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The exterior of a city theatre lit up pink at night.

The ultimate theatre guide to Melbourne

What's on in Melbourne's theatres, clubs, cabaret bars and comedy spots.

The hidden entrance to Piccolo Teatro with a red door and lit up signage above.
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Piccolo Teatro: Magic Theatre

Specialising in astonishing magic shows and immersive live entertainment.

A ballet company performing on stage with ballerinas forming a guard around a central dancer.
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The Stuttgart Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty

Germany’s premier ballet company returns to Melbourne with a dazzling classic.

Visitors enjoying an evening event at the National Gallery of Victoria, seated on stools under shadowy lighting.
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NGV Friday Nights: Cartier

NGV Friday Nights shine with Cartier, featuring live music, flims, food and drinks.

Dark image of a Dracula figure lit with red light on stage.
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Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest

A bold, cinematic reimagining of the gothic classic.

A young person with long blonde hair, wearing a green satin top and making an animated, expressive gesture with hands up near their face against a solid olive-green background.
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Tegan Higginbotham: Follow That Turtle!

Award-winning comedian Tegan Higginbotham is back with an unmissable hour of stand-up gold.

Two actors holding megaphones in front of bare trees.
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Till the Day I Die

A new production of Clifford Odets' once-banned anti-fascist play, staged on the back of a truck.

Artwork showing two Punch puppet profiles, nose to nose, with coloured paint splashed over the top.
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The Very, Very, Very, Late Puppet Show

Curated by puppetry enthusiasts for puppetry enthusiasts.

A scene from the musical My Fair Lady with Eliza Doolittle in a pink dress and hat and Henry Higgins in a tweed three-piece suit.
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My Fair Lady

Celebrating 70 glorious years since its debut, Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady returns to Melbourne.

A young woman in a graduation robe holding a cupcake with a single candle, wearing a pink party hat and a sad expression.
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Party

A sharply observed and very funny satire of epically small proportions by Union House Theatre.

Actor with his hands over his face in a dark setting.
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Manifesto of Silences

A bold, Deaf-led reimagining of opera that pushes beyond the limits of traditional storytelling.

Two performers on a stage, a man dressed in a suit, looking at a man with his arms outstretched suspended by an aerial rope above a low pool of water.
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Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan

A dazzling new operatic work by some of Australia’s most acclaimed creative talents.

A man and a woman lean forward with wide, surprised facial expressions and open mouths, both extend their hands toward the camera with fingers spread wide in a playful, startled gesture.
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Cobble Creek Rangers

Nick and Jesi will teach you how to save the planet...sort of.

Artwork for RocKwiz's Very Merry Christmas show, with stylized single colour depictions of host Julia Zemiro and quizmaster Brian Nankervis standing next to a red Christmas tree; on a blue background.

RocKwiz's Very Merry Christmas

RocKwiz returns with the best Christmas present you could hope for in 2026!

A hand-painted illustration of a young swan holding a trumpet under its wing, musical notes playing from the trumpet.
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The Trumpet of the Swan

From the author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little comes a magical live concert experience.

A man in a tweed jacket standing by scientific instruments with a gigantic slug by his side.
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Dr Pathicus’ Unnatural Adventures

A puppet show for adults bringing desire to light in the murky depths.

A vintage-styled woman in a pink dress holding a clear umbrella, with red liquid resembling blood dripping from the umbrella.
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Zoe's Killer Instinct

A timid actress becomes a murderous megastar after a chance meeting with a mysterious bag of knives.

Felt cut-out themed picture of a woman on a pizza with cut-out tomatoes and a cat on a stool.
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Happy Birthday Taylah Whelan

A Fringe show traversing milestone birthdays, trying to leave your hometown and missing your mum.

Three classical musicians surrounded by glittering scolls and stars.

The Wagner Gala Concert

A landmark, one-night-only musical event to mark the reopening of the Ian Potter State Theatre.

Metallic robot figure looking amazed at a red-winged insect.
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Trinket the Robot

A puppet show for 3–10-year-olds about a little robot who longs to become real.

Singers and dancers on a theatre stage in a scene from A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, with spotlights and stage sets.
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A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

An inspiring, exhilarating, energetic musical memoir.

Close-up of woman's face with pursed lips.
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Hannah Camilleri: Dinner Hannah Show

Award-winning clown Hannah Camilleri brings her loose, playful, absurd comedy show to Fringe.

People milling around Fed Square at night.

Melbourne's unmissable after dark events

From hidden laneway markets to epic pop-ups, Melbourne gets lit once the lights go out.

A male magician in a top hat and suit on a smoky stage, holding a yellow and green fan and performing a trick.
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Illusionaire Family Magic Show

Sam Angelico is back in Melbourne performing his family-friendly magic show.

Gour performers in Elizabethan attire, one woman clutching her head as the others annoy her.
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Second Best Bed

A heartfelt musical comedy following a grief-stricken Anne Hathaway coping with Shakespeare’s death.

A theatre production featuring three actors dressed in mid-20th-century period costumes against a dark, moody background.
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Murder in the Market: A Murder Village Improvised Whodunnit

It's Agatha Christie but improvised - in Murder Village, people shop till they drop dead.

