Stage Whispers May/June 2025 edition

Editorial

Dear theatre-goers and theatre-doers,

Each year as the May/June edition of Stage Whispers rolls around, our Staging & Theatre Tech supplement showcases some of the latest innovations in theatre technology, and the ways in which designers engage with it to evolve and enrich our stage experiences.

This year’s reading ranges through the interaction between costume design and the latest tech, to innovative integration of set and lighting design in a small venue, and the professional standard scenic projections which are now affordable for community theatre and school productions.

Before we reach that kind of innovative technology, however, Coral Drouyn takes a peek at the new national tour of The Play That Goes Wrong, the play-within-aplay farce which takes us back to the 1920s, both in time and stagecraft, to a production where everything that can go wrong…does.

Online extras!

Stage Whispers TV attended the launch of the national tour of Annie. youtu.be/H2REebRbS0c

Since our last edition, Stage Whispers has gone viral. Moving on a decade to the 1930s and Annie, Debora Krizak (Miss Hannigan in the latest revival), introduces us to the show’s choreographer Mitchell Woodcock, whose routine for ‘Easy Street’ has become quite an international sensation via our Instagram and Facebook pages, thanks to a video from the media call.

Eddie Perfect, about to haunt our stages, chats to David Spicer about performing in Beetlejuice The Musical, the Broadway musical which he composed; Mark Wickett shares at our reviewers’ experiences at the Adelaide Fringe, and looks forward to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival; John Frost shares his favourite show music; Tim Dennis takes us behind the scenes of the world community theatre premiere of Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical…and much more.

So, read on, enjoy, then get out and see some great theatre.

Yours in Theatre,

NeilLitchfield Editor

Cover image: The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong (2025). Read Coral Drouyn’s interview with the one of the show’s stars, Joe Kosky, on page 8. Photo: Hagen Hopkins.

Animal trainer Luke Hura with Sandy from Annie in the foyer of Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.

The Play That Goes Wrong has returned to Australia and New Zealand. Coral Drouyn explores why it’s so important right now, and talks to one of the stars, Joe Kosky.

They say that “no news is good news”, so don’t turn on the news whatever you do. It will only depress you. Whether it’s melting icecaps, wars against humanity, would be orange faced dictators (No…not an Oompah Loompah, though that would be preferable), and electricity prices so high we will all have to resort to candles, except that the price of them will probably go up too. It’s a mess! Everything that could go wrong with the world IS going wrong. And it’s just not right. It isn’t the way it’s meant to be. Except when it is.

Have you ever said, “You have to laugh or else you’d cry?” I know I have. And that’s why this is exactly the right time for a new production of this wonderfully whacky British farce to remind us yet again that truth may be stranger than fiction, but it’s nowhere near as funny and right now we all need to laugh out loud, continuously, to escape the ugly reality around us. The world is a beautiful place, but humans consistently f### it up!

Of course writers Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathon Sayer couldn’t possibly have known that back in 2008 when they formed the Mischief Theatre company, playing in the upstairs room of the local pub. They’d all had experiences that actors have nightmares about, something drastic going wrong onstage and the audience laughing at some mishap in the middle of a serious moment.

It’s one thing to laugh when you’re meant to, but quite another to laugh in the tragic moments. That

gave them the germ of an idea. What if everything was so dreadful that the audience couldn’t help but laugh AT the actors instead of WITH them? It might just be cathartic if we focused on the misfortunes of others and paid for a ticket to do so.

And so they created a play within a play and set it in the 1920s, where coarse acting was practically a pre-requisite. The Murder at Haversham Manor was a typical Agatha Christie type thriller that forms the background for everything that goes wrong, but it had to be carefully crafted as though it was a serious production, and then completely destroyed in performance.

They had no idea that their tribute to really bad amateur theatre (most of which is astonishingly good these days) and Michael Green’s book The Art of Coarse Acting would wind up being a panacea for an exhausted world, playing in more than 30 countries continuously for the past decade since it transferred to the West End back in 2014.

In fact the play had very small beginnings and audiences were scarce. But word of mouth has always been the greatest promotion for theatre of any kind, and certainly the only kind of publicity that the Mischief Theatre company could afford. The play kept evolving, the disasters got bigger, and so did the audiences.

The concept isn’t new. Noises Off, written by Michael Frayn in 1982, was

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The Play That Goes Wrong (2025).

Photo: Hagen Hopkins.

(Continued from page 8)

a worthy forerunner. But the world, and his play, were very much gentler then. The two Henrys and Jonathon decided to not just take the idea and ‘push the envelope’ but destroy it and replace it with a super dooper express post bag with a built-in energy source that was both indestructible and hilarious.

Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and that’s what makes it so right. Without the total mayhem spontaneous yet carefully

rehearsed we wouldn’t be reduced to tears of laughter. Once they took away all the restrictions that the fourth wall imposed, it was only a short trip to people falling in the aisles with laughter.

So, imagine, if you will, a bad play performed by an even worse theatre company, run by a narcissistic legend in his own lifetime, who insists on fulfilling all the creative roles himself, and it isn’t hard to see the spooky similarities between that and Planet Earth 2025.

The Play That Goes Wrong

Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre - Jun 19 to Aug 3

Gold Cost, HOTA - Aug 6 to 10

Toowoomba Empire Theatre - Aug 12 to 15

Newcastle Civic Theatre Aug - 19 to 31

Melbourne Athenaeum Theatre - Sept 3 to 21 playgoeswrong.com

It takes a special cast to provide ‘fresh’, organised chaos every night, not to mention an inanimate set that arguably works harder to provide laughs than the cast itself. As WC Fields said on his deathbed “Dying is easy…comedy is hard.”

When the play first opened at the Red Lion pub, the three writers themselves played the main characters. After all, when there are only miniscule audiences and no money to pay the cast, art imitates life as a necessity. But the unimagined success of the play quickly put an end to that scenario. Now, they can count royalties rather than pratfalls.

Joe Kosky is a director’s dream for such a play. Despite years of training as a serious actor, Joe rose to fame as the key element in Auntie Donna, a cult fringe comedy act that put the C into Chaos. Loosely in the mold of Monty Python, Auntie Donna was able to twist the absurd into normal and convince the rest of us we were losing our minds. And yet, there was a strong rehearsal discipline behind every crazy moment, as Joe explains.

“Ballarat Arts Academy was great training but it lacked the reputation of, say, NIDA or WAAPA. We were all pretty earnest about learning our craft, but we soon realised that the opportunities for a full-time career in theatre were few and far between and that we would need to create something independent and ‘in your

The Play That Goes Wrong (2025).

Photo: Hagen Hopkins.

Cover Story

face’ if we were going to make any inroads professionally. “

Spurred on by their admiration for Monty Python and the like, Joe and four classmates, incredibly young and with boundless energy, created the totally nonsensical Auntie Donna, which became an instant hit at the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

“It looked… we hoped… spontaneous and improvised, but an incredible amount of work went into making it appear like a bunch of guys just goofing around,” Kosky muses. “It was a major steppingstone for me. I had a love for Musical Theatre from the first time I was reluctantly dragged to a musical by my mum. I was hooked on the idea that you could have a career singing and dancing AND acting and dressing up. How cool was that? But it rarely happens that you make it to the main stage in your first show … only in old movies. So, in the meantime we did everything we could to get noticed and somehow built up a cult following.”

When Joe left Auntie Donna (though he still moonlights with them occasionally) he had no idea that he

would return to a scene of organised chaos more than a decade later.

“The Play That Goes Wrong needs incredible discipline mentally and physically,” he elaborates. “It must look as though we have no idea what is going to happen, and the rehearsal period has been intense and grueling. It can’t be improvised because there are so many technical cues. It’s precision timing masquerading as spontaneity. Nothing can be left to chance, but everything has to look that way.”

The new cast, a mixture of Australian and New Zealand actors has been “learning on the job” as Joe puts it, throughout rehearsals.

“There’s a stunt man to show us how to take the numerous falls without doing damage. Every fall is choreographed but there’s always a chance of something going wrong that wasn’t actually meant to,” he says. I think I know what he means!

Joe continues, “And we even had to learn the entire play The Murder at Haversham Manor that we are supposed to be performing before it all goes wrong so that we understood what should have been happening, but wasn’t. There’s been meticulous

attention to detail and strangely knowing what SHOULD have been frees us all up for the things that become disasters. It’s a great ensemble piece and it’s been a joy rehearsing with the New Zealand actors.”

After this extensive Australasian tour Joe hopes to return to Musical Theatre, so I asked him what his dream role in any musical would be.

He took a few moments to think about it.

“I’d have to say Sweeney Todd, because physically I’m almost there, and it’s such a great role,” he tells me. Then he takes a moment to rethink “Or perhaps Mama Rose in Gypsy? Now THERE’s a role, but I’d probably have to shave off the beard.”

But for the next few months at least he will be doing everything he can to be truly terrible on stage, in the best way possible.

And he promises, “It’s the most debaucherously manic laugh-out-loud experience you will ever have in the theatre.”

I’m sure he’s not wrong about that.

The Play That Goes Wrong (2025). Photo: Hagen Hopkins.

Imagine starring in the musical you composed the songs for, that made it to Broadway and scored you a Tony nomination, in your hometown. Eddie Perfect is living that dream with the Australian Premiere of Beetlejuice The Musical opening in Melbourne. David Spicer spoke to the singer/actor/composer.

Bright as a button, Eddie Perfect loves talking about musicals and I have been lucky enough to interview him about his big hit Beetlejuice The Musical on the phone from Broadway, in a café in New York and on this occasion inside the Sydney Opera House.

It was Eddie’s night off from starring in Opera Australia’s Candide and what good fortune to run into him in the foyer waiting to see an opera.

Being Eddie Perfect’s agent for the play The Beast, and Shane Warne the Musical (and a pushy retired ABC journalist to boot), how could I resist the opportunity to ask him a few quick questions about his huge new role, before the bells ushered us into the Joan Sutherland Theatre?

At that point, rehearsals were about to commence for Beetlejuice The Musical and the original creatives from Broadway weren’t yet in Melbourne.

“I am going to have to reinvent the relationship between myself and the director. From being people sitting there [as a composer/lyricist] talking about the actors, now I’m going to be the actor,” Eddie told me.

“So, I don’t really know what that dynamic will be like, but it’s exciting. Nobody in New York knows the performing side of my life. And now they’re all flying over

here to put the show up, with the guy that used to be the composer playing the role of Beetlejuice. It’s like a big novelty for them. [For me] It’s terrifying.”

The story of Beetlejuice The Musical, based on the movie, is about a recently deceased couple who hire a ghost to scare away the new owners of their house.

Will any aspect of the production be adjusted for local audiences?

“It is set in America. It’s just more about being aware of jokes that are so culturally pertinent to America that they don’t play in Australia and making sure we take care of them so that they make more sense. But the location is in America.”

One bit of Aussie lingo did make it to Broadway. In a previous interview he confided with me about one line he loved.

“Beetlejuice says, ‘right now you couldn’t frighten a fly or scare a seagull off a fry.’ Everyone goes why would a seagull eat a fry? A seagull on a chip is the most Australian thing ever. That lyric is staying!”

But could he tweak the show now if he wanted?

“That is a political minefield. I’d have to run any changes by the book writers. Every now and then people are like, ‘Oh, you should say this or say that’. You know, I

didn’t write the script. I just wrote the songs and the only thing I could get away with is changing the lyrics.

“But also, the way it’s rolled out all over the world has been very much about grafting the comedy onto the cast that you have, and making it work for them. There’s nothing worse than people trying to be funny like other people. So, we hire funny people who were right on the role and let them do it.”

Now that he’s the funny person hired, expect to see Perfect’s big bold personality reflected in the performance.

“It’s a fun role. Like, I’ve been loving learning it while I’m doing Candide here. Beetlejuice this is a weird comparison: he’s a bit like Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. He’s a philosophical guy. He talks to the audience. He’s like, why can’t I get a break?

“He wants to be on the inside, living life, being a part of things. And even though he’s a millennia old demon, who’s a manipulator and a liar, you can’t help but empathise with him. He’s just this lonely, invisible dude. Aren’t we all?”

So, when he looks at the script does he see it through the fresh eyes of an actor or the eyes of the co-creator?

“Totally fresh,” was his immediate response. “There is so much extreme material to play. It is limitless and boundless.”

The story about how Perfect got the Beetlejuice gig is worth re-telling.

In 2019 I spoke to him at the Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway, as the show was about to open.

“I have never been in such a glorious creative position,” he told me on the phone, on a dinner break from a rehearsal.

“I’ve been working on Beetlejuice for four years now. It is right up my alley. It is funny. It is dark. It is absurd. It walks a funny and dangerous line. It has a lot of heart and guts and soul to it.

“We are doing 15-hour days. I start rehearsals with the orchestra in the morning. We come to the theatre in the middle of the day, then we tech until midnight. Seven days a week.”

How did it happen that an unknown Australian composer/writer with a few local credits was commissioned to write the lyrics and music to a Broadway musical adaptation of a Hollywood film, backed by a movie studio? Well…he decided to have a crack!

“My wife said buy a ticket to New York and stick around. I didn’t know anybody in New York, then Tim Minchin introduced me to his theatre writing agent. I gave him a copy of Shane Warne The Musical. He liked it even though he didn’t know anything about cricket.”

But how would he get a big New York writer to work with him?

“I heard about Beetlejuice and asked my agent if I could pitch for it. It had heavy duty Broadway producers who didn’t know my stuff which was Australian.

“So, I said, ‘What if I wrote two songs for them for free?’ It wouldn’t cost them anything.”

The offer was accepted.

“I looked at the script and wrote songs for [the characters of] Lydia and Beetlejuice. The first songs you write for a musical are the hardest, when all the decisions are made. What do these characters sound like vocally and what is the sonic world of that?

“The Beetlejuice song drove me crazy writing it. It is now the opening number. He cycles through ten different styles of music, like a demented split personality version of Genie and Aladdin. It goes from banjo folk, to swing to dance hall to ska. It is kind of like bonkers.

“Then I wrote a song for Lydia, called ‘Dead Mom’. It is much more like an indie rock tune.

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Eddie Perfect in Beetlejuice The Musical.

Photo: Benny Capp.

Online extras!

Eddie Perfect discusses how Beetlejuice was reimagined after its D.C. previews youtu.be/RfKiE4_kuRA

(Continued from page 13)

“I didn’t hear anything for a couple of months, then I got a phone call from my agent saying you got the gig!

“I was like, this was insane. I honestly thought I would have to do something Off Broadway, then maybe drag myself into town. So, it was incredible. This is my chance to present my style of composing and lyric writing on Broadway. I have worked harder on this piece than anything in my life.

“I made a promise that no matter what time America wanted to do the phone call in a group conference call, I would be there. I would get up at 4AM and skateboard down to my local park in the dark and sit at the picnic table so that I could talk without waking the kids up.

“I would do meetings as the sun came up or in the middle of the night. I flew back and forth continuously over four years.”

Six months later we caught up for brunch in a restaurant close to the Lincoln Centre in NYC.

With a mouthful of a salmon bagel, our conversation turned to how close Beetlejuice The Musical came to disaster.

“We opened in Washington D.C. and got really negative press. One critic hated it. That affected our entire trajectory into Broadway. The review set up a narrative that our show had a great set, but the rest was a corporate piece of shit.”

He grumbles that the musical had genuine comedy but was being stymied by theatrical critical conservatism. Producers of the musical adaptation of the Warner Brothers film went back to the drawing boards. They did exit interviews with members of the Washington audience. Producers learnt that the ‘heart and soul of the show’, the message, was not being picked up by people. They were just seeing chaos.

“So, we went about re-writing the whole thing.”

Eddie rolls his eyes at a story leaked to the press.

“They always throw the writers under the bus. They say things like, the director sat down with the writers saying, ‘I want good songs.’ That was annoying. We were the ones doing the work. The rest are just flapping around.

“We came to New York with no money in the bank and no one talking about the show. Everyone made up their mind that Beetlejuice was dead on arrival. Ninety percent of press was about the set.

“I had a terrifying conversation with my agent. He said if daily ticket sales don’t start going up after the first two weeks, you guys are going to be shut before opening night.”

Beetlejuice The Musical At the Regent Theatre, Melbourne. beetlejuicethemusical.com.au

Eddie says that the first performance at the Winter Garden Theater in front of family and friends, people with Zimmer Frames and a contingent of what he calls New York’s “biggest douche bags with no sense of humour” was a disaster.

Next came the first proper paying audience and he was immediately buoyed by a line of people in high spirits queuing around the block. After the first song the applause went for a full minute.

“We were still unable to enjoy it. We knew this audience reaction does not inoculate you against the angry conservative man with a sea of people around him loving it.

