Sydney’s major theatre companies have announced their 2025 seasons and there is a lot to pick over. Sydney Theatre Co is in transition between Kip Williams and Mitchell Butel’s regimes and Griffin is going into its first full nomadic year so it’s not quite business as usual.
I’ve poured over the announced works looking for interesting tid-bits and connections across the companies. As always there are a lot of classics, big names, shows that were hits overseas or interstate and a handful of brand new works to enjoy.
Surprisingly this year, there doesn’t appear to be any dueling productions (in 2024 Australia saw two totally independent productions of Cost of Living, and three independent productions of The Inheritance). Whether that’s by luck or by design is anyone’s guess.
Okay, let’s jump in.
THE INESCAPABLE DAVID WILLIAMSON
After sneaking out of retirement in 2024 with two new plays The Great Divide at Ensemble Theatre and The Puzzle at State Theatre Company South Australia, David Williamson is spreading his influence further by revealing another World Premiere, the return of a Sydney classic and more all over the East Coast.
His new play, Aria, continues Ensemble’s love affair with opera dramas (after 2024’s Masterclass). They also have return of one of his best loved plays from the 80s, Emerald City, which is interesting as it is promising a “refresh”. What does that actually mean? It could be anything from removing any out-dated language to giving it a new, modern spin. I guess we’ll have to book to find out.
But that’s not all, Mark Kilmurry’s 2023 production of Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica is heading up to Queensland Theatre and there’s also a revival of The Removalists, his groundbreaking 70s hit, happening at Melbourne Theatre Company. It seems like Williamson is well and truly back as the King of Australian Theatre.
MELBOURNE’S BEST
Some notable shows are moving up north from Melbourne. Sydney Theatre Co has nabbed Sarah Goode’s production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? that got raves at Red Stitch. I really wanted to get down there to see it, so I’m chuffed it’s traveling up. Hayes has an acclaimed production of Ghost Quartet coming up, but more on that in a bit. And the British fringe show Sauna Boy, that I saw at Midsumma down in Melbourne this year, is coming to Sydney for Mardi Gras.
Melbourne Theatre Company has a couple of transfers on the way. Belvoir is bringing up Jacky putting the spotlight firmly on Guy Simon (I still giggle when I think of his turn in Holding The Man earlier in 2024, but that sadly means he can’t repeat his role in Whitefella Yella Tree at STC). And STC is bringing up Katie Weston and Tom Gleisner’s musical Bloom.
ONE MORE TIME, FOR THE DUMMIES
Do we need to stage an intervention for Heather Mitchell? I’m starting to feel like STC has her locked in a basement and only lets her out to reprise her stunning performance as Ruth Bader-Ginsburg. Yes, Suzie Miller’s RBG: Of Many, One is back for its third run. I love the show, but I’m sure part of this return is simply economic – the running costs on this must be low now, with the sets and costumes all made and only a single performer. It’s no secret STC took a financial hit this past year so it’s no surprise to see their 2025 season filled with returns like this (and The Dictionary of Lost Words), and top-notch imports from other theatres (see above). They’ve also picked up Dylan Van Den Berg’s terrific Whitefella Yella Tree that wowed in its debut season at Griffin.
Also, Sarah-Louise Young’s lovingly fun An Evening Without Kate Bush is back (this time for Mardi Gras) and Trophy Boys gets a return run at Riverside.
SEQUEL-ISH
Okay the following shows aren’t actually sequels, but there is a clear line between these debut plays and shows we’ve already seen.
I’m getting strong Photograph 51 vibes from Ensemble’s The Half-life of Marie Curie. Add to that Ensemble have director Sean Rennie tackling another Tennessee Williams, this time it’s The Glass Menagerie. I loved his take on Suddenly Last Summer so I have high hopes. And Ensemble are giving us more Harold Pinter with a double bill of The Lover & The Dumb Waiter.
Over at STC, Merlynn Tong is back with Congratulations, Get Rich! (恭喜发财, 人日快乐) after her terrific Golden Blood made the move from Griffin to STC (and toured). And there’s the new adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley by Joanna Murray-Smith (who’s no stranger to the work of Patricia Highsmith, having penned Switzerland that was revived at Ensemble this year).
Unsurprisingly, after the enduring runaway success of Counting & Cracking and The Jungle & The Sea, Belvoir has developed a new play with S. Shakthidharan. The Wrong Gods (a co-production with MTC) that will undoubtedly sell out, so don’t sleep on this one.
