Perth Musical - Whats The Show

From Page to Stage: Percy Jackson Delivers

14/04/2026 Emma Basc ⭐

The Lightning Thief Rating

★★★★★

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Art in Motion Theatre Company are back at the Don Russell Performing Arts Centre with The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical—and as a family who love musical theatre and have devoured everything written by Rick Riordan, we were counting down the days until the show.

We arrived dressed in our finest orange and blue (as you do, IYKYK), and loved seeing so many audience members leaning into the fun—camp colours, hand-painted bead necklaces, the lot. This was an audience coming in with high expectations. Thankfully, this talented cast more than delivered.

The story follows Percy Jackson (Joshua Hollander), who discovers he’s a half-blood—his father is none other than Poseidon. After his life takes a sharp and unexpected turn, Percy finds himself at a camp for children of gods and mortals before heading off on a quest filled with monsters, riddles, and a race against time. Alongside Annabeth Chase (Una Minello) and Grover Underwood (Cosimo Trichelo), Percy must try to prevent a war among the gods.

No pressure.

The show runs for around two hours (plus intermission) and is fantastic value for a community theatre production. A huge congratulations to the cast—these performers can sing. As well as the 3 lead characters, hats off to the other performers who seamlessly transitioned between so many characters. The live band was incredible (and honestly, live music just lifts a show in a way nothing else can), their enthusiasm was contagious. This is Liam Tickner’s directorial debut, and what a strong one it is. The set design by Craig Delbridge is clever and effective, using simple elements to bring scenes to life (the statue garden was a standout). Costume designer Kylie Martin has also done a great job capturing the essence of each character.

I was asked before going, “Isn’t that for kids?”
And look… not no…

The recommendation is 13+, but if your younger kids are okay with some fight scenes, they’ll likely love it. The books are aimed at around 9+, and I’d happily take an 8 or 9-year-old. That said, this absolutely holds its own for adults—I’d have enjoyed it just as much without the kids (although I suspect I would never have been forgiven) and there were lots of adults there of all ages without children.

If you love Percy Jackson, mythology, urban fantasy, or just a good musical, this one is well worth your time. The show is still running from 16–18 April (with two performances on the 18th). You can find more information here: https://www.gosnells.wa.gov.au/news-events/events/lightning-thief

To book tickets to The Lightning Thief, please visit https://drpac.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/160626.

Photographer: Perfectly Picturesque Photography

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Cats

14/11/2025 Manuela Kacomanolis🥈🎭

Cats The Musical Rating

★★★★★

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The opening night of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats at the Crown Theatre, Perth, delivered a polished, high-energy revival that showcased the production’s enduring strengths of choreography and crystalline vocals.

The long-running musical has been entertaining audiences since 1981 but for prospective patrons unfamiliar with Cats, don’t attend the show expecting a plot or even any dialogue. You will have a much better appreciation for it if you go for the exquisite dancing, singing and overall visual extravaganza. Cats is more a sequence of character portraits of the feline characters stitched together by a very thin storyline about a Jellicle Ball for all the Jellicle cats.

The show made more sense when I discovered that it was based on a series of poems from TS Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” dating back to the 1930s. It is these poems that inspired the legendary Mr Webber to convert them into a musical.

I cannot fault any of the dancing or singing. The cast performed with remarkable precision and athleticism, sustaining demanding choreography. The unison work in the larger ensemble numbers was exceptionally tight. It is evident that the dancers are professional ballet and classical jazz dancers. The production’s success lies in the cumulative power of its choreography and vocal pieces rather than narrative complexity.

Bringing the cats to life are the dazzling costumes and richly detailed makeup which I was fortunate enough to see up close. Throughout the show, the performers would integrate themselves within the audience, purring, stretching and leaping up and down the aisles of the theatre.

The production’s scenic design embraces the junkyard setting, transforming the stage into an immersive, feline-sized world. An old oven, a rumpled shirt, car tires, these are rendered at magnified proportions so that the performers read unmistakably as cats in an oversized human environment.

The integration of car engine and police sirens sound effects and a sweeping “torch” effect as the cat ensemble scatter in hidden spots, transforms the junkyard into a living, reactive environment without relying on dialogue.

Gabriyel Thomas delivered a standout solo performance as the weary Grizabella The Glamour Cat, belting out the iconic Memory song.

Tim Haskayne was outstanding in his jazz ballet routine as the Magical Mr Mistoffelees who delivered a mesmerizing performance with impeccable control and grace.

I found it especially amusing and admire the dedication of one of the performers who remained on stage in character for the duration of the interval.

This staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats operates with a first-class polish that flows with effortless precision. It is more a mixture of a ballet performance and a musical rather than a conventional musical and in its entirety a form of art to enjoy.

To book tickets to Cats The Musical, please visit https://catsthemusical.com.au/tickets/perth/.

Photographer: Daniel Boud

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Urinetown, The Musical

12/11/2025 Manuela Kacomanolis🥈🎭

Urinetown, The Musical Rating

★★★★★

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The name Urinetown may put some people off but it’s all part of the humour in this satirical comedy musical which delivers a powerful message on greedy corporations, capitalism and environmental sustainability.

Directed by Andrew Baker, Urinetown is the story of a town in which a devastating drought has led a government-enforced ban on private toilets in an attempt to preserve water usage. The population must now pay for the “privilege to pee” at public toilets. These public amenities are owned and operated by Urine Good Company (UGC).

As in every city, there are good areas and bad areas, Amenity 9 is the worst of the worst. Here, the down and out-of-luck residents, scramble each morning and evening to find enough money to pay for the usage of Amenity 9 toilets. Urinating and defecating in public are strictly against the law but those who can’t afford to use a public amenity, it’s their only option. If caught, they are sent to “Urinetown”. However, it doesn’t take long to figure out that Urinetown is not an actual town.

