Theatre Works

Now

Now

Now Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

Now is a show exploring a family and how they move through Now- a virtual reality that pulls the one (or i call him the child) into it, as the one feels it is the future, and the only way forward. The one’s parents, like many parents, don’t understand what he’s doing in the Now, and the disconnection of the familial dynamics are central to the show. Although awkward in a review, the namelessness of the characters makes much more sense within the context of the show.

Now is set after COVID, in a dystopian future. Slowly paced, X (Helene Tardif) tries to come to terms with how her son, the One (Andrew Drava) lives his life. X and her husband (Marc Opitz) tell the audience how COVID made the other one selfish, and it becomes clear immediately that the relationship between X and her husband lacks a foundation of respect and trust. This is an issue that continues to plague the show.

 

Now
Now
Now

 

The One finds everything he needs online, including a partner (Georgina Scott). The One’s partner introduces herself to the audience whilst singing happy birthday to herself, a sad representation of the future where somewhere like the Now brings people together, but also isolates us from each other. The One and his partner enter the Now using their glasses, and continue to spend all their time in the Now.

The show established a tense relationship between the parents from the beginning, with the father being particularly disagreeable, inflexible and stubborn. A point of conflict for X, the One, and the Father, is how the One enjoys and finds success in the Now. The Father loses his job and the dynamic between father and son becomes tense and frustrating. The Father is rude, and the One is dismissive. Neither are willing to talk to the other. The Father’s behaviour continues to escalate, until he has an outburst that impacts the whole family.

Now dove into dystopia and family dynamics. Some of the behaviours of the characters felt unearned, aggression (in particular from the father) felt like it appeared out of nowhere, with little base. Similarly X and the One forgive the Father, which feels unearned, given how little the Father reflected on his behaviour and the impact it has on his family. This show tried to explore dynamics of a family falling apart, but only shallowly explores motivations and drive behind each character’s actions.

To book tickets to Now, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/now.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Pokélesque: The Uproarious Drag And Burlesque Parody Play

Pokélesque

Pokélesque Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

2

One would not be out of place saying, WTF Rosie Roulette, writer and director of Pokélesque, performing 24-28 Feb 2026 at Ackland Street Theatre. What goes on in that fierce silly nerd head of yours?

Pokélesque tells the tale of a young trainer, wanting to be the best, beginning their pocket mon journey. Lucy May Knight’s star shines brightly as the young trainer. Their quick wit and improv reactions are hilariously fun. Adam White is equally matched as the Rival. There was no censoring of the rival’s name volunteered by the audience unlike the game. This was the beginning stages of the shocks and excitement ahead. Various stages of undress mean this is not a kid’s show.

We are cleverly welcomed, with the audience lights on, to three pink eared acapella singers, with words slightly changed for the Pocket monster theme, as people take their seats. As the lights dim and the story starts, we are taken on a weird psychedelic trip. The Professor, Darin Casler, cleverly comforts us for the road ahead. That road included fight scenes where we the audience clapped along and roared laughing.

 

Pokélesque
Pokélesque
Pokélesque

 

There was MX Lucy Furr, whose stunning performance as Lickitung in hot pink tongue boa and pink sequined cap which made them a vagina in certain poses and strip teasing pocket mon. Rosie Roulette dazzled us with her beautiful version of “Never Enough”, what an exceptionally multi-talented weirdo. Sy Quinn’s performance in multiple roles with strange unrecognisable accents and many hat changes brought well deserved cheers and whoops from the audience every time they came on stage and played up directly with the audience.

Driving and begging for reactions seamlessly within the storyline. Rasputtin as Mr. Mime was a highlight. Their mimed strip tease was comically sensual and had audience members catching and returning their imaginary clothes with glee. The fabulous dancing Theresa Problem and Izzy Inyette play the villainous team Red Rockets. Were there a couple of sound issues and a troublesome microphone on opening night? Sure, but this talented crew added it to the interaction with us the audience. Improv and a non-existent fourth wall included us at every turn of this parody style play.

This all-inclusive, minus kids, show really is one for the pocket monster fans with many hidden and some not so hidden Pokemon puns. However, no prior knowledge is needed. Get along to the mischievous, totally camp, frivolous Pokélesque. Presented by GEEK OUT Nerdlesque. You will have a great time.

To book tickets to Pokélesque, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/pokelesque.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Robot Song

Robot Song

Robot Song Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

3

Robot Song is a 10/10 unicorn. It’s a lean, hilarious and genuinely heartfelt piece of theatre, where every element is perfectly placed and the magic sneaks up on you. There is no fat in this show. Nothing extraneous. It is deliberate, thoughtful and perfectly crafted, a tight hour that moves at a cracking pace and still finds room for your heart to keep up.

I first saw Robot Song years ago and it hit me just as hard this time at Theatre Works as it did when I saw it in regional Victoria. I feel like that is the mark of a work built on universal truth and authenticity.