WE HEART EXISTING I.P.
Pre-existing IP (intellectual property) abound in 2025. And yes, I’m using the phrase “intellectual property” deliberately for the somewhat soulless and legalistic tone it provides. Theatre has always adapted books, news and later films for the stage as a safe way to develop new works and attract audiences “look, this is brand new but still familiar. Please buy tickets.” Is it cynical? Not necessarily, although I would argue that one mainstage adaptation this year probably is there just for the money (no, I’m not pointing fingers just yet).
Apart from the previously mentioned The Talented Mr Ripley at STC, they also have a new version of D’Arcy Niland’s The Shiralee adapted by Kate Mulvany. Plus Joan Lindsay’s enduring mystery The Picnic at Hanging Rock hits the stage via playwright Tom Wright.
Belvoir has new theatrical versions of Helen Garner’s The Spare Room (with Judy Davis!), Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing with Feathers (not to be confused with a different adaptation of the same book done by Enda Walsh, this one is brand new), but the one I’m most excited for is Virginia Wolfe’s Orlando starring Janet Anderson. Take my money!
Meanwhile Ensemble are reclaiming the play Dial M For Murder from the legacy of the Hitchcock film and bringing it back to the stage, with Jeffrey Hatcher adapting Frederick Knott’s original. Riverside has the stage adaptation of Looking For Alibrandi. And Hayes are debuting the musical theatre version of Pedro Almadovar’s adored film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (I saw a production of this in London years ago and didn’t love it to be honest, but Hayes excel at reclaiming show like this so I’m excited to see what happens).
A ROLL CALL OF CLASSICS
Pinter? Check.
Shakespeare? Check.
Beckett? Check.
Tennessee Williams? Yup.
Sam Shepard? Yes please.
Sondheim? Thank god!
There’s no shortage of familiar, classic names on stage, and while some of the choices are a little… well worn, others are delving a bit deeper into the canon to find interesting picks. What’s got my eye? The Pinter’s at Ensemble (I love a double bill of one-act plays, I’m waiting patiently for someone to do some of Tom Stoppard’s earlier short works), as well as The Glass Menagerie as mentioned earlier.
In addition to Romeo & Juliet and Henry 5 (notably not styled as Henry V), Bell Shakespeare are dusting off Coriolanus (is it really the first time they’ve done it in 30 years?!) which is great to see. It was understandable that they focused on Shakespeare’s blockbusters in the post-Covid years and it’s exciting to have the repertoire get opened up again.
And speaking of Shakespeare, Sport For Jove are staging The Player Kings (Shakespeare’s Richard II and Richard III, in new adaptations by Damien Ryan) at Seymour Centre. It’s a two part epic, but we’re used to that now, right?
THE PRIZEFIGHTERS
2024 Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award and Outer Circle Critics Award winning play, Primary Trust, hits the fast track from New York to land at Ensemble. Ensemble has had success bringing modern American award winners to Sydney so this has the ingredients of a hit.
On the other side of the harbour, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Annie Baker lands at Sydney Theatre Co with her Obie Award winning play Circle Mirror Transformation (with Rebecca Gibney making her STC debut). And STC have got Amy Herzog’s buzzy play 4000 Miles lined up for a big revival.
Hayes brings Tony-nominated blue-grass musical Bright Star to the stage. Written by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and Edie Brickell, this one has an interesting pedigree and is exactly the kind of show I love seeing at Hayes. Hardly a beloved Broadway hit, its charms may work better on the small scale than a big main stage.
Two shows at the Opera House also have my interest. Firstly there’s the return of Olivier Award winning laugh-fest The Play That Goes Wrong – a pitch perfect hit of physical comedy. And there’s the ever excellent Tony and Olivier-nominated actor Samuel Barnett starring in Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen, which, despite the title, isn’t about how I feel when going to review a fringe show in the suburbs… jokes (kinda).
NEW WRITING
New writing is hard to pre-judge but some of the announced new works quickly piqued my interest.
Alana Valentine has a new play with Griffin (playing at Seymour Centre) called Nucleus. I’m a sucker for science plays and mixing this with environmental questions feels right in my wheelhouse.
Griffin’s other big show is getting a lot of chatter, but probably more for the nudity than anything else at this point. Will Naturism be worth seeing in all its glory? It’s certainly going to give STC’s Wharf 2 space a shake up.
