"A director whose name every theatre lover should commit to memory is Stephen Nicolazzo...theatre craft at its most masterful. Nicolazzo is somehow capable of simultaneously summoning the savage and the sublime, revealing wrought, raging truths, and dark, sexual impulses, wrapped in the smoothest satin"

Maxim Boon, The Music 

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (fortyfive downstairs, Little Ones Theatre)

★★★★ “a disarmingly good time…The puns are horrifyingly good, the dialogue suitably cheesy, yet tongue-in-cheek and clever. In New Yorker luminary Charles Busch’s play, the immortal aren’t immune from the mortal desires for fame and retribution, something that is uproariously mined for laughter. Cheeky, fun and exceedingly camp, Busch’s irreverent Vampire Lesbians of Sodom has charmed audiences as one of the longest-running off-Broadway plays for good reason. Poignantly, this is also queer collective Little Ones Theatre’s last hurrah, and what a fitting goodbye it is.” Sonia Nair, The Age

★★★★ “both knowing and hilarious in equal measure. In Little Ones’ capable hands, this trip is high camp at its delicious peak.” Nick Pilgrim, Theatre Matters

“It’s silly, it’s sexy and funny-as-fuck. Don’t miss it. It will be a while until we look upon its like again. The text is full of ridiculous jokes and smart observations about life, death and living as an ageing actress in Hollywood. The expected tropes of vampires, lesbians and sodomites are paraded before our very eyes to shock and delight. The cast is gorgeous and barely-clothed, because how could a queer show about vampires be populated by anything else?

What can I say about a statuesque Jennifer Vuletic with plastic fangs? Artemis Ioannides stalking the Succubus throughout history, trying to bring down her vampiric sire in numerous humiliating ways? Zoe Boesen’s chest hair? Brigid Gallacher’s turn as a melodramatic actress? Tom Dent and John Marc Desengano playing guards at the start and Vegas showboys by the end? Ash Flanders in pants? It’s a true cornucopia of thesbian talents to bring this work to wicked life.

Nathan Burmeister’s Set and Costume are cheeky in the best possible way. Daniel Nixon and Danni Esposito’s sound design and composition get us an keep us in a disco-dancing mood throughout. Katie Sfetkidis’ lighting is playful in a way that fully embraces the genre tropes we’re here to see pulled apart from our enjoyment. This production is a fast-paced festival of queer on a grand scale.” Keith Gow, Theatre First

“A non-stop camp extravaganza from beginning to end. Vuletic takes to the role with delightful aplomb and Ioannides playfully draws on a variety of pop culture sex goddesses to inform her portrayal. The dynamic is fabulous and sets the frivolous and flippant tone for the entire performance. The performers all clearly enjoy romping on the stage and this sense of pleasure and enthusiasm is inevitably and unquestionably transferred to the audience. Little Ones Theatre is renowned for their expertise in bringing such classic texts to the Melbourne stage and this is evident in the suave confidence of this production. This is a show that flaunts its ability to distract and amuse and essentially leaves you wanting more. “ Patricia Di Risio, Stage Whispers

“This is a joyous swan song for the ambitious company; an hour-long extravaganza packed to the brim with their signature brand of camp design, bolstered by masterful comedic performances across the board. Vuletic and Ioannides are uproarious as the pair of elegant vamps. Vuletic is an expert physical comedienne; a raised eyebrow, leering glare or simple pose proves enough to make the audience roar with laughter. Meanwhile, Ioannides signals dramatic character transformations – moving from wide-eyed blonde, poised Hollywood ingénue and Vegas show girl between each act – with a masterful control of voice and comedic timing.

The cast is stacked with incredible performers, and no comedic beat or bawdy entendre is left unturned. Zoe Boesen is an absolute standout as the investigative journalist turned Scottish vampire slayer, McSalazar. And John Marc Desengano and Tom Dent inject energy and ridiculousness every time they’re together.An ensemble leading a Madonna dance number (choreography by Ashlea Pyke) in 80s-style tights before being interrupted by our down-and-out Succubus is just pure unbridled fun.

And the set (designed by Nathan Burmeister) works beautifully with its cabaret-style tables set up around a vaudevillian stage complete with a gorgeous silk curtain that raises at the drop of a hat.There’s enough of the original charm that distinguished Little Ones Theatre as a company to make the applause that follows the end of the show feel bitter sweet; a company that has pioneered queer theatre in Melbourne, bowing out to a sold out room of long-time fans and newbies alike. There’ll be more theatre like this, I hope. If not from Little Ones, perhaps from someone who has been inspired, awestruck or hilariously outraged by one of their countless classics. There are certainly enough to choose from.” Guy Webster, Australian Arts Review

“There’s a buzz on entry to Little Ones Theatre’s production of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. From the silken pale pink curtains to the thrumming techno music and cabaret-style seating, the creative team signal an incoming pastiche of camp culture. This is by far the most rewarding element of the production. Under the helm of Director Stephen Nicolazzo, every member of the creative team weaves reference after reference into writer Charles Busch’s work. There’s B-grade horror film sound bites and lighting, Madonna choreography, silver screen and tawdry Las Vegas set dressings, Marilyn’s white dress and more. It’s a feast for the eyes; you could watch the show three times over and still find new homages to the building blocks of camp. Not only that, the anachronistic use of these well-loved clichés through the vignettes of the titular vampires’ relationship is a clever nod to their immortality. The two women, nay succubi, played by Jennifer Vuletic and Artemis Ioannides, are anachronistic themselves as they’re stuck travelling through era after era.

It’s a strong comedic work, the writing laden with jokes that the cast squeeze every drop out of. The dialogue is witty and full of tongue-in-cheek moments, with one-liners like ‘let me be cheap and degraded, I’m an actress’ getting a particularly strong laugh from the opening night crowd. Vuletic and Ioannides have strong chemistry as the quarrelling vampires, throwing acerbic quips across the stage.

A stellar production…a shiny, fun romp through a celebration of all things queer and camp.

Despite the show premiering in 1985, Little Ones Theatre has succeeded in making Vampire Lesbians of Sodom feel in vogue in 2023.” Jenna Schroder, Arts Hub

Loaded (Malthouse Theatre)

★★★★★ "Updated to the 2020s by Tsiolkas and Dan Giovannoni, this one-man show is a fierce dive into the brain and body of a second-generation Greek-Australian defying the world around him." Chad Armstrong, The Queer Review

★★★★½ “Published in 1995, Loaded was an extraordinary debut for Christos Tsiolkas. Malthouse Theatre gives the story the staging it needs and deserves. Danny Ball is extraordinary as Ari…a performance pulsing with self-loathing, self-doubt and an implosive, masculine energy that is both angry and sensual. Ball also nails the script’s flashes of comedy, and Ari’s Greek-Australian accent. Moodily lit by Katie Sfetkidis, Nathan Burmeister’s simple set is framed by a broad, tiled arch recalling that 20th century ‘wog’ architecture – especially in the opening minutes when it’s filled with a curtain of multi-coloured plastic strips. Behind this archway is a long, low, curved bench, which Ball hyperactively steps and stretches on, within a bare, red space that is both gloomy and sensual. Composer and sound designer Daniel Nixon adds further atmosphere: a taught soundscape flecked with snatches of nightclub beats and Ari’s favourite songs A clever, extremely welcome adaptation of a much-loved book.” Patricia Maunder, Limelight Magazine

★★★★½ “Danny Ball’s performance in Loaded is riveting, extraordinary and alarming as he propels Christos Tsiolkas’ 19-year-old, gay, Greek youth, Ari, through his brutal, hedonistic, high-octane, drug-addled, sex-sodden life.” Kate Herbert Reviews

★★★★ “Feverish…Spellbinding. The bouquets will come flying out of the crowd for Ball, who is indeed magnificent in all aspects. The sheer control is astounding” Elroy Rosenberg, Arts Hub

"Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction is precise, thoughtful and fearless. After a career of queering texts and embracing camp (and helming an incredible adaptation of Looking for Alibrandi last year), he’s taken another modern classic and put it on stage like the story always wanted to be there. Like Ari broke out of the pages and demanded to be listened to again. Proving that it’s still a tale worth telling. On the page. On film. And at the Malthouse. Loaded is packed with a stunning central performance, incredible work from two writers from different generations, and fashioned into a production that must not be missed." Keith Gow, Theatre First

“Danny Ball is magnificent…Cocksure and charismatic, Ball bounds around the playing space like a pinball pinging off the edges of his world. His control of voice and character, that mercurial ability to inhabit the multitude of personas Ari meets on his journey, gives the work its colour and variability. And his quiet moments of pain, the longing under his braggadocio, are articulated with skill and poignancy. Director Stephen Nicolazzo – who has long championed queer Australian work with his company Little Ones Theatre – adds considerable flair to the material, subtly shaping Ari’s passage through the underworld. He brings a lyricism to the piece, and moments of high romanticism that soften Tsiolkas and Giovannoni’s essentially brutalist vision. A scene where Johnny performs a drag act informed by his late mother’s love of Greek music is lush and gorgeous; it feels like a necessary bulwark against despair.

