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Shirley Valentine Starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte Opens Next Week In Sydney

16/10/2025 Breaking News

The joyous, life affirming comedy Shirley Valentine, starring leading lady of stage and screen Natalie Bassingthwaighte, opens in Sydney next week. Playing at Theatre Royal Sydney for one week only from 22-26 October, Natalie as Shirley Valentine has captivated audiences and critics alike, bringing Willy Russell’s iconic, heartwarming story to vibrant new life.

This beloved one-woman play tells the inspiring and hilarious story of Shirley, a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife stuck in a life of routine. Talking to her kitchen wall, she dreams of escape and wonders what happened to the adventurous girl she once was. When a friend invites her on a spontaneous holiday to Greece, Shirley takes a bold leap into the unknown. With humour, charm and grit, she rediscovers her passion for life and her sense of self. Will she return to her old ways, or will Shirley find a new life where she can finally be her true self?

Shirley Valentine is brought to life by acclaimed actress Natalie Bassingthwaighte. Known for her incredible versatility spanning film (Elvis), television (Neighbours, Underbelly, X-Factor) and stage (Chicago, Jagged Little Pill), Natalie’s portrayal promises to deliver a fresh, dynamic take on Shirley’s journey, capturing every laugh, tear and moment of courage.

SHIRLEY VALENTINE (c) Brett Boardman-min-min.jpg

Natalie Bassingthwaighte SHIRLEY VALENTINE (c) James Reiser SMALL.jpg

Audiences and critics raved about the play and Bassingthwaighte’s performance in Melbourne and Adelaide:
“An impressive and endearing performance that had the audience on its feet” – The Age
“Deliciously funny, poignantly moving, inspiringly uplifting” – Simon Parris, Man in Chair
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Grab your girlfriends and make a night of it. You’ll leave the theatre laughing, inspired and maybe even planning your own adventure” – MelbourniseMe
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An exceptional play, performed by an exceptional actor” – Impulse Gamer
“Absolute gold. Don’t miss this stunning production” – Thescoop.au
“Bassingthwaighte truly captivated with her superb portrayal. A phenomenal one-woman performance” – Thescoop.au
“Genuinely moving” – Limelight

www.shirleyvalentine.com.au

SYDNEY SEASON
Venue: Theatre Royal Sydney
Season: 22-26 October (one week only)
Performance Times: Wed & Thurs 2pm and 7pm, Fri & Sat 7:30pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm
Prices: From $59.00 (Transaction fees apply)

BRISBANE SEASON
Venue: Twelfth Night Theatre, Bowen Hills
Season: 29 October– 8 November
Performance Times: Wed & Thurs 2pm and 7pm, Fri & Sat 7:30pm, Sat 2pm, Sunday 3pm
Prices: From $59 (Transaction fees apply)

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World Champagne Day On 24 October As Blanc De Blanc Encore Extends Until February 2026

16/10/2025 Breaking News

Smash-hit ‘champagne cabaret’ Blanc de Blanc Encore celebrates World Champagne Day on 24 October and announces a season extension until February 2026, making it one of the river city’s longest running shows.

Since opening in November last year, Blanc de Blanc Encore has wowed audiences so much that the show is still running, with new dates now on sale until February 2026 at bespoke and award-winning theatre and bar The West End Electric.

“Blanc de Blanc Encore has run longer than many major musicals do, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the overwhelming response. It shows just how much Brisbane loves a cheeky ‘champagne cabaret’! So we’ll be sticking around for the ‘party-season’ with shows all through summer,” says Producer Jess Copas, who has had a busy year, with the company presenting shows in London as well as all over Australia.

The cast and venue are celebrating their success with a World Champagne Day event for the ages, on Friday 24 October. The one-of-a-kind night will feature free-flowing Moët & Chandon, champagne oysters, exclusive surprise show moments, ‘champagne glam’ best dressed prizes and more.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten champagne oysters – where the vinaigrette is replaced with unadulterated French champagne, thanks to our official sponsor Moët & Chandon,” says Venue Manager Rachael Hale.

Festivities will begin at 5:30pm, with the Blanc cast sabreing a bottle of French to begin the night of decadence. Flowing Moët & Chandon is included in the standard ticket price to see Blanc de Blanc Encore on World Champagne Day only. Which might just make it one of the hottest tickets in town!