“Opening night was insane. We were so worried and got mixed reviews. The New York Times review was not good, but not King Kong bad.”

Audiences were building, but it was by no means a hit, then something changed. Eddie Perfect left his phone off on the day that Tony Award nominations were announced. When he switched it on, it was going off like Fourth of July fireworks.

The musical scored eight nominations including Best Original Score for Eddie.

“A lot of fancy people [Tony Award voters] then had to see it. Before no-one wanted to see us. Word of mouth was building. We got to perform and rewrite a song for the Tony Awards. In America people don’t do that. The awards and the cast album changed the narrative from us being a turkey to being something of a cult hit.

“People are really fanatical about it. It is not a giant blockbuster, but it has defied expectations.”

He didn’t win the Tony, but Beetlejuice The Musical went on to have two stints on Broadway, a national tour of the United States and seasons in Japan, Brazil and South Korea.

No doubt Eddie is now doing quite well for himself. As the star of the musical he wrote, there is a nice wage and share of box office. It wasn’t always the case.

In 2019 he told me, “Last year we were pretty broke. We still had a roof over our heads and food, but it was pretty miserable. We couldn’t afford to see anything or eat out.

“We moved to New York. I sold my grand piano. It was like when the rockets fall away at take-off.

“We live in a tiny apartment. This was almost a career killer. I thought, I have failed and will have to move back to Australia.

Times have changed. He’s moved back to Australia and his name is in lights on the Beetlejuice billboard twice.

The Pick Of The Fringe

Adelaide is truly Australia’s festival capital. In quick succession the city opens and closes theatre doors and tent flaps for the Adelaide Festival, Writers’ Week, Womadelaide and the Fringe. The largest of these the month-long Adelaide Fringe the largest of its kind in southern hemisphere is almost impossible to cover. Mark Wickett gave it a shot.

This year, the Adelaide Fringe welcomed over a million ticketholders (the third successive year it’s achieved this) and presented over 1,400 different shows at more than 500 venues across the state. Hubs such as ‘Gluttony’ pull focus at the popular East End of the city, where

streets are closed to traffic and instead are filled with diners and drinkers as well as buskers, who still come to the city to entertain outside the official tents, bars, function rooms and theatres.

The smaller multi-venue hubs are just as busy from Goodwood

Theatre & Studios in the south, to Holden Street Theatres in the west, to the Courtyard of Curiosities in the heart of the city.

All genres of performing and visual arts are represented, and after comedy, theatre dominates with more than 160 productions filling performing spaces with shows from one-person storytelling to all-singing, all-dancing Shakespeare.

Reviewers from Stage Whispers were out every evening and this year reviewed nearly sixty productions between Kerry Cooper, Shelley Hampton, Barry Hill OAM, Jude Hines and Mark Wickett.

One of the highlights was the BankSA ‘Pick of the Fringe’ award winner Chicken, absurdist theatre from Eva O’Connor about Don Murphy, a proud Irish chicken, complete with impressive tail feathers and a superb red cockscomb. It is genius writing that manages to create a parallel universe which intersects with ours. Its intelligence is in how a monologue can raise ethical questions whilst injecting a ridiculous amount of hilarity a cracking Fringe show.

One of the great things about the Fringe is getting inside some truly remarkable spaces transformed into a venue, and the Circulating Library must be one of the best: in a room adjacent to the world-famous Mortlock Library, this is a two-storied, million-story room, with books floor to ceiling on all four walls.

Fortunately, the shows staged here were usually up to the standard of their surrounds, with Casey Jay Andrews’ Oh My Heart, Oh My Home being the stand-out. It’s a story of Freddie and her grandfather, who has lived in a house far away perfect

(Continued on page 16)

Lindsay Prodea in A Friend Of Dorothy Photo: Kyahm Ross.

(Continued from page 15)

for observing a rare meteor storm, away from a city’s light pollution.

Andrews told the story in words and pictures, the latter coming through a projector that pushes moving images to a doll’s house which, as a new chapter of the story begins, opens up to reveal a new room, perfectly furnished and illuminated with tiny bulbs. Its incredible and intricate design, and the real and fantastic perfectly complement Andrews’ words and live, ethereal music from Jack Brett.

Cabaret is also well-served at the Fringe, despite Adelaide having its own festival dedicated to that art later in the year. Jude Hines was excited for local performer Lindsay Prodea, riding high on award wins and nominations for his musical theatre works over the last twelve months. His solo cabaret debut, A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride, played to sold-out audiences at Plant 4 Bowden, a few kilometres out of the city.

Prodea’s show is about challenging everyone to be their authentic and unique selves, citing and performing anthems by wellknown icons including Judy Garland, Elton John and Freddie Mercury. Reviewer Hines urged audiences not to miss this ‘Adelaide talent on the brink of bigger things’. Prodea’s producer, Matthew Liersch, also picked up the ‘Best Emerging Producer Award’ at this year’s Fringe.

For reviewer Barry Hill, one of the best shows this year was Skank

Sinatra, a solo drag artist who jokes, tells stories, sings, plays piano, and looks truly beautiful. Jens Radda’s alter-ego Skank takes the audience across Australia and to the Berlin nightclub scene, dotting her dialogue with Sinatra songs but with changed lyrics, sung with a liquid velvet baritone voice. Her stories were well-written and delivered with flair comedy gold.

Hill also immersed himself into Ritual, a theatrical event that felt like being in a secret order. The audience was challenged to face their innermost desires and hidden fears by a gypsy-like girl and a satanic creature who desires her, then walked to a different and unnaturally cold room where a veiled woman invites them to sit at her table. The audience were nervous, jumpy yet never left feeling unsafe. Their attention to detail was flawless, from elaborate makeup to gothic horror costumes and a carefully crafted script.

Circus was also strong at the Fringe, filling massive tents every night for five weeks, and they varied from late night risqué to early evening family shows 360 Allstars being one of the latter, reviewed by Kerry Cooper. Gene Peterson played drums and keyboard to create a live soundtrack for acrobatics, breakdancing, gravity-defying stunts on the Cyr wheel, juggling and BMX tricks. The energy displayed did not wane for the entire hour and was only matched by the excitement of the audience.

There were shows on serious topics such as nationalism, sexual

Jens Radda in Skank Sinatra.

Photo: Leo Hiraga.

violence, religious identity, political unrest, yet they still found room for humour. And if you were wanting something more escapist, there were plenty of options for comedy, familyfriendly magic, and opportunities to sing and dance to music from all eras. Adelaide Fringe is an open-access arts festival, which means that anyone can apply to present a show, and the Fringe as an organisation provides extensive support to creatives in producing, finding a venue, and funding. This year, 200 grants worth

over $1m were awarded, focusing on diversity, innovation and creativity. This supported shows that looked at mental health, for First Nations writers and performers, as well as financial support for artists, producers and venues.

The Fringe also runs ‘Honey Pot’, which is an international arts marketplace that provides services, events and a platform for artists, producers and presenters to connect in person or virtually. In 2024, it connected nearly 400 artists and producers to generate more than $4m in additional revenue from performances all over the world including at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe, the only fringe bigger than Adelaide’s.

Commercially, the Adelaide Fringe adds a tremendous amount to the local economy: last year, it created 13,553 direct and indirect jobs and generated $149m in total gross economic expenditure for the state yet only a sixth of that gets back to the artists and venues in box office revenue.

The tension between art and commercialism is particularly tight: the larger venue hubs have many more food and drink outlets than performance spaces and these flood the public’s consciousness with expensive marketing, making it difficult for the smaller venues to compete.

Whilst the quality of shows is ever increasing, there’s a lot of competition and the current cost of living hits audiences hard, especially when the average full-price theatre ticket at the Fringe exceeds $40. Nevertheless, Director and CEO of Adelaide Fringe Heather Croall said, “We are thrilled to have seen so many people from around Australia and the world embracing Fringe again this year” and added “Fringe has once again proven to be not just a celebration of creativity, but a vital part of South Australia’s cultural and economic landscape.”

Stage Whispers reviewers have plenty of time to catch up on some sleep: Adelaide Fringe returns in 2026 from Friday February 20.

Eva O’Connor in Chicken

Photo: Late Cut Media.

Musicals In 2025: An Update

Since publishing the ‘Musicals in 2025’ feature in our December 2024 edition, we have kept busy updating the online version at stagewhispers.com.au/news/musicals-2025 These pages feature three of the latest Musical Theatre announcements.

Anastasia The Musical Broadway musical Anastasia will have its Australian premiere at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in December before touring to Perth and Sydney in 2026. Inspired by the mysterious tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution, and the 20th Century Fox animated fairytale of the same name, Anastasia has been brought to life on the stage by the Tony Awardwinning creative team of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. stagewhispers.com.au/news/broadway-musical-anastasia-australia-2025

Anastasia

Photo: Annemieke van der Togt / Roy Beusker Fotografie.

Cats

As the 40th anniversary Australian tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats approaches, the first three cast members have been announced. Todd McKenney will play the dual roles of Bustopher Jones and Gus the Theatre Cat. Todd played Tumblebrutus in the original Melbourne season of Cats from 1987 to 1988. Mark Vincent will play Old Deuteronomy, the patriarch of the Jellicle tribe. Also returning to Cats after many years will be Leigh Archer as Jennyanydots, also known as the “Gumbie Cat”. Leigh played Demeter in the 1992/93 Australian and Asian tour. The production will play at Cats original Australian home, the Theatre Royal Sydney from June 17, then Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide, and Hamer Hall, Melbourne. stagewhispers.com.au/news/three-cats-cast-members-announced

Back To The Future: The Musical Tony Award winner Roger Bart will don the boiler suit and voice-activate the time travelling DeLorean for the Australian Premiere season of Back To The Future: The Musical at the Sydney Lyric in September, reprising his Broadway and West End role of Dr. Emmett Brown. Other cast members include Ashleigh Rubenach as Marty’s mum Lorraine, Emma Feliciano as Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer, Thomas McGuane as Biff, Javon Smith as Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry, and Anton Berezin as Strickland. Ethan Jones will play Marty’s father, George McFly. Casting of the role of Marty McFly will be announced in June. stagewhispers.com.au/news/back-future-casting-announced

Todd McKenney, Leigh Archer & Mark Vincent at Theatre Royal Sydney.

Photo: David Hooley.

Bob Gale and Roger Bart on the set of Back To The Future: The Musical

Photo: Matt Crockett.

Australian Musical Theatre Festival

Rose Cooper shared a coffee with Tyran Parke in Launceston as he was putting the final touches to five days of gourmet musical theatre.

If you’re involved in theatre, chances are you either know Tyran Parke personally, or you know someone who does. There aren’t many areas of the performing arts that Tyran hasn’t had a hand in, and not many parts of Australia where he hasn’t either performed, taught, produced or directed.

He grew up in Newcastle, going on to study at WAAPA, then doing further study in Sydney, as well as performing in and directing major productions in Sydney and overseas. I’d venture to suggest he’s Aussie theatre’s answer to Kevin Bacon.

Currently residing in Melbourne, his day job is Head of Music Theatre at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts. Recently, he launched his own production company Clovelly Fox which in itself implies that he’s a very busy man.

Amazing therefore that for the past six years he’s also been swanning across the Bass Strait to Launceston every Autumn, to be either the executive producer, or artistic director or both for the annual Australian Festival Of Musical Theatre.

Naturally, he also performs, directs, conducts live celebrity interviews and teaches theatre craft at a diverse range of performance workshops alongside some of Australia’s most talented thespians, during the five-day festival. Yet, with all this on his plate, somehow the stars aligned for us to catch up

Within minutes I was struck by his effective and deeply sincere way of communicating his passion for all things theatre. He has the knack of meeting people on their level

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and creating a sense of genuine connection. I can’t recall ever meeting someone who was every bit as invested in listening as he was in talking. It’s a cliché to describe such an accomplished artist as ‘down to earth’ (and in Tyran’s case, that’s obviously true also) but it’s more than that. His ability to connect with people is clearly his superpower.

“At the first festival in 2019, Chloe Dallimore made this amazing thank you speech, saying how deeply moved she was by the experience; declaring that it was more than a festival of Musical Theatre, it was also a festival of humanity,” he says, glowing with pride. “That, to me was the highest compliment.”

He adds, “As far as I’m concerned, the festival is a celebration of human connection first and foremost. That means everybody from the seasoned performers to emerging artists, to audiences and theatre geeks, to the students and the locals. It’s a chance for everyone to share their stories and discover their potential. Live theatre creates communities within communities.”

Devising the complex program each year poses all kinds of challenges, but Tyran sees them as opportunities to continually explore, expand and reinvent the medium.

He explains: “Musical Theatre has often been misrepresented as lightweight, compared to other forms of theatre, but the genre has continually evolved to be just as emotionally raw, real and life-affirming as straight drama.

“In fact, there’s a worldwide shift from the term ‘Musical Theatre’ to ‘Music Theatre’. Back when I got my degree, it was for ‘Musical Theatre’, however that same institution now offers ‘Music Theatre’ instead. We’re continually identifying things that defy the usual descriptors.

“What is a musical? If it’s done by an opera company, is it now an opera? If it uses the form in a different way, like Once or Hamilton, how do we identify it as a musical? Calling it Music Theatre allows us to embrace numerous possibilities within the form and I’m all for it.”

That ongoing exploration is reflected in this year’s diverse programme, and several events are free!

“Launceston has the perfect layout for this event,” Tyran enthuses.” As well as utilising traditional spaces, we’ll have all sorts of free events popping up in various unusual locations during the day. We even have an event at the Harvest Markets. Did you know that Launceston is ranked 4th in UNESCO’s Worldwide Top Ten Regions of Gastronomy?”

I did not. I make a mental note to Google ‘gastronomy’.

His enthusiasm is infectious. “I love the freedom I feel to experiment with concepts, genres and formats. While budget constraints encourage me to think outside of the box, which is not altogether a bad thing.

“For example, last year we challenged the budget when staging Nine, The Musical. We couldn’t afford the usual number of musicians, which inspired the idea to introduce one instrument at a time. By the time the mini ‘orchestra’ played in unison, it was at a pivotal point in the play, which made the production feel extra special.”

It’s very clear, when sharing these stories of festivals past, just how genuinely fond he is of Launceston. He even regaled me with the odd history lesson...

“Richard White was a former convict from England who served out his time on Norfolk Island and then came to settle in Launceston. Apparently free men could just stake a claim in those days, so he grabbed a chunk of land in the middle of town and built the Launceston Hotel. In today’s parlance “Dicky” would be politely described as a Colourful Racing Identity. While the famous old hotel has since been divided and repurposed, there’s a charming Laneway nearby called Dicky White’s Lane to carry on his legacy. It’s the perfect backdrop for our free, pop-up street performances, known as Busker’s Alley. Very happy to say this has become a festival tradition.”

As he speaks, I find myself feeling a very strong pang of retro-FOMO, for all the cool stuff I’ve missed so far. It does fade somewhat when I think about all the incredible productions on offer this year. I’m honestly giddy about seeing the one-off production of Some Enchanted Evening at the gorgeous Princess Theatre Not only will the line-up of singers be a gathering together of the festival’s biggest names, singing the greatest hits from Broadway and the West End, but they’ll be sharing the stage with the award-winning Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

I’m not sure I’m ready for it, to be honest. I’ll need keep the tissues handy.

Then there’s Working: A Musical, playing at the Earl Arts Theatre for two nights with songs from famous composers like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor, interwoven with a wide variety of monologues, based on the best-selling book by Studs Terkel (you read the name right) which contains interviews with ‘the workers the world often takes for granted’. Tyran lights up describing his vision for this production.

“This is a fantastic show, but I felt parts of it weren’t entirely relevant to modern, local

Australian Musical Theatre Festival Venues throughout Launceston. May 21 to 25. amtf.org.au

audiences, so I took a bit of a gamble and contacted Stephen Schwartz personally to ask if I could throw some local flavour into the mix. He agreed! Then I did a call out to local Launcestonites to send me their stories, which I am incorporating into fresh new monologues.”

Because of course he will. By this point, I’m not 100% sure Tyran sleeps.

Suddenly a friend of his arrives and taps Tyran on the shoulder. They arranged to meet for lunch. Where did that 90 minutes go?

He introduces me to his old friend as ‘his new friend, Rose,’ then asks: “I hope that’s not too presumptuous.”

As if. Our chat left me feeling inspired and so replenished. It’s a superpower, I tell you.

May 21 cannot get here quick enough.

Catch highlights from the 2024 Australian Musical Theatre Festival youtu.be/OpsHK4RT7go

Tyran Parke.

Photo: Cameron Jones.