Nathan Burmeister’s set, with its judiciously employed revolve, cleverly and economically suggests the various subterranean pleasure houses Ari frequents, and Katie Sfetkidis’s lighting is suitably dingy and dank. Daniel Nixon’s sound design doesn’t slavishly recreate the songs that fill Ari’s life, opting for something more suggestive and atmospheric; his composition drives the narrative forward with swirling intensity.” Tim Byrne, The Guardian

“What holds everything together in this production is Danny Ball’s magnetic solo performance, which is a joy to watch in its physicality, charisma and control. As Ari, he climbs wild arpeggios of fury and yearning, then somersaults into sensual abandon when his favourite song comes on (every other song is his favourite). Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction is meticulous and tightly focused, so while Ari appears impatient, adrift and ablaze, not one moment on stage goes to waste. The sex scenes are as sticky as you can get without closing down the venue. The Ari of 1995 is in dialogue with the Ari of today and, through them, you glimpse infinite time lines and possibilities: what Greekness was then, what it is now, what it was becoming, how it is misremembered. There are whispers of the ancient past and deep future and all the forks in the road. Ari’s casual assertion that he’s a wog, not white, scorns millennia of Western empires claiming Greek epistemology as an intellectual forebear while systemically deorientalising it. This feels particularly salient for how homoeroticism in Greek antiquity is absorbed into the lineage of anglophone gay culture today. That troubled relationship to history and lineage is also a recurring trope in migrant narratives, as the point of origin recedes into a romantic homeland fading into the horizon, or becomes a risk and a burden, a chorus of voices clamouring for tribute. Or a third thing: a ship with new parts but the same name. It feels as though the play itself embodies a second-generation identity crisis in how it approaches adaptation: how can a transplant respect its roots while staying nimble in a new time and place? By the end of the play, Ari’s nihilism seems less reckless and more realist, even Zen. He might be forever running – running to escape history – but he makes the most of every minute on this earth and cares more than he dares to admit. “My epitaph will read he slept, he ate, he fucked…” he says. On the surface, it’s a brash, juvenile sentiment. Let it steep a second longer and it might become a statement of humility and vulnerability.” Jinghua Qian, The Saturday Paper

“Loaded is social commentary, a vernacular, Trainspotting for Melbourne. The mess and menace of being lost while simultaneously knowing your currency and cachet. Disappointing and disappointed. Ari's world feels bleak but our optimism is in knowing he’s smarter than his associates. Loaded on stage is intimate, seductive, and confronting and just like the heightened senses Ari speaks of – this exceptional production is going to stay with you.” Doug Knight, Australian Stage

“The best adaptations are like cover versions of songs. Think: Hendrix doing Dylan (‘All Along the Watchtower’) or Patti Smith doing Hendrix (‘Hey Joe’) or Tori Amos turning Nirvana’s grungy ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ into a bluesy acoustic ballad for voice and piano while Kurt was still alive. Or, perhaps best of all, The Cure doing Hendrix. The Cure turned late 1960s LSD into an early 1990s designer drug, reworking ‘Purple Haze’ as an angsty Cure song. The stronger the source material, the more resilient it is to robust reinterpretations.

The treatment of generational status by Tsiolkas, Kokkinos and now playwright Dan Giovannoni is what makes the story of an unemployed, in-the-closet, nineteen year-old, 2nd generation Greek Australian so universal. It still strikes a resonant chord with anyone who has grown up with conservative or religious parents, for example, no matter their age or ethnicity or sexuality. (And, indeed, it will strike a chord with anyone who has ever needed to rebel but lacked the resources.)

This new stage adaptation – by Giovannoni and Tsiolkas, directed by Stephen Nicolazzo – is a stunning stand-alone work in its own right. More than just a one-hander, it feels like a fair dinkum monodrama, even though Danny Ball narrates as Ari rather than swapping characters. It has a luscious sensuality and easy physical immediacy that neither the original prose nor Kokkinos’s movie can offer.

Turning a 24 hour drugfest (snorted, injected, swallowed, drunk, ...) and fuckfest (injected, swallowed and drunk, more or less, sorry...) into 90 minutes stage traffic is a tough ask. Especially, when Ari’s story is peopled with a cast of dozens. You can be forgiven for occasionally losing track of who is who. You do need to know up-front that Toula is Johnny’s drag persona, for example. And that thea (θεία) is ‘aunt’ in Greek. And you will need to pay attention. But that won’t be too much of a challenge.

Danny Ball grips our attention from ‘go’ to ‘whoa’. Effortlessly. Publicity and production photographs don’t come close to capturing his churning charisma, his machismo, his unruly beauty or his corporeal presence.

Likewise, no words can ever capture the lushness of a production helmed by Stephen Nicolazzo. (I intend to keep trying though!) Seriously, there’s a thesis to be written about the use of curtains – the poetics? the erotics? of fabrics – in his productions.

There’s a pivotal scene in Loaded in which Nicolazzo attempts to recreate the feeling of a chemical ‘high’ with music, lighting, the mystical sliding intrusion of a shimmering curtain and the slow counterclockwise revolve of the stage. And, of course, with Ball’s shirtless dancing. It’s reminiscent of the subtitled nightclub scene in David Lynch’s feature length prequel to Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me. (Still the most effective emulation of a drug/dance/trance I’ve seen.) It’s a brief break from the desperation and the desolation of Ari’s spiraling self-loathing. From this high, he can see the destination of his journey... an end point he is destined never to reach. “ Chris Boyd, Patreon

“Loaded is gritty, raw and raunchy. It is full on, pulling no punches. Danny Ball is a ball of pent-up energy who goes likes the clappers for 95 minutes, not missing a beat. In a superb portrayal, he conjures vivid mind pictures. He transports us to where Ari goes – the scene, the smell, the taste. It is a hell of a script that Ball channels with visceral distinction, giving it voice and nuance.” Alex First, The Blurb

“A heart-warming story told with visceral punch, exploring what it means to be Greek and queer in the streets of Melbourne without being boxed in.” Time Out

“Danny Ball, who gives an utterly commanding performance, imbued with rock star-like cockiness and charisma. Dressed in shorts or track pants and a tank top (and, occasionally, just his briefs), Ball struts and parries like a cage fighter, perpetually in motion, his mop of black curls like an inverted, hurriedly sketched crown. Inveigling one moment, hectoring the next, he captures the full dimensions of Ari’s rebelliousness and rage, his ability, sometimes within the space of moments, to both seduce and brutalise. From time to time a vulnerability emerges, a softness glimpsed only for a moment until that, too, is sharply withdrawn. You can’t take your eyes off him.” Ben Brooker, Australian Book Review

“Ari is in no way politically correct. The sexual scenes of random sex were delicious and liberating, his love for another man and having sex with him, beautiful and necessary to be shown on our stages, especially since migrant culture is still so backwards and homophobic. I thought of a Greek gay man yet to come out to his family watching this show, and how important and relevant works like these are to the queer migrant community today to show that although we had Loaded in the 90s, and then Head On, we Greeks are not as progressive as we think we are. There is still a problem. Ari tells us, we Greeks still can’t be ourselves. We have to lie to get by. As a Greek woman also watching this play, I found myself thinking that we need more Greek stories on our stages and in our books, to have a dialogue with Ari, who seems to be alone and somehow trapped. At one point I felt as if the set itself and Ari were underground in a cave, Ari spinning on his wheel like he is on display, but is anyone listening?” Koraly Dimitriadis, Stage Whispers

“Taking a classic work and resetting it in another time period can have its associated risks. Overcoming this, Tsiolkas and Giovannoni, with the deft hand of director Stephen Nicolazzo, Loaded is a superbly crafted work filled with gravitas and vulnerability that was equally compelling as it was engaging. Navigating Ari’s complex relationship with his sexuality and culture, Danny Ball’s performance is truly captivating. With a righteous display of physicality and abandon, Ball takes us on a journey filled with hedonism, hilarity and despair. Loaded is a terrific example of what can be achieved when all the creative elements of a work aligns – ensuring it not only remains a classic novel, but a worthy addition to the canon of Australian theatre.” Rohan Shearn, Australian Arts Review

Looking for Alibrandi (Malthouse Theatre and Belvoir)

★★★★★ "If we’re going to jump on the nostalgia train and return to old properties, we can only be so lucky to have an adaption as clever, funny, heartening and well-crafted as this one. This is a production that envelops its audience into a warm hug and occasionally that’s exactly what we need." Darby Turnbull, Theatre Matters

★★★★1/2 "This comical and beautifully honest look at cultural identity, class and trauma is brought to vivid life in director Stephen Nicolazzo and writer Vidya Rajan’s ridiculously enjoyable sunbeam of a production. The crowd leapt to their feet for a rapturous standing ovation the moment the lights faded on opening night because we couldn’t wait to show our gratitude for having been part of such a joyous and poignant experience. This production of Looking for Alibrandi achieves what most stage adaptations can only dream of; it remains true to the heart of the original while teasing out fresh elements and mining the depth and breadth of the human experience to bring the story to a whole new audience.Get ready to fall in love with the Alibrandis all over again." Reuben Liversidge, Arts Hub

★★★★ “Chanella Macri is perfectly cast as Josie, bringing to the performance passion and teenage angst that was startling relatable. The dynamic created by Jennifer Vuletic and Lucia Mastrantone as mother and daughter was both loving and heart wrenching. The pain of old wounds, trauma and the ability to forgive are masterfully depicted by these two incredible performers. Sitting in that theatre I was taken back to the very first time I heard the story of Josephine Alibrandi. It was high school, I was 17 and it was part of our school curriculum. Suddenly I was that awkward teenager again, and that is what makes great story telling. The ability to transport you to another place and time. To engulf you in a world that is not your own and yet feels so familiar. That is the magic of Looking for Alibrandi. A magic that continues to warm people’s hearts thirty years after Marchetta’s pen first touched the page” Naomi Gall, The AU Review

★★★★ "Rajan and Nicolazzo make a strong writer and director team, sporadically oscillating between the primary English and occasional Italian, in casual conversation. It adds a fabulous authenticity and an almost voyeuristic peak into the private familial workings of a trans-generational immigrant home. This paired with the genuine 90’s battle between “wogs” and “skips” struggling to commingle, brought to light the enduring reality of Australia’s racially turbulent history and, sadly, its present.