After the show, the two most gloriously dressed attendees will be crowned ‘Champagne Monarchs’, in a nod to the drink’s history as the official libation of kings and queens.

Blanc de Blanc Encore transports guests from a sophisticated French lounge to a pumping nightclub party with the world’s finest acrobatic talent, great tunes, big laughs, lots of skin and more than a few surprises.

The international cast includes world-class circus, theatre and dance performers who have worked alongside the likes of Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Rihanna, ripped up the floor on Dancing with the Stars and graced major stages on many continents.

Global powerhouse production house Strut & Fret are thrilled to extend the Blanc de Blanc Encore season again at Brisbane’s bespoke new theatre and bar The West End Electric.

The minds behind The Garden of Unearthly Delights, The Spiegeltent, The Grand Electric and now The West End Electric, Strut & Fret have toured their signature circus-cabaret shows to 25 countries from Brussels to Bogota and Perth to Prague.

Tickets are selling fast for World Champagne Day and all other dates via The West End Electric. Bookings are also being taken for Christmas parties and group events. Audiences are encouraged to be quick to secure their favourite seats for the festive season.

VENUE: The West End Electric, 125 Boundary St, West End, QLD 4101
DATES: Season extension until February 2026; World Champagne Day on Friday 24 October
SHOWTIMES: Wednesdays & Thursdays 7:30pm, Fridays 7:30pm, Saturdays 4:30pm & 7:30pm; Sundays 5:30pm (times may differ, see the website for all show times)
PRICES: Tickets from $64 + booking fees with special discounts and balcony bar hire options for parties.

The West End Electric

Praise for Blanc de Blanc Encore

“The Blanc experience serves up the top shelf of cabaret-burlesque-circus entertainment with a devilish smile and a knowing wink. This show is bubbling over with hilarious hosts, talented performers dressed up (and down) in dazzling couture-fashion-level costuming, interactive stunts and so-rude-it’s-right jokes.” — Time Out Sydney

“Whether it was risqué cancan in stilettos, striptease, slapstick, vamping, the pole or aerial rings…. [the performers] did not miss a beat” — Theatre Thoughts

Praise for The West End Electric

“Officially Brisbane’s coolest theatre venue” — The Westender

“The West End Electric evokes a sense of bohemian opulence” — Brisbane Times

“Think vaudeville, New York cabaret, Moulin Rouge vibes mixed with cocktails upon cocktails. What’s not to love?” — Urban List Brisbane

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Final Tickets Now On Sale For Brisbane’s Hit Summer Musical, Annie

16/10/2025 Breaking News

Final tickets have been released today for the Brisbane season of the new Australian production of the ever-popular Broadway musical Annie, which begins on 27 December for five weeks only at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC. Brisbane’s blockbuster summer musical will play until 31 January, an ideal school holiday treat for the whole family. No extension to the season is possible.

This inspiring new Australian production, directed by Karen Johnson Mortimer and choreographed by Mitchell Woodcock, received huge acclaim and standing ovations in Sydney and Melbourne. Critics have praised the production with quotes including: “Annie offers a fun night out with its simple, classic storyline, beloved by many for generations” (Theatre Matters); “Filled with optimism, joy and hope … a great reason for a night on the town” (Time Out); “The production was a knockout” (Melbournise Me); “Theatrical sunshine” (Limelight); “This production is a triumph” (Australian Stage); and “Annie proves the golden age of musical theatre is here…Broadway is so back” (thescoop.au).

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Stephanie McNamara and child cast in ANNIE (c) Daniel Boud_262.jpg

The stellar cast is led by Anthony Warlow as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks and Debora Krizak as Miss Hannigan. Mackenzie Dunn plays Lily St. Regis, Keanu Gonzalez plays “Rooster” Hannigan, and Amanda Lea LaVergne plays Grace Farrell. Greg Page plays President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his musical theatre debut. The talented ensemble cast includes Luke Alleva, Cameron Boxall, Tim Brown, Emily Casey, Nakita Clarke, Andrew Dunne, Sebastian Johnston, Anna Mallows, Chloë Marshall, Kristina McNamara, Tom New, Ryan Orphel, Madeline Pratt, Lisa Sontag, Suzanne Steele and Dean Vince. Auditions for the Brisbane Annies and her orphan friends have just happened, so the child cast will be announced shortly.

