MUSICALS & THEATRE

HAY FEVER

MTC performs a 1925 Noël Coward comedy set in the countryside abode of a family of drama queens. David Bliss writes romance novels; his wife Judith is a retired stage actress; and their two children have inherited their parents’ proclivities for drama. àsouthbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank 3006. 03 8688 0800. www.mtc. com.au. $49-$114. Sep 23-Oct 28.

ÁPOP- UP GLOBE

See four of Shakespeare’s plays the way he intended in this pop-up recreation of London’s 17th century Globe Theatre: As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Henry V. àthe Shakespeare Gardens, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Linlithgow Ave, Melbourne 3000. popupglobe.com.au. $20-$300. Until Nov 12.

BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS

Malthouse and Victorian Opera team up for a new production of Tom Waits’ and William S Burroughs’ 1990 musical concerning a poet who makes a deal with the devil. àmalthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank 3006. 03 9685 5111. malthousetheatre.com.au. $35-$75. Until Oct 8.

AMERICAN SONG

In this Australian premiere, Joe Petruzzi plays Andy: a father trying to understand at what point his parenting of his son went wrong. Playwright Joanna Murray-smith ( Switzerland; Songs for Nobodies) was commissioned to write the play by Milwaukee Repertory Theater. àred Stitch Actors Theatre, 2 Chapel St, St Kilda 3183. 03 9533 8083. www.redstitch.net. $20$49. Oct 3-Nov 5.