Solaris TO SEE

Now is the winter of your great content, with theatrical blockbusters galore

JUNE Muriel’s Wedding the Musical

Muriel has come a long way since Porpoise Spit. The homegrown hit musical is currently enjoying a critically acclaimed Melbourne debut. Featuring songs by Kate Miller-heidke and Keir Nuttall (alongside the ABBA hits from the film), the musical is wickedly funny and not at all terrible. à Her Majesty’s Theatre, 219 Exhibition St, Melbourne 3000. 03 8643 3300. murielsweddingthemusical.com. $60-$165. Until Jun 16.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Created in 2011 for the Royal Ballet, where choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is an artistic associate, this take on Lewis Carroll’s 1865 fantasy features spectacular fairytale set and costume design by Tony Award-winner Bob Crowley, and a whimsical contemporary score by Wheeldon’s regular collaborator Joby Talbot. à Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004. 1300 182 183. www.artscentremelbourne.com.au. $37-$277. Jun 8-22.

Wake in Fright

Zahra Newman is starring in this one-woman adaptation of Kenneth Cook’s 1961 novel, which was famously turned into a seminal 1971 film and adapted into a miniseries in 2017. But Malthouse’s version will be rather different to those previous iterations, driven by a provocative soundtrack composed by art electronica band Friendships. à Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank 3006. 03 9685 5111. malthousetheatre.com.au. $35-$62. Jun 21-Jul 14.

JULY

Malthouse artistic director Matthew Lutton is working with award-winning Scottish playwright David Greig on this adaptation of Stanisław Lem’s seminal sci-fi novel. It’s been turned into two films in the past, but Greig is going back to the original source material to tell a story about a mysterious planet where visitors encounter the ghosts of long-lost loved ones. à Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank 3006. 03 9685 5111. malthousetheatre.com.au. $35-$62. Jun 28-Jul 21.

Pomona

When Alistair Mcdowall’s surreal and brutal play opened in London, Time Out called it a “menacing modern masterpiece”. Now the thriller, which tells the story of people snatched and taken to a deserted island, is having its Australian premiere at the intimate Red Stitch Actors Theatre, directed by Gary Abrahams. à Red Stitch Actors Theatre, 2 Chapel St, St Kilda 3183. 03 9533 8083. redstitch.net. $15-$55. Jul 9-Aug 11.

Shakespeare in Love

Melbourne Theatre Company’s headlining show for the year is based on the 1998 Academy Award-winning Gwyneth Paltrow film, which imagines an affair between Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps, a woman who disguises herself as a man to audition for Shakespeare’s theatre. Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman’s screenplay was adapted for the stage in 2014, when it premiered on London’s West End. Simon Phillips is helming the local version. à Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004. 1300 182 183. www.artscentremelbourne.com.au. $49-$109. Jul 15-Aug 14.

AUGUST Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This musical is based more on Roald Dahl’s 1964 book than the beloved 1971 film, but it does feature the songs you know and love, including ‘Pure Imagination’, ‘Candy Man’ and ‘I’ve Got a Golden Ticket’. The rest of the music is penned by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman ( Hairspray). à Her Majesty’s Theatre, 219 Exhibition St, Melbourne 3000. 03 8643 3300. charliethemusical.com.au. $59.90-$179.90. Aug 9-Sep 22.

Golden Shield

This is the first play to come out of Melbourne Theatre Company’s Next Stage writers program and also the mainstage debut of Anchuli Felicia King. King is set for a massive year in 2019, with another play at Sydney Theatre Company and the Royal Court in London. Golden Shield is a legal thriller about China’s infamous, epic firewall. à Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank 3006. 03 8688 0800. www.mtc.com.au. $43-$114. Aug 12-Sep 21.

Let Men Tremble

The Danger Ensemble was Brisbane’s most provocative and, um, dangerous theatre ensemble until they moved to Melbourne last year. After wowing audiences with The Hamlet Apocalypse – in which they performed Shakespeare’s tragedy on the night of an apocalypse – they’re back with a show inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter. à Theatre Works, 14 Acland St, St Kilda 3182. 03 9534 3388. theatreworks.org.au. $30-$45. Aug 14-25.

Australian Realness

Zoey Dawson is one of the most popular playwrights in Melbourne’s independent theatre scene, and this new play marks her mainstage debut. It’s a comedy about class in which every actor plays two different characters – one bourgeois, one bogan. The production stars Linda Cropper (aka Geraldine from Offspring). à Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank 3006. 03 9685 5111. malthousetheatre.com.au. $35-$62. Aug 16-Sep 8.

Sylvia

This ballet about a sword-wielding Greek huntress has been rarely performed since it premiered more than 150 years ago. The Australian Ballet’s artistic director, David Mcallister, says it has one of the greatest scores ever written for a ballet. And you don’t have to trust just Mcallister; Tchaikovsky famously said that Léo Delibes’ score was better than anything he had written, including Swan Lake. à Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004. 1300 182 183. www.artscentremelbourne.com.au. $37-$237. Aug 31-Sep 10.