A heart-warming tale whose humour, honesty, radiant social relevance and narrative longevity can survive not only novel and film incarnations, but now, I’m delighted to report, a stage play too." Vincent Adriano, Theatre Now

“Achingly raw…painfully, beautifully rendered…Timeless” Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Guardian

“Dark and uncompromising. It will resonate with subsequent waves of migrants” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Buoyant and entertaining, spirited and good-humored.” Kate Herbert, The Age

“The writing is wonderfully humorous, and as a a work of entertainment, Looking for Alibrandi is certainly satisfying. Directed by Stephen Nicolazzo, the production is suffused with heart and soul, using a theme of tradition, to create a theatrical experience memorable for its atmosphere. The fragrance of Italian food stewing in an oversized pot for the entire duration, firmly establishes a sense that a subculture is occupying space, resolute in speaking on its own terms. In the role of Josie is Chanella Macri, who proves herself an accomplished comedian, flawless with her delivery of the many delightful jokes, that make Looking for Alibrandi a thoroughly amusing time. Paired with her ability to embody a consistent sense of truth, not only for her character but also for the deeper meanings inherent in the narrative, the compelling Macri impresses by telling the story with great integrity. Lucia Mastrantone plays Josie’s mother Christina and schoolmate Sera, with a marvellous flamboyance layered over an intimate affiliation, that the actor clearly feels for the material. Jennifer Vuletic is a strong presence as Nonna and as archetypal nun Sister Bernadette, effortless in conveying authority for both matriarchs. Supporting cast members John Marc Desengano, Ashley Lyons and Hannah Monson are all endearing, and convincing with their contributions, in a show remarkable with its taut proficiencies and irresistible charm.” Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See

"Chanella Macri is an excellent Josie, with her quality eye-rolling and ability to deliver cheeky wisecracks injecting a vibrancy to the heart of the show that made this reviewer cackle more than once. Macri is a Josie for all of us in 2022, a world that has undeniably changed since the ‘90s, when high schools (nay, the world) were divided along hard lines of “skips versus wogs”. She brings her own intersections of identity to the role. Being both a woman in a bigger body and a woman of colour with a complex cultural mix, Macri is a perfect representation of what ‘otherness’ means for us today. She brings the essence of Josie’s experience in the ‘90s straight into the heart of a Sydney in 2022, where being skinny and Italian no longer means the same thing it did when Marchetta was writing back in the late 1990s.

Looking for Alibrandi is a story for anyone who has felt othered –whether that be in a racist Sydney private school or not – with Nicolazzo’s updated rendition a warm show sprinkled with the bright and universally recognised moments of teen love, family tenderness and intergenerational trauma. At its essence, the heart of Alibrandi remains strong, with Josie continuing to work her power as the patron saint of Sydney misfits, her fire continuing to burn a rich tomato red, a whole 30 years on. It’s just good to have her back." Maya Skidmore, Time Out

“Stephen Nicolazzo’s production of Looking for Alibrandi is full of warmth and heart, capturing the boldness of the original novel and film. The set design by Kate Davis immediately threw us into the old Italian world of Josie’s (Chanella Macri) Nonna (Jennifer Vuletic). There was something surreal, almost dreamlike about it with its garish carpet, high piles of vegetable crates, and other niche kitchen appliances including a barrel-sized simmering pot that appeared to exist specifically for the production of tomato sauce. It was an excellent backdrop for the play to unfold as, no matter how far we got thrust into the story, we were never far from Nonna’s Italy, Josie’s heritage, and the Alibrandi curse. The three Alibrandi women were a highly formidable force on stage. Vuletic’s Nonna was a special balance of neurotic, comic, and loveable: we laughed at her antics, cringed at her cruelty, and cried as she relived her own heartbreak.

Lucia Mastrantone embodied the struggles and strengths of a young but headstrong single mother, caught between two worlds that pulled her in different directions. She played the role with a delicacy that never undermined her vigour. Then of course there was Josie, played by Marci, a wonderfully comic and warm portrayal of a teenager grappling with her place in the world, while keeping the bastards at bay and staying afloat through the unpredictable waves of change.As we were swept up with Josie’s own coming of age coming to an end, perhaps we found ourselves celebrating or reflecting on our own coming of age stories – the people who made us and the awkward, painful experiences we lived to get to where we are. For all the fanfare around the original Australian classic, Nicolazzo and the entire creative team have done a beautiful job of bringing this special Looking for Alibrandi to life. They remind us both why the story was so special upon its original release and the potential it has for continuing to inspire and engage us today." Gabriella Florek, Night Writes

"Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction is assured and intricately designed to aid the flow of the piece. And the piece does flow well! Nicolazzo has wisely overlooked the usual tricks of the stage - black outs and set changes - to instead offer a clean and creative production that trusts the audience to go along for the journey. Nicolazzo has treated the fluidity of the piece and the movement of characters between scenes more like choreography than blocking and the show is richer for it. A fun addition is the inclusion of ‘spying Italians’ to take you through the scenes - have to say, loved this choice.

The set, designed by Kate Davis, is beautiful and unexpected. With crates of tomatoes stacked around the stage, the nod to the Italian heritage is present but not overstated - and considering how embedded it is in the script, I think this simple representation is a much classier and more effective approach. Floral carpet adorns the stage in a nod to the style of the time and props are kept simple - only what is needed to bring us back to the 90s and away from a coming of age story that needs mobiles and tech…ahhh, how refreshing.

A true stand out of the production is John Marc Desengano as Jacobe Coote who is spritely, strong and confident in his performance. Desengano expertly navigates the complicated Coote who seems tough and very ‘teenage boy’ in his focuses but proves quickly to be concerned, aware and fragile in his own circumstances. I very much look forward to seeing more from Desengano - he is one to watch!

Of course, it is Chanella Macri who, as the lead character, commands your attention. Dry, witty and strong, Macri delivers a great version of Josie that I feel differs from my memories of the movie but importantly so. Macri gives Josie a bit of a 2022 female air to her - she is more in command of her situation and circumstance and, despite being awkward and feeling like an outsider, sits more confidently in her ability to make something of herself." Carly Fisher, Theatre Travels

“As Josie, Samoan-Italian, Chanella Macri was captivating. Macri artfully played the teenager torn between the strict traditions of her family and her desire to be “emancipated” beyond her rigid future. tealing the show in her dual roles, Lucia Mastrantone was a personal favourite. I found her plight as a Mum burdened with the prospect of a family “curse”, as well as her desire to just be a 35-year-old woman extremely engaging and heartfelt. In contrast to this, her over-gesticulating inner-west Sera was a hoot. Her ability to come across as a ditzy, lustful teenager was so well portrayed I had to do a double check to realise it was Mastrantone in the role. Playing the matriarchal Nonna, Jennifer Vuletic was every bit an Italian Grandmother as I know them. Overbearing, over talkative, and firing off Italian like bullets she held dominion over daughter and granddaughter to never break away from tradition. It was Vuletic’s inner turmoil and ultimate story reveal that saw Vuletic really play to her strengths. I felt so deeply for Nonna Alibrandi that it granted perspective, which is a gift in theatre. There is whole lot to love about this latest telling of a much-loved classic. This is a production that leaves you in fits of laughter (be it from the “ASIO Nonnas” or the killer one liners) whilst also gifting you with perspective and serves up an ever-relevant message of intergenerational trauma. I left this production longing to have learned Italian from my Grandad and a new film and book added to my Wishlist.” Justin Clarke, Theatre Thoughts