Behind The Scenes

With Debora Krizak

The Choreographer On Easy Street

Five years ago, I auditioned for one of my favourite musicals, Pippin. It was the first show to come out of the pandemic and I immersed myself in the material like my life depended on it. Pippin, like Annie, holds a special place in my heart. They were both shows I performed in Adelaide when I was a teenager discovering my love for the stage.

At my final call-back I got to work, one on one, with the resident choreographer, Mitchell Woodcock. He was impossibly tall, charismatic and commanded attention without ever being intimidating. I’d seen him in Chicago and if you couldn’t already gather, I had a huge talent crush!

I didn’t get the role but five years later our paths crossed again on Annie

Time and fate are funny concepts. Nothing is within our control. I went to bed the night after the Sydney media call and awoke to a plethora of new Instagram followers, including producers and directors from the West End and Broadway.

A clip of the song ‘Easy Street’ published by Stage Whispers on Instagram and Facebook in the evening went viral, attracting more than 650,000 views (at last count).

Mitchell’s choreography was at the forefront of the world-wide theatrical community, and the timing couldn’t be better.

The number ‘Easy Street’ is the pinnacle of an old Broadway style number. It requires the perfect blend of dance, characterisation, comedy and vocals. When all these elements combine, the number can be quite thrilling to perform, and it is a highlight for me every night.

Finding the balance between Hannigan being a little worse for wear and her needing to dance was a challenge initially. I couldn’t suddenly become this perfectly executed dancer. I had to hit the choreography sharp while still giving it an edge.

We found moments in the rehearsal room where Lily (Mackenzie Dunn) executes a masterful high kick into a back bend drop over Rooster’s (Keanu Gonzalez) knee. This was a great moment to explore, with Hannigan being hit in the head but so taken away in the fantasy of the song, that she doesn’t feel any pain. Instead, I let out a big Rooster “cock a doodle doo” and relished in the promise of what a life on easy street could mean for her.

Mitchell’s approach to ‘Easy Street’ encompassed the fantasy of that sudden wealth and luxury.

“Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily imagine finally escaping their miserable lives and living the high life not through hard work, but by scamming their way there. The scenes within the song capture both their grim reality and the moment they begin conjuring their deceitful plan, while

Debora Krizak Miss Hannigan in Annie speaks with Mitchell Woodcock, the choreographer who has set the theatre world on fire.

Annie Photo: Daniel Boud.

Online extras!

Watch the viral clip of Debora Krizak, Keanu Gonzalez and Mackenzie Dunn tinyurl.com/5n7vj8ka

the choruses evoke a dream-like vision of success. To capture this contrast physically, I made sure the movement had weight and heaviness, evoking both the struggle and hardship of their current lives, and the imagined opulence of being draped in jewels and wealth.

“It was important to me that the scenes seamlessly flowed back into the song each time, and that with every re-entry into the music, we shifted gears, raising the stakes and pushing the characters further into their fantasy. One of the first things I discussed with the actors was how their characters might walk and breathe. Hannigan, likely not the healthiest of people, felt like she had a tight chest and heavy breath, which in turn gave her a hunched and weighted posture. Rooster led with his pelvis, with a more cocky swagger and calculated breath. Lily, on the other hand, had shallow, high breaths that gave her a bounce and heightened energy in her movement, a constant flirtation with attention. The most enjoyable part for me was choreographing the instrumental section. The richness of the musical accents and working with Anthony, the drummer, to uncover hidden percussive accents in the score.”

Mitchell Woodcock is a hard man to tie down. At the same time as rehearsing Annie, he was working on Australian Idol, running his new company Co-Lab Quarters, as well as launching his brand new Spiegeltent show Lassu

I asked him why he came to be involved with the remount of Annie.

“I was inspired by the opportunity to explore a versatile range of dance styles, from the classic 1930s Broadway numbers like ‘Easy Street’ and ‘NYC’, to the athletic and dynamic movement in ‘Hard Knock Life’, and the elegant lines and pas de deux choreography featured in the mansion scenes. The versatility is something that really enticed me to be involved.”

To ensure a fresh take on this classic musical, he thoroughly researched the era and style but was careful not to lean too heavily on it as he wanted the choreography to feel informed, not imitated. It was important to leave space for originality.

“I focused on creating engaging stage pictures and dynamic patterning that enhanced the storytelling, while staying connected to the emotional intention of each scene. To my surprise, the adult ensemble has very few unison dance breaks in the show. Since they each portray a variety of characters, it simply didn’t make sense for them to be dancing in sync.”

For someone so young, Mitchell’s body of work is already impressive. He’s won a Helpmann Award for Saturday Night Fever, became the youngest choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance Australia,

has served as a creative director and choreographer on Australian Idol and The Voice (to name a few), and collaborated with many high-end fashion labels.

“I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t choreographing. From a young age, I was always making up dance routines, and by the time I was 12, I was choreographing my own eisteddfod solos. Even now, I’m still amazed by the process and how every choreographer works differently. I love to prepare choreography ahead of rehearsals; it’s a private space for me to workshop and try all my ideas without the pressure of time. It assists me with entering the rehearsal room with a clear vision and a chance to move quickly and explore options.

Choreography has always been something I’ve felt a deep urge to do, and beyond theatre, I find it incredibly fulfilling to work as a creative director, shaping the vision through styling, lighting, screen content, camera direction, casting, and of course, movement. Seeing all those elements come together into one cohesive piece is one of the most rewarding parts of the process.”

With every re-staging of a classic Broadway show, such as Annie, there are bound to be a few challenges.

“This was my first time working with a young cast, and with three rotating children’s ensembles, four Annies and two dogs; it was a juggling act, especially while creating brand new choreography from the ground up. I am a slight perfectionist, so when I make even the smallest of changes to one group, I would then need to accurately

(Continued on page 24)

Annie

Capitol Theatre, Sydney - Until Jun 21.

Princess Theatre, Melbourne - From Jul 10.

Lyric Theatre, QPAC - From Dec 27. anniemusical.com.au

implement this for the other two casts. It required a lot of patience, organisation and adaptability, and it was a valuable learning curve both artistically and logistically.

That said, one of the biggest highlights was watching the children’s growth throughout the process. Seeing their confidence, stage presence and technical performance flourish by opening night was incredibly rewarding.”

The rewards are still paying off for Mitchell. With the ‘Easy Street’ media vision going viral all over the world, it seems like a natural progression that his wonderful talent will soon be shared beyond our shores.

“I was genuinely surprised and thrilled by the response to the video. I first realised something was happening when I started getting a flood of follow requests from international directors and artists. Then the messages started coming in from all over the world, and I was completely overwhelmed in the best way by the incredible feedback.

“It’s quite rare for a musical theatre moment to gain that kind of traction online, so to see ‘Easy Street’ resonate with so many people, beyond the context of the show, was honestly shocking but also deeply rewarding. It’s a huge credit to the cast’s commitment and talent, and a reminder of how powerful theatre can be, even in a

clip. If anything, it’s encouraged me to keep creating with boldness and authenticity, because you never know what might connect with audiences on a larger scale.”

Mitchell has set his sights on the U.S. and now has a potential project kicking off in June in New York. He’ll be splitting his time between NYC and Sydney and tapping into some of those wonderful connections he has recently acquired. However, Australia will always be home for this star-to-be.

”What I love about the Australian industry is its flexibility for performers and creatives to often work across multiple platforms, from theatre and film to TV and live music. Unlike some international industries where people tend to stay in one lane, here we’re encouraged to be adaptable. The skills I’ve gained in one area constantly inform and enrich my work in another.”

As the curtain rises on Annie and we settle in for the year ahead, it’s clear that this choreographer stands on the brink of something extraordinary. With his unique vision, relentless passion, and a gift for turning movement into magic, he’s ready to take centre stage in a whole new way. Broadway is calling and he’s poised not just to answer, but to soar. The world is about to witness a star in the making, and his next act promises to be nothing short of unforgettable.

short

(Continued from page 23)

Mitchell Woodcock.

Kimberly Akimbo

Lisa Lanzi attended the launch of State Theatre Company South Australia’s Australian tour of Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo.

Adelaide! Get ready to transport yourself to suburban New Jersey, 1999 and meet a young girl who is aging at four times the normal rate due to a rare genetic condition. Kimberly Akimbo is a musical adventure that follows Kimberly Levaco as she navigates the landscape of a new town, new school, and life with her dysfunctional family. She is also about to celebrate her 16th birthday, which means she could be nearing the end of her life as those stricken with her (progeria-like) disease are not meant to live much beyond that age.

The Tony Award-winning book and lyrics are by David LindsayAbaire (Rabbit Hole) based on his 2001 play of the same name. Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) has created the Tony Award-winning score and the show has already conquered Broadway and toured the USA. As a co-production of State Theatre Company of SA and Melbourne Theatre Company the Australian Premiere of this work this July will light up the stage of Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide. The cast includes Marina Prior, Casey Donovan, Christie Whelan Browne and Nathan O’Keefe plus a young cohort of recently graduated Bachelor of Music Theatre performers from Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium.

With much excitement and the novelty of three highly talented, leotard-clad roller skaters zooming through the crowd, invited guests were able to meet some of the cast over bubbles and canapés. We heard from Petra Kalive (our brand new State Theatre Artistic Director), Kimberly Akimbo director extraordinaire Mitchel Butel (and previous STCSA Artistic

Director), plus Marina Prior who will play the lead role. Claire Scapinello from ECH (retirement living and inhome care services provider) also spoke about the rich partnership her company has had with STCSA since 2022, and how the two entities align so well through shared visions and values: that we can live life well, no matter our age or the stage of our life’s journey. As Kimberly states, “no one gets a second time around”.

The production opened OffBroadway in December 2021 then

moved to Broadway’s Booth Theatre in November 2022. It garnered five Tony Awards as well as acclaim at the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Variety magazine calls Kimberly Akimbo “an oddball musical that’s impossible not to love”. It is also refreshing, in a genre filled with re-staged favourites, movie doovers, and ‘juke box’ mega-musicals, to anticipate this work with its original, spirited, and somewhat unconventional story.

Online extras!

Christie Whelan Browne and Marina Prior discuss Kimberly Akimbo. youtu.be/aorVX583lcU

Kimberly Akimbo

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide - Jul 8 to 19. Arts Centre Melbourne - Jul 26 to Aug 30. mtc.com.au

Kimberly Akimbo

Photo: Jo Duck.

Cameron Mackintosh’s concert staging of Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular made its Australian debut in April. The musical has been a global sensation, seen by over 130 million audience members across 53 countries and translated into 22 languages. Its status as one of the world’s most beloved musicals remains unchallenged. The gripping tale of shattered aspirations, unrequited love, fervour, sacrifice, and redemption is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Now, as the musical enters its 40th year in London, this production introduces a design tailored for expansive venues, with a cast and orchestra exceeding 65 members.

The line-up for the Australian tour features renowned Les Misérables stars alongside fresh talents. Alfie Boe and Killian Donnelly will alternate the role of Jean Valjean, while Michael Ball and Bradley Jaden will share the

portrayal of Javert. The talented company features Matt Lucas and Marina Prior as The Thénardiers, Jac Yarrow as Marius, Beatrice PennyTouré as Cosette, James D. Gish as Enjolras and Rachelle Ann Go as Fantine.

For Rachelle, it has been a journey to the musical theatre stage. She first captured hearts as a pop idol, dazzling audiences across her homeland in the Philippines and beyond with her powerful voice. Her career began after she won the television talent show Search for a Star in 2004. She has recorded five studio albums, one live album, nineteen singles and six promotional singles.

She then turned her attention to the theatre.

“I feel like musicals have transformed me,” she says. “I didn’t have access when I was growing up to see theatre. It was all pop music. Now I love both, and if I am not

doing theatre, you will catch me riffing in the kitchen.”

She manages both stages now pop and theatre.

“I still do some concerts back home in the Philippines. I love the energy you get from the audience.” That is something she is looking forward to that big arena sound. “I cannot wait to hear the sound. It will be very powerful.”

Her transition from pop to the stage was not an overnight phenomenon but a deliberate pursuit to fulfil a broader artistic ambition. Although she had performed in both The Little Mermaid and Tarzan, it was on a trip to London, which she now calls home, that she set her sights on one role. “The first time I saw Les Mis, it took my heart. It was 2012 in London. I saw that moment and thought that’s the role I want to play. Fantine. That big moment just stopped my heart,”

Nicole Smith previews the classic musical’s concert return in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, speaking to Rachelle Ann Go who is playing Fantine. The Filipino pop idol and musical theatre performer has brought her two toddlers on tour. Les Misérables - The Arena Spectacular.

Photo: Danny Kaan.

Les Misérables wouldn’t come her way immediately. In 2014, producer Cameron Mackintosh cast her in the revival of Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End. Her performance as Gigi Van Tranh was met with resounding acclaim, finally leading to her dream role in 2015, where she performed Fantine for two years in the West End.

“It was a dream come true. I reached out and caught it with both hands.”

Rachelle’s theatrical star continued to ascend with her casting as Eliza in the original London cast of Hamilton, confirming her place among the most versatile performers of her generation.

Mackintosh’s faith in her talent was further solidified when he invited her to return as Fantine. She reprised the role at the Sondheim Theatre in the West End in 2019 and joined the Les Misérables UK and Ireland tour in 2022. Now, Rachelle Ann Go joins an illustrious cast for Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular

“I was invited to return for the tour. They still entrust me with it, and it is very special. I am grateful for the company. They are like family, and it is exciting to be back for the 40th. I was there for the 30th and it is lovely to be back for another milestone.”

This time, though it is a changed experience.

“I feel more connected with her. I remember internalising before the show before, but being a mum now, I just think of those scenes and what she goes through, and I want to cry. It is tough, and I have a deeper love for the character,” she said.

Rachelle embraces motherhood, balancing her roles as a performer and mum. With two toddlers, she demonstrates that career excellence and personal fulfilment are attainable, but she will still miss tucking them in on show nights.

“Now that I am a mum of two, it will be heartbreaking every night,” she

Les Misérables - The Arena Spectacular

ICC Sydney Arena - Until May 11.

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne - May 14 to 25.

Brisbane Entertainment Centre - May 28 to Jun 1. lesmisarenatour.com.au

says, “but that’s mum’s life! I am trying to enjoy it while they are so little, and it is lucky that I can have them with me on tour. Ten years ago was my first Les Mis story. I did this before I was married and now have children. Each time it is a different chapter of my life, which adds more of the character of Fantine.”

And she cannot wait for that big moment in the arena, the one that made her fall in love with the stage and the character, ‘I Dreamed a Dream’. “It’s my favourite moment. There is so much behind it.”

As Rachelle prepares to deliver yet another performance, audiences across Australia eagerly anticipate this

extraordinary experience and hearing that iconic score featuring crowd favourites ‘On My Own’, ‘Bring Him Home’, and ‘One Day More’. Rachelle hopes to see a new generation falling in love with the music, just as she did back in 2012. “It will attract younger audiences. People unfamiliar with it might come along as it is more like a concert”.

She could be on the money as with an arena spectacular, there comes a rare opportunity to experience the grandeur of Les Misérables in a new, exhilarating format, an unforgettable ride through the trials and triumphs of Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece.

Rachelle Ann Go as Fantine in Les MisérablesThe Arena Spectacular.

Virginia Gay.

Photo: Darren Centofanti.

The world’s largest cabaret festival is turning 25 and audiences are invited to ‘BLING IT ON’ with a contemporary and star-studded lineup. Mark Wickett looks ahead to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

In her second year in the role, Artistic Director Virginia Gay showcases world-class singers and storytellers in 77 performances over 12 nights, including 11 world premieres and 11 Australian exclusives from 5 June.

“We’re celebrating with beloved stars, both local and international, who have helped make and shape our legacy, and we’re introducing you to the trailblazers of the next 25 years,” says Gay, who will be hosting the already sold-out Variety Gala opening night.

Topping the bill is seven-time Grammy award-winning musician Jacob Collier, with an Australian exclusive of just two shows at the festival, filled with improvisations and audience participation, delivered with Jacob’s joyous spirit and energy.

Australian superstar Jessica Mauboy makes her Adelaide Cabaret Festival debut with the world premiere of her show The Story of Me, an unforgettable evening of music and stories for one night only.

Theatrical tour-de-force Bernadette Robinson’s Adelaide premiere show DIVAS sees her transform into musical icons such as Piaf, Bassey, Garland and Maria Callas.

And after helping launch the very first Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Carlotta, the

(Continued on page 30)

Jessica Mauboy.

Photo: Jason Henley.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival Adelaide Festival Centre - Jun 5 to 21. adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au

(Continued from page 29)

inspiration behind Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, returns to the stage after deciding her 2021 retirement wasn’t for her, presenting The Party’s Over, a show looking back on her 81 years.

