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Come Alive: The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular Opens In Adelaide Tomorrow

28/10/2026 Breaking News

Feature-COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular has arrived in Adelaide and will delight audiences from tomorrow at the Morphettville Racecourse. 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 performing for Adelaide on 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 Bassett 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

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The Thunderbolt

25/10/202625/10/2026 Nicole V🥈🎭

The Thunderbolt Rating

★★★★★

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Red Phoenix Theatre and Goodwood Theatre & Studios present the South Australian premiere of ‘The Thunderbolt’, written by Arthur Wing Pinero.

Not strictly a feminist story, ‘The Thunderbolt’ does have feminist themes. Set in 1908, society was seeing an emergence of the “new woman” – women who were striking out to achieve their own education, money, and life beyond the societal expectations of being a wife. Helen is the heroine, setting the example of such a woman at the time.

Helen is an illegitimate child getting her education and becoming an independent woman. Her world is turned upside down when she finds out her loving father, Edward, has passed away – and his will is nowhere to be found. Elisha Johnson brings the calm but intelligent Helen to life with her steadfast and consistent performance, playing the loving daughter with care as Helen navigates Edward’s family. The family which has not had the chance to get to know Helen before now. When we are introduced to the family, they have already begun planning how to divide Edward’s extensive properties and funds amongst themselves … without including Helen.

Michael Eustice, Steve Marvanek, and Joshua Coldwell are completely engaging with their roles of Edward’s two younger brothers and his brother-in-law, respectively. Commanding the room from their opening lines, hilarious with their reactions, every delivery felt natural and perfectly executed.

Annie Matsouliadis, Katie Packer, and Anne Doherty play dutiful wives, supporting their husbands and their ideas, and perfectly encapsulating the mean girl essence towards those not in their inner circle. Their humour, reactions, and mutterings add depth and a level of realism to each scene they grace.

Malcolm Walton and Jai Pearce bring some calm to the family, offering legal advice as they try to do the right thing by Edward. Their performances are steady and charming, as are Akira Hockley Miric and Tim Williams with their roles, which they portray with grace.

Jessica Corrie and Leighton Vog have the immense job of portraying stress, anxiety, and desperation – all of which they pull off with their fantastic physical and vocal skill sets. Their performances, both separately and together, will tug at your heartstrings.

Away from the actors, the stage lighting was simple but clearly well considered, with well-timed drops between scenes. The set design was elegant, and each set change was blocked out within an inch of its life, with backstage assistants and actors working and weaving together seamlessly. There were no sound issues, aside from the occasional quietly delivered line, which was infrequent and subtly adjusted with the actors following line.

The costumes were artful, well-fitted for each individual actor, and reminiscent of the fashion of the time. This author was pleasantly surprised to see the costumes for the married couples on the stage had matching colour schemes – a simple but visually striking way for the audience to keep track of the relationships with minimal effort.

‘The Thunderbolt’ is as relevant and witty today as it was in 1908. It runs for two hours with a 20 minute interval.

To book tickets to The Thunderbolt, please visit https://www.redphoenixtheatre.com/season/.

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Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

11/10/202611/10/2026 Nicole V🥈🎭

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Rating

★★★★★

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Family can be a lot to deal with. Especially when dealing with your sister turned famous actress who has decided to drop by for a visit …

Adelaide University Theatre Guild presents the South Australian premiere of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”. A clever, emotionally wrought, and funny piece which draws inspiration from some of Anton Chekhov’s works, weaving a tale around the relationships between three siblings who may or may not be experiencing personal success and emotional turmoil. To help the siblings discover their next steps in their personal lives, they find some unanticipated guidance in the form of a gypsy house cleaner, a confident – if not slightly oblivious – boyfriend, and a neighbour’s visiting niece. Together they lift each other up, discover some unexpected alliances and friendships, and rediscover their zest for life.

With an engaging cast who each bring their own zest for acting to the stage, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is full of well-timed jokes, cringe-worthy second hand embarrassment, and heart wrenching monologues. Be sure to keep a close eye on Cassandra and her predictions. Not only is her wardrobe on point, but so is her attitude and background work. Nina floats around the stage with an ethereal elegance you can’t help but watch – a wholesome character who the siblings desperately needed in their lives. Meanwhile Spike prefers to wander around in his underwear, but his naivety is important for a pivotal moment in the story. Masha is the overly emotional actress of the three siblings, and just doing her best in the world of Hollywood, and, ultimately, what is right for her two siblings. Vanya is the sensible and steadfast sibling, supposedly content with his morning bird watching and living with his adopted sister, Sonia. Sonia despairs for her life, seeking therapy and assurance from her brother, and wishing for love in her life.

“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” showcases a set that encapsulates a well-lived in country home, with plenty of space allowing for movement, party costumes, and adjustments that don’t interfere with the flow of the story, or the characters. This authors personal favourite addition to the set was the LED “windows” representing the sunlight outside the house where the story was taking place. No need for guessing the time of day, but the costumes and characters did a wonderful job of showing the audience, even without the LED assistance.

Each character’s wardrobe is a wonderful reflection of their own personality, and each costume change is simple but well-planned for the particular scene, as well as for the character themselves. From the hair and makeup to their socks and shoes, even the noise-making talismans are all perfectly suited and clearly well-considered. Which can also be said for the lighting and sound. For there were no faults with the lighting and sound – every text click, light being switched on, and scene change was like clockwork. Perfectly timed, clear, and, once again, well-suited and planned for each scene and location.

Be prepared to leave with many memorable moments to recall and chuckle at. Keep in mind that every Disney Princess needs to have a good cry before the turning point in the story. And … we are all wild turkeys.

You do not need to understand the specific Chekhov references within “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” to enjoy it, but if you would like an overview of the works that are mentioned, the program kindly provides a summary.

“If everyone took antidepressants, Chekhov would’ve had nothing to write about!” – Sonia.

To book tickets to Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/au/event/1476483.

Photographer: Richard Parkhill

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

24/09/2026 Breaking News

‘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.

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.

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.”

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

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

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