CONCERT REVIEW: LADY GAGA'S THEATRICAL RETURN TO SYDNEY ON 'THE MAYHEM BALL'

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Lady Gaga returned to Sydney for the first time since 2014 with The Mayhem Ball, and from the moment she stepped on stage, it was clear this was no ordinary concert. The show unfolded like a theatrical epic, blending narrative, spectacle, and music into a single, immersive experience. “Sydney I’ve wanted to come back here for so long, I’ve missed you so much,” she told the crowd, a line that felt both intimate and momentous, signalling a night where pop performance met operatic storytelling.

Produced by Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky and directed by Gaga and Ben Dalgleish of Human Person, The Mayhem Ball positions itself not as a concert, but as a stage production with the bones of an epic. It’s part opera, part fever dream, part pop spectacle, held together by a fluid storyline that threads through its acts, reshaping her catalog into narrative theatre.

The story begins before Gaga even appears. Audience members were invited to submit messages to be displayed across the screens while operatic arias filled the arena; a moving installation titled “Voices of Mayhem.” The effect was communal, a prelude to the emotional and psychological world we were about to enter. Then comes the opening monologue, introducing us to the two forces at the centre of the show: Gaga herself, light and angelic, and her egocentric shadow, the Mistress of Mayhem. One embodies purity and vulnerability; the other, fear and chaos. The conflict between these two selves becomes the spine of The Mayhem Ball: a dream-state tug-of-war in which the Mistress of Mayhem attempts to imprison the angelic Gaga, only to find her own power slipping.

Costuming makes this conflict unmistakable. The Mistress of Mayhem emerges in crimson, angular steampunk silhouettes offset with darkened hair and sharp lines. Gaga, by contrast, begins with flowing blonde hair and softer, lighter costuming that evolves in texture and tone as the acts progress. This careful visual storytelling is what firmly recontextualises the tour from “pop concert” to “stage show.” We follow a narrative soundtracked by Gaga’s music, lending the entire evening the structure and emotional cadence of musical theatre. Flames punctuate each act, not as mere spectacle but always in service to the story and symbolism.

The production itself is among Gaga’s most ambitious. Act I opens with the Mistress perched atop a curtain in an opera-house-meets-colosseum setting - a decadent, crumbling dreamscape. “My name is Mother Mayhem, and welcome to our opera house, Sydney,” she declares, referencing to our city’s iconic venue. When the curtain drops, her dance troupe launches into a relentless sequence of experimental tracks (Bloody Mary, Abracadabra, Judas, Scheiße, and Aura) seamlessly threaded together like scene changes rather than pop interludes.

Act II turns darker and more visceral. Performing Perfect Celebrity and Disease in a sand pit strewn with human remains, Gaga physically immerses herself in the narrative. Moments later, she delivers Alejandro from one of the opera house’s box seats, transforming a familiar hit into voyeuristic theatre. Act III delves into the undead with Killah, Zombieboy, and The Dead Dance, pushing the show toward horror opera. The set begins to morph alongside the storyline, mirroring the psychological collapse and rebuilding happening within Gaga herself.

The fourth act confronts death head-on. The Mistress of Mayhem adopts the role of Chairon, ferrying Gaga toward the underworld during Shallow, performed atop a gondola that unmistakably echoes The Phantom of the Opera. The gothic references run deeper than visual easter eggs: the show’s core duality - angel and devil, innocence and obsession - calls to mind Christine and the Phantom themselves. The act culminates in Die With a Smile and Vanish Into You, moments of vulnerability that feel less like a pop performance and more like a resignation, a surrender to transformation.

Several of Gaga’s biggest songs gain new meaning within this narrative. Poker Face unfolds as a choreographed chess match, marking the first direct confrontation between Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem. Paparazzi followed with one of the shows most arresting visuals. The costuming nodded to the original music video through the use of crutches but reimagined the song in a darker, more haunting arrangement. As Gaga crossed the stage, her translucent cape unfurled behind her and slowly ignited in pride colours, transforming the number into a moment of unexpected beauty. Just Dance and LoveGame evoke early-career nostalgia, while Applause animates the arena. Summerboy sees Gaga join the guitar lineup, and she also performs guitar on Garden of Eden and piano on Die With a Smile, The Edge of Glory, and Hold My Hand - a reminder of her musical instincts and versatility -  the latter a surprise performance urging fans to “live everyday like it’s our last.” 

She moved through the show with an ease that comes only from mastery, rising into high notes that rang across the arena and sinking into the darker colours of her lower tones with equal precision. Every phrase felt intentional, every shift in texture purposeful. There is an enigmatic quality to her instrument, a chameleon-like ability to reshape it for any arrangement or genre, gliding between raw, powerhouse belts and the polished clarity of pure pop. Not once did her voice falter, even in the most demanding moments of choreography or staging. Her performance presence matched this vocal strength; she commands attention with a natural authority, drawing the audience into her world without effort. Beyond the spectacle, Gaga remains grounded in authenticity, embracing both light and darkness - a reflection of courage, resilience, and individuality that resonates deeply with her fans. In a world that constantly demands conformity, Gaga’s unwavering selfhood reminds her audience that it is possible - and necessary - to be fully, unapologetically oneself.

Adding to the depth and momentum of the production was her touring dance crew, whose cohesion and polish elevated each act. Their energy and sharpness became the heartbeat of the show, giving physical form to the emotional landscape Gaga was charting. They moved with her rather than around her, creating tableaux’s that felt sculpted, not staged. Together, Gaga and her dancers didn’t simply perform choreography; they crafted living, breathing pieces of theatre that transformed each song into art.

Female artists have long understood how to turn a concert into a spectacle, and Gaga’s The Mayhem Ball sits firmly in that lineage alongside productions like Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. Every element of the show is intentional, from the choreography to the set changes, the costume evolutions to the lighting cues, and the pacing never allows the energy to stagnate. Everything moves fluidly, each moment feeding into the next, making the entire performance feel like a single, cohesive piece of theatre rather than a series of songs.

The finale brings the narrative to its most direct revelation. A second monologue signals the merging of Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem, the two personas no longer in conflict but acknowledging their shared existence. “Yes I’m a monster and you’re a monster. We are monsters, and monsters never die,” she declares, moments before flatlining on an operating table. The tension breaks when she jolts back to life for Bad Romance, now wearing hair that blends blonde with deeper tones and a streak of blood red, a visual shorthand for the union of her light and shadow. The show concludes as the opera house erupts in flames, but Gaga reappears once more when the chaos has settled, this time shedding the wigs, makeup and elaborate costuming for How Bad Do U Want Me. The transformation strips away the spectacle of both Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem, leaving the audience face-to-face with the artist beneath the mythology.

Gaga’s gratitude for her fans was evident throughout, but it became especially tangible at the finale. Overcome with emotion, she once again thanked the audience for their unwavering support and love, spun around in joy, and twirled off stage, leaving the crowd with a moment of intimacy that cut through the extravagance of the spectacle.

The Mayhem Ball achieves something rare: transforming a stadium tour into myth-making theatre. Gaga doesn’t just perform her songs; she deconstructs them, reshaping their context to tell a story of identity, ego, destruction, and rebirth. It is a reminder of why Gaga has remained a defining figure in pop culture for nearly two decades. She is a masterful vocalist, a fearless performer, and a visionary artist who can turn a stadium into a theatre of emotion and spectacle. The show blends narrative, music, visuals, and movement into something that feels greater than the sum of its parts, yet never loses sight of the human at its centre.

Lady Gaga will conclude her Australian tour in Sydney tonight.