sydney - Whats The Show

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

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Do You Want Lies With That?

08/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🥉

Do You Want Lies With That? Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

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-.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Recovering Eldest Daughter

07/06/202607/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🥉

Recovering Eldest Daughter Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

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.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

A Play For Everyone, Not Just Fans Of The Game

06/06/2026 Steve Willems🥈🦉🎭🎬

W Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

I’m not a sports fan, and I certainly don’t follow any of the Australian football codes, so I wasn’t sure if W, the new play by Madelaine Nunn, would be for me. Starting with the background noise of a packed stadium, with all the chanting, drums, and noise, we’re introduced to four key players of an AFLW football team and their coach as a talented new player, Casey (Celeste Cortes-Davis) joins the ranks. It’s the start of the season, and each player is individually set up to what their story is going to be. The returning new mum, the talented athlete playing in her brother’s shadow, the veteran captain along with her partner planning a baby.

The story tracks the women through the season as they aim to make the finals. As the drama and conflict begin the escalate, characters are faced with moral dilemmas, sacrifice, and professional expectations. Director Rachel Chant did a fantastic job creating an immersive and enthralling performance, with engaging transitions between scenes mixing mime with dance to bring the game alive. The whole technical team did a great job, and the locker-room set was fully immersive.

While some of the early jokes seemed unnaturally crude and didn’t feel right, most of the dialogue was snappy and well balanced. It took a little while for the story to warm up, but when it did, I found myself thoroughly engaged. The characters were deep and human, led by the veteran captain, Rosie (Shannon Ryan) whose personal struggles between desire, injury, and legacy, threaten to derail the team and their season.

Cortes-Davis as Casey, was also great as the talented newcomer who wants to prove herself and become a star like Rosie, but doesn’t yet understand how to navigate the media in professional sport. To be fair, the cast were all really good and gave it their all. For me the highlight was Danielle Cormack as the head coach, Sue. She was funny, charming, and ferocious. Sometimes all at once. I felt like I had to lift my game and play better. I’m Sorry Sue. I’ll follow the system.

It may have been a slow start as I learned about ach character’s journey, by the end of the season I was thoroughly entertained. W a funny and dramatic story about the struggles of professional sport and how every choice has a consequence. A play that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just fans of the game.

W is playing At the Old Fitz theatre in Darlinghurst until the 14th of June.

To book tickets to W, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/w-the-play.

Photographer: Phil Erbacher

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!

Subscribe to What's The Show

Connect Online