Don’t miss the Olivier Nominated Cruise at KXT on Broadway (highly recommended by mates in London) and a feminist look at Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Ophelia Thinks Harder.
And Melanie Tait’s got another new play on the way at Ensemble, although How To Plot A Hit in Two Days doesn’t sound like it’ll be quite as gentle as The Queen’s Nanny was this year.
MUSIC & THEATRE & MUSICAL THEATRE
Outside of the Hayes we’ve got some musical offerings from STC and Belvoir.
As mentioned already, STC has Bloom coming up from Melbourne. Congratulations, Get Rich! (恭喜发财, 人日快乐) describes itself as a “musical comedy”, but doesn’t list any songwriters or lyricists. I’m assuming its karaoke setting means we’re in for some mangled pop tunes.
At Belvoir, the luminous Meow Meow is back with Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes, her own quixotic take on the Hans Christan Andersen tale of possessed footwear but it too looks to be more cabaret than Broadway.
Thankfully the Hayes has a packed slate of familiar shows ripe for reinvention, and rarities for the MT nerds. They’re kicking off the year with the show I’m probably most excited about, Dave Malloy’s esoteric Ghost Quartet about… okay I’ve seen the show, listened to the recording, read the Wiki and I have no clue what the hell is going on, but the music is stunning. Written after Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812, it’s about ghosts and memories and cameras and alcohol and weird stuff. Trust me, have whatever whiskey themed cocktail Hayes dreams up and let the luscious score envelope you.
Hayes is also giving us new takes on The Pirates of Penzance, The Producers and Once On This Island in addition to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Bright Star. When it comes to new writing, they’re giving Phar Lap a full production. I heard nothing but raves from its presentation at the Festival of New Works, so that’s looking good!
Then we have the big commercial musicals coming to town. We kick off the year with the reimagining of the epic Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale. In its original form the show was a spectacular, well, flop is a strong word but it wasn’t a hit. This new version scored strong reviews when it premiered at the Watermill Theatre in the UK, but that version had immersive outdoor elements. so we’ll see how it goes inside the State Theatre. I have to admit, I really love the score.
Then we’ve got big classics like the upcoming open air Guys & Dolls from Opera Australia (not to mention Candide), a terrific new show in Hadestown (which I love), a kinda new jukebox show in the Michael Jackson show MJ (which I’m dubious about but everyone I know who’s seen it overseas says it’s an amazing show) and a return run for The Book of Mormon. And that’s just the shows already announced.
INTERSTATE GOODIES
If you fancy hopping on a plane (or a train, or a nice long drive) there’s some eye-catching things happening interstate. At Queensland Theatre, Daniel Evans is directing Aaron Sorkin’s original play A Few Good Men (that would later be turned into the Tom Cruise film). Melbourne Theatre Company and State Theatre Company SA are putting on Broadway hit Kimberly Akimbo (music by the great Jeanine Tesori) starring Marina Prior and Casey Donovan. I saw this on Broadway and TBH I didn’t LOVE it as much as I wanted to, but a fresh production (and lower expectations) might do the trick. MTC have also got Broadway’s 2024 hit Mother Play, starring Sigrid Thornton.
Red Stitch are reviving Joanna Murray-Smith’s 1995 play Honour and staging Max Friedlich’s inter-generational work drama Job that was a big deal on Broadway this year. And Melbourne’s getting Beetlejuice: The Musical.
Meanwhile Paula Arundell is taking on Hitchcock’s The Birds in an intriguing “theatrical feat of audio engineering” at Melbourne’s Malthouse. I don’t know what that means but I’m so up for it!
Victorian Opera is also staging Sondheim’s Follies. I adore Follies so that might get me on a plane. They’ve even got a chamber production based on Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.
SOME FINALS THOUGHTS…
It’s an interesting year for Sydney theatre. Belvoir and Ensemble are forging ahead with their own mixes of new and classic works – they both know their audiences well and cater to them well. Sydney Theatre Co seem to be in “Survive ‘25” mode (that may be me being dramatic, but they’re definitely taking their foot off the peddle for the year with fewer productions. All giving freshly minted Artistic Director Mitchell Butel time to settle in). Griffin is still producing a reduced slate in different venues which shifts the local landscape a bit. While I’ll miss their output this year, it makes space for audiences to get out and explore the other independent theatre options available at The Old Fitz, New Theatre, KXT on Broadway, Seymour Centre and more.
So get your season tickets lined up (or just go with the flow) and enjoy.
Cultural Binge 
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