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Bar magic

Maho Magic Bar Direct from Japan

Australia’s favourite Japanese magic bar delighted and stunned Melbourne audiences in 2023 with rave reviews.

With new and astonishing illusions, Maho Magic bar by Broad Encounters is returning to Melbourne as part of the brand new Spiegel Haus Melbourne, ready to astound afresh.

With fresh tricks and even fresher cocktails, Maho Magic Bar jets audiences straight to a neon-lit Tokyo night, with all the mischief, mayhem, cocktails, and laughter you could wish for.

To enter Maho Magic Bar is to find yourself an intimate, bespoken space in which your every sense will be stimulated.

Take a seat, elect a drink and be ready to be wowed in disbelief as the very best of Japan’s superstar sleight-of-hand specialists perform exclusive magic shows at our table.

Audiences will see these masters at work at point blank range, putting a wild contemporary spin on magic traditions which date back to Japan’s Edo period.

Where: Spiegel Haus 217 Lonsdale St Melbourne.

Season: 25 November – 15 February 2026.

Eltham Little Theatre

Whodunnit?

This Broadway success by the author of Sleuth takes audiences to Agatha Christie’s England.

Six strangers and a butler have gathered for a black tie dinner in a wealthy lawyer’s mansion during a thunderstorm.

The guests include an aged rear admiral, a bitchy aristocrat, a doddering old archaeologist, a dashing young cad and other Chistie types.

One of the guests is an unscrupulous bounder, who tells the others (each in private) that he has the goods to blackmail them.

He’s ripe for murder and so it happens. Whodunnit?

This is the company’s dinner table seating event.

BYO Food and Beverages.

Season: Friday 21 November – Saturday 6 December

Bookings: 0411 713 095

The 1812 Theatre

Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica

A romantic story written by David Williamson.

A story of love between two very different people Gary, a trasdie and Monica a retired violinist with tendonitis in her shoulder.

Miss Monica was played by Angeline Thompson.

A wonderful performance and worked well with Gary.

Some of her scenes were a sheer delight with a change of heart from classical music to understanding Country and Western Music.

Actually, she didn’t really like Country and Western but her tradie, Gary did.

Monica was a violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and some of her scenes while listening to classical music were delightful.

Gary, played by Nigel Leslie was a tradie bought in by Miss Monica to redo her kitchen.

But Gary turned out to be a Country and Western singer called Rhinestone Rex and has a spot on the local community radio.

Gary started work in the kitchen then asked Monica what she was playing.

He was not impressed.

Nigel gave the character a great performance working well with Angeline.

They worked well together and some of their scenes were remarkable.

A good performance from both characters.

The 1812 Theatre had a great set, Miss Monica’s apartment the lounge room with a door to the audience’s right to the kitchen where Gary was working.

This changed into a bar at the local pub by swinging the audience right wall out and the pub scene indicated by two chairs and a table.

Aneline’s performance in this scene was terrific, a contrast to how she played her role previously.

Nigel balanced her performance with expertise and left the audience wondering what they were up to.

A wonderful evening by the 1812 Theatre and a shoe worth seeing.

The Roud Theatre

Flop

Fresh from a hit season at The Edinburgh Fringe, Arthur Hull brings us his best songs from the worst musicals ever written.

The neon lights aren’t always bright on Broadway.

This show is a love letter to the rollercoaster world of musicals and the people who make them.

Season: Friday 21 November at 8pm.

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