“Passion, flair, humour and energy… she could do no wrong,” said Stage Whispers’ Jude Hines of a performance at a previous Adelaide Fringe.

Festival regular (and former Artistic Director) David Campbell brings unmatched vocal energy to his show Good Lovin’ & More, and the Festival’s Icon winner of 2024, Reuben Kaye, returns bigger, better and bolder with his hit show enGORGEd XXL

Those suffering withdrawals from the Adelaide Fringe can see one of the first and best contemporary combinations of circus and cabaret, when the award-winning La Clique celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a big season of performances in the Space Theatre.

Davina and the Vagabonds arrive direct from New Orleans to light up the Dunstan Playhouse stage, and also from the Big Easy comes Judith Owen with her show Unapologetically Judith Owen, celebrating the ladies of 1940s and 1950s jazz and blues.

Award-winning cabaret artist Michelle Brasier arrives in Adelaide fresh from a sold-out off-Broadway run to present her show Average Bear and the third production of the cult hit cabaret auditions Comedians on Stage Auditioning for Musicals Stage Whispers reviewer Mark Wickett said of its first iteration: ‘this is a thoroughly enjoyable hour of comedy and musicals, elevated by incredible talent’.

Australian female vocalists Jess Hitchcock, Fanny Lumsden and Alice Keith perform a vibrant tribute to the iconic album Trio, by Dolly Parton, Linda Rondstadt and Emmylou Harris.

Multi-award-winning theatremaker Joanne Hartstone has been awarded this year’s Frank Ford Commission with her show The Smart

Girl’s Guide to Breaking Up, which sees her turn her heartache into a light and lively self-help cabaret.

The Class of Cabaret program returns, celebrating its 16th year and shining a light on the cabaret stars of tomorrow, with sixteen school students creating, rehearsing and performing their own show in one semester, mentored by Mark Oates and Millicent Sarre, herself a graduate of this program.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM says that “this world-renowned festival continues to captivate audiences and shines brightly in Adelaide Festival Centre’s year-round program of festivals”.

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is a favourite winter experience that sparkles between the 5th and 21st of June in and around the Festival Centre and Her Majesty’s Theatre, with every function room and bar becoming a performance space for those spilling out of the main auditoriums.

Reuben Kaye. Photo: Claudio Raschella.

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Show Business Blues

Who wants to be a producer? Les Solomon ponders some recent hits and misses, and peers into his crystal ball for shows that are heading down under.

As we look at the last six months or so of commercial productions in Australia, it is interesting to reflect on what a tenuous business it is to put on a show in the commercial sector.

The market is dominated by musicals and immediately out of the pandemic, the thinking was just do shows people know. Only recently have we begun to see many new musicals. Finally, we have just seen the brilliant production of Hadestown with Beetlejuice following quickly in its footsteps. Both took a long time to get here.

Producers have been wary with these newer shows that have an extensive younger audience base. Hadestown did not click with older audiences, but the younger theatregoers who knew the show from cast recordings and a multitude of bootleg versions on YouTube had been waiting for it. I was fascinated, when I attended a preview, to find it was like a mosh pit at many a rock concert. Members of the audience would have jumped up on stage given half the chance.

However young audiences have limited budgets, so producers rely on older audiences to fill seats. Balancing these demographics has been the big question mark. Look at Dear Evan Hansen, a show that took a long time (too long perhaps) to get to Australia. It was produced by the Sydney Theatre Company and the Michael Cassel Group. It opened and performed well in Sydney, likewise it seemed the figures were good for the Melbourne season, but the proposed tour to Adelaide and Canberra was cancelled due to a lack of bookings.

Shows that have a young appeal or are just plain unknown can fail badly. This happened very recently with the demanding and excellent No Love Songs a show that many people perceived to be a lightweight musical rom com, but in fact was a dark and meaningful examination of post-partum depression.

It opened in Sydney, but an exciting regional and national tour was cancelled because of the combination of poor ticket sales and audiences who were not prepared for what the show offered. Producing is a

juggling act and as this show proved, even a two-hander can fail commercially if the picky Australian audiences don’t want to buy tickets.

The same producer Rodney Rigby did well with his excellent production of the play Gaslight

So, what is coming up and how well will new shows fare? There is still a trend toward producing musicals with a known factor, for example the upcoming Back to the Future and Pretty Woman. Both shows rely totally on audiences being familiar with the story if not the songs. Rumours abound of a return of The Phantom the Opera (tipped for Sydney Harbour again) and of course the current revivals of Annie and Jesus Christ Superstar are always safe; if not necessarily huge money spinners, the chance of at least breaking even is far more likely with these shows.

Producing in Australia is a gamble, and we need to respect all our commercial producers who are willing to invest in the always unpredictable and often flaky Australian theatre market.

Dear Evan Hansen.

Photo: Daniel Boud.

Future Shows?

So, what new shows which are doing well in London and New York will end up here?

Last year saw a wealth of musicals open on Broadway. Most did not last long, with The Outsiders and The Great Gatsby the notable hits.

So far this year the new shows and revivals have been met with mixed reviews. As far as plays go, the one shining light is the oddly titled John Proctor is the Villain. The play has been touring schools and universities since 2022 and has now finally made it to Broadway with a full commercial cast lead by Sadie Sink, the young female actor who has had a big career thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things

The premise is a group of students arguing about and investigating the classic Arthur Miller play The Crucible, re-dressing the theory that the central character of that play John Proctor is not the hero of the story. He is torn down by the new generation of young women who question his relationship with the character of Abigail, often seen as the bewitching villain of the piece. This play is the only opening so far this season that has attracted universal cheers from critics and the cheers have been loud. With a predominantly youthful cast, it would seem to be a natural for Australia, where The Crucible is widely studied in high schools.

As for musicals, they seem a bit of mixed bunch. The two-person musical about two robots falling in love, Maybe a Happy Ending, starring former Glee alumni-Darren Criss, has been playing since last October and seems to be one show that could claim the ‘best musical’ prize.

The musical stage version of the TV show Smash, which has collected a cult following, opened to decidedly mixed reviews with the general feeling that the show will not appeal to many of the diehard fans of the TV series, which was and remains the principal reason for the show’s success. Prospects are dubious.

Of other shows dominating the main theatre capitals, it would be hard to say what should be the next major import for Australia. The British

musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, adapted from the hit movie and famous book, won the Olivier Award for Best Musical this year. Australian producers always seem to favour shows that do well in the UK, so that could be an interesting show to bring to Australia.

Likewise, The Great Gatsby a lavish hit which underwhelmed the critics seems to have found a place in the hearts of the general public in America, especially those who like their musicals loud, lavish and a little heartless. This show seems a certainty for Australia as the book and the films (three) of the story are so well known.

The obvious show to import here remains The Outsiders, despite the novel from which it is based being very Americana centric. The ‘80s movie with Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise is still well liked, and its passionate cast of young people tell a universal story of the rough poor kids vs the well off end of town. It has a terrific score and a passionate, sexy likeability that seems a perfect fit for Australian audiences.

Out And About

The last few months have seen the glorious Hadestown, now in Melbourne after a successful season at the Theatre Royal. The scenic videography in Annie wasn’t to my liking, but Warlow is still there as Warbucks what more do we need?

In The Spotlight

The Hayes Theatre is having a bumper year with two total sell outs the five person The Pirates of Penzance, followed by a small stage version of the big stage hit The Producers. After a year where the choices of the Hayes seemed to wander between shows for the very young (Zombie! The Musical, Ride the Cyclone) to shows for old audiences (Little Women, Holiday Inn) it’s nice to see they have found a nice balance with some solid, proven hits.

We wait with interest to see their year-end, with two new musicals, but especially the much-anticipated Phar Lap, which could finally be one new Hayes musical that finds a home in a bigger commercial season.

Final Thought

Music Theatre lovers should not totally dismiss the movie musical remake Snow White, which has received much criticism for more political “woke” reasons than the musical itself. If you like a bit of an old-fashioned movie musical, it’s worth a look, the highlight being the new songs written by that glorious team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Their original score, mixed charmingly with three of the songs from the classic Disney animated version, is first rate and in the true melodious music theatre style. You may cringe a bit at parts of the movie, but see it for the songs and the bright dance numbers.

With Les Solomon

No Love Songs.

Photo: Brett Boardman.

The 64th Musical Theatre New Zealand training and network conference was held in a small town with a remarkable theatrical history. David Spicer dressed up for the annual meeting and fancydress party in March.

It never ceases to amaze me how lucky New Zealanders are to have such a formidable variety of magnificent theatres. Palmerston North, with a population of 87,000, is blessed with a 1400 seat depression era picture palace now called The Regent on Broadway, along with a professional theatre (Centrepoint) and a 200-seater aptly named The Globe.

When the Regent was built in 1930, the population was a quarter of the size, so it was big enough to house close to ten percent of the town’s residents.

The Palmerston North Operatic Club was in fact formed in 1900 and is the second oldest company in the country. It’s opening production was The Pirates of Penzance

Now called Act Three Productions, the company was the host of the conference of the umbrella organisation for Musical Theatre companies in New Zealand (MTNZ) to mark its 125th anniversary.

In their clubhouse, they had an excellent display of clippings from every decade of their existence. The local newspaper noted that the initial

season was an “unqualified success”, with performances filled with “vim and vigour.”

So, appropriately, the theme for the fancy dress part of the conference was The Pirates of Penzance.

It was my job to judge the fancy dress giving bottles of wine as prizes to one delegate dressed as a parrot and another as a sunken chest. I awarded a special prize to the host company’s President Allan Nagy. A shy behind the scenes technical coordinator, and shrewd manager, he normally declines to dress up at these conferences, so I felt he deserved recognition.

The clippings from past productions were a fascinating look at how the artform of musical theatre has changed over the decades.

Some of the 120 productions staged over the century ranged from now obscure operettas such as Utopia Limited, The Geisha Girl and The Vagabond King, through to the midcentury blockbuster The Desert Song

In the1960s, the company flourished with Calamity Jane, The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! An

early bite at 70’s hit Jesus Christ Superstar, through to the 90’s blockbuster Les Misérables kept the coffers flowing.

The 2009 season of Miss Saigon was the culmination of 50,000 volunteer houses from concept to performance.

When a lead could not be found locally, the company secured a Broadway actress for the role.

The company is often part of the New Zealand consortium which builds or buys expensive set pieces that are shipped all over the country.

“Last year we staged a successful season of Matilda and Kinky Boots This year we are doing School of Rock and Come from Away,” said Nagy.

He takes the success of the company personally. The hardest time was during the pandemic when it had to cancel We Will Rock You four times.

“I will never forget the tears that were shed,” he recalls.

The company quickly pivoted to stage Sister Act in line with Government regulations by dividing the Regent into four separate spaces.

Nagy was involved with the committee that raised millions of dollars to restore the Regent. He’s especially proud of the carpet in the foyer, which is based on the original design and came in a special order from Italy.

I had the pleasure of visiting the town in 2023 when it finally got its season of the Queen musical completed.

This year’s conference had an exceptionally high standard of seminars, divided into performing, technical and management streams.

One of the keynotes left the audience in tears as she explained how theatre had saved her life by giving her friendship at a time of great family stress.

The conference sees company stalwarts given merit certificates and prizes awarded for best program and posters.

ORiGiN Theatrical CEO Kim Ransley was awarded Life Membership for her 30-year association with MTNZ which commenced when she was employed at Warner Chappell Music.

A new feature was a weekend junior training course organised by Music Theatre International Australasia. The youngsters showed the delegates what they had learned in a few hours, shining with a nifty rendition from Newsies and Beauty and the Beast

It was a good tonic because the conference was tinged with sadness. Several giants of the New Zealand Musical Theatre scene passed away over the last year.

Best known around the conference alumni was the late Valda Peacock QSM, who was known by the politically incorrect title of ‘keeper of the virgins’. By virgins she meant people who had attended the conference for the first time. The parade of first timers was a distinctive comedic tradition of conferences past.

The 65th conference will be held next March on the south-island in Oamaru, which is best known for steampunk and fairy penguins.

If you can combine it with some sight seeing, the weekend is well worth a trip over the ditch.

Online extras!

Stage Whispers TV attended the 64th MTNZ conference in Palmerston North youtu.be/7tAIdJqVx3U

 MTNZ conference attendees.

Photo: Kieran Murphy.

 Allan Nagy from Act Three Productions receives his prize.

Photo: Kieran Murphy.

 David Spicer (centre) is joined by MTNZ conference attendees.

Online extras!

Sarah Snook reprises the role of Dorian Gray on a third continent youtu.be/5rkgvwLCWw4

Broadway

The Broadway incarnation of Kip Williams’ adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook (which originated at the Sydney Theatre Company), has garnered mostly positive reviews from the New York critics, though some (including the influential New York Times) were underwhelmed, and a couple (including the Variety reviewer) gave the production a big thumbs down. As we go to press in late April, the show has been playing to 100% capacity houses at the Music Box Theatre.

ABBA’s greatest hits return to Broadway, with the revival of Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden Theatre, which previews on August 2, ahead of an opening on the 14th.

Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham are set to star in Stephen

Schwartz’s new musical The Queen of Versailles, about billionaire-couple Jackie and David Siegel, previewing on October 8, ahead of a November 9 opening.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a new musical adapted from John Berendt’s 1994 blockbuster nonfiction book, is headed to Broadway later in the year, featuring a book by Taylor Mac and a score by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered in Chicago earlier this year.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter will reunite in Jamie Lloyd’s production of Samuel Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot from September 13 at the Hudson Theatre.

West End musical hit Operation Mincemeat has now extended its Broadway run until February 2026.

West End

Audiences will be able to relive the day music brought 1.5 billion people together at Just For One Day, the new musical about Live Aid, starring Craige Els (Bob Geldof), directed by Luke Sheppard, with a book by John O’Farrell, in collaboration with Sir Bob Geldof, playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre from May 15.

Burlesque The Musical plays at the Savoy Theatre from July 10, featuring songs from the movie plus new songs. It has a book by the film’s creator Steven Antin, with additional material by Kate Wetherhead, and music and lyrics by Christina Aguilera, Sia, Diane Warren, Todrick Hall & Jess Folley.

Disney’s Hercules, with a score by Alan Menken and David Zippel, arrives at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from June 6, starring Luke Brady in the title role. Directed by Casey Nicholaw, the musical has been adapted by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Robert Horn.

Directed by Jamie Lloyd, Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita returns to the West End at the London Palladium from June 14, starring Golden Globe award-winner Rachel Zegler as Eva Perón and Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che.

Inter Alia, which has its world premiere at the National from July 10, is written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller. Rosamund Pike plays an eminent High Court Judge forced to reckon her professional life and role as wife, mother, friend and feminist.

Meanwhile, when Mel Brooks’ The Producers heads to the Garrick Theatre from August 30, Trevor Ashley will play outrageous Roger de Bris, alongside Andy Nyman (Max Bialystock), Marc Antolin (Leo Bloom) and Joanna Woodward (Ulla).

Direction is by Patrick Marber. Stephen Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are arrived at the National Theatre on April 23, with a cast including Tracie Bennett and Denis O’Hare reprising their New York roles, along with Jane Krakowski and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Sondheim will be back in the West End later in the year, with Into the Woods playing at the Bridge Theatre December 2.

The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Photo: Marc Brenner.

A couple of hit Broadway plays cross the Atlantic shortly. Tony Award winner Stereophonic, the most Tonynominated play ever, is at the Duke of York’s Theatre from May 24. Set in a music studio in 1976, it dives deep into the highs and lows of a rock band on the verge of superstardom. Written by David Adjmi, directed by Daniel Aukin, and featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, it received 12 Tony Awards nominations, taking out 5 awards including Best Play and Best Direction.

Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) reprises his Tony Award winning performance as Oscar Levant, the razor-sharp wit, virtuoso pianist, and Hollywood star, whose personal chaos threatens to erupt live on national television in Good Night, Oscar at the Barbican Theatre from July 31.

From the same Broadway season, the musical Shucked plays at Regent’s Park from May 10. With a book by Robert Horn, a score by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally, and direction by Jack O’Brien, the Broadway comedy will star Sophie McShera, Ben Joyce, and Georgina Onuorah.

Seating wraps around the action of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, while immersive tickets will allow the audience to follow the story on foot at Nicholas Hytner’s production at the Bridge Theatre from May 31. The theatre becomes the forest in this immersive production, in a dream world of flying fairies, contagious fogs and moonlight revels.

