Director: Kate Martin-Booker Vocal Director: Kathryn Harris Choreographer: Lauren Empson Producer: Hamilton Musical Theatre 16-30 May 2026, Riverlea Theatre Luka Cameron (Princeton) and Gaby Jackson (Kate Monster) Avenue Q is often referred to as “Sesame Street for adults.” But the puppets in the photos look sooo cute, I hear you say. Ahem. Before we get to the fun stuff you should be aware that the musical includes the songs “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet

Producer: Indian Ink Theatre Company Starring: Jacob Rajan, Jehangir Homavazir, Alisha Jacob and David Ward 21-22 May 2026, Clarence St Theatre Jacob Rajan (Ravi) and Jehangir Homavazir (Kabir) At last year’s Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora Ki Kirikiriroa, Indian Ink Theatre Company retold the fairy tale Punchkin with their production Guru of Chai. This year’s work Balloon Dog is a reimagining of the short story Kabuliwala written by Nobel laurate Rabindranath Tagore in 1892.

Director: Kyle Chuen Musical Director: Nick Braae Producer: Bold Theatre 1-9 May 2026, The Meteor Bold Theatre’s major production of the year is Next to Normal, an award-winning rock musical that sits in an uncomfortable place of speaking to the unspoken, namely the impact that a mental health crisis can have on an entire family. The lead role of Diana, a mother battling mental illness, is shared between Julia Booth and Courteney Mayall on alternating performances. I attend

Director: David Sidwell Musical Director – Orchestra: Katie Wigmore Musical Director – Vocal: Alex Wiltshire Choreographer: Rachael Bloemendal Production Designer: John Harding St Peter’s Cambridge, 24 April-1 May 2026 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has arguably the best motif of any of the famous fairytales, that true love requires complete acceptance. Book-loving Belle is independent and refuses to be objectified; the Beast believes he will never overcome his burden; and Gas

Written by John Pielmeier Directed by Jane Wilson Starring Jasmine Ericksen, Tania Omundsen, Lily Paulsen Te Awamutu Little Theatre, 8-19 April 2026 John Pielmeier was inspired to write Agnes of God after reading a newspaper article about a novice nun who gave birth and concealed the baby in a waste basket. The nun was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Agnes of God was first staged in 1979, then made into a movie in 1985 starring Jane Fonda. Notable actresses to tak

Director: Jonty Climo Vocal Director: Courteney Mayall Choreographer: Hannah Doherty Band Director: Katie Wigmore Producer: Deller Productions The Meteor, 10-18 April 2026 In an extraordinary twist of fate, writer Jason Robert Brown now has two musicals playing in the region at the same time, the first as per Thursday's review ( 13: The Musical at Morrinsville Theatre), and now Deller Productions' Parade at The Meteor. Set in 1913 Georgia, Leo Frank is charged with the murd

Director: Emah Lane Choreographer: Rachael Bloemendal Musical Director: Baxter Ward Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Dan Elish & Robert Horn Morrinsville Theatre 9-18 April 2026 I think it is fair to say that most people reading this review will have been thirteen. Remember the angst of trying to fit in, trying to find your place in the world? Even worse, what if you had to move from a big city to a small town just prior to a major life milestone. 13: The Musical foll

Written and directed by: Abigail von Ahsen and Nicholas Bourchier Hamilton Arts Festival Te Toi Ora Ki Kirikiriroa 21-22 February & 1 March 2026 Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy where one couple are nearly torn apart by the machinations of a baddie, and another unwilling couple are coerced into falling in love. Writers and directors Abigail von Ahsen and Nicholas Bourchier took the work, added a dash of Jane Austen, and set it in the Regency period

Directors: Jeremy and Courteney Mayall Conductor: Adam Maha Story and script writers: Aimee Anderson-O’Connor, Scott Granville, Alexis Holmes, Maria Huata, Dan Inglis, Benny Marama, Courteney Mayall, Jeremy Mayall, and Cian Parker Choreographers: Alexis Holmes, Lauren Mann, Mikey Sorenson and Kelly Webster BNZ Theatre, Hamilton 19-21 January 2026 As the fly tower began to climb skyward at the Victoria Street site, conversations about an opening production echoed through eve

Directors: Liz Field and Tracey Riddell Choreographer: Alice Field Vocal Assistant: Stef Gibson-Muir Gaslight Theatre, 29 November-13 December 2025 Take an ancient Greek artform, combine with a Dr Suess story published in 1957, add an enthusiastic cast, and sprinkle liberally with classic one-liners, and you end up with a sparkly Christmas treat, The Grinch…ish . The modern version of pantomime was created in the late 18 th century in England. Pantomime scripts are based a

Director: Jonathan Hawthorn Choreographer: Emelia Hawthorn Band Director: Todd Rohan Smith Vocal Director: Dane Moeke Producer: Riverlea Theatre Riverlea Theatre, 22 November-13 December 2025 Mary Rodger’s 1972 novel Freaky Friday has been reimagined on film five times in the last fifty years. For their end of year production, Riverlea Theatre under the direction of Jonathan Hawthorn delivered an up-to-date version of the hilarious musical where a mother (Katherine) and h

Writer & Director: Nigel Slaughter Producer: Janine Swainson The Meteor, 13-15 November 2025 "Everyone has their own committee inside them, arguing about what to do next." - Nigel Slaughter Twenty plus years in the making and finally Nigel Slaughter can breathe a sigh of relief that his passion project Unconscious has made it to the stage. Unconscious follows the story of Sophia Ingari (Abigail von Ahsen) who is developing “genomic screening with predictive modelling to gen

Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Euan Safey Narrator: Jane Tankersley Soloists: Jennifer Rogers (Cello) and Steve Webb (Tuba)...

Writer: Thornton Wilder Director: Janine Swainson Gaslight Theatre Cambridge 23 August-6 September 2025 Poster design: Nigel Slaughter...

Director: Renate O’Sullivan Musical Director: Lee Clark Choreographers: Tayla Marie Cassells and Jess Ruck-Nu’u Vocal Directors: Moshe...

Sekonaia Faletau( Usnavi). Photo: Kerry Blakeney-Williams Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda Director: Mel Martin-Booker Vocal Director:...

Director: David Sidwell Choreographers: Sonja McGirr-Garrett and Cassidy Garrett Music Director: Nick Braae Production Design: John...

Director: Jonty Climo Band Director: Julia McIntyre Vocal Director: Kate Scotting Choreographer: Hannah Doherty Producer: Deller...

Director: Brianna Haddock Choreographer: Rachael Bloemendal Music Director: Baxter Ward Producer: Morrinsville Theatre 27 June – 11 July...

This isn’t a review, it’s more of a collection of thoughts about the three shows I saw in Sydney over the long weekend. ANNIE – The...