Summer Listings and Must-See in Australia 2026
If you’re looking for some amazing live gigs: check out these must-see shows and events across Australia in 2025 & 2026!
Melbourne
This five-time Tony Award®-winning production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will return to Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre for a strictly limited 5-week season.
Comedy Theatre – Running until 24 December 2025
Approx. run time: 2 hours including a 20-minute interval
Supporting Assets:
Website: christmascarolaustralia.com.au
Melbourne
DARKFIELD invites audiences to step inside shipping containers where strange worlds unfold.
Arts Centre Melbourne – Running until 11 January 2026
INVISIBLE run time: 17 minutes (allow 20 minutes)
FLIGHT run time: 22 minutes (allow 25 minutes)
Website: https://www.darkfield.com.au/
Duck Pond – Circa
Melbourne and Sydney
A mesmerising reimagining of Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling that unites classical ballet with contemporary circus.
Sydney: Sydney Opera House – 9 – 12 January 2026
Melbourne: Princess Theatre – 14 – 25 January 2026
Approx. run time: 75 minutes
Website: duckpondmelbourne.com.au
Sydney
A razor-sharp, hilarious and explosive new drama about a powerhouse African American political dynasty that implodes when its estranged youngest son returns home with a mysterious guest, unleashing decades of buried secrets.
Wharf 1 Theatre – 2 February – 22 March 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours 50 minutes including interval
Website: sydneytheatre.com.au
Sydney
A powerful, urgent and moving theatrical event that confronts the birth of the AIDS crisis with courage, heart and unforgettable humanity as a community fights for justice, love and visibility. Returning to Sydney Theatre Company almost 40 years since it first premiered there, The Normal Heart stars Artistic Director Mitchell Butel and is directed by Dean Bryant.
Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House – 9 February – 14 March 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
Website: sydneytheatre.com.au
Melbourne
The Olivier and four-time Tony award-winning blockbuster MJ The Musical features more than 25 of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits – including Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Man in The Mirror and Thriller. With book by two-time Pulitzer prize-winning writer Lynn Nottage, directed and choreographed by acclaimed hit maker Christopher Wheeldon OBE.
Her Majesty’s Theatre – Playing until 13 March 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours and 35 minutes including a 20-minute interval
Supporting Assets
Website: mjthemusical.com.au
Melbourne
An emotionally charged depiction of the human cost of Australia’s worst industrial disaster – the West Gate Bridge collapse of 1970. Featuring a stellar cast of screen favourites including Steve Bastoni and Lachy Hulme, this is a gripping historical drama that explores a national tragedy to examine accountability, resilience and the human cost of progress.
Southbank Theatre – The Sumner – 10 March – 18 April 2026
Website: mtc.com.au
Melbourne and Sydney
Earning multiple five-star reviews in its sold-out premiere season, My Brilliant Career returns for a limited encore run. Set in the sweeping landscapes of 1890s Australia, the electric reimagining of Miles Franklin’s classic novel features a powerhouse score blending contemporary pop, bush ballads and raucous pub rock.
Melbourne: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner – 23 January – 28 February 2026
Sydney: Roslyn Parker Theatre – 21 March – 26 April 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
Website: mtc.com.au
Melbourne
An existential dark comedy that interrogates corporate life while exploring loneliness, ambition and the search for meaning inside a broken system from one of the most exciting contemporary voices in Australian writing, Jean Tong.
Southbank Theatre, The Lawler – 14 February – 28 March 2026
Website: mtc.com.au
Sydney
A mesmerising, intimate drama set on the edge of a remote river, where a man’s carefully constructed stories unravel as desire, deception and truth quietly collide with beloved global star Miranda Otto.
Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House – 30 March – 9 May 2026
Approx. run time: 80 minutes
Website: sydneytheatre.com.au
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth
Australia’s favourite outdoor cinema is back for it’s 30th birthday season with a blockbuster lineup perfect for summer evenings under the stars. Audiences across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide can look forward to new releases, family favourites and must-see moments.
Sydney: Belvedere Amphitheatre, Centennial Park – Fri 21 Nov 2025 – Sun 5 April 2026
Melbourne: Central Lawn, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – Wed 3 Dec 2025 – Sun 5 April 2026
Adelaide: Botanic Park Adelaide – Thurs 27 Nov 2025 – Sun 15 Feb 2026
Brisbane: The Amphitheatre, Roma Street Parkland – Wed 26 Nov 2025 – Sun 15 Feb 2026
Perth: May Drive Parkland, Kings Park – Thurs 4 Dec 2025 – Sun 29 Mar 2026
Website: moonlight.com.au
Sydney
A powerful solo performance that retells Homer’s epic as a stark, human story about war and the cycles of violence that are continually repeated. Award-winning international star David Wenham returns to Sydney Theatre Company as the Poet.
Wharf 1 Theatre – 13 April – 7 June 2026
Approx. run time: 100 minutes
Website: sydneytheatre.com.au
The Lion King – Disney
Sydney
The world’s #1 musical will return to Australia, premiering in Sydney in April 2026.
Capitol Theatre from 18 April 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours and 30 minutes including a 20-minute interval
Website: thelionkingmusical.com.au
Melbourne
A timeless theatrical masterpiece brought vividly to life, The Glass Menagerie invites you into a beautifully poetic and deeply emotional story of dreams, memory and the fragile bonds that shape us. Tennessee Williams’s haunting memory play stars Alison Whyte in a contemporary revival of one of the most beloved and enduring works of the 20th century.
Southbank Theatre, The Sumner – 27 April – 5 June 2026
Website: mtc.com.au
Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Canberra and Perth
The high-octane, black comedy rock musical based on the cult 1989 film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.
Melbourne: Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne from 8 April 2026
Adelaide: Her Majesty’s Theatre – 16 – 26 July 2026
Gold Coast: HOTA – 30 July – 9 August 2026
Canberra: Canberra Theatre Centre – 14 – 23 August 2026
Sydney: Coliseum Theatre – 26 – 29 August 2026
Sydney: Roslyn Packer Theatre – 1 – 19 September 2026
Perth: Regal Theatre – 30 September – 11 October 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
Website: heathersthemusical.com/australia
Melbourne and Sydney
The Australian World Orchestra unites Australia’s finest classical musicians to deliver an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind performance to celebrate 15 years of remarkable music-making.
Melbourne: Hamer Hall, Art Centre Melbourne – 19 August 2026
Sydney: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House – 20 August 2026
Approx. run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Website: australianworldorchestra.com.au
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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