13 Going On 30, a new comedy musical based on the 2004 movie plays at the Manchester Opera House from September 21 to October 12, with a cast led by Lucie Jones (Les Mis, Wicked, Waitress) as Jenna. The book is by the movie’s screenwriters Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, with music and lyrics from Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (First Date). Details of the planned West End run are yet to be announced.

Come Fall in Love - The DDLJ Musical, based on one of the biggest blockbuster films in the history of Indian cinema, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), plays at the Manchester Opera House from 29

Online extras!

London Calling

Relive the unprecedented musical event of Live Aid in Just For One Day. youtu.be/K3qU20iNN8I

May, directed by Aditya Chopra, the film’s director. Cultures collide in a love story as a young British-Indian woman spends a summer of freedom and fun in Europe before her arranged marriage pits heritage against heart.

Musical comedy The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs plays at the Kiln Theatre from June 13. The only lesbian choir in the country are trying to win their place on the Pride mainstage. In a run-down church hall with an OWL (Older, Wiser Lesbian) at the helm, the rag-tag choir navigate love, loss, and song choices.

Edinburgh Fringe hit Oscar at The Crown heads to London’s Tottenham Court Road from May 19. Set in a nightclub, the immersive musical centred on Oscar Wilde was described by the New York Times as “a partyinducing Rocky Horror transplanted to a 1990s Madonna video”!

Dylan MarcAurele’s high-camp electropop musical comedy Pop Off, Michelangelo!, an Edinburgh Fringe hit, makes its West End debut at Underbelly Boulevard in Soho from May 17. Besties-turned-bitter rivals Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, after realising they’re both gay, attempt to earn divine forgiveness by becoming the greatest religious artists of all time.

Shorter summer seasonal offerings include a new 60 minute adaptation of Alice in Wonderland at the Marylebone Theatre from July 19, 101 Dalmatians at the Eventim Apollo Theatre from July 18 and Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell: The Musical at the Peacock Theatre from May 21, while the Regent’s Park Olivier Award winning production of Fiddler on the Roof transfers to the Barbican from May 24.

The North American premiere cast of Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical Photo: Evan Zimmerman / MurphyMade.

Stage Sounds

John Frost’s Favourite Show Music

By Neil Litchfield

Leading Australian musical theatre producer John Frost began listening to musical theatre on vinyl, as so many of us did, prior to the advent of CDs, and later streaming.

The first cast recording he spun on a turntable was the Original Film Soundtrack of Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.

Some two decades ago, before I became editor of Stage Whispers, when I compiled the magazine’s regular CD column, I’d ask someone involved in Musical Theatre for their list of Desert Island (Cast Recording) Discs. Reluctant to sound like a total dinosaur, I’ve decided to simply ask John to share his favourite cast recordings. They are:

 Secret Garden - Original Broadway Cast.

 1776 - Original Broadway Cast.

 My Fair Lady - Original Broadway Cast.

 The King & I - 1996 Broadway Revival.

 Funny Girl - Original Broadway Cast.

And a favourite recording of a little-known show?

 I Do! I Do! - Original Broadway Cast recording from 1966. Does John have a favourite show music album performed by a cast other than an original cast?

 Follies in Concert - The 1985 concert performance presented at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic While album covers have never been quite the same since they’ve downsized from LPs to CDs, John tells me that his favourite cast album cover is the Funny Girl Original Broadway Cast.

Of course, just as it is in the theatre, our first impression when listening to most cast recordings is the overture. For John the standouts are Gypsy and Funny Girl, both introducing magical Jule Styne scores. While John is producing the current revival of Annie, his favourite Australian cast recording is another version of the same show, the Original Australian Cast of Annie from 1974, with Sally Anne Bourne as Annie, Hayes Gordon as Daddy Warbucks, Jill Perryman as Miss Hannigan, Kevan Johnson as Rooster,

Nancye Hayes as Lily St. Regis, and Anne Grigg as Grace Farrell.

Is there a particular Australian cast which John wishes had been recorded? He names not just one, but two legendary productions which established the careers of iconic Australian stars Nancye Hayes as Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity (1967) and Jill Perryman as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1966).

When I ask about a favourite solo album, John nominates cabaret performer Nancy LaMott, a musical passion I share with him. A fabulous performer, Nancy LaMott died from cancer in 1995, aged just 43, as her career was peaking. Thankfully for us, her music lives on in a wonderful collection of recordings.

When I ask if John has a favorite recording from a musical which he’s currently producing, he names Just In Time, with Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin, which is currently playing in New York. (justintimebroadway.com)

Thank you, John Frost, for sharing your musical theatre listening favourites, from that first LP of Mary Poppins, through to enjoying favourite shows and performers on CD, or online at YouTube.

Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins.

Listen to the Original Broadway cast recording of The Secret Garden. Music service: Apple Music. tinyurl.com/2dhnqe3v

Stream the Original Broadway cast recording of 1776 Music service: Apple Music. tinyurl.com/26k53fb3

Rewind to 1956 with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady. Music service: Spotify. tinyurl.com/2cxkvcvl

Be transported to the Kingdom of Siam with the music of The King And I Music service: Spotify. tinyurl.com/229azeqg

The Grammy-winning cast recording of Funny Girl stars Barbra Streisand. Music service: Deezer. tinyurl.com/2cqnsbrw

Listen to the 1966 original cast recording of I Do! I Do! Music service: Deezer. tinyurl.com/28vknmvo

Enjoy the 1985 performance of Follies by the New York Philharmonic. Music service: Apple Music. tinyurl.com/2xovnkbz

Listen to the entirety of Nancy LaMott’s 1995 album ‘Listen To My Heart’. Music service: YouTube Music. tinyurl.com/2bcru8of

John Frost. Photo: Peter Rae.

Cyrano

A new release on the Book Nook Performing Arts Bookshop website is Virginia Gay’s acclaimed adaptation of Cyrano. A joyous, gender-flipped retelling of Edmond Rostand’s classic play, Cyrano is a love letter to hope; to language and desire; to the lo-fi magic of theatre.

1. [An empty stage]

2: [Portentous] It starts in a theatre.

1: Yeah, we’ve done that bit.

2: What? What bit?

1: The bit where it starts in a theatre.

2: What do you mean?

1: We just did it. It starts in a theatre.

2: What just then? Was that the beginning??

1: Lights down, lights up, we have started, ergo, it starts in a theatre.

2: ‘Ergo’.

[2 is silenced with a look. There’s silence for a bit more as they stare at the space.]

2: Big, isn’t it?

[Everybody looks.]

1: So much air.

2: But…heavy.

1: Heavy air. Weird.

2: The weight of expectation. [Sonorous voice] The weight of history.

1: Are you gonna be like this the whole time?

2: Maybe. [Losing courage] I haven’t decided yet. has it always been this big?

1: You mean, have we always felt so small?

2: I think I do.

3: Have you?

[3 has spoken for the first time. 1 and 2 turn and look]

2: What?

3: Always felt… so small?

2: Well, not all the time. Mostly I feel magnificent. Just [losing confidence] not right now…

3: I have.

1: What?

3: Small. Felt it. Always.

1/2: …ah.

3: I think.

2: Who’s this? [1 shakes her head.]

3: I’m new. hullo! [1 and 2 wave in a perfunctory fashion.]

2: Alright, so, assuming it starts in a theatre.

1: Which it does.

3: And has.

Watch Virginia Gay deliver a joyful, gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano. youtu.be/_B5bcGZqnDw

Joel Jackson and Virginia Gay in Black Swan State Theatre’s Cyrano (2023)

Photo: Daniel J Grant.

1: Thank you.

3: An empty theatre?

2: No, a full one.

1: It starts with an audience waiting for a show to begin. [1 gestures to the audience. They are.]

3: Whoa.

2: Oh. Right. Well…then

1: The balcony scene.

2: Straight away??

1: It’s the famous bit, the bit that people remember.

2: It starts with a fight.

3: [Correcting] It starts in a theatre.

1/2: Yeah, we’ve done that bit.

3: Oh.

1: Seduce ‘em with the balcony scene.

2: Oh God, why?

1: It’s all seduction, the whole thing’s seduction.

2: The whole show??

1: No, I mean life, it’s all a seduction.

2: Life? Life?? We’re getting a bit big a bit soon, don’t you think?

3: Yeah.

2: Start with a fight.

3: Kick it off with a bang.

2: Kick it off literally.

3: Good, that’s good.

1: It’s not good.

2: Everyone’s a critic. We start with a fight so they see her win first, before the…you know.

1: [Grim] I do.

3: What? What??

2: It doesn’t end well

3: Oh, really? I don’t remember that.

1: No one does. are we going with ‘her’?

3: What?

2: ‘Him’?

3: Oh. Well. What do ‘they’ want?

2: I don’t think this is that show.

1: Who are we to say what the show is we’re just the chorus.

2: I have a fully developed character.

3: Me too.

2: I have several fully developed characters.

1: Versatile.

2: It starts in a theatre.

1: Oh my God.

2: And then there’s a fight.

3: A fight!

2: And she wins.

3: Who’s ‘she’? Which ‘she’?

1: Noble.

2: Quick-tempered.

1: Big-hearted.

2: Arrogant.

1: Merciless.

2: The one with the…

1: DON’T SAY IT.

2: It’s important.

3: Don’t say what?

2: The one with the.

1: I mean it.

3: Mean what?

2: The one with the nose. [A silence. they check to see if they’ve been overheard.]

3: A nose?

1: Shhhhh.

2: This thing…

3: Ooo, is it big?

1: Shhhhh!

2: Huge.

1: So huge.

3: How huge?

1/2: SHHHHH!

1: And she’s aware it’s repellent.

2: Eats her up inside, you can see it.

3: Oooo, how terrible.

1: Oh Christ, don’t pity her.

2: Fuck no.

1: She can’t stand pity.

3: I didn’t…I wouldn’t…

1: She’d destroy you if she heard.

3: Is she a fighter?

1/2: The best.

1: Slice you into a thousand pieces.

Script Extract

2: Flay you.

1: Ooo, she would, she’d flay you.

3: I didn’t do anything!

1: We’re just letting you know.

2: Helping. [A pause.]

2: I’m a bit disappointed by the… [2 gestures to the costumes.]

2: Shouldn’t there be ruffs?

1: Ruffs?

2: And britches?

1: Should there be?

3: Is there music, at least?

1: Music?

2: Music!

1: Oh, there’s definitely music. [Whole cast forms a little troupe and makes some music.]

3: What’s it about?

2: What?

3: This whole thing. What’s it about?

1/2: Ahh.

1: Longing. I think.

3: Longing?

1: And isolation.

2: And risk management.

1: Fucking hell.

3: And this person with the [gestures] 1/2: Shhhh.

3: I didn’t say anything!

2: You [gestures] it’s enough.

3: Central character?

1: Without question.

2: I think it’s more of an ensemble piece.

1: Yeah, you would.

2: She’s self-destructive.

1: Most geniuses are.

2: Settle down.

3: Genii [1 and 2 glare at 3.]

1: Smartest person in the room.

3: Gotta feel good.

2: Gotta feel lonely.

CYRANO: It does.

2. [CYRANO has appeared.]

3: Is this?

2: Yup.

3: Oh.

1: Don’t say it.

Published by Currency Press, purchase your copy at Book Nook. booknook.com.au/product/cyrano-2

Georgy Girl: The Seekers Musical

Getting Started

I remember seeing an email from David Spicer calling for expressions of interest in staging Georgy Girl and passing it to the committee. Having seen the professional production in 2015 I felt there was excellent potential to stage the show at the new Pavilion Performing Arts Centre it would be a great production for our company members and a hit with patrons as well.

The Committee had mixed responses “Can we afford this?”, “We don’t know how it will go”, “I don’t know The Seekers”, etc. But there was a strong script, great songs, and the opportunity to stage a world amateur premiere a nice feather in the cap for any theatre group. Having grown up listening to The Seekers and singing along with my family, I saw a solid foundation for a strong piece of musical theatre.

The original professional script had a good deal of biographical content. While that can sometimes be daunting to stage, I knew we’d be solving the “I don’t know The

Seekers” response with smart storytelling and design.

At the same time, MMTC has had a series of financial challenges (haven’t we all?) with staging recent productions and had just made a move to decrease the scope of our next production. I felt sure that we could make a big success of Georgy Girl if we could secure it.

Budget

As with all community theatre groups these days, the balance between enabling local theatre and staying within budget is delicate and fraught. I found it especially challenging knowing we would be under the microscope as the first amateur group to produce the show. Balancing the budget became even trickier as costs mounted but so did ticket sales. We worked hard to ensure a much-needed positive financial result for MMTC, while maintaining technical quality on a tight budget. More than one night was spent running numbers in my head instead of sleeping.

Vision

The script is very cinematic many locations, short scenes, and a high volume of historical exposition which can be a challenge to stage effectively. The script cleverly balances narration with practical scene and costume changes and contains excellent reference materials and background.

The character of Ron Edgeworth is critical to the show’s flow. He is the narrator and eventual husband of Judith. Our lead delivered the exposition with character, humour, and great timing, helping cover transitions and keep the energy up. One method I quickly adopted was the elimination of scene change blackouts. Keeping changes visible (certainly not a new concept!) and fluid kept the audience engaged. I coined the terms “blue-out” or “Ronout” to cue changes without darkening the stage. We also used projections, like the professional production, to help solve the problem of multiple locations and to support storytelling.

Tim Dennis directed the world community theatre premiere of the musical Georgy Girl at Sydney’s Miranda Musical Theatre Company and was thrilled by its success and a visit from a Seeker.

Miranda Musical Theatre Company’s Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical Photo: Grant Leslie.

Design

The big question from the outset was how to approach a show with limited resources. Something as simple as not having rehearsal tracks at the start made choreography planning harder but we resolved this early, and those resources will now be available to future groups staging the show.

Our set design paid homage to the original while creating something distinct and scalable for other community groups. The set featured floor-level doors for smooth transitions and ample “GG Blue” white space for projections and lighting. It became another layer of the show’s storytelling. Costumes are also a large part of the design. We needed 1960s appropriate designs and plenty of them. We couldn’t just throw money at these problems instead, we succeeded thanks to a tireless and talented group of volunteers who brought creativity and determination to every part of the build.

In the end, we developed a full suite of production resources set, props, costumes, musical instrument (that double bass!), projections, and cueing which are available for hire.

Audition Process

MMTC follows a standard audition process, with the full production team, a knowledgeable company member, and an outside panellist offering their expertise. I knew from the outset that casting the four Seekers would be paramount, and the panel fully supported that priority.

The sound and chemistry of The Seekers was everything. Judith has 37 scenes and 17 songs, and the three lads are not far behind. We needed a group that could sing harmonies, carry the narrative, and feel believable as a world-famous band.

Auditionees were supportive of our focused approach, and the final casting was absolutely the right choice. Equally critical was casting Ron the historian and narrator

(Continued on page 44)

Online extras!

youtu.be/CZCmp29vLWY

Miranda Musical Theatre Company’s Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical

Photo: Grant Leslie.

Stage Whispers TV was at the premiere of Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical.

Director’s Diary

(Continued from page 43)

who carries so much of the story. I was looking for strong comedic timing, stage presence, and vocal ability.

We were extremely fortunate on all fronts. While I won’t name individuals here (they are acknowledged in reviews and programme). I’m deeply grateful to everyone who came on board and brought the show to life. Future directors: choose your Seekers and Ron with great care. They are your winning hand.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals are always an interesting animal. Many cast members come straight from another production (we certainly did!), and it can take time for camaraderie and connection to build again. Knowing I’d be away, I front-loaded rehearsals

“tornado blocking” and fasttracking character work. The goal was to let people digest and return from the Christmas break with confidence.

This approach was partly successful we still needed the full rehearsal period after January, but the cast returned with a visible strength and understanding. Accents were a key focus area. There’s a mix of UK and Australian voices in the show, and it was vital to establish consistency. Our cast worked hard on this and rose to the challenge

beautifully. And honestly? With a cast like ours, rehearsals felt like having my own private Seekers concert every second night. What a joy to experience that.

Box Office

From early in the process, we kept hearing: “The Seekers? I love them! I’ll be there.” That early enthusiasm translated directly into ticket sales. We opened bookings in November for a March season and had strong sales through November and December, which continued right up to opening night.

We expected the show to appeal to older patrons, but were pleasantly surprised by the diversity of our audience. Georgy Girl turned out to be one of MMTC’s strongest box office successes since before the pandemic rivalling the likes of Les Misérables and Wicked at our largecapacity venue.

Production Week

Our in-theatre production schedule is intense eight days total: four days of technical and four days of performances (six shows in all). It’s a big ask, not just for performers, but for the entire crew. If I had the chance to do it over again, I’d consider advocating for an extra day or two of venue time for spacing, additional tech runs, or vocal refreshers. That said, our team rose to every challenge with grace.

