A lavish new work from cabaret force of nature Reuben Kaye, a catwalk pageant celebrating Blak excellence, creativity and culture, and a new musical exploring the question ‘What does it mean to be “Australian” in 2025?’ are among the first works to be announced for Brisbane’s queer cultural festival, Melt.
Additional early highlights include a one-night only performance by US Broadway star Bernadette Peters (winner of three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, four Emmys and four Grammy Award nominations) with her first Australian performance in over a decade, and the return of River Pride Parade (described as a ‘flotilla of fabulousness’ down the Brisbane River/Maiwar from West End to Brisbane Powerhouse).
Reuben Kaye, praised by ArtsHub’s Managing Editor Madeleine Swain as “a superhuman force of deliciously bent nature“, presents the Queensland premiere of enGORGEd for Melt Festival 2025 at QPAC. Featuring Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and musical direction by Shanon D Whitelock, the production (originally commissioned by Adelaide Cabaret Festival) is billed as Kaye’s most lavish, loud and liberated show yet.
QPAC Chief Executive Rachel Healy is welcoming Kaye back to QPAC for his first show at the venue since in 2022.
“enGORGEd promises an unfiltered, unpredictable, laugh-out-loud evening with this beloved ride-or-die artist, taking up every inch of the cathedral-like setting of our Concert Hall… Reuben won over a legion of new fans with the season of The Kaye Hole in our Cremorne Theatre and we can’t wait to see what wit and subversion he brings to our stage this time around.
“We love partnering with local arts festivals to broaden the live performance offering for Queensland audiences and we’re thrilled that our first mainstage co-production with Melt Festival is Reuben’s larger-than-life show – a highlight within Melt Festival’s celebration of queer arts and culture,” Healy says.
Executive Producer of Melt Festival Emmie Paranthoiene says the partnership with QPAC marks a significant milestone in the festival’s growth.
“Melt has always been a space to celebrate LGBTQIA+ voices through bold, inclusive storytelling. Partnering with QPAC this year allows us to extend that platform even further, reaching new audiences and creating deeper impact. We’re thrilled to collaborate with such an iconic institution to spotlight queer excellence across artforms,” Paranthoiene says.
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An Evening with Bernadette Peters hits the Brisbane Convention Centre on Friday 24 October, with Peters likely to showcase a range of her many Broadway roles (she is particularly noted for her starring roles in stage musicals, including Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy, and is also closely associated with the late composer Stephen Sondheim, having performed many of his works and, indeed, originated key roles in the premieres of several of his productions).
Peters – who also has a long association with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS – will be accompanied by Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra for her one-off Brisbane performance.
Other Melt highlights to be announced in advance include Ben Graetz’s (aka Miss Ellaneous) Miss First Nation drag pageant, a celebration of queerness storytelling and cultural pride (the Melt performance will be the pageant’s grand final following state and territory heats across the country) and the musical The Lucky Country (which premiered at The Hayes Theatre in 2023 and was described as “incredibly moving with its deep excavations of marginalised lives” by Sydney critic Suzy Wrong), which tackles the question of ‘What does it mean to be “Australian” today?’ with ‘wit, warmth and a touch of musical rebellion’. The production, which is directed by Sonya Suares with music and lyrics by Vidya Makan, runs from 22 October at Brisbane Powerhouse’s Studio Underground.
Additional pre-release highlights have been announced, with the full Melt program yet to be revealed.
Melt is an open access festival produced by Brisbane Powerhouse and grew out of the Powerhouse’s previous Melt Festival, which ran from 2015 to 2023.
The expanded Melt debuted in 2024 – with its centrepiece being the participation of 5500 nude Brisbanites in New York artist Spencer Tunick’s RISING TIDE on Brisbane’s Story Bridge – and now stretches city-wide.
Queensland’s Minister for the Environment and Tourism, Andrew Powell says: “After a phenomenal debut, Melt returns in 2025 as one of Queensland’s most dynamic and inclusive celebrations of arts and culture. Now in its second year, the festival continues to spotlight the creativity, pride, and diversity of our LGBTQIA+ communities, while drawing visitors from across Australia and beyond.”
The 2025 iteration of Melt runs from 22 October – 9 November across Brisbane/Magandjin. Visit the Melt website for details.
