melbourne - Whats The Show

Fresno: The Musical

27 February 2025 Adam Miller

Fresno Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

Let’s cut to the chase. If you like musical theatre, this is a must-see. It’s fun, it’s well-paced, and it’s imbued with the kind of effortless charm that you want to find at your friendly local pub.

Set in an Irish-American bar, Fresno explores a slice of life of young bartender, JJ (Jackson Cross) and the ragtag bunch of bar flies that surround him. While the themes and situations in the show weren’t uniquely American, the American setting gave it a distinctly “sitcom” feel and helped establish the stakes and the journey across the evening.

From the moment you walk into Chapel Off Chapel’s Loft, the world is established with a functional set and clever use of neon signs to define the locations. The Loft is the perfect home for this show, allowing the creative team to use the black box aesthetic of the room as an asset rather than a hindrance. I’ve definitely been in bars and pubs like this!

The music feels like a love letter to musical theatre, with clear nods to Jonathan Larson and Sara Bareilles, amongst others. The use of varied musical styles is well-considered, with a familiarity that lets you know what you are supposed to get from that number. Similarly, the book leans heavily on strong character archetypes and recognizable tropes, making it easier to invest in the characters early, knowing exactly who they are.

The cast makes the most of these archetypal characters, especially in the comedic moments and, for my taste, that’s where they shine. So much of the writing is laugh-out-loud funny and the cast settled in quickly to find the pace and timing that the audience responded to. There was an engaging sense of camaraderie and chemistry on the stage that was very appealing. Special mentions to Lachlan Edis and Antoinette Davis for some truly memorable comedic turns throughout the show.

Leading the cast were Jackson Cross, Douglas Rintoul and Naomi Leigh. Cross delivered an impressive balance of heart, comic timing and powerful vocals. He was paired perfectly with Rintoul’s charismatic acting and versatile singing. Leigh, playing an aspiring pop singer, brought a poignancy and authenticity that helped the music shine and made me long to hear this show recorded so I could listen to it on repeat.

Daniel Tusjak (keys), Eve Pinkington (drums) and Cody Leggett (guitar) formed a tight and responsive band and the sound was well-balanced, allowing the audience to revel in the music and engage with the text.

Dealing with themes of found family and the value of community, the writing is light touch with enough heart to keep you emotionally invested but not so deep that the comedic pacing is jarring.

Fresno is a fun evening out that brings all the best elements of “comfort watching” your favourite tv show. Hopeful, life-affirming and genuinely funny, Fresno confirms that Australian original theatre is alive, well and deserving of all the love we can give it. I think we can all drink to that.

To book tickets to Fresno, please visit https://chapeloffchapel.com.au/show/fresno/

Photographer: Shane Palmer

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Adam Miller

MELANCHOLIA – Premiere connects Tap Dancing & Contemporary

16 February 2025 Debra Campbell

MELANCHOLIA Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

‘Melancholia is the premiere work of Melbourne’s own contemporary tap dance company, Studio Stocks. Founded by acclaimed tap dance artist Garry Stocks, Studio Stocks pushes the boundaries of percussive dance, weaving elements of contemporary movement with a fresh, genre-defying approach to tap. Audiences explore the depths of loss, pain and grief, while discovering moments of hope and healing through the power of rhythm.

Performed by an extraordinary cast of some of Australia’s most accomplished tap dance artists and rising talents, this evocative work promises to captivate, challenge and resonate with audiences on a profound level. Experience a performance that marks a new era in tap artistry and enjoy the emotional range that tap dance can embody from exuberant joy to deeply poignant reflection.’

That was the introductory write-up, so needless to say as a lover of all things ‘dance’, when I walked into one of my favourite theatres in Melbourne I was about to be in my element witnessing this ground-breaking creative at Chapel Off Chapel. I always enjoy the shows at this very professional boutique theatre and I’ve definitely seen some of the best shows I’ve ever seen here. They are often ‘different’, ‘out there’ and ‘exploratory’.

‘MELANCHOLIA’ – the meaning of the word surrounds depression and sadness, so I was very interested to see how the art form of tap dancing would be combined with contemporary dance to fuse the two; and how the cast would work together to bring about an actual embodiment of ‘joy’ from such a strong meaning in the title word. But this show does just that. You’ll leave happy, amazed and gobsmacked by what you’ve just seen.

Forget the toe tapping sounds done in concerts or musicals with a hat and cane. On stage, dressed in normal clothes (no fancy costumes) are some of the best tap dancers our country has; street style, their style. Blessing us with their ability to tap with the utmost clarity whilst also often moving their bodies in contemporary facilitation to music they also need to be in sync with; I found the concept alone mindboggling!