Performances, Patronage & Feedback

Opening night had a touch of celebrity magic. We were incredibly lucky to welcome Keith Potger and his partner, along with several individuals closely connected to The Seekers family and fandom. Their presence elevated the energy and celebration of the evening. Audience reactions throughout the season were full of warmth. Watching from the back of the theatre, I could see people gently swaying in their seats to beloved favourites. The applause was spontaneous and strong every night. The show ends with I Am Australian, led by The Seekers and joined by the full ensemble a powerful, resonant way to end a show about Australians, for Australians. I couldn’t think of a better closer.

The Result

This show delivered an exceptional result for MMTC financially, artistically, and emotionally. The nature of the story, the people behind it, and the music all contribute to a nice, classy, enjoyable production that audiences and company members loved being part of. I would wholeheartedly recommend Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical to any community theatre group looking for a feel-good, high-quality show that brings your team together and delights your audience.

And yes it’s good for the coffers, too.

Miranda Musical Theatre Company’s Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical

Photo: Grant Leslie.

World-Building In Textile And Light

Thousands of fabric flowers, gauze curtains and hundreds of metres of LEDs; hand-woven nets and a circular trap door lit from within; a rainbow cubby house with lights shaped like a brain. Kitty Goodall explores three designs that cleverly used textiles and lighting to build immersive, emotional worlds.

Set design often features hard and unyielding surfaces. Creating a design out of lights and textiles supports flexibility, enhancing the magical, ethereal, and beautiful as effectively as it evokes fear, sadness, and horror. Fantastic at building mood and tapping into emotions, textiles and illumination can instantaneously change from light and cosy, to suffocating and blinding, creating an unforgettable sensory experience for the audience.

La Cenerentola (Cinderella) QPAC Concert Hall

In her design for Opera Queensland, Laura Hansford created a whimsical world with one cohesive look. While this was a semi-staged work, Laura wanted to push the boundaries of what constitutes a ‘set’. Her design featured the subtitle screen 8m above the stage, surrounded by

2,000 fabric flowers, a 10 x 16m backdrop of pink dip dyed gauze with hundreds of metres of LEDs strung behind. Props and costumes adhered to the floral, natural, and lit from within theme, a consistency which contributed to the production having the visual impact of a fully staged work.

Laura attributed the design’s success to close collaboration with costume designers Karen Cochet and Bianca Bulley, and Lighting Designer Christine Felmingham. Their artistic inventiveness took into consideration the Concert Hall’s height, and the hues of the wood, seats, and pipe organ.

“I have the absolute privilege at Opera Queensland of being able to create a collaborative environment that allows you to make a whole vision from the costumes to the music to the set through to the lighting,” Laura enthused.

“The kernel of the idea of this show is who is Cinderella? And for me she was the flower that grew through the cracks in the pavement.”

When collaborating with Christine Felmingham on lighting design, Laura had one focus, “How do we get as much light inside this set as possible so the world looks organic?” But it was a mood board session Laura shared with Karen and Bianca in which they settled on the floral, organic theme.

Everything from the backdrop, to furniture, props, and costumes included textile flowers, moss, turf, branches and wherever possible, was lit from within.

In keeping with the eco theme, Laura revealed Opera Queensland is focussed on sustainable prop making, with 90% of what you see on the stage being repurposed from past shows.

“It’s not just work smarter not harder,” Laura said, “It’s also let’s make

sure that we’re being kind to the environment and the land that we have the privilege of singing on.”

Macbeth

La Boite Roundhouse Theatre

A bold, witch-centric reimagining of Macbeth called for an equally bold design. Co-director and Designer Lisa Fa’alafi, Set Realiser Freddie Komp, and Lighting Designer Teegan Kranenburg delivered a moody, noir world dominated by a giant net branching to three strands. A central hatch lit from within perfectly depicted the witches’ cauldron and the net’s strands and other giant textiles were manipulated by the cast throughout the play.

Having worked on other projects with master weavers Ranu James, Nata Richards, and Maryann Talia Pau, Lisa was keen to incorporate their traditional Bilum weaving work into this production.

“In many cultures weaving is women’s work and we really wanted to portray these witches as everyday people, so for me it was a signifier of that, and the three strands as the three witches and their connection,” she said.

In realising the set, Freddy said, “I often see myself like an artisan or artificer in a way rather than like an artist…Lisa’s having beautiful creative initial ideas and then together [we’re] fleshing it out…it’s what I think is the fun bit.”

When lighting the net, Teegan said, “It is such a beautiful textural piece so you want to create shadows on it and you want to shoot light onto it from different directions… For a lighting designer your biggest concern always is…do my actors have enough face light? But in this one we had to release that a little bit and accept that at some times they were going to be in a little bit of shadow because they had this beautiful, almost other performer on stage with them in the form of this weave.”

Wanderings

Diane Cilento Studio

The Nest Ensemble staged Wanderings, an intimate two-hander play about changing family dynamics. It featured a dopamine décor, rainbow coloured cloth cubby house, festooned in fairy lights. Created by renowned installation artist and designer Rozina Suliman and lit by the visionary Freddy Komp, together this talented team conjured a world rich with visual metaphor.

“Essentially it was a big cubby house that was reflective of Stella and Kidd’s relationship,” Rozina said, “It was made of colourful, bright fabrics… that then moved and pulled away to create a sad beige fabric old people’s home world.”

Rozina’s emotionally powerful design was perfectly supported by Freddy’s lighting. He told Stage Whispers he sees himself as a responding artist, revealing “I like to add on to concepts and visions.”

During development, Freddy said they discussed, “How light could shine through and how we could illuminate the fabric from behind.”

His work included creative video projections and fairy lights. As the show progresses and the colourful cubby fabric is pulled away the lighting behind is revealed to be shaped like a brain. His goal was to represent the neural changes occurring in Stella, a character living with dementia, through lighting.

“There’s that beautiful moment where she has the voiceover about her lights going out one by one, and we did that with this extra strand of LED. She’s holding it in her hand and there’s literally three of the bulbs at the end sort of going out, slowly fading out as she does…those kinds of moments are the ones that I’m really excited about.”

Kitty Goodall is a Brisbane based reviewer. Staging &

Online extras!

Discover how woven textiles and lighting accentuated the set in La Boite’s bold reimagining of Macbeth. youtu.be/IGJ-bh7qC78

Wanderings.

Macbeth. Photo: Farley Ward.

Photo: Jen Dainer.

Wanderings. Photo: Jen Dainer.

La Cenerentola.

Photo: Jade Ellis.

Little Theatre Blasts Off

How would you turn a tiny theatre into rocketship? Set and Lighting Designer Benjamin Brockman launched the Hayes Theatre in Sydney last year into orbit with an incredible production of the world premiere of Flat Earthers the Musical. David Spicer reports.

In my review I described it as the “most technically brilliant musical staged at the Hayes, which already has a long history of cleverly shoe-horning productions into its cosy venue.”

For those outside of the harbour city, the Hayes Theatre has a capacity of 111 seats with a stage just 8m by 8m with no wing or backstage area.

The special effects included eye-popping imagery blending text messages and emojis, with live actors appearing inside and outside of projected frames, all seamlessly choreographed with dance and song.

It perfectly suited the narrative of the two young leads, Flick and Ria, who fall for each other over the internet without being entirely sure that the other suitor was on same page. I spoke with Benjamin Brockman about the project.

DS: What was your overall artistic aim?

BB: Like any strong production design, the goal is to serve the story. While there’s beauty in moments of pure design, they always need to anchor back to that essential connection. Our role as designers is to present the world in the right frame one that draws the audience closer rather than holding them at a distance.

The musical navigates extreme locations from the murky depths of the internet, to isolated underground

bunkers, to the cold, vast expanse of space. The central challenge for Declan Greene (the director) and me was clarity: how do we clearly delineate when we’re online and when we’re IRL (in real life, as the kids say)?

It was clear that projection would be a vital storytelling tool. The internet demands a screen, but our task was to make that screen feel live, visceral, and inhabited. I didn’t want to just present images, but allow physical bodies to interact with them.

I wasn’t interested in a boxed-in, passive frame. Instead, I kept returning to the image of the circle the arch drawn from the flat earth disc. This shape held the tension at the heart of the piece, and I wanted it present as a visual motif throughout.

We spent a long time sourcing the right material we could project onto, see through, and move through. It needed to feel fluid, like stepping in and out of a portal. I selected a string curtain. It offered everything permeability, visibility, and a sense of transformation. It became the membrane between the physical and the digital.

Lighting, in this world, was about amplifying the projection. The vision was rich with visual and contextual clues, so my role was to let that world sing. I worked with tight focus, sharp pick-ups, and deliberately minimal

Griffin Theatre Company and Hayes Theatre Co’s Flat Earthers.

Photo: John McRae.

interventions allowing the projected image to dominate and breathe. But when we shifted into the ‘real’ world, when we left the digital, the lighting stepped forward. I returned to more traditional approaches, using light to shape space, evoke feeling, and highlight presence in a tangible world.

DS: How ambitious was it to stage within the limitations of the Hayes?

BB: We all know the world of big musicals: moving parts, hydraulic lifts, revolves, flying walls, rapid-fire set changes. The wonder of working at the Hayes is distilling that frenetic momentum into something bold, simple, and inventive crafting vivid theatrical moments that carry all the energy without all the machinery. And it turns out, you really can fit a lot into a small space.

In Flat Earthers we used mirrors and reflective surfaces to create the illusion of environments far larger than the theatre’s physical bounds. These are age-old tricks, but when used with precision and imagination, they still have real magic.

On paper, installing a full-width proscenium arch sounds simple enough but the reality of an older heritage venue means nothing is square. So, despite all the measuring, the arch didn’t fit on arrival. Much of the construction had to happen on-site, hands-on, adjusting and shaping the structure in real time.

The second major challenge was a moving wall that needed to glide silently and seamlessly across the stage without a budget, or even the room to install motorised tracks. The solution was the wall would be moved manually, by the ASM and an actor, mid-show. We had to engineer it carefully calculating weights, designing tracks, balancing counterweights. It was one of the most elegant pieces of backstage choreography I’ve seen at the Hayes.

DS: Please describe the framework of the set?

BB: At the centre was a physical proscenium arch, with a second, smaller arch nested inside it that could travel all the way upstage. Together, the arches framed the performance space and helped define a visual language that could shift between digital and real worlds.

Behind the arches was the white string curtain. It allowed for projection while also letting performers move through it.

We brought the sides of the theatre in by about one metre, building narrow walkways on either side. These were lined with black PVC strip curtains the kind you’d typically see in a butcher shop or cool room. This gave performers extra entrance and exit points and visually tied in with the texture of the string curtain.

The floor was raised by 12mm to allow for LED tape to be installed in recessed channels. It was painted with a forced perspective grid, helping to extend the visual depth of the stage. Outside the grid, we used a high-gloss black mirror finish, which reflected the arches and grid back into the floor. This made the white lines appear as though they were floating in a void-like space.

The design was influenced by early internet visuals simple shapes, grids, and bold contrasts. The goal was to create a flexible, layered environment that could move fluidly between live performance and projected content.

DS: How challenging was it to project images on the set piece?

BB: The Vision team began creating content before rehearsals even started. You need high-quality projectors that are bright enough to compete with stage lighting, which can be costly. We were fortunate to have a projector loaned to us for the duration of the season. It made a huge impact the images held their own against the lighting, which gave the show real energy.

There are a lot of technical requirements when working with projection resolution, pixel mapping, throw distances and a lot of maths that can quickly become overwhelming. The projector had to sit in a very specific position and at a precise height. And when you’re working with high-powered projectors, you’re also dealing with size and weight.

The one we used weighed 80kg and measured about a metre by a metre and it had to be rigged safely above the audience. It was a huge technical feat.

DS: What extra lighting fixtures did you bring into the theatre?

BB: The Hayes comes with a solid base rig: 12 LED profiles and 12 small moving lights.

We borrowed a range of lights and laser bars and ended up with 113 fixtures in the grid which is a lot for a small space.

A major feature was over 100 metres of RGBW pixel LED tape, which trimmed the arches and lined the floor. This added dynamic lighting effects for the more musical or ‘pop’ moments.

A single moving light can hire out at around $350 per week, depending on its capabilities. We were incredibly lucky to receive a 95% discount from Chameleon Touring Systems.

DS: How did you “animate” the production by coordinating actors, music and AV.

BB: Declan storyboarded the entire show, integrating AV content with blocking.

There were days where we had to ask the cast to trust the process: “Stand here, and this is where something will happen.”

Not everything could be fully realised until we were in the theatre. Even during previews, we were continuing to edit content, tweak timing, and adjust. That’s the nature of creating a new Australian musical.

DS: The piece de resistance was making the set appear to be a Rocketship can you describe the elements that went into that?

BB: The challenge was how to transform the space again, after nearly two and a half hours, without the audience realising that the trick had been right in front of them the whole time.

(Continued on page 50)

(Continued from page 49)

We raised the floor by 12mm to inlay LED pixel tape, which formed the border of the grid. The tape was housed in white-faced extrusion, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the painted grid until it was activated. This subtle integration meant the lighting was invisible to the audience until the moment it illuminated. The pixel tape gave us the ability to control small 5cm sections individually, which allowed us to light the grid in a way that felt organic. We began with the tip of a triangle lighting up first, then the light travelled along the edges, connecting at the base creating a dynamic and visually striking transformation.

This was a simple yet powerful gesture the painted grid on the floor came alive in the shape of a triangle. The show was built around three key shapes that represented core symbols: the circles of the flat earth, the square grid of the screen/internet, and the triangle of the Illuminati.

Since we were revealing that these figures were pulling the invisible strings all along, it was satisfying to hide a triangle in the design that wouldn’t be revealed until the final moments, when it was revealed within the space. Given the cult’s obsession with triangles, I also imagined that their rocket itself would have an ironic triangular shape.

DS: How important is it for the set designer to work with the lighting designer and how handy is it be both?

BB: It’s a double-edged sword. What I love most about making theatre is the collaboration. While it can be easier to wear multiple hats to design the space, choose the finishes, and shape how it interacts with lighting I sometimes miss the spark of being inspired by another designer’s vision. There’s something truly special about sitting down with another set or lighting designer, bouncing ideas back and forth, and dreaming together. That energy, that shared excitement, is something I value deeply.

In the next edition of Stage Whispers, Benjamin Brockman will describe how he built a rollercoaster in the Hayes Theatre.

Griffin Theatre Company and Hayes Theatre Co’s Flat Earthers.

Photo: Grant Leslie.

Gearing Up For ENTECH 2026

Like all events, ENTECH plans a long way ahead and moving to May 2026 makes a break from the former October dates for the roadshow.

Akin to a travelling market for lights, sound, staging and video, ENTECH is unique in the world of trade shows which anchor at one city for days, expecting buyers to travel. It started this way thirty years ago but devolved to the roadshow model which took off.

Suppliers of equipment and services use ENTECH as a networking opportunity to meet venue techs, managers, designers and producers who need to research the next breakthroughs in equipment, solutions and ideas.

The 2026 roadshow is on sale now for exhibitors in single cities or nationally, with all freight transport included. Due to limited space, the roadshow sells out quickly nationally, with single city sales open later.

In 2026 organisers promise an enhanced day with ‘technical train tours’ of various exhibits making it easy to navigate the fifty plus stands on the floor, arranged in specialties and times. An expanded EnTalks program offers free sessions through the day, with topics ranging from stage safety through creative workshops.

John McKissock from Clearlight Shows.

Andrew Yager and Michael Clewes from Red Globe Productions.

Jands showcased Robe Lighting’s iSeries at Entech 2024.

World-Class Audio Excellence

In a result that is sure to be music to the ears of patrons, one of Australia’s most innovative regional venues has recently upgraded its aging sound system. Gonzalo Collarte Bondy reports.

Perched along the banks of a beautiful river south of Sydney, the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre has long been a cultural hub.

Opened in July 2008, the centre has the flexibility to host close to a one thousand people in its flat floor mode for concerts, cabaret dinners, expos, or gymnastics events, or between 450 to 700 in its tiered theatre seating mode.

But after 16 years of operation, the venue’s original PA system was struggling to keep pace with evolving audio standards.

In response, the venue has completed a bold upgrading of its auditorium PA system with the stateof-the-art L-Acoustics KARA II. The result? A world-class audio experience that meets the demands of modern touring productions while enhancing every event held within its walls.

Key Parties

Jands: Established in 1970, Jands has been a leading distributor of world-class audio, video, lighting, control, and broadcasting technologies across Australia and New Zealand.