“Looking for Alibrandi masterfully creates a vision of the 90s that doesn’t discredit the play’s role in the present day. It follows Josie Alibrandi through the struggles of school, dating and family secrets. Stephen Nicolazzo’s potrayal never feels as if it’s simply rehashing the former portrayals of Josie, it’s thoughtfully adapted by the whole cast.While the humour of Vidya Rajan’s playwriting shun through the piece, the biggest compliment this adaptation makes to Marchetta’s original work is its development of the intergenerational relationship between Josie (Chanella Macri), Christina Alibrandi (Lucia Mastrantone), and her nonna Katia (Jennifer Vuletic). The connection that’s gradually developed by all three characters is beautifully executed. The set design and lighting features were subtle, enhancing the ultimate feeling of catharsis. It made me reflect on my identity, and celebrate shared moments with my family. I dare say it will have a similar affect on you too.” Maria Dunne, Beat Magazine

“Macri provides an absolutely stellar performance as Josie and she strikes a great balance between strength and vulnerability. She is portrayed as very conflicted yet also very determined and this is beautifully written over every facial expression, intonation, and gesture she makes. This is a production that captures the very Australian nature of this story and uses some very simple yet effective strategies to make it an incredibly accessible and truly meaningful theatrical experience." Patricia Di Risio, Stage Whispers

“A haunting metaphor for inter-generational trauma, superstition, joy and the migrant experience. An absolute must see…edge of your seat theatre. Watching this play was like holding a telescope and looking back with the hindsight and wisdom of what we know about the migrant experience today, wisdom we did not know back then, pain that we have had to carry over the last thirty years and still carry as children of migrants" Koraly Dimitriades, The Plus Ones

“Its a joy to watch Macri, Mastrantone and Vuletic in full flight…Macri is brilliant. Sure to convert more fans!” Stephen A Russel, Time Out

“A loving re-telling of a loved story that asks why Australian culture continues to drift into a culture of sameness” Anne-Marie Peard, Australian Arts Review

"The star of the show is absolutely, and rightly, Chanella Macri. A real tour de force. Some of the dialogue in Looking for Alibrandi is Italian and the show is not subtitled. Everyone in the audience understood the emotions of what was going on, but there were plenty of Italians in the theatre the night I saw the show that understood everything – the language and the experiences – better than I ever could. Hearing that laughter of recognition was a real pleasure." Keith Gow, Theatre First

“Looking for Alibrandi is a refreshing, funny, painful and invigorating revisiting of the migratory encounter with a dominant culture. A warm-hearted and rich representation of the Italian experience in Australia, it speaks to the conflict between valued family traditions, the desire to find acceptance and the need for self-fulfilment.” Catherine Skipper, South Sydney Herald

“Breathes new life into the Australian classic. The themes of identity, secrecy and unrequited love swirl constantly about the play, strengthened by the fact they concern each of the three Alibrandi women. The friend I went with – who grew up the daughter of Italian immigrants in South Australia – found so much to identify with, she was often reaching for the tissues. Looking for Alibrandi is a definite crowd-pleaser.” Gill Canning, Mindfood

"The power of this production comes from the central concerns of the Alibrandi women – spirited, vibrant, beautiful performances from Macri, Mastrantone and Vuletic..a warm and uplifting Australian story celebrating the richness and difficulties of different cultural identities" Rebecca Whitton, Australian Stage

End Of. (Darebin Arts Speakeasy, Griffin Theatre Company)

★★★★★ “There is no ‘end of’ laughs. Discerning. Masterful. Brilliant brand of high brow humour.” Lyn Zelen, Theatre People.

★★★★1/2 “A gem of a performance. Fierce, funny and poignant. It doesnt disappoint” Michael Balfour, Arts Hub

★★★★ “Unmissable…delivered with such honesty and raw anguish it took my breath away” Joyce Morgan, The Sydney Morning Herald

★★★★ “Magnetic and utterly persuasive, Flanders proves himself an actor of audacious talent and skill. The sheer pleasure of being in the presence of a performer at the top of their game, doing what they do best, is one of the gifts of theatre that can never be replaced. This bliss cannot be digitised.” Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See.

★★★★ “Ash is flying solo and has the audience literally laughing and simultaneously crying. His skill is such that he can turn on a dime and uses a kind of chiaroscuro of language to foreground the comic in the tragic, and vice versa. He is the master of bathos and mixes it up a little with some nice magical realism towards the end of his hilarious and heartbreaking dramatic monologue. It’s David Sedaris meets Isabel Allende, in a good way. Flanders mines some deep – and shallow – memories to transport the audience through a never-ending-story, like a kind of floating bubble in time. Trust me, it’s so funny and clever and heart-rending – the audience were twisting in knots over whether to laugh, cry or vomit; mostly it was all three.” Juliana Payne, Theatre Thoughts

★★★★ "“Fleet in wit, cattily ironic in his observations, he’s a self-aware diva of the absurd, with a manic whim to plunge with theatrical flourish into gallows humour. You will find yourself cackling more than once.” Kate Prendergast, Limelight Magazine

“Shockingly honest. Its careful and elegant, emphatic and rich. Vigorous and electrified” Chris Boyd, The Australian.

"It's funny, very funny. Impeccable comic timing. Annoyingly magnetic. The writing is sharp in a way that makes the later warmth all the more cutting. End Of sneaks up on you, like your parents ageing, to punch you in the guts" Jinghua Qian, Witness Performance.

“Flanders’ usual mix of caustic camp and neurotic melancholy is underlaid here by a darker sensibility. It is a credit to both the strength of Flanders’ writing and the canny direction of Stephen Nicolazzo that the whole flows together in emotional seamlessness. A wonderful new work from an established comic performer that solidifies his continuing artistry, as well as expands his range into gorgeously new and beautiful territory” Bradley Storer, Theatre Press

Still Here (Token, Arts Centre Melbourne, Canberra Theatre Centre, Enmore Theatre)

★★★★★ ”Prime theatrical stand up from two living legends” The Age

★★★★★ “Liturgical dancing, chairacise in luridly-coloured, home-crocheted active wear, excessive drinking and excessive body hair, Norman Swan as the object of sexual desire: Still Here has it all. Seamless…Unstoppable…As they and their devoted fans grow older, it isn’t just the comedy they provide but a certain relief that comes from being able to laugh at the indignities that come with ageing, especially for women, and at the COVID-induced struggle for mental and emotional equilibrium that almost everyone will recognise, especially for lockdown-depleted Melbournians. Jude and Scotty are providing a service, really.” Katherine Tamiko Arguile, In Daily

★★★★ “Wickedly dry and undeniably clever” The Advertiser

★★★★ “Part confessional, part exorcism, it’s all about the unruly descent into the madness of the mundane. As droll as ever!” Stephen A Russell, Time Out

★★★★ “Their material has been designed to appeal to battle-weary Melburnians who’ve weathered the longest lockdown in the world and the duo do an excellent job reminding us all how terribly tedious it was to sit at home, fenced in by curfew times for fear of contagion…their rambunctious antics on stage allowed us to laugh now at what was sheer torture then…relatable humour, guaranteed gleeful audience reactions as well as laugh-groans in memory of such not-too-long-ago times.” Thuy On, Arts Hub

“The pair are raucous and entertain with dance numbers and costume changes and witty one-liners all topped off with a Stephen Sondheim song. Director Stephen Nicolazzo keeps everything on track, turning Jude and Scotty’s anarchic stage presence into a tight 60 minutes of fun.” Keith Gow

“A fully fleshed out and well-rounded show, you’re certainly getting an Arts Centre level production when you get your hands on tickets to this – a slick and fun production from two of Australia’s favourites….an endlessly enjoyable production that just has you happily grinning the full way through. True legends of Aussie comedy, Judith Lucy and Denise Scott are certainly worth seeing while they’re 'Still Here'.” Alicia Norton, Scenstr

“At times hilarious and at other times poignant, the show is approached from the perspective of the idiom; “if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.” This credo is especially evident in one of the highlights of the show when Lucy conducts a post-lockdown meltdown. Here Lucy gathers all the frustration of pandemic trauma combined with various relentless local and international disasters currently besieging communities across the nation and the globe. Lucy is able to make light of the impending sense of doom in her agonised cries. A sheer joy to watch as she provides an opportunity to share a collective sense of exhaustion and exasperation. The show is, nonetheless, designed to lift your spirits and the glamour of the opening and closing sequences is a great way to celebrate the fact that, despite all the doom and gloom, they persist as artists and are, thankfully, still here.” Patricia Di Risio, Stage Whispers

Ash Flanders is Nothing (Brunswick Ballroom, Tinderbox Productions)

★★★★1/2 “Director, Stephen Nicolazzo has guided Flanders through the shifts of tone and depictions of these profoundly painful experiences with thoughtfulness and care. This performance allows us to bear witness to the development of an artists voice and personality in the wake of trauma.” Darby Turnbull, Theatre People

“Beautifully written, thoughtful and brave, and in places, quite moving. Mining the depths of family, friendships and relationships, Flanders’ self-deprecating honesty is authentic and genuinely raw. Directed by long-term collaborator, Stephen Nicolazzo carefully balances scenes of tragedy with comedy. Endlessly entertaining, each story confidently told told with passion and restraint.” Rohan Shearn, Australian Arts Review

Considerable Sexual License (YIRRAMBOI Festival, Darebin Arts Speakeasy, Joel Bray Dance)

