We’re deep in the show and performer Sarah-Louise Young begins a glorious rendition of Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God). Rather than fall away, all of the show’s twists and surprises and larks and interactions weave together to fill your heart to the brim and I burst into tears. I’m not the only one.
Created by Sarah-Louise Young and Russell Lucas, and performed by Sarah-Louise Young, An Evening Without Kate Bush is a story of the wonder and magic from one of music’s most creative, progressive, and fiercely independent artists.
But, it’s also a story about Sarah-Louise’s friend, Jackie, and of Sarah-Louise herself and the “fans of the Bush” she’s met along the way. You come to realise the beautiful sleight-of-hand of the show is that it’s telling a story about the night – this night. This singular fleeting hour of love and connection.
The closeness allowed by the Fairfax Studio would not feel nearly as intimate if the audience were presented with Kate Bush karaoke, or a Stars in Their Eyes-esque impression.
Instead, Sarah-Louise draws on our memories of listening to her for the first time, or dancing to her at our wedding, as well as our confession that we might only be in the audience because our friend (who is the fan) needed a +1.
For all the mop heads, wig caps, capes, and comedy, Sarah-Louise brings such heart and authenticity to the stage. From the opening red light pulse of, And Dream of Sheep, the audience are held and kept safe, much like the lifejacket that held Kate herself in the music video that played during her residency at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014.
References and homages to the music and the music videos are sprinkled throughout if you choose to notice, but none of that knowledge is required to enjoy Sarah-Louise’s performance and be drawn further in.
It all leads to a final moment in front of the microphone that transforms the night from cabaret to communion, as extraordinary a moment of live performance as I’ve ever experienced. My friend, Harry, put it best: “Five hounds out of five!”
An Evening Without Kate Bush
Fairfax Studio – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Performance: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Season continues to 18 October 2026
Information and Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, An Evening Without Kate Bush will play the Cremorne Theatre – QPAC, Brisbane (21 – 24 October), Brunswick Picture House, Brunswick Heads (25 October), and Foundry Theatre, Sydney (27 – 28 October).
Image: Sarah-Louise Young stars in An Evening Without Kate Bush – photo by Claudio Raschella