The P.A. People: A specialist integrator in venue engineering and audio solutions, The P.A. People leveraged over 50 years of experience to deliver and install the state-of-theart audio systems professionally and efficiently over a four-day period,

minimising disruption to the venue’s busy calendar of events.

L-Acoustics: Globally renowned for ground-breaking innovations in audio technology, L-Acoustics pushes the boundaries of sound reinforcement. Originally grounded in physics and fundamental acoustics, the company is the pioneer of modern line source arrays, credited to its research on Wavefront Sculpture Technology and the legendary V-DOSC system.

From Dated To Outstanding

The Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre hosts diverse events from theatrical performances and dance shows to corporate conferences and live concerts.

“We had a system in place for over 13 years, but it wasn’t featured on many touring tech riders,” explains Tobes Colvin, Technical Coordinator at Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre. “This meant touring crews often brought in their own PA systems, adding time, cost, and complexity to each production.”

With increasing demands from touring professionals and a desire to streamline operations, the venue sought exceptional sound quality, tailored to its multi-purpose layout, and aligned with industry rider expectations.

A System Tuned To Success

Jands, in collaboration with LAcoustics and The P.A. People,

stepped in to design a system tailored to the venue’s unique needs. Without architectural plans available, Jands conducted a comprehensive site survey and leveraged L-Acoustics’ Soundvision 3D modelling software to predict and optimise system performance.

The recommended solution featured the L-Acoustics KARA II system, known for its exceptional clarity, flexibility, and power. Key components included:

 Left and Right Main Arrays: Eight KARA II loudspeakers per side, ensuring precise coverage.

 Centre Fill Array: Four KARA II loudspeakers, delivering balanced sound to front-row seating.

 Subwoofers: Three SB18 cardioidconfigured subwoofers per side for controlled low-end, plus four portable ground-stacked SB18s for additional infra bass.

 Delay Speakers: Two A10 Focus medium-throw line source speakers per side, time-aligned to the main arrays.

 Front Fill: Six X8 coaxial pointsource speakers for enhanced clarity and a lowered sound image.

 Amplification: LA4X amplified controllers for precise DSP control and consistent performance.

“Panflex technology in the KARA II was a game-changer,” says Gerry Gavros, Business Development Manager at Jands. “It allowed us to

Discover how Jands upgraded the audio system at Shoalhaven Ent. Centre youtu.be/1ROoGMQKOgI

direct energy away from side walls and focus it on the audience, eliminating previous issues like lobing and bass traps.”

Smoother Workflow, Better Experience

For the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre team, the upgrade has transformed not only sound quality but also operational efficiency.

“With the new system, setup times have dramatically decreased,” Tobes shares. “Touring crews no longer need to unload and reload their own PA, saving both time and money. They can plug in their desk, tune as needed, and get straight to work.”

The system’s versatility shines across the venue’s two primary modes: theatre mode with tiered seating and flat-floor mode. Separate system calibrations ensure seamless

audio coverage regardless of the configuration.

“It’s incredibly rider-friendly,” adds Brendan, Senior Technician overseeing audio operations. “L-Acoustics is a name crews trust, and they’ve been impressed by the flat response, particularly the clarity from the X8 front fills. We’ve received nothing but positive feedback.”

Designed For The future

“The entire system is powered by LA4X controllers, positioned in the catwalks to reduce cable runs,”

explains Gerry. “A P1 processor at front-of-house gives engineers full control, allowing for quick EQ adjustments and calibration.”

For Tobes and the Shoalhaven team, the upgrade represents an investment in the venue’s future.

“The KARA II system has brought us in line with industry standards while giving our audiences and artists an unparalleled audio experience,” Tobes concludes. “It’s made our venue more attractive to high-profile acts and improved every event we host.”

Lighting Designer Jason Bovaird has worked at all levels of theatre, from plotting amateur musicals to international touring productions. Moving Light Productions still also manages 150 school productions a year and five venues. Its biggest challenge in recent years was managing the COVID-19 shutdown.

It began with humble beginnings when Jason Bovaird was the technical manager at the old Whitehorse Centre (now called The Round, Nunawading) and was designing the lighting for amateur theatre productions throughout Melbourne.

Then in 2002 Jason decided to expand MLP’s core business in Lighting Design, Technical Management and Stage Management. The company was contracted by Knox City Council to provide Stage Management and Event Management staff for their highly successful Carols by Candlelight and Knox City Festival for seven years.

In 2004, Moving Light Productions brought on experienced staff with expertise in Video Projection linked with Moving Lights. Since its expansion the company has been Lighting Designer and Technical Director on theatrical productions throughout Australia. Clients include the City of Melbourne, City of Greater Dandenong, Victorian State Government, Tasmanian Theatre Company, Live Nation Australasia, Andrew Kay and Associates, GMG Productions, Lunchbox Theatricals, Limelight Productions (London) and Melbourne Moomba Waterfest.

Today MLP is one of the largest production companies in Victoria, providing services to clients ranging from school productions and plays to concerts and international touring productions throughout Australia and New Zealand.

In 2020 when COVID-19 hit, MLP was in Tasmania about to open Mamma Mia! with the Encore Theatre Company when it was shut down.

The MLP team returned to Melbourne to endure the lengthy

lockdown, which it used to rebuild to come back stronger with new lighting and equipment.

“The difference with our business versus others was that we didn’t have the worry of bank loans for leasing equipment as we were hiring equipment, so we had no overheads,” said Jason.

“The team at MLP started looking overseas for a reputable company to purchase lights and large amounts of equipment for the business, as offers started to flow back in from our highend private school market and new clients that were not able to use their normal production houses.”

In 2020, Moving Light Productions was approached to stage a touring dance production of Matador to reopen Melbourne’s iconic Her Majesty’s Theatre in Exhibition Street.

A year before the pandemic, Her Majesty’s shut its doors and staff were laid off. MLP had been touring the show around Australia in smaller venues and was asked by the venue to design the lighting and provide the entire lighting and production operating crew. A crew of 8 - 10 bumped in the show over three days.

“One of most memorable moments on this job was turning the “theatre ghost light” off, a year after it had been turned on when the theatre shut its doors. It had been over 50 years since it had been on for such a long time and was certainly a moment in time, not to mention that at that time during the pandemic, it was the only commercial theatre playing in Melbourne at that time,” said Jason.

From Matador, MLP was asked to provide the lighting team for Her Majesty’s Theatre on Disney’s Frozen

and many other commercial shows coming into the venue, due to the fact that the theatre was still trying to get back on its feet with a shortage of crew.

This was the moment the company became recognised in the commercial theatre world for delivering quality crew work and equipment. The company kept its high-end school clients going with a large leap into purchasing a flexible amount of moving light spots, moving light washes, lighting consoles, and LED profiles to keep up with the high number of shows.

Moving Light Productions’ commercial clients today range from Australian producers through to international producers such as The Play That Goes Wrong (GMG - London, Manila), Peppa Pig (Limelight Productions - London), Here You Come Again (Simon Friend EntertainmentLondon / McLean Kay Productions), Alice in Wonderland (Ethan Walker Productions - London, Australia), Kinky Boots (James Terry ProductionsAustralia 2023 - 2025) and Green Room Awards (Green Room Awards Association).

In 2023 MLP was appointed the lighting design and technical company for the sold out production of Kinky Boots in Melbourne produced by James Terry Collective. It won the Green Room Award for ‘Production of The Year (Independent Musical Theatre)’ and a nomination in the Design Category for ‘Best Lighting’ for Jason. The team and lighting designer decided to go for a full moving light rig of their new LED 400 series moving lights and the LED Velo Little Bee 440 moving wash. Both these units allowed

the lighting designer to be able to give bold and bright “lighting looks” for the show through the fast-paced musical theatre moments and the look of a factory as well.

One of the design elements that Jason used was the use of Chauvet LED Cyclorama lights to light the large windows at the back of the set, both top and bottom, allowing him to be able to give full bold striking colours or split colours of top and bottom. This was a highlight of the show, being able to also give an outdoor feel as well from daylight through to late evening in the show-stopping ballad “Soul Of A Man” with the use of rich blues and mauves through the windows. The show was programmed on an ETC GIO with several musical numbers being time coded due to the frenetic number of lighting cues in the musical theatre numbers.

Similar musical theatre lighting was used on the most recent production of Encore Theatre Company’s Billy Elliot at the Princess Theatre in Launceston.

MLP began designing for Encore 15 years ago with 10 moving lights. Now a full shipment of seven pallet loads of equipment is shipped across Bass Strait.

On Billy Elliot the team’s lighting designer opted for 18 Moving Light Spots, 24 Moving Light Washes, 40 LED Cans, LED Profiles and some tungsten lights to provide the soft face light and skin tones.

One of the most important things that MLP has is the ability to be able to light small scale productions like the independent production of Berlin that was staged this year at the Stables Theatre, Meat Market in North Melbourne. The team had a budget of only $1000 and used a generic lighting design rig to tell the stories of this iconic play from early morning scenes through to evening. The team used a collection of 1200 watt fresnels and 1000 watt profiles, allowing them to be able to give a tungsten look.

In 2025 Jason Bovaird was appointed resident lighting designer for the touring company for the Tony Award winning and Westend / Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong by the international company GMG productions and

(Continued on page 56)

Staging & Theatre Tech Berlin (2025)

Photo: Matthew Chen.

Billy Elliot (2025)

Photo: Scott Gelston.

Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical Party (2025) Photo: Nicole Cleary.

Staging & Theatre Tech

If your show requires a lighting design feel free to contact the team at Moving Light Productions on 0409 552 936 or visit movinglightmlp.com

(Continued from page 55)

Stoddart Entertainment, touring New Zealand and Australia.

MLP will be providing the touring lighting package for the show with Box Booms, which consist of generic tungsten lights and LED Cans for colour when needed. The show has an old school “feel” about it and Jason wants to stay true to the original lighting design by Ric Mountjoy in the West End and on Broadway. The only colour in the show will be the “RED” Stings with a sound effect on an actor’s description adding to the humour and funny moments of the show. The show itself holds up with the humour of the acting and gags and the lighting only needs to carry the story with the humour.

Other international productions for which MLP will be lighting designing and managing this year include the Australian Premiere musical theatre production of Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton Songs) opening at the Comedy Theatre (Melbourne) with a national tour from August until December. The company has been

appointed production manager / lighting design and supply for the show. MLP has purchased a new moving light rig for the musical comprising of 20 LED 800 Moving Spots, 14 x LED 400 spots, 45 Led Chauvet Cans, 24 x LED E910 Chauvet profiles run by the ETC GIO @ 5 lighting console.

Alongside the touring productions, the team will continue to provide lighting designs and technical management services to its high-end school market, not only with design but now providing services for new lighting rig fit-outs and sales of the latest LED equipment. One of the key things about Moving Light Productions now is that they offer a full production service ranging from lighting design, full inventory of their own equipment, technical crews, production management and stage management, all at an affordable rate for their clients.

This year the company has over 150 school productions and five national touring productions, plus managing five theatres across Melbourne and its day-to-day lighting designs.

Kinky Boots (2023)

Photo: James Terry.

Broadway Quality Scenic Projections

Don Berlin explains how Broadway Media offers the world’s largest selection of Broadway-quality, licensor-approved digital projection resources.

Imagine being able to use Broadway-quality digital scenery without the Broadway-level expense. If you’re new to projections, you may be understandably apprehensive about diving into the realm of digital scenery. Scenic Projections serve as an innovative way to elevate your production and it’s easier than you may think!

Why Scenic Projections?

Offered at a fraction of the price of traditional scenery, Scenic Projections offer a creative approach to enhance your production. Made by Theatre-Makers for Theatre-Makers, their projections deliver vibrant, animated imagery to complement your production.

First, projections are easy to use and allow you to perform anywhere indoors. The projections are preprogrammed into their signature software, StagePlayer, which comes FREE with every order. In addition, the packages are accurate to the official scripts and cues, so you can simply plug-in and perform.

Building large sets can be expensive, and swapping sets quickly

may be cumbersome. Digital projections are an affordable alternative where you can change scenes with a click of a button! Plus, you can certainly use physical set pieces in tandem with theatrical projections to add creativity and heighten the immersive experience for your audience.

A Solution For Special Effects

Perhaps the most exciting part about using projections is making special effects happen! For instance, in Shrek the Musical the projections include an animation of the dragon breaking through the window and breathing fire at the audience. Animated with accurate proportions and perspective, it looks like the dragon is actually coming out of the scene.

Scenic Projections for Anastasia

The Musical feature the original designs by award-winning Projection Designer Aaron Rhyne, straight from the Broadway production, transporting audiences to imperial Russia, grand ballrooms, and the breathtaking journey to Paris. Standout special effects include the

dancing ghosts during “Once Upon a December” and the fast-moving train ride scene.

What You Need To Make Projections Possible

Using projections is easier than it seems. You only need three items to make digital scenery work in your space, and the first two are items you probably already have! You’ll need:

 A playback device (computer) such as a Mac or a PC.

 A flat-finish projection surface which can be the cyclorama you already have on your stage, a painted back wall, or even painted flats! Any surface that reflects light even just a little bit can be a screen.

 A projector, ideally with a shortthrow lens and a minimum of 5,000 lumens. We recommend front projection or hanging your projector from a light bar. If you’re unable to hang your projector, you can build a platform, install a ground row in front, or place it on your floor.

From professional theatres to school troupes, Theatre-Makers at all levels use Scenic Projections to maximise the storytelling and design of their productions, making it the go -to solution for live performance.

For more information about Scenic Projection show packages, visit broadwaymedia.com

See a sample of the animated scenic projections for Anastasia The Musical. youtu.be/B7QAGEgqAgQ

Scenic Projections for Anastasia The Musical.

Lighting The Future Of Live Experiences

Amelie Downie reports on the launch of a new era in lighting and venue infrastructure.

A new lighting, immersive technology and venue infrastructure company has been launched, offering its services across Australia. The brand is called Lux Imperium which will complement services of Red Globe Productions, part of the Real World Group, that currently offers live production and I.T. networking services.

The team forming Lux Imperium previously worked for SimpleMotion.Lighting, whose work is showcased in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, NIDA, His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth and the National Film and Sound Archive Canberra.

Lux Imperium will bring creative concepts to life whether it’s an art installation, themed environment, or experiential activation.

“This new brand represents our commitment to driving forward the standard of service and technology in the industry,” said Jono Boer, General Manager of Lux Imperium.

A recent notable project the company worked on was building an art installation inside a moving train as part of Vivid Sydney.

For more information or to discuss how Lux Imperium can transform your lighting and venue infrastructure, contact sales@luximperium.au

What Lux Imperium Offers

It’s equipped to handle everything from bespoke lighting design to largescale venue infrastructure:

 Provide design, installation, and control solutions for house lighting systems in theatres, including ambient, safety, creative, and architectural lighting that enhances audience comfort and meets regulatory standards while integrating seamlessly with stage lighting and control systems.

 Venue Infrastructure Solutions: Whether upgrading an existing theatre or equipping a new venue, Lux Imperium supplies and installs a complete solution of truss systems, lighting grids, hoists, power distribution, and data networking solutions designed to integrate seamlessly into any space.

 Immersive Experience Installations: Imagine spaces transformed through interactive lighting, projection mapping, and dynamic effects.

“We’re excited about the possibilities Lux Imperium brings to the industry,” said Andrew Yager, Director of Real World Group. “By strategically realigning our resources, we are positioned to offer unmatched expertise and innovation in venue infrastructure while enabling SimpleMotion to further enhance its renowned theatre and automation services.”

While SimpleMotion will now refocus on the specialised markets of theatre and industrial automation, Lux Imperium aims to become the trusted name for advanced lighting and infrastructure solutions, committed to elevating experiences across every venue and project, leveraging the synergies between brands to offer clients comprehensive solutions.

Whether you’re a venue operator, production company, or creative director, Lux Imperium is ready to deliver lighting and infrastructure solutions that exceed expectations and elevate every experience.

Joy Yeoh, Greg Gowans, Andrew Yager and Jono Boer.

On Stage

Following a humiliating insult by the French prince, King Henry launches England into a war with France to claim the throne he believes is rightfully his. Against all odds, he leads his troops from despair to climactic victory at the Battle of Agincourt. He is hailed a warrior, and a hero. But at what cost?

Bell Shakespeare’s production of Henry 5, directed by Marion Potts, plays at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne from May 11 to 25. bellshakespeare.com.au

A.C.T. & New South Wales

A.C.T.

Online extras!

