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It has such an energetic heartbeat. The performances, the showmanship, the musicality, the choreography, the set, the costuming, the sound, the lighting – this show has it all. Think pop anthems extraordinaire. Power ballads. Hip-hop. Photos by James D. Morgan (Getty Images) And the audience is up throughout and why wouldn’t they be? SIX is irreverent, slick and sassy, and puts a smile on your dial. Just perfect for the winter blues. SIX sizzles and girl power rules.

A frustrating script that is badly developed, featuring forced acting and loose direction. That in a nutshell is the new Australian movie The Birthday Trip. It is pretentious, heavy handed and, in large measure, boring. No wonder it is hard to get patrons to spend good money to see Aussie films. Three couples drive to an upmarket weekend farm stay in the Southern Highlands to celebrate the girls’ 30th birthdays. The getaway has been organised by artist Clare Lapsley

Heinz Lewin, born in Wiesbaden, Germany on 22nd March 1888, was one of the many artists and composers whose lives were tragically cut short by the Holocaust. In his case, the 54-year-old Jew perished in the gas chambers at Auschwitz in September 1942. Assuming a German accent and in costume, writer Zeddy Lawrence unravels his life and music with the help of gifted pianist Tomi Kalinski. Lawrence, who is Lewin’s great grandson, shares stories about Lewin’s heritage, achie

A delicious, nightmarish hoot, Mackenzie asks what price child fame? This is a dark, camp and satirical reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring four original songs – bangers all – from creator Yve Blake. She says the idea for the show came to her like a fever dream. Photos by Brett Boardman It is about the dark side of child stardom, led to the well by a ruthlessly ambitious stage mum. The year is 2006. A timid 13-year-old named Mackenzie (Kimberley Hodgson),

Set in Russia, and focusing on the bourgeoisie, Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is one of the great plays about the human condition. The tragicomedy, first published in 1897, continues to resonate. Now it has received a delightful makeover to bring the language into the present day by one of Australia’s finest playwrights, Joanna Murray-Smith. Photos by Pia Johnson The story hasn’t changed. Murray-Smith’s adaptation has made sure of that, for Chekhov is one of her literary h

A feted choreographer with 25 years’ experience, Stephanie Lake has built an enviable reputation for her creative excellence. And so it is with VISTA, in which the resident choreographer for The Australian Ballet and head of her own company presents two views of the one story. Photos by Pippa Samaya What is consistent is the sharp and then fluid movements of six striking dancers – Marni Green, Robert Tinning, Georgia Van Gils, Tyrel Dulvarie, Rachel Coulson and Hugo Poulet.

Julia Roberts received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Shelby Eatenton in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias. Written by American Robert Harling, the heartfelt story was based on his 1987 stage play, being a tribute to his sister, who tragically died. Photos by Brett Boardman Now, a highly talented cast has done a fine job reviving the laughter and the tears inherent in the moving tale. It is in the late 1980s in a beauty parlour ca

It has been tucked away for the best part of 50 years, but thankfully Victorian Opera has revived a quintessentially Australian musical about bushranger Ned Kelly. With book and lyrics by Reg Livermore AO, the story in the company's new production is compelling. Photos by Jeff Busby and Casey Horsfield It moves from the northern districts of Victoria and the formation of the Kelly gang in 1878 to Kelly’s execution at the Old Melbourne Gaol on 11th November, 1880. That ha

We are confronted by distressing imagery of natural disasters and the aftermath of war, where nothing remains but the grey shell of homes that once were. In contemporary terms, think Gaza, the Ukraine and Russia. This, on a large scale, on a big screen, begins a more intimate portrayal of the impact of devastation. A woman, Layla (Jane Montgomery-Griffiths), is being held captive in a Museum of Art and Antiquities that has been ravaged by war. Photos by Sarah Clarke Th