STAGE GUIDE Performances to see this June

WORDS BY CHESTER OGILVIE

HENRY ROLLINS: GOOD TO SEE YOU

You need a little bit of insanity to do great things, so said Henry Rollins. And he has indeed accomplished great things – actor, author, DJ, voice-over artist and, of course, acclaimed musician. Rollins’ last tour was in 2016, but his first trip our way was more than three decades ago. This tour fills us in on what he has been up to since his last visit.

ULUMBARRA THEATRE, BENDIGO 21JUN

CIVIC HALL, BALLARAT 22 JUN

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

The Sound Of Music

Like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, The Sound of Music is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s favourite things. Presented by Ballarat Lyric Theatre, directed by Stephen Armati and starring Jenna Featherstone as Maria Rainer and David Sheludko as Captain Georg von Trapp, this is a sing-along reimagining of the beloved musical that first took place in 1959 and won five Tony awards. The film would also later win five Academy awards.

CIVIC HALL, BALLARAT 30 JUN–09 JUL

Winter Solstice One Act Plays

For more than a decade, Theatre 3Triple2 has celebrated Winter Solstice with their One Act Play production. In 2023, Act One is You Wouldn’t Understand, a comedy with an edge that explores what it means to be a “real” family. Act Two is the laugh-out-loud The Set Up, an exploration of blind dates in all their glory. With mulled wine, warm fires and pre-show entertainment, it’s a warm way to spend a cold evening.

POTATO SHED, DRYSDALE 16,17 JUN

Proof

Catherine is a twenty-something young woman whose troubled life is compounded by looking after her brilliant but unstable mathematician father in David Auburn’s Proof . Following his death, she is visited by her estranged sister and Hal, a former student of her father in search of valuable work. The waves come crashing down as Catherine must wrestle with family, burgeoning romance and the question of how much of her father’s genius, or madness, she will inherit.

WOODBIN THEATRE, GEELONG 30 JUN–15 JUL

It’s uncategorical. It’s a fuel-burning oracle. It’s a fantasmagorical machine! What’s not to love about a magical adventure with a flying car? With a wonderfully talented cast of adults and children, the Ararat Musical Comedy Society has dusted off the 1968 film, which was loosely based on an Ian Fleming novel, for a high-flying production that will put a little bang bang in your life.

ARARAT TOWN HALL 16–18, 23–25 JUN

Women Of Wit

Since launching in Bendigo in 2018, Women of Wit has given the stage to seasoned and upcoming female comedians alike. And the wit of women is on full display once again as 2023 is headlined by Cal Wilson, who more than two decades ago won the Best Newcomer Award at the MICF. Patti Fawcett, Grace Jarvis (Bendigo), Jordan Barr (Bendigo), Daisy Webb (Drysdale) and Nicky Barry (Drysdale) round out the night of laughs.

THE ENGINE ROOM, BENDIGO 30 JUN

POTATO SHED, DRYSDALE 08 JUL

JULIA MORRIS: 75 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS

After years of being indoors, Australia’s First Lady of Comedy, Julia Morris, is back in circulation and off the leash in her brand new stand-up spectacular, 75 Years in the Business. A household name thanks to her multi-faceted career as an award winning standup, actor, TV presenter, two-time reality show winner and author, this will be Lady JMo’s first tour since 2018!

COSTA HALL, GEELONG 01 JUL

ARSENIC & OLD LACE

What’s that they say about family? When Brooklyn drama critic and notorious marriage cynic Mortimer Brewster falls for Elaine Harper, their wedded bliss is put to the test by Mortimer’s unconventional family. His two spinster aunts have taken to poisoning lonely old men. One brother believes he is Theodore Roosevelt. The other is a murderer who has an accomplice in a plastic surgeon. How much chaos will their vows allow?

CRESWICK COURTHOUSE THEATRE 16–18, 23–25 JUN