk award-winning Creative Director Simon Hammerstein (Masquerade, a bold new immersive production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera; Usher’s sold-out ‘My Way’ Las Vegas Residency; and Queen of the Night).

The creative team behind the production and its expansion consists of Music Producer and Olivier Award-nominated Matthew Brind (Paddington 2, Just For One Day, Legally Blonde – West End), Choreographers Jerry Reeve (Taylor Swift, The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Party At The Palace) and Lukas McFarlane (Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance?, The X Factor), Emmy Award-nominated Lighting Designer Adam Bassett for Woodroffe Basset Design (The Rolling Stones – ‘SIXTY’ Tour 2022, London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Adele – Live), Set Designer Ruby Law (Billie Eilish, Jorja Smith, the Royal Albert Hall, Sadler’s Wells Theatre), Costume Designer Susan Kulkarni (The Peripheral, Silence, Dirty Dancing – Secret Cinema), Co-Musical supervisor Greg Arrowsmith and Technical Consultancy by Gary Beestone Associates.

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is inspired by the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture The Greatest Showman story by Jenny Bicks and songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular in Australia is produced by Showpath Entertainment Ltd by special arrangement with Outside The Box Amusements and TSG Entertainment.

Tickets are on sale now at comealiveshow.com.au

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular 2026/27 remaining Australian Dates:
Adelaide – From 29 October 2026, at the Morphettville Racecourse
Brisbane – From 23 Dec 2026, at Royal Queensland Golf Course
Melbourne – 25 Feb 2027, at Caulfield Racecourse

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

The Sunshine Boys – The Rep

The Sunshine Boys

The Sunshine Boys Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

The Rep presents Peter Goers’ excellent version of Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys at the Arts Theatre featuring outstanding performances by Robert Cusenza, Robin Schmelzkopf and Tom Tassone with their best New York accents.

The Sunshine Boys is about the vaudevillian comedy duo Al Lewis (Robin Schmelzkopf) and Willie Clark (Robert Cusenza) who for 43 years performed the act known as The Sunshine Boys. However, 11 years prior Al retired from the act and Willie has been struggling to earn a living in show business since the split even taking work in TV commercials

Willie’s agent is his nephew Ben Silverman (Tom Tassone) who is finding it hard to get Willie any work particularly as his aged uncle battles to remember his lines and names. Ben visits Willie every Wednesday bringing him the latest edition of ‘Variety’, low salt food and cigars. The TV network CBS is planning to produce a history of American comedy and wants the duo to reform to perform one of their classic sketches.

 

 

Ben grapples to get the belligerent Willie to agree to the reunion, even with the big fee offered by CBS, but after much argument Willie agrees, and Ben arranges for them to rehearse in Willie’s hotel apartment. Al is dropped at Willie’s apartment by his daughter, who he lives with at her New Jersey house, but their reunion begins cooly then becomes argumentative and their big break reformation becomes in doubt.

First impressions of the production, which opens in Willie’s hotel apartment, sets a high bar with Goers’ first-rate set design especially with the large backdrop of seating in an old theatre, then continues with Laura Doheny’s splendid costumes. These impressions continue as Cusenza and Tassone begin Simon’s impressive script as the humour begins to hit with the audience and the play brilliantly unfolds. Simon’s script is sometimes demanding with its back-and-forth dialog, but all are skilfully handled by the cast especially Cusenza, Schmelzkopf and Tassone.

With its long history from the original Broadway production in 1972 to the 1975 feature film with Walter Matthau and George Burns, in his Oscar winning role, then a Woody Allen film in 1997 and even a version of the play on the West End starring Danny DeVito in 2012, The Sunshine Boys is a classic and well-loved play. This version does justice to the play’s long history and Peter Goers, Assistant Director/Co-stage Manager Brian Wellington, the superb cast and crew deserve high praise for this exemplary production.

Reviewed by Rob McKinnon

Rating; 5/5

The Sunshine Boys runs 10 September – 19 September 2026

Venue: Arts Theatre, 53 Angas Street, Adelaide

Tickets: https://artstheatresa.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/159440

To book tickets to The Sunshine Boys, please visit https://adelaiderep.com/season-2026/the-sunshine-boys.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Adelaide’s True Crime Tour

Review: Adelaide’s True Crime Tour

Adelaide’s True Crime Tour Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

Meeting outside the Adelaide Railway Station, our very engaging and knowledgeable tour guide, Sarah, led us on a 90-minute tour around the CBD walking to the actual scenes of nine notorious local crimes.

