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Examining Beautiful Lies at The Substation

12/06/2026 Linda Lokhee🏆🥇🦉

Beautiful Lies Rating

★★★★★

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Matt Hawke’s comedy musical Beautiful Lies at The Substation in Darlinghurst is a cabaret packed full of colourful storytelling, with the theme of lies running through a myriad of original songs. Part of Sydney’s 2026 Qtopia Pride Fest, Hawke is clearly a deep thinker who knows how to involve the audience, by asking questions and getting them to self-reflect. His stories range from general family anecdotes, musings about mental health, sexual self-acceptance, genuine heartfelt personal stories, and the current worrisome state of the world.

He begins with examples of lies that parents tell their kids such as “carrots make your eyesight better” and expanding into those VIP characters that peppered our childhood like Santa Claus and The Tooth Fairy. Hawke delivers these stories melodiously singing and at times, talking to the audience during song, accompanied by his guitar or the keyboard. One of his first songs dedicated to one of his childhood heroes and crushes John Cena reminded me of the style of an early Guns and Roses and Bon Jovi song! This song was dedicated to John Cena after his younger self discovered that wrestling was not real and carried the anger of being lied to.

Alongside this song and the feeling of being duped by John Cena, some of Hawke’s songs were tender. Some were reflective and yet other songs had the upbeat feel of hilarity. Composing and performing such a wide range of songs indicated signs of an accomplished songwriter who understands his audience.

During his set, Hawke recalled stories from when he was dating people named Brad, Emma and Rosanna. He had the audience in stitches from these experiences which touched on a mix of topics that made some of us squirm! There was a moral to these songs, that sometimes for the sake of relationships, lies may be necessary – it can be a kinder choice to make.

The lighting by technician Katie deserves a shout out. In the small intimate space of The Substation, Katie created atmosphere with cleverly chosen lighting colours and focus.

Hawke had a way of smoothly switching from comedy into more serious topics and taking us with him, notably with one song that outlined the way humans tend to automatically default to telling lies. He’d answer “I’m fine” to his mum when she had asked how he was. However, his lyrics following those words outlined how not fine he was feeling. In this one song, it was the lyrics and how Hawke delivered them that stood out for a tremendously powerful ending.

Beautiful Lies was a well-rounded show which felt much more than just a stand-up comedy musical cabaret. Hawke examines the lies that others tell, lies we tell ourselves, and how lies impact our circles of family and friends.

Cheeky and honest, with a teeny-eeny sprinkling of Beautiful Lies, Matt Hawke’s signature musical comedy style is heading skyward. Be sure to catch his cabaret shows in the future!

The Substation, 136 Oxford Street Darlinghurst. Thursday 11 June 2026
Duration: 1 hour

To book tickets to Beautiful Lies, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Matt-Hawke-Beautiful-Lies.

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Melbourne’s Feel-good Musical Of The Season Must Close 19 July

10/06/2026 Breaking News

Producers have just released the final week of performances for Melbourne’s feel-good musical of the season – WAITRESS. Broadway’s smash-hit musical WAITRESS must close at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 19 July. Audiences and critics alike have been effusive in their praise of the show, with heart-felt standing ovations. Tickets are now on sale for the final performances at waitressthemusical.com.au

“A recipe for perfection” – The Music
“One of the finest Australian casts ever assembled.” – Stage Whispers
“A delicious score… Plenty of energetic comedy.” – The Age
“A genuine crowd-pleaser… There’s no denying Bassingthwaighte’s star power.” – Time Out

Leading the cast as Jenna is Natalie Bassingthwaighte, while Gabriyel Thomas and Mackenzie Dunn play Becky and Dawn, Jenna’s coworkers at the diner. Charismatic star of stage and screen Rob Mills is Dr Pomatter, and legendary actor John Waters plays Joe, the owner of the diner. Keanu Gonzalez is Earl, Gareth Isaac plays the role of Ogie, John Xintavelonis plays Cal, and Annie Aitken is the Jenna Alternate.

