Melbourne events in April 2024

Wednesday nights in Melbourne are known for one thing and one thing only: Queen Victoria Market’s legendary Night Market. With the summer night market officially finished for the season, Queen Vic has announced it will be bringing back its insanely popular Asian night market to tide you over until the warmer months return. The Hawker 88 Night Market brings Asian tastes, sights and sounds to Queen Vic’s sheds. Running every Wednesday night from April 10 until May 8, a tasty variety of stalls and trucks will be set up to sell authentic street food direct from China, India, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia and Japan. The line-up of vendors this year includes crispy Korean popcorn chicken from Lui Boss; charcoal Filipino skewers from Hoy Pinoy; pad Thai and sticky mango rice from Sabb Der; grilled momo from Nepal Dining Room; and authentic okonomiyaki from Okinami. Across the five-week stint there will also be lion dancing, traditional cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, taiko drumming, eating competitions (where you can chow down on durian, dumplings and skewers), DJ sets and an epic full moon party. There will also be plenty of specialty retail stalls selling weird and wonderful wares. For more info on the event, check out the website. Craving a bargain feed? These are the 50 best cheap eats in Melbourne. Thirsty? Hit up Melbourne's 50 best bars.

My first encounter with the viridescent power of Wicked was through the sliding door of a suburban dance studio. Face pressed against the glass, I strained to hear the optimistic refrains of ‘One Short Day’, eyes bulging and dopamine levels skyrocketing. So widespread is the pop-cultural impact of this fan favourite musical, that half of Melbourne likely has a similar memory of discovering Wicked.  This faithful revival of the bewitching blockbuster sees the show fly into Melbourne for the third time in 15 years with an abundance of pine-hued pizazz, after celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Broadway premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. It’s also worth noting that the Gregory Maguire novel that forms the basis of the plot was published back in 1995. After all this time, it’s only fair to check in and ask: does Wicked remain evergreen? The costumes, choreography and sets are as slick as they come, which is exactly what’s expected from a show that’s had this many chances to get it ‘right’. This version of Wicked is not reinventing the wheel – instead it’s the cast who keep the cogs turning in a fresh way.   There’s no mistaking that these performers are magical. While Melbourne always loves to get a show before Sydney, our advantage here is that the cast has had time to fully take command of their characters – and they’re flourishing.  Courtney Monsma’s G(a)linda is slap-your-knees, let-out-a-squeal funny. She re-shapes the virtue-signalling mean girl role and makes Glinda

Heather Mitchell’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg shares with us a piece of wisdom she received upon wedding her husband Marty: earplugs are the secret to a happy marriage. This nugget reflects the unexpected humour threaded throughout RBG: Of Many, One, which is seen equally in Mitchell’s biting impressions of her male contemporaries. Her version of President Bill Clinton makes a ridiculous yet convincing “nomnomnom” sound, while her Trump is just so… unnervingly Trumpian. This play might be modest in its set dressing and number of cast members, but its sizeable reputation precedes it. Aside from the gargantuan legacy of the former Supreme Court justice whose life this play chronicles, the reputations of both its star and playwright also measure much taller than RBG’s five feet. Suzie Miller, the lawyer-cum-playwright behind Prima Facie, has again put her legal expertise to good use to chronicle RBG’s epic life in a way that demonstrates her deep understanding of the case law underpinning her legacy.  Heather Mitchell is known for Binge’s Love Me and Sydney Theatre Company’s Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story. Here, under impeccable direction from Priscila Jackman, she excels with a character study so spot on that it feels completely effortless. We meet RBG as she waits anxiously for the call from President Clinton – will she be his next nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States? If she makes the grade, she’ll be the second-ever woman and the first Jewish woman

The Force will return to the magnificent Hamer Hall when the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) takes to the stage to present Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert. Off the back of the popular Star Wars in Concert Series, Melburnians will once again have the chance to enjoy the classic 1983 film on a huge screen, as they listen to John Williams’ renowned score brought to life with the full force of the mighty MSO.   The intergalactic event will screen the entire film from start to finish, and highlights include legendary scenes like the near-death of Luke Skywalker at Jabba the Hutt's desert fortress (which also features Princess Leia in her famous two-piece), as well as the final battle between Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Emperor. And sorry to the haters, but there will also be plenty of Ewok content to enjoy, too.  Conductor Nicholas Buc will once again lead the MSO during this spectacular sonic journey to a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert will run across June 6-8, so we’d suggest you secure your tickets before they sell out. You can also check out the MSO's 2024 program here.

“I thought you were going to tell me I didn’t need the pills anymore,” says eighteen-year-old Anna (Max McKenna) to her child psychiatrist, Vivienne (Louisa Mignone). Anna has completely misread the tenor of the conversation, which was actually about the need for her to transition towards seeing a therapist trained to work with adults. This early moment encapsulates the key struggles of The Almighty Sometimes, a coming-of-age story illustrating a young woman torn between emancipation and comfort, with the reality of a never-defined yet ever-present mental illness adding layers of complexity to what would otherwise be a universally relatable tale.  This multi-award-winning drama by Kendall Feaver has been staged in Australia before by Queensland Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company, yet the issues explored in this iteration from Melbourne Theatre Company feel topical and fresh with tight direction from Hannah Goodwin.   Screen legend Nadine Garner (Savage River, Neighbours, City Homicide) plays Renee, a school teacher and dedicated mum to ‘troubled’ daughter Anna. Alongside Anna’s new boyfriend Oliver (Karl Richmond) and her psychiatrist, Renee grapples with supporting her daughter as she pushes against the routines and limits that kept her safe during her adolescence.  Having recently rediscovered pages upon pages of her childhood writings, Anna has begun to wonder if the version of her that existed before she went on medication was a child prodigy destined for literary greatn