Producer John Frost for Crossroads Live said: “I’m thrilled with the response to this marvellous fresh production of Annie for a whole new generation, with its new choreography, updated sets and spectacular cast led by Anthony, Deb, Mackenzie, Keanu, Amanda and Greg. Annie is one of the most delightful and inspiring musicals of all time, and it’ll be in Brisbane for five weeks only. Don’t wait until tomorrow to book tickets for the summer holidays!”

One of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time, Annie features an iconic score with classics like It’s the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street and Tomorrow, with book and score by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. Based on the Harold Gray comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” (debuted 1924), the musical burst into popularity in 1977 when it opened on Broadway. It won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, and the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album. After a Broadway run of almost six years, it has played in more than 22 countries worldwide and became a hit movie musical in 1982 starring Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney and Carol Burnett.

A celebration of hope, family and friendship, this small but mighty young girl has returned to stick out her chin and grin once more!

BRISBANE SEASON DETAILS
Venue Lyric Theatre, QPAC
Season 27 December – 31 January
Performance Times Tue 7:30pm; Wed, Fri, Sat 7pm; Matinees Wed & Thurs 1pm, Sat 2pm; Sun 1pm & 6pm (performance times vary each week)
Prices: From $70 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: anniemusical.com.au or phone 136 246
Groups 8+ call (07) 3840 7466

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Horse Play: Creative Theatre Chaos – With Conscience

12/10/2025 Paul Ellicott🥈🎭

Horse Play Rating

★★★★★

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Backbone Youth Arts sets the stage for Horseplay, a rollicking and provocative piece centreing on a Melbourne Cup Race Day gone awry, where a chance encounter in a staff break room between a waiter and two misguided punters delves into a morally ambiguous exploration of blurred lines between good and bad, life and death – and even person and horse.

Horseplay is perfectly aligned with Backbone’s raison d’être – to amplify the voices of curious, untamed and experimental young thinkers and artists; The play’s program notes much of the script and work was built using structured improvisation, in addition to the text of playwright Nathaniel Crossinggum, contextualizing the fresh and contemporary perspective of the script. Led by Director Jordon Riley, this singular and exciting work is brought to brilliant life by a talented group of cast and creatives alike.

Onstage, Edith Malcomson offers sweet naivety as Georgie, shining brightest in her character’s lighter, comedic moments. While a providing a very proficient overall performance, I consider she has further potential to impact her characters more vulnerable moments – i.e., the line “I’m not a revolutionary – I just want to be normal”, could perhaps benefit from greater introspection drawing the audience into her, rather than delivering the sentiment as squarely toward us. Stella Peterson is an effective Pony, competently canvassing a complex character’s duplicity and idealism. I consider Peterson also shows their best work during comedic scenes; They briefly branch into a different character, satirizing the middle-class’s indifference to climate catastrophe to hilarious perfection. As we learn, there is far more at stake for Pony than having their work break interrupted by Georgie and Harry; I wonder whether some added urgency and further hints as to their assumed identity could have elevated their role – and tapped into another potentially comedic aspect of the script even further – without belying the enigmatic secrecy intended for Pony.

Tenielle Plunkett brings compelling gravitas as the Commentator, combining striking physical presence, commanding diction and vocal projection and foreboding intensity. Their characterization feels almost sinister or nihilistic – somehow reminiscent of Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange – but this is such a well-modulated choice for sharing a world-weary perspective, unable to ignore or euphemize injustice. Henry Solomon as Harry is my standout, with impeccable comedic instincts and a natural, comfortable presence – whether embodying a human or equine character. While Harry is a flawed character, Solomon harnesses likability from the rogue – when not being literally harnessed himself!

Overall, Horseplay gallops through it’s one hour duration – keeping the audience enthralled throughout. The puppetry, set, sound and lighting all provide features of note. While there are a couple of moments where transitions in the story may have lacked clarity i.e., the reveal of Pony’s identity and their motivation for the shooting – such criticism is minor. Horseplay is creative theatre chaos with a conscience, and enormous potential to be developed as a full-length play, that could give the ambitious story breathing room which is not easily accommodated in just one act. The passion for diverse, accessible theatre is evident here – as much as the audience’s love for every facet of Horseplay was throughout the play – deservedly punctuated by a rapturous standing ovation at the end of opening night’s performance.

To book tickets to Horse Play, please visit https://backbone.org.au/backbone-festival-2025-events/horse-play.

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