The ensemble and swing cast comprises Cameron Boxall, Alexandra Cashmere, Ethan Jones, Dwayne P. Mitchell, Joseph Naim, Conor Neylon, Belle Parkinson, Emily Robinson, Elandrah Tavares, Bree Tipoki and Stephanie Wall. Lulu is played by Stevie Denton, Lola Inman, Ruby Marshall and Evie Papas.

“Melbourne has fallen in love with this moving and original musical. Get your tickets now before it leaves town,” said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live. “With its inspiring music by Sara Bareilles and universal themes of hope and resilience, WAITRESS has fast become a massive hit worldwide, and the sensational Australian cast has been praised by critics and audiences.”

Natalie Bassingthwaighte as Jenna in WAITRESS (c) Jeff Busby_3066.jpg

Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, and brought to life by a trailblazing female-led creative team, including a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson, an original, uplifting score by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave) and direction by Tony winner Diane Paulus, WAITRESS is the irresistible Broadway hit about resilience, friendship and hope that has captured hearts worldwide.

This heartwarming and empowering musical tells the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie maker who longs to escape her rocky marriage and start again. When a baking contest, an unexpected new romance and the support of her fellow waitresses offer her a taste of change, Jenna discovers that the secret ingredient to happiness might be closer than she ever imagined.

“Treat yourself to a slice of 5 Star musical pie” – The Times
“Sweet, sassy, passionate & delightful!” – New York Magazine
“Simply delightful! A glorious reminder that life is messy and wondrous!” – The Washington Post

WAITRESS made history on Broadway with the four top creative spots in a show being filled by women – Sara Bareilles (music and lyrics), Jessie Nelson (book), Lorin Latarro (choreography) and Diane Paulus (direction). It opened on Broadway in April 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran until January 2020. WAITRESS was originally produced by Barry & Fran Weissler and Norton and Elayne Herrick.

Sweet, sassy and soul-stirring, WAITRESS is “a little slice of heaven” (Entertainment Weekly) and “made from the finest ingredients” (Time Out). It’s a feel-good celebration of second chances, and the magic of a well-made pie. Everyone deserves a slice of happiness!

WAITRESSTHEMUSICAL.COM.AU

MELBOURNE SEASON DETAILS
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: To 19 July
Performance Times: Tue-Thurs at 7pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm, 3pm or 6pm (performance times vary each week)
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: waitressthemusical.com.au or phone 13 28 49
Groups 8+ call (03) 9662 9571

SYDNEY SEASON DETAILS
Venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Season: From 1 August
Performance Times: Tue-Thurs at 7pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm, 3pm or 6pm (performance times vary each week)
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: waitressthemusical.com.au or 136 100
Groups 8+ email groups@ticketmaster.com.au

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Do You Want Lies With That?

08/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🆕

Do You Want Lies With That? Rating

★★★★★

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I love Fringe festivals. And Qtopia’s Pridefest is essentially a Fringe festival for solely queer art so it’s even better! One of the highlights of Fringe is diversity in programming and everyone having space to produce their weird and wonderful shows. On Friday night, I got to peek inside Burger Queen’s mind for an hour. She put on a cabaret/comedy hour about being fiercely queer, proud of yourself and maybe just a little bit jaded with the current dating pool in Sydney.

Though there was only a small crowd on Friday, Burger Queen had something about her that made us want to participate and bring the energy to the room. She is a drag performer from Western Sydney who considers herself an elder queen, a queen of wisdom and advice for younger queens as evidenced with her friendship with Anita Book. Their intergenerational friendship was platformed throughout the show and this was very heartwarming. Anita is a young gun queen who I’m sure has a wonderful drag career ahead of her. She treated us to a lipsync of a classic 80s Bananarama banger in which her attitude and charisma were palpable.

There were some great song choices in the and Burger Queen’s voice was well suited to many of these, especially the song from Muriel’s Wedding. I especially enjoyed her original song which was called “All You Can Eat” – I can’t wait for this to come out on Spotify. Truly inspired. Some of the other songs could have done with some editing, sometimes you can get your meaning across and keep the show moving in a more punchy way by slicing up the songs a little.