For most of us, Lego is a nostalgic hobby from bygone childhood years, but there are an exceptional few who took these tiny building blocks from a fun pastime to the next level. Lego artist Nathan Sawaya is one of these talented individuals who is showcasing his fascinating sculptures with a new exhibition that has to be seen to be believed.  The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience exhibition features more than 100 contemporary artworks, all crafted using more than one million Lego bricks to make large-scale, life-like creations.  After a sold-out season back in 2011, it's returning to our city as part of a huge world tour with brand new pieces, having already visited 100 cities across 24 countries. Sawaya is the only person in the world who has the double title of Lego Master Model Builder and Lego Certified Professional. Whoa.  Some of the works showcased in the exhibition include a giant version of Sawaya's most famous sculpture, 'Yellow', which stands at more than six feet tall, plus an installation with 250 kinetic Lego skulls, a piece called 'Infinity Rainbow' that features seven life-sized sculptures, the 30-foot long 'Big Swimmer', dazzling 360-degree digital projections and lots more. The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience opens on April 14 at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Tickets go on sale on March 21 at 7pm, and you can sign up for the waitlist here. Find out more about the exhibition at the website.  Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to what's

Grab your wands and your Hogwarts house tie, because a brand new magical experience that is every Potterhead's dream is coming to Melbourne. Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is apparating to the Mornington Peninsula in 2024, with a mystical encounter that will have you living out your witch or wizard fantasies in the muggle world. Follow in the daring footsteps of Harry himself through the infamous Forbidden Forest, where you'll meet hippogriffs and unicorns, as well as cast powerful spells. The outdoor trail adventure will lead you on a fully immersive journey, finishing with a Potter-themed village that has food, drink and merch on offer. Warner Bros is bringing this exciting experience Down Under after whirlwind success in the US, UK and Europe, with the Forbidden Forest making its Australian debut deep in the woods of Mt Martha next April.  Suitable for fans of all ages, tickets for this magical experience are on sale now. You can find out more on the website here.  Looking for more fun things to do in Melbourne? Check out what's on this week here. 

After a stellar opening in Sydney, Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is going on tour – and the next stop is Melbourne. The classic comedy will be calling Arts Centre Melbourne home from April 25 to May 11.  Kicking off a jam-packed 2024 season, Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream tells the tale of love and mischief over one magical night where fairies, runaway lovers and bumbling actors get entangled in an enchanted forest. Follow along as a talented ensemble of cast and creatives reimagine the magical play, led by director Peter Evans who has pared back the play to 110 minutes and done a spectacular job at reinventing the timeless tale for a new audience. The all-star cast includes Ella Prince playing Puck, along with Ahunim Abede as Hermia, Isabel Burton as Helena, Mike Howlett as Demetrius, Matu Ngaropo as Bottom, Richard Pyros as Oberon, Imogen Sage as Titania and Laurence Young as Lysander. Tickets range from $40 - $110 and you can book them here.

There has been a disappointing run of big name shows underserved by low-key production design of late, with both the revivals of Rocky Horror and Grease seriously lacking in the razzle-dazzle department. So why does a similarly stripped-back staging of musical maestro Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb’s Chicago pull it off, like so many of the cast’s silken mesh costume changes? Perhaps something in the bare bones of this deceptively dark comedy, set in the Windy City in the fast and loose 1920s, lends itself to simplicity? Delivered via a sassy brawl between warring molls Velma Kelly (Zoë Ventoura) and Roxie Hart (Lucy Maunder), it’s a broken bottle-sharp commentary on an America that values celebrity crime most malignant over justice and the good of heart, that cuts even deeper now we’re staring down the barrel of a possible second Trump term. That swirling, prophetic darkness lends itself well to scenic designer John Lee Beatty’s darkened stage flanked by cabaret chairs and dominated by a bandstand atop which gamely charismatic musical director James Simpson leads a brass-heavy band through John Kander’s razzmatazz music.  “Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate … What if your hinges all are rusting? What if, in fact, you’re just disgusting?”The contradiction is inherent in the work. And so when Roxie opens the show by shooting dead the beefy but not bright Fred Casely (Devon Braithwaite, a stand-out in a spectacular ensemble) because he had the

The Immigration Museum on Flinders Street is getting its first major exhibition in several years and it’s all about leaning into what makes us happy. The exhibition, called Joy, opens on Friday, March 1 and will run through until August 29, 2024. Joy features seven brand new commissioned installations from leading Victorian-based creatives, each expressing the artists’ own personal joy. You can expect an emotive adventure where colour and storytelling combine, and big happy moments that sit alongside more reflective ones. Experience the vibrant power of joy as you walk amongst room-sized interactive artworks, or contribute your own joy with the collaborative ‘share your joy’ wall. Venezuelan-born Australian artist Nadia Hernández has filled the Immigration Museum’s hallway with bold collage works, ‘future positive’ fashion designer Nixi Killick has created a ‘joy generator’ and queer artist Spencer Harrison has created a runway where you can strut your stuff. Jazz Money, a Wiradjuri poet and artist, has fused sculpture, audio and mural for a work reflecting the history of the museum site, while local artist Beci Orpin has taken over a room with a giant toy rabbit made to be hugged. Afghanistan-Australian visual artist and poet Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali have also created a large-scale mural illustrating a Persian myth.  Lastly, much-loved pop artist and designer Callum Preston has constructed a full-scale replica of a nineties video store, a joy he never thought he would miss u