The tour begins at the Railway Station with a fascinating crime dating back to the building’s construction in the 1920s, before moving along North Terrace to Government House for one of the oldest stories featured on the tour.

From there, we made our way through familiar Adelaide landmarks including Rundle Mall, Hindmarsh Square and Grenfell Street. It is fascinating to discover the darker history hidden behind places that thousands of people pass every day, often without any idea of the dramatic events that once occurred there.

At the Mall’s Balls, officially called The Spheres as Sarah pointed out, we heard the tragic story of a crime that occurred in the area in the early twentieth century, including an eerie detail about the victim that is best left for Sarah to reveal.

The tour also moves into more recent history, including a shocking murder connected with Hindmarsh Square, before continuing through the city for several other stories involving Adelaide characters and crimes from different periods.

 

One of the strengths of the tour is the variety of cases covered. Some are relatively well known, while others reveal extraordinary episodes from Adelaide’s past that many locals may never have encountered.

The tour culminates around Gouger Street with the engrossing story of John Balaban, one of Adelaide’s most notorious murderers, and the dramatic circumstances surrounding his eventual arrest.

The tour is a gentle walk suitable for most fitness levels, with plenty of opportunities for resting on public seats if needed. It takes place mostly over flat ground that is readily traversable by wheelchairs. As the tour operates through public areas of the CBD, there is naturally also some variability in public interaction along the way.

Adelaide’s True Crime Tour provides a very interesting insight into the notorious historic happenings hidden behind what are often considered the quiet streets of Adelaide. Sarah was an engaging and knowledgeable guide, and the tour is highly recommended for visitors to Adelaide and locals alike.

Venue: Starts at the Adelaide Railway Station

To book tickets to Adelaide’s True Crime Tour, please visit https://darkstories.com.au/adelaide-true-crime-tour/.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Iota Joins Cast Of Leonard Cohen Anniversary Spectacular

Feature-Cohen Noir: The Beauty, Mystery and Romance of Leonard Cohen

It’s 10 years since the iconic poet-composer-musician Leonard Cohen left this world, but his work looms as large as ever! And – marking the anniversary – Australia’s triple ARIA Award-winning Monsieur Camembert brings their spectacular and acclaimed production COHEN NOIR to Melbourne and Perth, honouring one of the world’s greatest songwriters through a richly textured evening of music, poetry and storytelling.

Joining an all-star cast of singers and musicians for both performances is multi award winning performer, IOTA. He is flanked by Diana Rouvas, Lyn Bowtell, Susie Bishop, Timothy James Bowen (Melbourne), Berlin-based Australian violin virtuoso Daniel Weltlinger and the remarkable Bukhu, whose haunting Mongolian throat singing and horse-hair fiddle add another unforgettable voice to this rich musical landscape.
Plus the formidable choral backing of a superb community choir in each city: Glee West in Melbourne and Swan Harmony Singers in Perth!

Some songs become part of who we are. They accompany us through life’s different seasons, revealing new meanings as we change. Leonard Cohen’s songs are among those rare companions, filled with beauty, longing, tenderness and extraordinary insight into what it means to be human. Created and performed by Australia’s triple ARIA Award-winning Monsieur Camembert, COHEN NOIR is a rare invitation into that remarkable world.

Over the past 20 years, COHEN NOIR has evolved into one of Australia’s most acclaimed live music experiences, earning standing ovations and sold-out performances at the Sydney Opera House, State Theatre, City Recital Hall and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Audiences return not simply to hear these timeless songs again, but to discover something new within them.

“Cohen Noir is brilliant… a confronting, mortifying, exultant celebration of the business of being human.” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

An exceptional ensemble of musicians and guest artists explores Cohen’s songs, poetry and prose with imagination, sensitivity and masterful musicianship. Drawing on jazz, tango, Latin, folk, klezmer and cinematic orchestration, the music reveals new colours and perspectives while remaining faithful to the emotional heart of the songs.

Cohen’s own recorded voice, poetry and humour weave gently through the performance, drawing audiences into the world behind the songs and revealing the wisdom, humanity and quiet grace that resonate so deeply.

“Spirited, musically assured, eclectic and downright fun.” – Doug Spencer, ABC Radio National

More than a tribute concert, COHEN NOIR invites audiences to encounter Leonard Cohen’s work anew, discovering fresh colours, deeper meanings and the timeless humanity that continues to resonate a decade after his passing.

“Monsieur Camembert does justice to the emotional, lyrical and melodic intent of the songs while adding a new dimension.” – Tony Hillier, The Weekend Australian
Tickets and information: www.cohen-noir.com

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Subscribe to What's The Show

Reviews, show news and what is on, straight to your inbox.