I really enjoyed Burger Queen’s vulnerability. At the beginning she seemed nervous as she wasn’t connecting with the audience much. However, a couple of songs in and with some chatting, she opened up and was both engaging and endearing. Her comedy was relatable, though at times repetitive and often self-deprecating. I loved the cheekiness of referring back to notes (and perhaps resonated with the neurospiciness of this) although I do think this made it harder at times to connect with the audience. It seemed that perhaps every show Burger Queen does is different, depending on how she feels on the night. The show I saw didn’t hit some of the points I was looking forward to based on the description, namely grumpy customer service and an indictment of capitalism.

I would have liked to see Anita Book take a more active role, as it became a little one note with her reading on the side, maybe she could have passed the black folder to Burger Queen, been a back up dancer for some songs or helped facilitate an outfit change to add some dynamics to the staging and the show. The lighting was well utilised and the conversational tone of the show put the audience at ease.

Burger Queen’s subversive statement of wearing crocs on stage and the idea of the costuming, aka wearing whatever you want was powerful, but I believe there could have (always) been more rhinestones. Overall, this show was a big fuck you to the expectations placed on performers and was a really gritty, fringe style, self-produced chaotic hour in a way that makes you love it.

To book tickets to Do You Want Lies With That?, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Do-You-Want-Lies-With-That-.

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Recovering Eldest Daughter

07/06/202607/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🆕

Recovering Eldest Daughter Rating

★★★★★

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Rachel Tunaley’s “Recovering Eldest Daughter” was a riotous way to spend Saturday night. It was her first time performing in Sydney but not my first time watching her perform. I saw her show “Motion Sickness” in Adelaide Fringe in 2025 and absolutely loved it, so I was very interested in seeing what she had cooked up this year. The show’s description gripped me from the outset with mentions of mental illness and eldest daughter syndrome, and it did not disappoint. However, I do not think you need to be an eldest daughter to enjoy the show. It was cleverly Australian and relatable for anyone who has dealt with a perfectionist, overbearing, control freak in their life or just has a family really.

I attended with my housemate and we have both been dealing with another, departing housemate who has her share of mental illness and neurospiciness. “Recovering Eldest Daughter” was the collective, cathartic release we, and all the audience, needed. Rachel cleverly used audience participation to keep engagement and make it feel like a group therapy session. Her connection with the audience was electric and quips breaking the fourth wall were inspired, especially when she was admonishing us for laughing hard in a “serious” song or commenting that she couldn’t have “made it” since she didn’t have a full house. My housemate and I did not stop laughing through the whole performance.

Rachel used brilliantly simple lighting, staging and props to convey big ideas. I always love shows that use a projection to their advantage, especially in this age of social media. Recovering Eldest Daughter did this extremely well with real clips from Rachel’s life showcasing that she has always been a self-proclaimed “Drama Queen”, as well as lyrics for audience sing-a-long participation and really driving her points home visually. Straight away we knew who she was and where the show was going which is reassuring as an audience member. Voice over was also used to add layers and introduce us to other characters though it was just Rachel on the stage.

When I saw motion sickness (if I remember correctly) Rachel was using songs we knew but changing the lyrics to fit the story. This time, it seemed to be original music and that she has found her own voice and something more to say. The pace was perfect, it allowed you to really take in the message but we were not able to get bored. Rachel is a very talented performer with a powerful voice and not only for cabaret or musical theatre style tunes but busts out into rap too. Her dancing and physical comedy was hilarious and she really committed to the bit. “Intrusive thot” was a huge highlight for us, we even bought merch! Throughout the show, Rachel was very open and vulnerable, sharing quite a personal story about her journey to acceptance of her mental health diagnosis and work healing her inner child. Who knew it was as simple as a cheeky dopamine purchase!

I highly recommend seeing this show while Rachel is in Sydney, it’s a very professional and personal take on musical comedy and I think it won’t be long until she is off to Edinburgh!

To book tickets to Recovering Eldest Daughter, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Recovering-Eldest-Daughter.

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