Jo Litson – Editor

Muriel’s Wedding the Musical (Sydney Theatre Company/Global Creatures)

Expectations were high and fingers tightly crossed that Muriel’s Wedding the Musical would live to up to the much-loved 1994 film on which it is based. Happily, it’s a triumph. Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall have written a glorious score, which finds an ingenious way to include the ABBA songs, and the show is superbly structured (book by PJ Hogan), staged and performed. The best new Australian musical for yonks, maybe ever.

Nude Live (Sydney Dance Company, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Festival)

In a delightfully suprising Sydney Festival event, eight dancers associated with Sydney Dance Company performed in the altogether among the works in the splendid Nude: Art from the Tate Collection exhibition at AGNSW. Rafael Bonachela’s playful, inventive choreography offered a profound insight into the art itself and life in general, and the nudity quickly felt very natural. A unique, special experience.

Parsifal (Opera Australia)

The chance to see superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann in Parsifal, even a semi-staged production, was a tantalising prospect – and he delivered in spades with a performance that combined honeyed vocals with sensitive acting....