When I enter the theatre there are already six dancers on the stage; it is dark and they seem dark; gazing, sitting, lying, sliding, rolling. It was fun to watch them all and try and work out where their thoughts were and what their story was. Perhaps there was one and perhaps there wasn’t. Then another steps out of the wings in slow motion, and another – circling her feet in something like an imaginary puddle, seemingly not sure if she should step into it or not.

The show fires up and everyone’s on board, brilliant piece after brilliant piece, it is cleverly sectioned for the audience to enjoy and the artists to clearly demonstrate their skill sets both individually and in groups. Four girls. Four boys. Always great to see boys dancing!

It is a rare treat to see a company’s Director/Choreographer also on stage as part of the cast and my favourite was the duet by Garry Stocks and his wife Jade Wood. Garry in his tap shoes and Jade without on her contemporary side; an improbable mix, but they expressively tell a very genuine interpretation of togetherness with the choreography and execution of both styles being impeccable of course (both having performed extensively with the Australian Ballet).

The use of clever lighting in featured spotlights and strobe effects embellish the performance, but also very effective is the use of tiny spotlights hand-held and transferred by the dancers in action. I wonder who thought to incorporate this idea – genius. Loved the part when we were left with light on nothing but the shoes – they bring the absolute brightness here, and the ‘camp fire’ was the final magic touch duly deserving of the standing ovation.

Whilst I was expecting to be surprised with something new, I wasn’t expecting the feelings that I felt watching this show. More than once it sent a shiver, and tears were close on my cheek at the end. It’s not sad though, I think I just realized it was an absolute privilege to be there. I had just seen something totally different, totally out-there and totally exploring new ground.

In summary, the work is actually quite difficult to explain in words and when I asked my dancer daughter her opinion, she said exactly what I was thinking: “it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, it’s something you have to go see”. It truthfully is an evolution in dance.

Please, everyone who loves dance, do yourself a favour and check out the website for updates on Stocks Studios’ future productions and opportunities to be involved: https://www.garrystocks.com/studio-stocks

To understand just how good this new dance company is, you must go see them.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CAST:
GARRY STOCKS
PAIGE POTE
TIARNA LEIGH
JAYDEN WATSON
BILL SIMPSON
LUCAS THOMSON
CLAIRE STUBS
JADE WOOD

Photographer: Bill Simpson

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Debra Campbell

The Butcher, The Baker’ Serves Up Role-Shifting Revelry

12 February 2025 Megan Davis

The Butcher The Baker Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

From the opening notes, The Butcher, The Baker immediately transports you into a world reminiscent of 1930s European cabaret—glamorous, provocative, and deeply steeped in the tradition of Weimar-style performance. Written, composed, and musically directed by Ella Filar, this production is both a showcase of exuberant musicality and a shocking exploration of sexuality, identity, and the fluidity of roles that people inhabit.

Directed by Kevin Hopkins—who first encountered the script while in the Czech Republic—The Butcher, The Baker carries a distinctly European flavour. Hopkins’s stated fascination with the piece’s “grotesquery and absurdism” is evident in his staging. The narrative follows three focal characters: Honey Valik (portrayed by Natasha Broadstock), an artist deeply invested in her craft; Alex Summers (played by Claire Nicholls), a brain surgeon; and Johnny Agostino (Fletcher Dyson), a butcher who captures both character’s imaginations. Threading the story together are two captivating narrators, Myf Powell and Bruce Langdon, who serve as muses and as the voices of subconscious (and sometimes very conscious) desires.

What makes The Butcher, The Baker especially compelling is how it shifts seamlessly between riotous humour and unexpected shocks. In one moment, it revels in playful innuendo and high-spirited wordplay; in the next, it confronts the audience with overt sexuality or sudden shifts in character roles—often leaving you unsure whom you’re meant to be rooting for. This is intentional: the show’s dada-esque edge delights in keeping viewers off-balance, forcing us to question the “meaning” behind both words and actions on stage.

Throughout, Filar’s score is vibrantly eclectic. One moment, you might hear a quick staccato reminiscent of German dance halls; the next, soaring operatic passages or lively jazz. The band—**Martin Khromchenko and Lucke Schreiber on saxophones, Lyuba Khromchenko on violin, Ella Filar on keyboard, and Christos Linou and Bradon Payne on percussion—**heightens the sense of off-kilter fun, playing behind a curtain in costumes that evoke both a bustling kitchen and a risqué soirée. It’s a deliberate collision of worlds, perfectly reflecting the script’s thematic juxtapositions.