Created by Jolyon James (writer, director and designer), Robot Song takes the lazy “robotic” stereotype often slapped onto autistic people and flips it into something far more honest and generous. In James’ own words the show challenges those misconceptions, asks how we define ourselves and centres creativity as a way through when language fails.

At the centre of the story is Adeline Hunter as Juniper May, giving a stellar performance that is funny, raw and completely believable, like you are watching a real kid think in real time. Phillip McInnes as Dad nails the paternal warmth and the messy, relatable effort of trying to get it right more often than you get it wrong. Michelle Doyle, performer-musician, is a quiet force, moving between presence as Mum and musicianship in a way that makes the whole room feel held.

 

Robot Song
Robot Song
Robot Song

 

The music, composed and directed by Nathan Gilkes, is simple but perfectly formed, built to keep the lyrics clear and centred while still giving the singers space to fly. And fly they did. Each performer showcased their vocal skills brilliantly but Adeline Hunter stole the show vocally with a powerhouse voice that left the audience cheering.

The theatrical language is a joy too: a show-within-a-show (and sometimes another show within that). It never feels confusing as we switch between worlds, just lovingly guided. Puppetry, projection, movement and live tech blend so seamlessly, you stop clocking the mechanics of brilliant theatre-making and find yourself genuinely immersed inside the story.

The design, once again, highlights the versatility of Theatre Works. It sits within the space as though it was custom built for the venue. The set looks casual, complete with found objects strewn everywhere, but everything is precisely chosen and positioned, especially around the oversized dumpster centrepiece which is somehow both realistic and quietly magical. Set construction is credited to Tom Eeles at JT Custom Builds, and you can feel the intelligence in every centimetre of it. The lighting (with original lighting design by Paul Lim) and the sound design deserve their own standing ovation. They are detailed, sculpted and so apparently effortless that you only realise afterwards how much work must be underneath.

I brought my 17-year-old daughter to this performance and she loved it as much as I did, as much as the younger kids in the audience did too. That “everyone gets something” kind of magic is rare. Think Bluey energy: warm, clever, deeply inclusive, with big lessons delivered gently with wit and kindness. This show made me laugh, cry and I loved every moment of it. Don’t miss it.

To book tickets to Robot Song, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/robot-song.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Homophonic!

Homophonic

Homophonic Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

3

This year, ‘Homophonic!’ celebrates their 16th annual performance at Midsumma. Directed and presented by double bass player Miranda Hill, ‘Homophonic!’ features new music by queer composers and embraces the playful, shiny disco ball side to the classical music scene. I was devastated I couldn’t make it last time, so consider this review a year in the making.

Storytelling was without a doubt the heart of ‘Homophonic!’ I noticed, as Hill reverently introduced each composer and the stories behind their work. Backed by a strings quartet, percussion and the voices of the Consort of Melbourne, the program reflected on the many diverse facets of the queer experience. Lyle Chan’s AIDS memorial quartet and Caroline Shaw’s ‘To The Hands’ were particularly memorable examples in their haunting, near-tangible beauty. At times, ‘Homophonic!’ felt more like a conversation between composer, musician and audience; a mutual understanding beyond what language alone can describe. It was visceral, and nothing short of an amazing experience.

 

Homophonic
Homophonic
Homophonic

 

‘Homophonic!’ played with a blend of mediums from classical to contemporary, disco, performance art and spoken word. ‘i ain’t reading all that / i’m happy for you tho / or sorry that happened‘, composed by Connor D’Netto and written by Alex Creece, was a brilliant foray into poetry: hilarious, ineffable and heartbreakingly real. The Consort of Melbourne serving as a conduit for the barrage of inner thoughts projected onto the theatre wall was genius, and as their voices overlapped in crescendos and cacophonies, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, so thiiiis is poetry. I finally get it!’. ‘All lesbians are jellicle’ is a line that will literally never leave my consciousness now.

I’m no classical aficionado by any means, so I brought a date who is, but we ended up having so much fun the technicalities I was so worried about didn’t matter. While the performers were incredibly skilled, and I could go on and on about that, it was their enjoyment of the craft that struck a chord—they were having just as much fun as us. Carving out space for experimental, passionate and proud queer art is a form of protest as much as it is play and ‘Homophonic!’ balances that responsibility with grace.

Music is inherently political. To create art on stolen land, as queer people, as activists, it’s impossible to blithely remove this context from our practices (even so-called ‘apolitical’ art is an intentional, if telling, choice). ‘Homophonic!’ celebrates the intertwinement of art and self in a new form that welcomes a wider audience through the golden gates of classical music—which, by the way, has always been queer.

To book tickets to Homophonic, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/homophonic.

Photographer: Darren Gill

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Connect Online

© 2026 Dark Stories Pty Ltd     ♦     Whats The Show