★★★★ "There is so much to enjoy in this radical act of queer remembering. The transitions are masterful, the immersive design is effective and all the performers demonstrate a keen theatrical intelligence." Andrew Fuhrmann, The Age

★★★★ “Part-disco, part-confessional, all-awesome.The pleasure and the pain on show combine into a final, thrusting, animal-like dance of thrashing bodies pounding as Bray, Sheppard, Senapati and Ewel daub one another in neon paint then lose themselves in a mesmeric trance. As we watch on, thousands of years fold in on now, tradition is our contemporary guide. Once again, Bray confronts and confounds, leaving us energised, eroticised and contemplative all in one. It's a heady brew." Time Out

★★★★ “As we stand, dance and wander around the circle of Bray’s Garabari, we exist in a similar state – beside these euphoric, and traumatic histories of sensuality that will make you dance, think and flirt in one breath.” Theatre People

Loaded- the audio experience (Malthouse Theatre)

★★★★ "Packs a visceral punch... a superb performance by Roy Joseph. Joseph, under supple direction from Nicolazzo, navigates the single day of Ari’s crisis of love and belonging with expert dynamism and control...It recalls the raging self-abjuration of Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground or Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell, where young men rail against their own fracturing selves. As a reminder of the pulsing heartbeat of Melbourne, its dingy and dangerous crevices, it’s exhilarating." Tim Byrne, The Guardian

★★★★ "Astounding...A queer odyssey across all corners of the city, it’s all the more vital for our current 25km demarcated boundaries. Joseph commands our attentions...This is as hot as radio gets" Stephen A Russell, Time Out.

★★★★ "A triumph of imagination…explosive…the writing works brilliantly” Cameron Woodhead, The Age

Daddy (Arts House, Yirramboi Festival)

★★★★1/2 “Daddy echoes with the grandeur of the history of the world- black, white, and candy floss pink...It is visually stunning (not a surprise as it is directed by Nicolazzo) and dynamic, multilayered, hopefully this is a show that will come back again and again” What Did She Think?

★★★★1/2 “A brilliant and devastating show…superbly crafted…one-of-a-kind and incredible. It demands to be seen” Cameron Colwell, The Music

★★★★ “Does performance art get more powerful and intimate than Joel Bray's Daddy? A soul-baring erotic odyssey matched by a deeply personal, and intensely political, exploration of gay and Aboriginal identities.” Cameron Woodhead, The Age

★★★★ “Bray’s identity is deeply shaped by the fates of Aboriginal Australia...He embodies the double loss that is so exemplary of our First Nations, yet so poorly understood” Jana Perkovic, The Age

“By guiding us through the horror of colonial history and the determination of contemporary Blak life, a new and vital understanding of our country was revealed” Timmah Ball, Blak Critics

“Daddy demonstrated that we are indeed living in a blak queer cultural renaissance” ABC News

“And yet – for all its painfulness, this isn’t a sad show. There’s a profound resilience expressed in Daddy: it’s in the humour, the honesty, the trust that Bray extends to us as he shares his life. This art is a lot more generous than Rimbaud’s. Perhaps Bray has deeper psychic resources, despite everything that has been taken away from him. In the centre of the awkward, beautiful ritual of Bray’s dance, something alive is stubbornly beating. Something like hope.” Alison Croggon, Witness Performance

“Whether his movements are slow and graceful or erratic and extremely physical, they retain a sense of urgency and desperation to them, as if Bray is trapped inside a routine that is doomed to repeat itself. James Lew's set design simultaneously represents childhood ecstasy and an imposing sexual energy. Eroticism permeates throughout Daddy that is superbly supported by Katie Sfetkidis’ lighting, which is some of her best work. From her playful pink hues to exposing Bray’s later outrage, her sublime design is meticulous in execution. The disconnect from his culture leads Bray to using sex as a way of connection and what sex means to him, which includes an all-in dance lesson on how to pull the right moves at the club to grab the attention of the man you want to take home for the night. Naretha Williams’ composition and sound design captures the gradual desperation and yearning Bray feels. [Daddy] is joyful, loving and hopeful.” Myron My, My Melbourne Arts

“Sitting in a space combining dance, theatre and storytelling, Daddy is absolutely delightful – a candy coated concoction disguising bitter truths, and whipped cream concealing the deep wounds of colonialism. An absolute must-see for this year’s Midsumma festival!” Bradley Storer, Theatre Press

Suddenly Last Summer (Red Stitch)

★★★★ "A stunning, thorny jewel in the queer canon...Some of us have been waiting a while for visionary director and founder of Little Ones Theatre Stephen Nicolazzo to tackle a playwright worthy of his unique talents, and there seemed none more apt than Tennessee Williams, the master of an emotional lyricism that can push so easily into fevered psychological nightmare. This director has been eyeing the queer canon from the beginning, stalking its edges in a way, and he’s now determined to leave his imprint on its internal organs. Kate Cole is magnificent; impossibly vulnerable...When the story finally comes, she has the audience transfixed, and it’s impossible to look away." Tim Bryne, Time Out

“The most sensuous of our theatre makers, Nicolazzo and his design team overwhelm our senses. They sedate us with mysterious beauty. Yet again, Eugyeene Teh has made a familiar stage into something alien. Kate Cole is more than up to the challenge...the lights adore her. The music adores her. Her glittering little black dress adores her. She is hypnotic. Her acting is telepathic. She and her truth are our salvation.” Chris Boyd, The Australian

"Nicolazzo has a feeling for stories where the lure of the darkness is also a way out of the closet. It's a Southern Gothic that twists [Tennessee Williams'] lifelong obsession with his mother, with his sister’s mental illness, with the savage and untameable shadowland of his own sexuality, into the sharp silhouette of psychological horror. Jennifer Vuletic provides a spidery, brittle and increasingly malignant incarnation of the vampiric Violet, while Kate Cole navigates bafflement and clarity to arrive at a quiet shore of heroism as a sane woman traumatised by a story everyone thinks is too horrible to be true. Both of them are charismatic, achieve a flawless drawl and deliver the playwright’s lyricism with an intuitive rhythm and a complex and perverse emotional palette. They will impress anyone who cares about acting." Cameron Woodhead, The Age

"Suddenly Last Summer is dark, unsettling and delightful; sharp, intrusive and hilarious." Keith Gow, Witness Performance

"Stephen Nicolazzo and designer Eugyeene Teh are the ideal choice to give this Southern Gothic piece a heightened, stylised reality. There’s an ironic, riskily comic mode at first, but when the luminous Kate Cole takes over the story and the stage, the darkness and horror of this fable close in and dominate to the shattering conclusion. We hang on every word delivered by this great cast in which Ms Vuletic, with her ruthless but sentimental cruelty, and Ms Cole, fighting to cling to what she witnessed with pity and terror, sweep all before them." Michael Brindley, Stage Whispers

“A subtle and intensely entrancing production. [Jennifer] Vuletic is a standout. Suddenly Last Summer is an ode to marvellous storytelling; enriched with symbolism and elegance, Williams’ writing comes alive” Leeor Adar, Theatre Press

“Haunting, horrific and richly poetic...a breathtaking production” Aridhi Anderson, Weekend Notes

"The language and performances are mesmerising. I was just so 'in the moment', hanging on their every word as tension built. And the staging...Set and costume designer Eugyeene Teh has knocked it out of the park. Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction is detailed and exacting. The result is a fine night of theatre – a sordid mystery that draws you in" Alex First, The Blurb

The Nightingale and The Rose (Theatre Works)

★★★★ "Director Stephen Nicolazzo has constructed an exquisite ode to Romanticism in this adaptation, as detailed and precise as anything he’s put on stage before. These adaptations by Little Ones of Wilde’s stories for children are minor gems, perfect distillations of form and content. Their queerness is inherent...The true essence of their queerness doesn’t really lie in gender or even sexuality; it’s in an idea of otherness as something incredibly fragile and worthy of protection or elevation. They intrinsically point to the author’s nature, and Nicolazzo is the ideal theatre maker to bring them, quivering and beautiful, back into the light." Tim Byrne, Time Out

★★★★ “The ingredients that make up this production are a recipe for brilliance. I was captivated. Keeps your mind ticking over. A must.” Liddy Clark, Stage Noise

“The alto-voiced Brigid Gallacher is deliciously androgynous. Jennifer Vuletic plays the nightingale with claw hands and coloratura. Her performance is a feast. Original and true to the writer that inspired it” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Distilling Wilde’s dark parable into a seamless 45 minutes, The Nightingale and The Rose rides high on Eugyeene Teh’s stylish design, and on magnetic, savagely beautiful performance that flows into moments of amusing camp. No doubt Oscar would have approved.” Cameron Woodhead, The Age

“Vuletic floats around the stage as though walking on air...piercing the soul with an a cappella rendition of Puccini’s Vissi d’arte. Gallacher brings an affectingly androgynous charm. Wang displays a dancer’s sensual poise and grace. Little Ones Theatre capture the bittersweet and painfully beautiful nature of Oscar Wilde’s tale with great artistry and passion for the text...so as the company plans ahead for an adaptation of a third story in the future, we can only hope for more!” Bradley Storer, Theatre Press