The production is a tight 75 minutes, ensuring audiences never have the chance to lose focus. At times, you might catch yourself marvelling at the sheer cheekiness of the dialogue and lyrics, only to be hurled into the next song or scene before you can fully process what just transpired. As you watch these characters grapple with their obsessions, desires, and identities, you may feel that you’re taken on a ride rather than asked to pick sides. This experience becomes more explicit when reading through the printed lyrics and programme after the show.

Chris Molyneux, the technical manager, deserves commendation for crafting a production that feels seamless yet offbeat. Lights and sound create an immersive environment, supporting the transitions between the boisterously funny and the unabashedly sensual.

If you’re seeking a conventional storyline, The Butcher, The Baker may throw you off-guard. But for anyone who revels in cabaret’s capacity to shock, surprise, and delight, this show is a feast. It’s a testament to a distinctly European tradition of theatre—a kaleidoscope of humour, sexuality, and absurdity that leaves you both entertained and intriguingly disoriented.

As Director Kevin Hopkins notes, this play’s “unpredictable plot” and “strange characters” offer a fresh, modern slant on old-world cabaret. With gender identities and roles under the spotlight, it feels very much of this moment, even as it channels the spirit of another era. Ultimately, The Butcher, The Baker is fun, fast-paced, and a tantalising entry in the Midsumma Festival line-up—and a wild ride well worth taking.

To book tickets to The Butcher The Baker, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/the-butcher-the-baker

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Megan Davis

Egg, Chips, and a Side of Self-Discovery

10 February 20259 February 2025 Kat Skarbek

Shirley Valentine Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

As someone who adored the original Shirley Valentine film starring Pauline Collins, I was skeptical of ex-Neighbours actors/pop stars making the leap to serious theatre, and has a deep intolerance for people who butcher any accent from my homeland, (but especially one as unique as Liverpudlian), I entered this performance fully prepared to be critical.

Willy Russell’s iconic story first won hearts as a stage play before the beloved film cemented its place in the lives of middle-aged women everywhere in the late 80s. At its core, Shirley Valentine is the tale of a woman suffocating in the monotony of a life that has drained her of identity and joy. Trapped in a world where her only confidante is her kitchen wall, Shirley exists in quiet desperation—serving an ungrateful husband, appeasing selfish grown children, and mourning the rebellious, spirited woman she once was.

As the familiar strains of the 80s hits fade, Natalie Bassingthwaite sighs onto the stage, gulping white wine and chopping potatoes for her husband, Joe—who will, she assures us, “have a right gob on him” when he realises dinner is egg and chips instead of his usual Tuesday mince. Despite all my reservations, Natalie doesn’t just step into Shirley’s shoes—she revives her, fully embodied, in bleached mum jeans and a comfy pink sweater. Every weary movement between the fridge, the bench, and the stove tells the nuanced story of a woman who has slowly lost herself. Lamenting that she allowed herself “to lead this little life, when inside me there was so much more.” It’s a portrayal that resonates deeply, particularly with an audience of largely midlife women who, in one way or another, perhaps recognise their own fading dreams in Shirley’s quiet grief and who are just as afraid of dying with their music still in them.

Shirley is captivating—raw but never indulgent, resigned yet still tinged with hope. She draws us in with wry humour, reminiscing about her rebellious school days and the classmates she once envied, only to realise they now envy her—or at least, the woman she used to be. When, in between comparing marriage to the Middle East and sex to supermarkets, she nervously reveals that her friend Jane has invited her to Greece (has bought her a ticket, no less), we feel the impossible weight of the decision. The airline ticket trembles in her hands as she dares to dream of sitting with the sun on her face, drinking “a glass of wine in a country where the grape’s grown.” Yet even as she visibly aches for escape, for the possibility of something to shake her out of her never-changing world, she continues preparing a dinner Joe will never eat.

Bassingthwaite’s performance is nothing short of revelatory. Her Liverpudlian accent—much to my relief—is acceptably solid, despite the odd line fluff. Indeed, she disappears so entirely into the role that her popstar past is all but forgotten. But it is in the second half that her transformation truly shines. As the lights go up on a tanned, relaxed Shirley, Bassingthwaite reveals a woman that is no longer the same. A woman no longer crushed by monotony, who had to anxiously force herself onto a plane. This is a Shirley who is self-assured, present, and forever changed—not because of an affair or a holiday romance, but because, at last, she has chosen to explore all the ‘unlived life’ remaining within herself. She has, at last, chosen herself.

This is Shirley Valentine in all its bittersweet brilliance. A triumphant performance, beautifully staged, and an absolute pleasure to witness.

To book tickets to Shirley Valentine, please visit https://shirleyvalentine.com.au/.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Kat Skarbek

Connect Online