An illustration from the book The Very Cranky Bear, showing a black bear with hands on hips looking cranky against a blue background.
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The Very Cranky Bear

A grumpy bear, four unlikely friends and one brilliant sheep.

Three young people sitting casually in a gutter against an old brick building, relaxed and enjoying a laugh.
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This is Our Youth

A raw, witty and deeply human portrait of youth on the precipice of adulthood.

A dancer wears a vibrant green, light-up ballerina-style tutu dress with a matching crown, and large, glowing translucent fairy wings spread out behind her, standing against a dark background.
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Ballet of Lights: Peter Pan in a Sparkling Show

Peter Pan lights up Neverland in a dazzling dance spectacle.

A squashed pack of cigarettes on the ground.
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Anti-Smoking Super Show

Smoking is bad. This show is good.

King Arthur and knights standing on stage in medieval dress.
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Monty Python's Spamalot

A riotous retelling of the adventures of King Arthur and his loyal Knights.

Three male actors - Rodger Corser, David Berry and Bert LaBonté - the lead cast for the stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption, posed against a light tan backdrop.
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The Shawshank Redemption: Live On Stage

This gripping adaptation tells an unforgettable story of hope, friendship and resilience.

An outstretched hand holding a remote.
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Soapboxed

A soap opera trapped in a reality show made for the theatre about the future of humanity.

Man wearing a hat, holding a piece of paper above a cup at a table.
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James Galea: Happy Magic Fun Time

Come see one of Australia’s favourite magicians live and up close in a late-night show.

A mummified figure slumped in a wingback armchair.
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Please Remain

A puppet show for adults.

Woman lying on her back, her legs bent over her head, feet against a window.
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The Boards Above Her Face

An original solo show about a young woman who has the power to transform things into other things.

A blacklit underwater scene showing a colourful lion fish and a leafy sea dragon behind a large set of teeth.
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Dreamer in the Deep

Embark on a spectacular deep sea adventure with this enjoyable children's puppet show.

A woman's face outlined in the shape of a woman carrying a case, against an abstract background.
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The Homecoming

Harold Pinter’s Tony Award-winning drama comes to the Athenaeum for a limited season.

A train station lit up in rainbow lights

Melbourne's best drag shows and queer-friendly venues

Find burlesque life drawing, cabaret and the best queer-friendly venues in Melbourne.

Puss in Boots cat puppet figure wearing a waistcoat and feathered hat, hiding behind illustrations of trees.
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Puss In Boots

A surprising puppet tale of courage, magic and clever tricks for ages four and older.

Woman dressed as a fairy smoking a cigarette and looking grumpy.
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Rama Nicholas in Fairy Smut

Comedy, fantasy and romance collide in this hilariously smutty tale.

More theatre and shows

Melbourne's major theatres

Audience in curved rows of seating looking towards the stage curtain inside the Regent Theatre.

Regent Theatre

This landmark theatre is one of Melbourne’s premier live performance venues.

Rows of red seats in the historic Princess Theatre.

Princess Theatre

Melbourne’s iconic Princess Theatre is regarded by many as Melbourne’s most spectacular landmark.

Tiered seating and red plush stage curtain.

Her Majesty's Theatre

This heritage-listed theatre has provided entertainment for Melbourne since 1886.

Comedy Theatre stage and tiered seating.

Comedy Theatre

The historic Comedy Theatre hosts musicals, drama and yes, comedies.

Heritage-listed Athenaeum building, with columns and ornate capitals.

Athenaeum Theatre

This heritage-listed venue hosts comedy, music and theatre.

Striking geometric design of the Southbank Theatre, illuminated at night.

Southbank Theatre

Performance space and home of the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Arts Centre Melbourne with winter trees and blue sky, surrounded by city buildings.

Arts Centre Melbourne

With its iconic spire, the Arts Centre Melbourne is a cultural and architectural landmark.

Performance space and seating inside La Mama Courthouse.

La Mama Courthouse

One of the great independent theatres of the city with a focus on diversity and inclusivity.

More theatre venues

Seating and stage in Fairfax Studio, an intimate theatre space.

Fairfax Studio

An intimate theatre presenting smaller-scale and experimental productions.

Performance space and seating inside La Mama Courthouse.

La Mama Courthouse

One of the great independent theatres of the city with a focus on diversity and inclusivity.

A performer wearing a bikini and holding a firestick above her open mouth in a small cabaret venue.

Speakeasy Theatre

A lively, historic vaudeville theatre featuring burlesque, cabaret, comedy and circus every week.

Discover more

Two friends are leaving a theatre.

The best pre- and post-theatre dining in Melbourne

Fuel up before a big show or extend your city visit at these local eateries.

A stage with a grand facade to look like a building, with crowds waiting for a band to come on stage.

The ultimate Melbourne live gig guide

Concert halls and music venues hosting live music this week

People sitting in a dark movie theatre and facing the screen.

Film

Melbourne has a thriving film scene, with film festivals and screenings at cinemas year-round.

People queuing at the door of a branded cafe with outdoor seating and large glass frontage.

Nana’s Green Tea on Swanston

Serving matcha, green tea, Japanese cuisine, cake and desserts.