"This production is sexy, witty and haunting and will have you pondering what price you would pay for true love." Faith Sinnott, Be Melbourne

"An absolutely perfect work" Carla Donnelly and Philip Thiel, Across the Aisle

Abigail's Party (Melbourne Theatre Company)

★★★★ "Set in a garish, ‘70s, orange shag pile conversation pit (Anna Cordingley), Stephen Nicolazzo’s production of this audacious tragicomedy highlights the grotesquerie of Leigh’s characters as they embarrass themselves, and humiliate, bully or seduce each other. Hilarious, uncomfortable and depressingly familiar in its depiction of ugly suburbia that seems to have changed little in four decades.” Kate Herbert, Herald Sun

★★★★ "This production does Mike Leigh’s play justice with a pitch perfect cast..Abigail’s Party is a compelling snapshot of personal and social anxiety in 1970s England, but its characters are so distinctive, so identifiable (I suspect there’s a little Beverly, Laurence, Angela, Tony or Sue in us all) that it will surely never date. This MTC production avoids falling into the trap of relying on the era’s ghastly particularities too heavily, instead showcasing these characters’ problematic relationships and inner crises.” Patricia Maunder, Limelight Magazine

“On the strength of Stephen Nicolazzo’s directing credits since 2012 — for MKA, Red Stitch, La Mama, Theatre Works, Malthouse Theatre and his own company Little Ones — I’d front up to a nativity play on Mars were he inclined to direct one. This is a fantasy vision — a delusional memory — of the swinging 70s colliding with nasty reality. Life is drab. The women count themselves lucky if their husbands aren’t “really violent”. Praise for Nicolazzo typically focuses on his versatility, imagination and ability to light up our minds but he’s also an exceptional motivator of actors. This might sound barmy but Eugyeene Teh’s designs are an integral part of the dramatic equation. The ­actors “live up” to their costumes. Or, in Zoe Boesen’s case, to her hairdo. (It’s a crimped mop worthy of Toyah Willcox at the height of her fame.) Edwards’ performance is as glorious as her sparkly blue jumpsuit. Benjamin Rigby is a manspreader in a perfect white suit and tight blouson. It’s an exceptional ensemble.” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Nicolazzo’s gift with actors is evident, and the cast is uniformly excellent. Edwards is a knockout, slinking and salivating about the space, chucking cheese squares around and splashing gin everywhere. She’s a monstrous capitalist at heart, clutching greedily at whatever is in her reach. Frederiksen plays against type as the hopelessly compromised Laurence, and makes much of the only character with any real arc; his desperate need to acquire some sort of cultural capital, and his sneering distaste for his working-class neighbours, is sad rather than malicious. Boesen is superb as the seemingly ditzy Angela, and Rigby cleverly hints at a real nasty streak under Tony’s cock-eyed swagger. Tonkin mines the fish-out-of-water awkwardness of Susan to brilliant effect, managing to suggest a deep existential dread under her stitched-up formality.” Tim Byrne, Time Out

“Incredible design, stunning cast, excellent production. This is the kind of experiment I hope MTC tries more often; take a classic work and let an indie theatremaker turn it on its head. There’s nothing I dread more than seeing a dinner party drama at the Melbourne Theatre Company, so it’s much more thrilling to see this bleak classic turned upside-down and pushed outside its and the audience’s comfort zone.” Keith Gow

Merciless Gods (Speak Easy/Little Ones Theatre- Melbourne, Griffin Theatre Company- Sydney, Arts Centre Melbourne)

★★★★★ “This is powerful, confronting and sublime theatre, a howl of anguish from those lost to the cracks and demanding to be heard” Kate Rose, Herald Sun.

★★★★½ "Breathtaking and shattering... These gutting scenarios, one after the other, are offered as a succession of exquisite exhibits in a museum of rarefied pain; unspeakable ordeals forged into golden monuments. Even as we are forced to confront such wretched traumas, the sonorous, otherworldly language, orated with all the gravity of a Greek tragedy, reveals a touching emotional truth, connecting these alien experiences to a relatable humanity. It is heartbreaking without being garishly sentimental - this storytelling refuses to compromise its intensity with any cathartic redemption. Director Stephen Nicolazzo continues to cement his reputation as one of Melbourne's - and dare I say, Australia's - most dynamic and creatively assured theatre makers...every gesture of this production finds a hard-won, supremely accomplished equilibrium between the beautiful and the barbaric; the darkest shadows revealed by cleansing glimpses of diaphanous light. " Maxim Boon, The Music.

★★★★½ "A striking and fearless affair... Sharp staging, evocative direction, a powerhouse script, and a troupe of performers all at the top of their game...this is provocative contemporary theatre at its best" The Lowdown Under

★★★★ "Queer theatre outfit Little Ones is a leading light on Melbourne's indie scene. Under director Stephen Nicolazzo, the company has developed a heightened, gender-bending, physically precise performance style. "Camp" might be too limiting a word to describe it. These artists thrive on the playful artifice and subversive humour associated with that aesthetic mode, but also expand its ambit through meticulous rigour and, more recently, the fullest kind of emotional palette.. In adapting Christos Tsiolkas' short story collection Merciless Gods, they break new theatrical ground. The show covers the gross and scope of Tsiolkas' fearless imagination and feels almost like a retrospective. Dan Giovannoni's script is talented and Nicolazzo directs charged performances with an earthier hue than usual. Neither flinch from the disgust and discomfort, nor the piercing of delusion, Tsiolkas demands. Though not for the squeamish or easily offended, Merciless Gods is compelling, confronting theatre." Cameron Woodhead, The Age.

★★★★ “This is an outsider play made by outsiders, and it’s this lived-experience advantage that gives the work its complex and rewarding layers: brutal, tender, and unsentimentally queer. It’s a harsh theatrical landscape, but a lyrical one: the language is dazzling – insidious and vicious and suddenly gentle but never sweet. It sets aside the dominant voice of Australia – its conservative government, its patriarchal and racist positioning of the white male above all others – and instead places front and centre the silenced mothers, the rebellious women, the immigrants, the queers. It demands your attention” Cassie Tongue, The Guardian.

★★★★ “Nicolazzo and Giovannoni tell these stories with great taste and restraint, and the potential discomfort is usually displaced by surprising feelings of empathy and compassion for the enormous suffering of those on stage.” Ben Neutze, Daily Review.

★★★★ “For the characters of Merciless Gods, the traumas of our shared history have left a stale stain in the soil that emerges into the personal and domestic with rage and force. There is no weak link in this cast. Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction cuts the right frame. The atmosphere becomes thick in the tiny Griffin Theatre, helping to fill the space with scents of Tsiolkas’ writing – smoke, sex and shit.” Sophie Gillfeather-Spetere, Arts Hub (Sydney)

★★★★ “The stories are darkly fascinating, repellant but irresistible. And the atmosphere is nothing to sniff at, either. In the snug confines of Griffin’s Stables Theatre, the lyrical dialogue takes on a sinister intimacy. Characters writhe on the narrow strip of stage, performing tortured choreography in the often-smoky air. Merciless Gods is an experience that will leave you shattered, but reflective.” Sam Baran, The Music (Sydney)

“Merciless Gods is confronting stuff. But those who fall under its dark spell will leave feeling elevated.” Jason Blake, Sydney Morning Herald

"As tough and rough as the characters are, director Stephen Nicolazzo has created polished theatrical jewels from their lives. Out there against the blood red backdrop, he and the Little Ones team have brought Tsiolkas’ words to queer, passionate, troubling, affecting life. Merciless Gods is remarkable." Keith Gow

"Giovannoni's script lets us into the hearts and heads of Tsiolkas' characters. Its easy to connect with lovely people; its confronting to connect with- and easily laugh with- people who you'd never look at in the street or are happy to pretend don't exist", Anne-Marie Peard, Sometimes Melbourne

"Merciless Gods is a harrowing, provocative, moving, funny, breathtaking night in the theatre. Little Ones Theatre is a company that resonates with excellence. Brilliant." Liddy Clarke, Stage Noise.

"A compellingly acted, emotionally vivid and atmospheric work, the eight tales delighted to rapturous applause" Sarah W, The Plus Ones.