When Old Man Strong is hauled away to “Urinetown” his son Bobby Strong leads the residents on a revolution against the government and the corporations, in particularly UGC.

After crossing paths with the good-natured but naive Hope Caldwell, he discovers she’s the daughter of the UGC’S tyrannical and money-hungry CEO, Caldwell B. Caldwell but his love and affection for Hope does not deter him on his mission to bring about social equality and justice, and most importantly, to pee for free.

The concept of the musical is based on the idea that “people multiple faster than their resources” from the British economist, Thomas Robert Malthus’ (1766-1834). The play takes that idea one step further with drastic measures in place for preservation of water resources.

Although Urinetown is a cautionary tale set in the near future, the music, the costumes, even the manner in which they spoke and overall feel of the musical gives off strong 1930s prohibition era vibes.

In reality, charging to use a public amenity is not so unusual especially in Europe and so it was this pay-per-use toilet that inspired writer Greg Kotis to create Urinetown.

The whole cast delivered a phenomenal first-class performance. Izzi Green stood out with a stunning vocal performance.

Urinetown is such a clever satirical musical. I particularly found funny the flashback scenes with Old Man Strong and Tiny T.
Officer Lockstock and Little Sally act as narrators throughout the musical and their interactions are hilarious.

Urinetown is currently playing at the Liberty Theatre in Perth, and it’s a brilliantly funny satirical musical. It’s sharp commentary on sustainability and corporate greed feels more relevant today than ever before.

To book tickets to Urinetown, The Musical, please visit https://www.westernskyprojects.com.au/.

Photographer: Mark Flower Photography

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Monopoly: The Unauthorised Musical

02/11/202502/11/2025 Breanna Redhead🌟🦉

Monopoly: The Unauthorised Musical Rating

★★★★★

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How refreshing to see a completely new theatre works here in Perth, clearly crafted with great care and thought. Monopoly: The Unauthorised Musical – whilst not perfect – is a breath of fresh air, offering an eclectic soundtrack, and committed performances across the board.

Originally created as a short-form musical by Jasper Cruden for his final composition assessment at WAAPA, the concept has since been fleshed out to full-length musical, now featuring 42 unique pieces of music (including underscoring) and an expanded story.

A strong ensemble cast brings to life our players (literally), each inspired by a classic board game. Together in a kooky Wonderland-esque realm they band together to take on the power hungry Mayfair.

From the moment you enter the theatre you are drawn into the world of the show, with a suite of board games offered in the foyer for patrons to try their hand.

This show was incredibly cast, with each actor not only physically embodying their characters to a tee but leaning into their archetypes with great energy. Strong performances from everyone – Caleb Haidary is astute and noble as Sir Knight, pining over Georgia Goff’s eccentric Lady Luck. Goff also shows great physicality in bringing to life Madame Charade. Ethan Battle was a livewire as Admiral Cannonblast – showing excellent characterisation and vigour. While Stacey Gobey displays her vocal prowess as the cunning Mrs Wordsmith.

Personal standouts were Mary Carter as the audacious Mayfair, with a captivating stage presence and stunning vocal performance, such a joy to watch. While I couldn’t stop smiling at Jake Battle as Baron Von Strategy, always giving 1000% even when not the focus of a scene.

Jordan Richards as game-opposed Scott had the hardest job in my eyes, portraying an ‘average joe’ among a sea of exuberant personalities. While giving a solid performance, true to his character, it ultimately felt a little flat against the rest of the cast simply given its nature.

I really enjoyed the set in this production, minimal but well utilised – Sarah Halton’s design, built by Henry Howard, featured multiple cut-up, jagged wardrobes – again leaning into a whimsical feel, providing an ambiguous sense of time and place. The crooked pieces also help serve as platforms, tables and cupboards throughout which allowed for fun and varied blocking. Imaginative lighting design from Matthew Roberts was also a welcome addition, particularly in the ‘rabbit hole’ and ‘table flipping’ scenes.

As with any new works there were some areas for improvement. Musically, the score is wonderful, spanning a number of genres while keeping true to the essence of the show. The orchestra (under the musical direction of Jasper Cruden) didn’t miss a beat in bringing it to life. A couple songs I felt were misplaced in their whereabouts of the show but still worked well overall. The vocals were slick with harmonies evenly balanced and blending well, though I feel singers were at times over powered by the orchestra. Diction and projection from most whilst singing could also be improved, especially given this is a new work not already familiar to audiences, and the numerous counter-melodies that feature in the show it was sometimes hard to hear the different layers.

Though not a dance heavy show, Tayah Crothers’ choreography was well suited to the genre and executed with flair, while some of the more sharper moments could have benefited from improved timing.

Ian Tassicker’s script is quite witty, something you wouldn’t expect from the dark tones given off in the marketing of the show. A real pleasant surprise. Personally, pacing was a main area for improvement, with some scenes feeling quite clunky in a very intentional set up to a song, while others were the opposite and felt too quick to jump into another tune. I wonder how much of the original song cycle was featured in Act 1 compared to Act 2 as the latter felt quite rushed and not as thought out, in a bid to wrap up loose ends.

All in all, this show is fantastic – though some elements may need refining, it did not impact my overall enjoyment. For a world premiere of a new musical the Roundhouse team have done an excellent job with their debut production, so with just a few weeks left, do yourself a favour and go and see this lively and unique new work.

To book tickets to Monopoly: The Unauthorised Musical, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/1464504/sessions.

Photographer: Deprimo Photography

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