Wicked opened at the Regent Theatre last week with all the hype and publicity of a visit from the Pope. The prequel to L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, the musical explores the rivalry between Oz witches Glinda the Good (Lucy Durak) and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West (Amanda Harrison).

Sarah Ward has been gracing Melbourne festivals for the past year as her lascivious alter ego Yana Alana. This time, she's the star showing at Full Tilt, playing to her biggest audiences yet at the Arts Centre.

The crowd at Miss Libertine enjoyed a strong opening set from the Dukes Of Windsor last Friday night, who got the punters dancing with their TV Rock-less version of The Others. After an extended DJ set, Sam Sparro took to the stage, his trademark clear-lens sunglasses firmly affixed (thankfully, they came off halfway through the set: he's a gorgeous guy, and those dopey sunnies do him no favours).

Rugged up against the winter chill, several tramloads of us made our way from Swanston Street along the Yarra to the big tent on Birrang Marr for Circus Oz's 30th anniversary season.

Rugged up against the winter chill, several tramloads of us made our way from Swanston Street along the Yarra to the big tent on Birrang Marr for Circus Oz's 30th anniversary season.

A few things you may not know about the new, improved, Vanessa Amorosi:

1. She's buff. She sauntered on stage at the Trak Centre last Friday night sporting a pair of guns to rival Madonna's.

The Beckett Theatre at the Malthouse was packed to the rafters for Shaun Parker's Blue Love last weekend.

You'd be pretty happy if David Williamson offered to write a new play for you. You'd be over the moon if he came out of retirement to do it. So it is with the Melbourne Theatre Company production Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot starring Caroline O'Connor.

A diverse crowd braved the cold, wet Melbourne weather last Friday night and flocked to Hamer Hall seeking warmth from a soul diva double-bill.

The irreverent bunch of political satirists that gave left-leaning, satire-loving Australians a good dose of naughtiness on their ABC TV show, The Chaser's War on Everything, have transferred their efforts to the stage. Adopting a true variety show style, The Chaser team of Chaz Licciardello, Andrew Hanson, Julian Morrow and Craig Reucassel, along with ring-in Dominic Knight, peddle their comedic wares in an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.

Never underestimate your parents. That was the message I took away from the opening of Meryl Tankard's INUK2 dance work.

To get to Roxanne’s Bar off Little Bourke Street you enter from an alleyway side door and climb three floors up a rickety wooden staircase.