"Porn shoots, prisons, migrant camps and festering teenage boys’ rooms – the raw, incendiary scenes of acclaimed Melbourne novelist Christos Tsiolkas spring to life like a contemporary, sex-drenched Greek tragedy in the hands of Little Ones Theatre. The gender bending, queer Melbourne company has done great justice to the first adaptation of Tsiolkas’ 2014 collection of short stories, evoking beauty out of darkness and tenderness out of brutality. This play is a must see and deserves to be taken to the rest of Australia." Annika Priest, Australian Stage (2017)

"Little Ones Theatre manages to make me laugh at the grotesque and alluring once again in Merciless Gods. Whether it’s the description of a hardened criminal unpicking thorns from the tongue of a paedophile or the pungent growth spurt of a teenage boy, beautiful and ugly words cohabit so eloquently at the end of Dan Giovannoni’s pen, the result of which is imagined onto the stage with feverish intensity by director Stephen Nicolazzo." Leeor Adar, Theatre Press

"This is not an easy night of theatre; it is confronting, even threatening, in its dark truthfulness." Michael Brindley, Stage Whispers

"Visceral theatre, utterly alive" Richard Watts, Triple RRR  

“Graphic Intense Funny Tragic Relentless and very very good” Doug Knight, Australian Stage (2019)

“What remains most striking in the memory is director Stephen Nicolazzo’s powerful use of imagery as he channels the divine forces that give the play their name and inspiration. This unapologetically queer production, centred on the outsiders and outcasts of society even at their most reprehensible, is so luscious and commandingly seductive in its urgency and power that it’s impossible to resist.” Bradley Storer, Theatre Press (2019)

The Moors (Red Stitch)

★★★★½ "An erotically powerful, kink-queer parable...this brilliant theatre maker (Nicolazzo) achieves something that only the most assured of practitioners can pull off: he has created a show that is both perfectly tailored to its text and yet distinctly representative of his own unique aesthetic. Allowing a surprisingly cohesive sheen of lustrous glamour to frame this gothic world,  Nicolazzo displays incredible confidence in weaving together different influences, visually, intellectually and theatrically. His touch can be found on every level of this production, from the grandest gestures (and even in the diminutive space of Red Stitch he still manages moments of grandeur) to the most microscopic nuance. It's surely only a matter of time before one of Australia's major presenters offers him a platform (and a budget) where the full extent of his talents can be let loose."- Maxim Boon, The Music

★★★★ “The Moors is a scintillating engagement…Stephen Nicolazzo is the perfect director to bring all this to life. No one takes frivolousness more seriously, and the sustained camp the production achieves –incandescent, almost beyond caricature in its intensity – allows you to abandon yourself to its ridiculousness through formal devotion to style. There's no weak link in the performances, razor-sharp in their commitment. Bizarre and raunchy, subversive and disturbing, and deliciously funny all at once.”  – Cameron Woodhead, The Age

★★★★ "Nicolazzo is one of this country’s most exciting and compelling directors, recalling a young Barrie Kosky. His aesthetic is becoming distilled and mature, but he has lost none of the cheekiness and energy that made his Dangerous Liaisons so much fun. He’s determinedly contemporary – the pop culture references and in-jokes fly around the stage – but he also harks back to the knowing provocations of Joe Orton and Oscar Wilde before him. He knows how to take a gesture to the edge of its usefulness, tipping it slightly into caricature before pulling back to something surprising and true. There’s every indication he’ll conquer MTC and Opera Australia in time. Catch his work now in an intimate setting with affordable ticket prices; he may soon be out of our league."- Tim Byrne, Time Out

“Acting throughout is exquisite…Nicolazzo has crafted a visual, sensual and theatrical masterpiece.” – Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Quirky and entertaining.”  – Kate Herbert, Herald Sun

“Brooding quirk and menace…unique, witty performances that engaged and entertained… beautifully crafted, funny and clever show”  – David Collins, Arts Review

“Sinister, dark, and humorous…every cast member was strong, convincing and compelling…[a] gothic surrealist gem of a play ” – Tania Herbert, Theatre Press

The Happy Prince (La Mama/Midsumma Festival/Little Ones Theatre)

★★★★½ “A ‘flawless little jewel of theatre’. Little Ones Theatre has both roles played by women. And its version hovers, with exquisite delicacy, between the soul of the fairytale and the body and breath of a lesbian love story. As with the conception and Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction, the performances are wonderfully poised and labile. They give a full measure of dignity to the story, yet draw out undertones of playfulness and sensuality, with a hint of the macabre.” Cameron Woodhead, The Age.

★★★★1/2 “This is Wilde, respected and adored” Judith Greenaway, Reviews By Judith

★★★★ "Tremendous, unpretentious work. It’s a love that should never work – it’s a statue and a swallow, a queer connection in a world that upholds old traditions and suffers those who don’t conform – but it’s a love that transcends possibility. This is high romance with a sharp, knowing edge. And when the statue sheds her golden dress, you might cry from the loveliness, and sadness, of a love that gives everything to the world but still can’t survive within it. Watson and Davies are enchanting and enchanted by each other: Davies is witty and biting and bold; Watson is grave and soulful and strong. When they first regard each other – just for a moment – the world stops spinning. This isn’t a happy story, but it’s a gorgeous one, one that has some hope for us." Cassie Tongue, Time Out.

★★★★ "The Happy Prince is an achingly lovely hour of theatre." Jason Blake, Audrey Journal

★★★★ "The shadows, shapes and illusions of the Stables stage is the perfect space for this wistful and occasionally macabre tale... It’s made memorable by Janine Watson’s cerebral stillness and tangible depth, while the contrasting bright energy of twirling, soaring Catherine Davies is exhilarating." Diana Simmonds, Stage Noise

“Detailed, sumptuous, and authentically sensuous. Nothing is accidental. Nothing is incidental. Even the quietly stuttering smoke machine sounds timid and mournful. And, thanks to the performances, we are made one with what we see” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Extraordinary staging. Poetic, with a sublime beauty that transcends all manner of convention, The Happy Prince speaks its truth with remarkable clarity, to deliver an hour of theatre that is as moving an experience as any fairy tale could wish to be."
Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See.

“Little Ones Theatre have expertly created a powerfully affecting and layered story of deep affection and sacrifice that will linger in your mind long after the final scene.” Myron My, Theatre Press

“Captivating…under Stephen Nicolazzo’s direction the actors give restrained, elegant performances that alternately make you laugh and break your heart. We are lucky to have a company like Little Ones Theatre in Melbourne” Kate Purvis, Aussie Theatre

“Little Ones Theatre have done that deft thing of honouring the source material while making it utterly their own to the point where you’d be forgiven for thinking it was always theirs. While the play’s final lament is devastating, there’s also hope in how it reaffirms that in the face of cynicism and a world where so many people struggle to have compassion or empathy for others that we really have no choice but to love fiercely, even if our hearts get broken.” David Collins, Arts Review

“An entrancing, resonant, contemporary interpretation of Wilde’s deeply moving work. It could almost be a film – with perfectly set up frame following perfect frame. Nicolazzo is, if there is such a thing, a Theatre Auteur. “ Suzanne Sandow, Stage Whispers

“A delightfully exquisite and heart-squeezing piece of theatre that’s ready to go to festivals all over the world.” Anne-Marie Peard, Sometimes Melbourne

“Thank you Little Ones Theatre for another remarkable production. The Happy Prince is rich, beautiful, thoughtful, sincere and, at just the right moments, silly and sad in equal measure.” Richard Watts, Triple RRR

Playing to Win (Melbourne Cabaret Festival/Ash Flanders)

★★★★ "Tears of laughter are easy with his outrageous high-camp hilarity, but they blend with those from a dark silence when he steps too close to unspoken fears and reveals the honesty, and hope, that hides behind the attitude and the jokes." The Age

Dracula (Theatre Works)

"Dracula is one part Artaud, one part Annie Sprinkle...Its an insanely detailed and gloriously sensual piece of theatre. We’re left in no doubt that horror and camp are lovers, incestuous and inseparable." The Australian

"Stylish, erotically charged and droll vampire romp...a striking achievement." The Age

"The cast are spectacular, precise and energised and bring the piece a delicious serve of irony and excess. Aldrich and Davies are superb. Little Ones are the country's leading proponents of queer theatre, and they've produced a gorgeous and playful piece... a juicy blood orange to sink ones teeth into." Time Out

"A triumph of theatrical design and visual storytelling." Maggie Journal

"A brilliant homage... Little Ones Theatre‘s winning streak of creating unique theatrical experiences continues." Theatre Press

"Little Ones Theatre have one of the most unique voices in Melbourne theatre. Director Stephen Nicolazzo embraces high-camp without the condescending tone or gender insult that camp laughs often come from. Inspired by the 1980s but seen through today’s eyes, their worlds are visually arresting, sexually free and always unforgettable." Sometimes Melbourne

"Silent movies merge with pantomime in this irreverent parody featuring that lusty, fanged vampire as a comical composite of Bela Legosi, Buster Keaton and Gloria Swanson...valiant, entertaining and skillful in its artifice and campery" Herald Sun

"Bold, original and innovative theatre" Theatre People

"A visually stunning and physically enchanting piece of theatre" Stage Whispers

Meme Girls (Malthouse Theatre)

★★★★  “The risks pay off”, Andrew Fuhrmann, Daily Review

“Director Stephen Nicolazzo has a propensity for spectacle and does not so much toy with gender here as declare it passe. Fun is Meme Girls' raison d'etre,” Rebecca Harkins-Cross, The Age

“This is theatre as YouTube channel. It’s a feak-show mix-tape of viral sensations” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Turning trash into theatrical gold” Concrete Playground

“Meme Girls is an analsysis of the deeper meanings behind “shallow” or narcissistic” videos , a celebrabtion of the joy and fascination such ridiculous videos can bring and a wry critique” Beat Magazine

“A glorious camp-cum-high-art vision” Anne-Marie Peard, Aussie Theatre

The House of Yes (Theatre Works)

