QFWFQ review – If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller is taken in a bold new direction
Gregory Nussen spins Italo Calvino’s surrealist authorial intrusions into a fascinating, playful and political show
The Pout-Pout Fish review – Nick Offerman is best thing in kids cartoon adventure on the high seas
Offerman leads a talented cast, but this preschool picture book spinoff fails to inspire
RL Stine’s Pumpkinhead review – horror from Goosebumps writer has kid confined inside large fruit
Based on a short story by the Goosebumps author, this derivative but tautly plotted tale over-relies on Scooby-Doo-style sleuthery, and its truly unsettling turn comes too late
Is Beauty Good by Rosalind Belben review – the literary equivalent of free jazz
Combining hilarious detail with harsh observation, this rediscovered novel takes the reader on an exhilaratingly strange journey
John Berger: From Life by Tom Overton review – a vibrant biography of the pioneering critic
This multi-layered portrait is a fitting tribute to the man behind Ways of Seeing
Game of Thrones: The Mad King review – an action-packed saga of dry ice and fire
This prequel to the TV series has one joust after another, spectacular stagecraft and plenty of modern resonance
Cats review – it’s a jellicle jumble as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s moggies get the zoomies
Macavity and co are back, with the balance in Drew McOnie’s stylish revival tipped in favour of dance and acrobatics over storytelling
What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu review – how to fix the system
The Nobel-winning economist takes aim at elites for no longer meeting the needs of the masses
The Silence of the Lambs review – Hannibal Lecter’s daring stage outing is a shock to the system
There are electrifying – and also queasy – moments in this version of the classic 90s horror about the interrogation of a psychotic psychiatrist by an FBI rookie
Now, Autonomy by Max Easton review – a sardonic yet compassionate take on millennial apathy
The author’s third novel to chronicle life in Sydney’s west follows a group of flawed friends trying to sustain meaning amid an ‘erosion in the world’
Thirst by John Robins audiobook review – an ex-drinker’s darkly funny journey
The comedian and broadcaster narrates the heartfelt and at times self-lacerating account of his relationship with alcohol
Practical Magic review – Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock’s 90s witchy fantasy still enchants
Preceding a long-awaited sequel, Griffin Dunne’s supernatural suburban romance gets a big-screen rerelease. With its romcom quirk, buttery cinematography and stabs of black comedy, it remains a zany gem
Sky City by Jacqueline Crooks review – an ambitious, lyrical portrait of trauma
A young woman is haunted by her childhood in this forcefully imaginative and unapologetically bleak novel from the author of Fire Rush
Dog Man: The Musical review – Dav Pilkey’s megastar mutt sniffs out the spotlight in a barking show
A part-canine cop, a villainous cat and a psychokinetic butterflyfish burst into song as the wildly popular children’s books are adapted for the stage
A Sense of Occasion by Brodie Crellin review – a surprising and darkly funny debut
A dysfunctional family comes together for a funeral in this heartfelt, keenly observed novel