After winning over audiences and critics alike, the acclaimed comedy Heartbreak Hotel is returning to Melbourne for a strictly limited season at Arts Centre Melbourne this winter.
The cathartic two hander will run at the Fairfax Studio from 14 July to 19 July 2026, giving local audiences another chance to experience the award winning production that blends humour, music and science to unpack the messy reality of heartbreak.
Created by Aotearoa New Zealand theatre company EBKM and directed by Eleanor Bishop, the show follows a woman navigating the emotional fallout of a breakup. Written and performed by Karin McCracken alongside Simon Leary, the performance mixes storytelling with sharp observations about the strange ways love and loss affect the body and mind.
Moving between realism, surreal moments and bursts of humour, the production explores heartbreak through a series of scenes that range from reflective to wildly unexpected. One moment audiences are hearing scientific explanations of what happens to the body during emotional distress, the next they are transported into a Berlin club sequence.
Live music is woven throughout the show, with the performers delivering covers of classic breakup songs by artists including Celine Dion, The Cranberries, Elvis and Bonnie Raitt.
“I wanted to create a show that touched on the experience of heartbreak,” says McCracken. “Eleanor and I were talking to university students about emotional resiliency, and the conversations often ended up revolving around relationships, conflict, and heartbreak. Given we related to this ourselves, we realised the subject of breakups is really ageless, as anyone can go through heartbreak at any stage of their life.
“We know from the research that connection with others helps when you’re heartbroken, as does having art and awe experiences. Making a show that brings people together so they can reflect on their own experiences of heartbreak while making them laugh at the same time felt socially useful and a fun way to explore something that most of us both go through and recover from. We’ve been incredibly touched by audience reactions to the show,” McCracken said.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday 11 March at 11.00am AEDT. For more information visit artscentremelbourne.com.au.