★★★★ "Thrilling to watch...The performances are all excellent... a grotty little piece, the camp turned inward and cancerous, even the silliness tinged with madness and grief.
Tim Byrne, Time Out

★★★★ "This show is another triumphant feather in the Little Ones Theatre's ever-expanding cap. Its Rocky Horror meets Douglas Sirk in deliciously cinemascope time-warped glory."
Nick Pilgrim, Theatre People

"Scintillating...a beautiful and detailed production. A triumph of the camp. It’s a definition of camp. Not camp as excess or trivia, but camp in the Sontag sense, as role-playing and artifice. Passionate camp, in which life is amped up to the state of theatre... The House of Yes is oddly substantial. It explodes out of the queer ghetto by elevating kitsch into something exalted and collectible. By turning trash into theatrical treasure. "
Chris Boyd, The Australian

“The cast slink, pose and strut around the stage in campy Waters-esque deliciousness…the jokes are funny, the barbs are killer, and Nicolazzo’s trademark irreverence is on glorious display.”
Herald Sun

"Bright and beautiful. Dark and tragic. The production leaves you in that state of ecstasy pinched between joy and desperation."
Adelaide Fisher, Arts Hub

“Little Ones Theatre presents a vivid and campy theatrical extravaganza which captures the essence of aspirational North America while looking quite a lot like Rocky Horror. “ Australian Stage

“Little One’s The House of Yes is visually striking. [they] know how to work together to create impactful images and lush landscapes.” Melbourne. Arts. Fashion

“It took me exactly 37 seconds to realize that I was going to be in pure bliss watching Little Ones Theatre‘s production of The House Of Yes.” Theatre Press

"[Little Ones Theatre] are making damn good theatre and not only is a whole new generation coming along for the ride, there’s a whole heap of Gen X-ers who are having their faith restored in what can be the most transformative of art forms."  MCV

Dangerous Liaisons (MTC Neon Festival)

★★★★★ “More than a triumph of theatre; it is an exciting promise for the future of live performance in this city.” Toorak Times

★★★★ “So in vogue you can almost smell Madonna” Herald Sun

★★★★ “An exhilarating sprint… as savage as ever” Time Out

★★★★ "Delightful, dazzling and decadent." Beat Magazine

"Heaving bosoms, panniered skirts and perilous hair, with a little Chaka Khan on the harpsichord. Director Stephen Nicolazzo’s inspired take on this modern classic was remarkable not just for its irreverent glitz and perfect timing, but for the talent on display. Alexandra Aldrich’s Joan-Collins-meets-Joan-Crawford take on the Marquise de Mertuil was one of the best things on stage all year."  Best Theatre of 2014 List, Herald Sun

"One of the most authentic theatre voices around." Aussie Theatre

“Dangerous Liaisons has a weighty, fascinating, irresistible nucleus. I dare say Nicolazzo is as fascinated with sex, deception, love and power as any of us. His unique skill is his capacity to allow us to read his manic mind and to see the world through his dusty, pink-tinted glasses.” The Australian

“Little Ones’ physical stylisation and gestures to outlandish camp are neatly tailored to emphasise the insincerity of the play’s rococo social niceties, and the raw diabolism of the sexual power-plays underneath it.” The Age

“Snippets of drag songs and choiry, airtight blocking, glorious breasts, visual delight and razor-sharp passages of dialogue, all carry their MO to make queer.” The Mus

Special Victim (Adelaide Feast Festival/Hares & Hyenas)

★★★★ “equal parts Dolly Parton, Liberace and John Waters, Flanders again proves himself an obscenely funny and enviably talented performer.” The Age

★★★★ “…entertaining, bright and hilarious, but there’s always something darker and heavier that sneaks up on you and shakes you up.” Daily Review

★★★★"… a show that exceeded all expectations...funny, touching, provoking and – at times – confronting...as political as it is personal" RIP IT UP Magazine, Adelaide

"A superb vehicle, not for the faint-hearted, with flirtatiousness vying with filth" The Adelaide Advertiser

 Salome (Malthouse Theatre)

★★★★★ “This is event theatre not to be missed.” Nick Pilgrim, Theatre People

★★★★★ “Five big fat erotic stars out of five” Youth Central

★★★★ ”Demented, depraved and uproarious, under the leather glove of Stephen Nicolazzo, Little Ones Theatre has once again smeared its mark on the Melbourne stage." Rebecca Harkins-Cross, The Age

"Salome is glorious and hilarious and so damn smart that missing it isn’t an option."  Anne Marie Peard, Aussie Theatre

“Stephen Nicolazzo is the master of zero-gravity theatre, where the intellectual and moral heft is cloaked in a queer aesthetic” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Camptastic. Tom of Finland-inspired costumes, great comic timing, genderfucking fun. Go see.” Richard Watts, TRIPLE RRR

“Symbolism meets Tom of Finland & Alice Cooper. Wilde's OTT language sings. High camp on a high.” Alison Croggon

"Oscar Wilde’s Biblical Tragedy Does A Rocky Horror Via Alice Cooper. Riotously Hilarious With A Super-Camp Kick." Stephen A Russel, The Lowdown Under.

“The Village people perform Oscar Wilde” Herald Sun

“…amusing and sly; a camped-up drag-fest. One can’t help but think Oscar would have been delighted.” Arts Hub

“Little Ones Theatre’s production of Oscar Wilde’s Salome is lively, loud, lighthearted and wickedly profane.  It’s an ‘in-your-face’ cabaret performance with loads of well-dressed and undressed ‘eye-candy’ and more than just a hint of Jean Genet.” Stage Whispers

“…funny, stylish and appealing” Australian Stage

“…stylistically extravagant and full of mirth. It shores up Little Ones Theatre’s interest in exploring sexuality and gender on stage, and flexes their talent for dramatic debauchery.” Milk Bar Mag

Psycho Beach Party (Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane Seasons)

★★★★★ “Sharp as a wet towel snap and very salty indeed, Stephen Nicolazzo's slick direction and an enthusiastic cast…[have created] a winning start to the year”, Time Out Melbourne

★★★★★ “A perfect dollop of summertime silliness", Time Out Sydney.

★★★★1/2 " Psycho Beach Party is an absolute cack. Hi-lar-ious. What fun...Through strong ensemble theatre, the actors bring an almost erotic frisson to these cartoons of beachy teens, holding serious method and silly manner in true equipoise...Its the funniest show around!" Cameron Woodhead, The Age

★★★★ “Perceptive, bold and sharp”, The Guardian

★★★★ “This is one show that pulls all the cheesy hallmarks of the genre into a blender, sets it to high, leaves the lid off, and presses go, letting the results splatter deliciously over the audience”, Brisbane Times

★★★★ “…a laugh out loud psycho-palooza. If life is feeling a little serious, these joyous 80 minutes will bring it all back into focus”, Arts Hub

★★★★"With rocking song and dance moments, coming out stories, a psychotic mother and beach bums galore, this tightly directed production is all killer, no filler." The Brag, Sydney.

"Psycho Beach Party is a romp that perfectly captures the free spiritedness of the Midsumma Festival." Sara Bannister, Stage Whispers

"Psycho Beach Party is a perfectly pitched Midsumma offering, and one not to be missed." Seanna van Helten, Milk Bar Mag

"The talented cast has a blast, and it would be a po-faced audience member who wasn't lured into the fun... " Kate Rose, Herald Sun

"For a pumped up, preening Bondi in the summertime, this is a perfect theatrical fit"  Jason Blake, Sydney Morning Herald

"John Waters (and Divine) can eat their hearts out, this week. So, can early Pedro (Almodovar, that is). Why re-run those tired old movies you know by heart, at home, when you can watch this show LIVE? L. I. V. E. - LIVE. DO NOT MISS.” Kevin Jackson Theatre Diary

"To a man and woman, the cast is an absolute blast, with no small thanks due to Nicolazzo." Crikey

Sex.Violence.Blood.Gore (MKA)

★★★★ “both a nightmare and a wet dream…  poetic, hilarious, deeply affecting and decidedly queer… It’s a terrific play, and compulsory viewing for anyone serious about theatre” Cameron Woodhead, The Age

★★★★ “a seductive production…Catherine Davies is spectacular…Whitney Boyd is hilarious…chalk this one up as another win for MKA.” Time Out

★★★★ “Go see it!” Arts Hub

“The standout theatre production of 2012. It was scintillating, sexy, provocative theatre.” Chris Boyd, The Australian

“Nicolazzo directs a compelling production…The performances are outstanding.” Allison Croggon, Theatre Notes

“startling and accomplished”, Jon Bailey, Real Time Arts

“This is why we go to the theatre” Anne Marie Peard, AussieTheatre

“rarely does theatre leave me truly hot. Giddy. Skipping down the street and punching the air. Like I was last night. SVBG is such an important Australian artistic event.” Ming-Zhu Hii

‎”an engaging, absorbing, often highly amusing work beautifully presented by gifted, articulate, eloquent actors playing with restraint and irony. …Go MKA!” Stage Whispers

“a brilliant production… brilliant performances…” Australian Stage