Watch a trailer for Bell Shakespeare’s production of Henry 5 youtu.be/IWBlHjo_KfI

Sweet Charity. Music by Cy Coleman. Lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Book by Neil Simon. Free -Rain Theatre Co. Until May 18. The Q - Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. freeraintheatre.com

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Canberra Rep. May 1 - 17. canberrarep.org.au

If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You by John O’Donovan. Presented by Everyman Theatre. May 14 - 24. ACT Hub. acthub.com.au

The Dictionary of Lost Words. Adapted by Verity Laughton from the novel by Pip Williams. May 15 - 24. The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Lifeboat by Joanna Richards. The Q Locals. May 28 - Jun 1. The Q - Queanbeyan

Performing Arts Centre. theq.net.au

Present Laughter by Noël Coward. Jun 4 - 14. ACT Hub. acthub.com.au

Scenes From The Climate Era by David Finigan. Belvoir Street Theatre. Jun 4 & 5. The QQueanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. theq.net.au

1984 by George Orwell, adapted by Shake & Stir. Jun 5 - 7. Canberra Theatre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath. Canberra Rep. Jun 1228. canberrarep.org.au

The Queen’s Nanny by Melanie Tait. Jun 19 - 21. The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Carmen. Georges Bizet/ Johan Inger. The Australian Ballet. Jun 20 - 25. Canberra Theatre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

New South Wales

MJ. Book by Lynn Nottage. Lia Vollack, John Branca, John McClain and Michael Cassel. Ongoing. Sydney Lyric Theatre. mjthemusical.com.au

Annie by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin John Frost for Crossroads Live Ongoing. Capitol Theatre, Sydney. anniemusical.com.au

Bloom. Music by Katie Weston and Lyrics by Tom Gleisner. Book by Tom Gleisner. Sydney Theatre Company. Until May 11. Roslyn Packer Theatre. sydneytheatre.com.au

RBG: Of Many, One by Suzie Miller. Sydney Theatre Company. Until May 17. Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre sydneytheatre.com.au

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. Book adapted and additional lyrics by David Simpatico. Music adapted and

arranged, and additional music and lyrics by Bryan Louiselle. Based on the 1951 Disney film Until May 24. Young People’s Theatre Newcastle Inc. ypt.org.au

Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson. The Theatre on Chester. Until May 7. theatreonchester.com.au

Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime by Constance Cox, based on a story by Oscar Wilde. Genesian Theatre Company. Until Jun 7. St Joseph’s Parish Hall, Rozelle. genesiantheatre.com.au

IRL by Lewis Treston. The Other Theatre. Until May 10. KXT on Broadway. kingsxtheatre.com

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Sport for Jove. Until May 9. Riverside Theatre Parramatta. riversideparramatta.com.au

Posh by Laura Wade. Queen Hades Productions. Until May

Photo: Brett Boardman.

On Stage

Online extras!

Discover the beloved modern classic The Dictionary Of Lost Words. youtu.be/QjcPneiBzms

New South Wales

The State Theatre Company SA / Sydney Theatre co-production of The Dictionary of Lost Words, adapted by Verity Laughton from Pip Williams’ best-selling novel, plays in Brisbane until May 10, at the Playhouse, QPAC, then from May 15 to May 24 at the Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra and from May 29 to June 7 at IPAC, Wollongong. sydneytheatre.com.au

11. Old Fitz Theatre. oldfitztheatre.com.au

Crimes of the Heart by Beth Hanley. Wollongong Workshop Theatre. May 2 - 17. Workshop Theatre, Gwynneville. wollongongworkshoptheatre.com.au

Sylvia by A.R. Gurney. Richmond Players. May 3 - 24. Richmond School of Arts. richmondplayers.com.au

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. May 3 - Jun 1. Theatre Royal, Sydney. andthentherewerenone.com.au

The Wrong Gods by S. Shakthidharan. Co-produced by Company B & Melbourne Theatre Company. May 3 - Jun 1. Belvoir Street Theatre. belvoir.com.au

Noises Off by Michael Frayn. Campbelltown Theatre Group. May 3 - 17. Campbelltown Town Hall Theatre. ctgi.org.au

Morning Sacrifice by Dymphna Cusack. Newcastle Theatre

Company Inc. May 3 - 17 Newcastle Theatre, Lambton. newcastletheatrecompany.com.au

Mamma Mia! Book by Catherine Johnson. Music and Lyrics Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus. Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society. May 3 - 25. The Little Theatre, Parkes. parkesmandd.com.au

Happy Days by Samuel Beckett. Sydney Theatre Company. May 5 - Jun 29. Wharf 1 Theatre. sydneytheatre.com.au

The Hardcase Hotel by Devon Williamson. Blackheath Theatre Company. May 8 - 11

Blackheath Community Theatre Hall. blackheaththeatrecompany.com

Grease. Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Hornsby Musical Society. May 9 - 18 Pioneer Theatre, Castle Hill. hornsbymusicalsociety.com.au

We Will Rock You. Music and Lyrics by Queen, Story and Script by Ben Elton Penrith Musical Comedy Company. May 9 - 17. Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith. thejoan.com.au

Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie. Woy Woy Little Theatre. May 9 - 25. Peninsula Theatre, Woy Woy. woywoylt.com.au

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall by Mark Kilmurry and Jamie Oxenbold. Arts Theatre Cronulla. May 9Jun 14. artstheatrecronulla.com.au

The Sound of Music. Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 11, book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crowe. Rockdale Musical Society. May 9 - 17. Rockdale Town Hall. rockdalemusicalsociety.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Book by Jeffrey Lane. Music and lyrics by David Yazbek. Pinwheel Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co. May 9 - Jun 8. Hayes Theatre. hayestheatre.com.au

The Producers. Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, and music and lyrics by Mel Brooks. Joshua Robson Productions. May 15 - 18. Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. riversideparramatta.com.au

1984 by George Orwell. Shake & Stir. Theatre Co. May 1517, Glen Street Theatre, Belrose, glenstreet.com.au & Jun 13, The Joan, Penrith, thejoan.com.au

Seussical by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. May 16 - 25. Engadine Theatre, Engadine. engadinems.com.au

The Shape of Things by Neil Labute. Lane Cove Theatre

Photo: Prudence Upton.

On Stage New South Wales

Company. May 16 - 25. lanecovetheatrecompany.com.au

Jekyll & Hyde. A Slightly Isolated Dog. May 20 & 21. Glen Street Theatre. glenstreet.com.au

Mamma Mia! Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Book by Catherine Johnson. Blackout Theatre Company. May 21 - Jun 1. Pioneer Theatre, Castle Hill. blackouttheatre.com.au

The Annarchy [1138-53] by Döppelgangster. May 21 - 31. KXT on Broadway. kingsxtheatre.com

Radio Dreams. Strathfield Musical Society. May 23 - 25. The Latvian Theatre, Strathfield. strathfieldmusicalsociety.com.au

Mary Jane by Amy Herzog. Mi Todo Productions. May 23Jun 14. Old Fitz Theatre. oldfitztheatre.com.au

Holding The Man. Adapted by Tommy Murphy, from the

novel by Timothy Conigrave. Glenbrook Players Inc. May 23 - 31. Glenbrook Community Theatre & Cinema. glenbrookplayers.com.au

Disney’s Freaky Friday. Music by Tom Kitt. Lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Book by Bridget Carpenter. Based on the novel by Mary Rodgers and the Disney Film. Hills Musical Theatre Co. May 23 - 31. Model Farms High School Auditorium, Baulkham Hills. hillsmtc.com

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. Henry Lawson Theatre. May 23 - Jun1 144 Henry Lawson Avenue, Werrington. 0448 011 370.

A Chorus Line. Music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban & book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante. Willoughby Theatre Company. May 23 - Jun1. The Concourse

Theatre, Chatswood. willoughbytheatreco.com.au

Chicago by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse. Tall & Short Theatre Co. May 23 - 31. Sutherland Arts Theatre. thepavilionarts.au

Disney The Little Mermaid. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright. Berowra Musical Society. May 24 - Jun 1. Berowra Cultural & Community Centre, The Gully Road, Berowra. bmsi.org.au

Come From Away. Book, Music and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Blue Mountains Musical Society. May 24 - Jun 8. Blue Mountains Theatre, Springwood. bmms.org.au

Madame Martha’s Parisian Cabaret. Jens Radda. May 27Jun 8. Old Fitz Theatre. oldfitztheatre.com.au

Rehearsal for Murder Adapted by D.D. Brooke from the

Teleplay by William Link & Richard Levinson. Castle Hill Players. May 30 - Jun 21. Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill Showground. paviliontheatre.org.au

The Revlon Girl by Neil Anthony Docking. Hunters Hill Theatre. May 30 - Jun 22. Club Ryde Ex, Ryde. huntershilltheatre.com.au

The Trojan War. A slightly Isolated Dog. May 22 & 23, Glen Street Theatre, glenstreet.com.au & May 30 & 31, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, riversideparramatta.com.au

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Tim Rice. EUCMS. May 31 - June 14. Epping Baptist Church, Epping. eucms.org.au

Ratburger. A play by Maryam Master based on the book by David Walliams Jun 5 - 7. CDP

On Stage

Kids. Glen Street Theatre. glenstreet.com.au

Disney’s Little Mermaid. Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater. Book by Doug Wright. Singleton Theatrical Society. Jun 6 - 21 Singleton Civic Centre. singletontheatricalsociety.com.au

The Explorers Club by Nell Benjamin. The Guild Theatre Ltd. Jun 6 - 28. Guild Theatre, Rockdale. Bookings guildtheatre.com.au

The Spare Room. Based on the Novel by Helen Garner. Company B, in association with Byzant. Jun 7 - Jul 13. Belvoir Street Theatre. belvoir.com.au

What Of It by Rebecca Sgouros. bring the dog productions. Jun 10 - 15. Old Fitz Theatre. oldfitztheatre.com.au

Looking for Alibrandi by Vidya Rajan, based on the book by

Melina Marchetta. Brink Productions. Jun 11 - 15. Riverside Theatres Parramatta. riversideparramatta.com.au

The Boy From Oz. Music and Lyrics by Peter Allen. Book by Nick Enright. Inner West Theatre Company. June 1321. Petersham Town Hall. innerwesttheatre.com.au

The Queen’s Nanny by Melanie Tait. Jun 13 & 14. Ensemble Theatre Production. The Pavilion, Sutherland. thepavilionarts.au

The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai. Rockdale Opera Company. Jun 14 - 21. Rockdale Town Hall, Rockdale. rockdaleopera.com.au

Seventeen by Mathew Whittet. The Acting Factory. Jun 1422. The Penrith Gaels Club, Kingswood. trybooking.com/1363138

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Newcastle

New South Wales & Queensland

Theatre Company Inc. Jun 1428. Newcastle Theatre, Lambton. newcastletheatrecompany.com.au

Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. John Frost for Crossroads Live. From June 17. Theatre Royal, Sydney. catsthemusical.com.au

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, adapted by Sally Reid. Jun 1829. The Bay Playhouse, Batemans Bay. baytheatreplayers.com

Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson. Wollongong Workshop Theatre. Jun 20 - Jul 5. Workshop Theatre, Gwynneville. wollongongworkshoptheatre.com.au

The Music Man. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society. Jun 20 - Jul 6 Red Gum Function Centre, Wentworthville. hmds.org.au

The Lady Vanishes by Derek Webb, based on a novel by Ethel Lina White. Genesian Theatre Company. Jun 20 - Jul 26. St Joseph’s Parish Hall, Rozelle. genesiantheatre.com.au

Blackbird by David Harrower. HER Productions. Jun 25 - Jul 5. KXT on Broadway. kingsxtheatre.com

Being Alive - The Music of Stephen Sondheim. Jun 25 - Jul 12. Hayes Theatre. hayestheatre.com.au

The Offering by Omar Musa and Mariel Roberts Musa. National Theatre of Paramatta. Jun 26 - 28. Riverside Theatres Parramatta. riversideparramatta.com.au

Sistren by Iolanthe. Griffin Theatre Company / Green Door Theatre. Jun 26 - Jul 12. Old Fitz Theatre. oldfitztheatre.com.au

Queensland

Brisbane Comedy Festival. Until May 25. Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, Princess Theatre and The Fortitude Music Hall. brisbanecomedyfestival.com

The Dictionary of Lost Words. Adapted by Verity Laughton from Pip Williams’ novel. Until May 10. Playhouse QPAC. qpac.com.au

On The Wallaby by Nick Enright. Toowoomba Repertory Theatre. Until May 10. toowoombarep.com.au

Little Women. Music by Jason Howland. Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Book by Allan Knee. Phoenix Ensemble, Beenleigh. May 2 - 24. phoenixensemble.com.au

Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer and Lockdown in Little Grimley by David Tristram. Sunnybank Theatre Group. May 2 - 17. sunnybanktheatre.com.au

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Spotlight Theatrical Company. May 9 - 31. Halpin Auditorium, Benowa. spotlighttheatre.com.au

Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl. New Farm Nash Theatre. May 9 - 31 nashtheatre.com

Love, Loss and What I Wore by Norah and Deliah Ephron. Tugun Theatre Company. May 9 - 31. Tugun Village Community Centre. tuguntheatre.org

No Dinner for Sinners by Edward Taylor. Centenary Theatre Group. May 10 - Jun 1. centenarytheatre.com.au

Thursday’s Child by Sonya Hartnett. Javeenbah Theatre. May 10 - 24. javeenbah.org.au

The Perfect Murder. Based on a novella by Peter James, adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna. Ipswich Little Theatre. May 14 - 31. ilt.org.au

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by

On Stage Queensland & Victoria

Glen Hazeldine and Georgie Parker reprise the roles they created 15 years ago at the Ensemble Theatre in Queensland Theatre’s production of David Williamson’s Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica from May 28 to June 21 at the Bille Brown Theatre. queenslandtheatre.com.au

Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield QPAC, Woodward Productions and Neil Gooding Productions May 15 - June 8. Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. qpac.com.au

Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. Gold Coast Little Theatre. May 23 - Jun 12. gclt.com.au

Footloose by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie Mackay Musical Comedy Players May 23 & 24. mackaymusicalcomedyplayers.com

The Great Divide by David Williamson. Villanova Players. May 23 - Jun 1. Ron Hurley Theatre, Seven Hills. villanovaplayers.com

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, adapted by Shake & Stir Theatre Co May 24 - Jun 8. Playhouse, QPAC. qpac.com.au

Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica by David Williamson. Queensland Theatre. May 28 -

Jun 21. Bille Brown Theatre. queenslandtheatre.com.au

My Brilliant Career. Adapted by Christine Davey from the novel by Miles Franklin. St Luke’s Theatre Society. Jun 6 - 21. stlukestheatre.asn.au

Cinderella by Natalie Trengove. Original songs and lyrics by Jim Fury. Tweed Theatre Co. Jun 14 - 25. Tweed Heads Civic Centre Auditorium. tweedtheatre.com.au

QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival. Jun 17 - 22. qpac.com.au

The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley. Sunnybank Theatre Group. Jun 20 - Jul 5. sunnybanktheatre.com.au

Come From Away. Book, Music & Lyrics: Irene Sankoff and David Hein Savoyards. Jun 26Jul 5. Iona Performing Arts Centre. savoyards.com.au

Richard the Third. Shakespeare at the Tanks 2025. Tropical Arts Association Inc, Cairns.

Online extras!

Glen and Georgie discuss the play and developing their characters. youtu.be/Z_cG_kqIOjw

Jun 26 - 28. Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns. tropicalarts.org

Dear Son. Based on the book by Thomas Mayo, adapted by Isaac Drandic and John Ha. Queensland Theatre. Jun 28Jul 19. Bille Brown Theatre. queenslandtheatre.com.au

Jesus Christ Superstar. Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Presented by John Frost & David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions. From Jun 29. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. jesuschristsuperstarmusical.com.au

Victoria

Jesus Christ Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. John Frost and David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions. Until Jun 22. Princess Theatre, Melbourne. jesuschristsuperstarmusical.com.au

Things I Know To Be True by Andrew Bovell. Williamstown

Little Theatre. Until May 10. wlt.org.au

Haunted by Eric Chappell. Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre. Until May 10. lilydaleatc.com

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens, from the novel by Mark Haddon. Heidelberg Theatre Company. Until May 10. htc.org.au

A Happy and Holy Occasion by John O’Donoghue. Malvern Theatre Company. Until May 10. malverntheatre.com.au

The Comeuppance by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Red Stitch. Until May 25. redstitch.net

The Lord Of The Rings: A Musical Tale. Based on the novels by J R R Tolkien. Book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and original music by A R Rahman, Värttinä, and Christopher Nightingale. Until Jun 8.

Photo: Jeremy Grieve.

On Stage Victoria

Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. lotronstage.com

Crossroads: One Act Play Season. By Emma Wood, Paula Armstrong, John Jennings, Daniel Reitz. Eltham Little Theatre. May 2-17. elthamlittletheatre.org.au

Come from Away by Irene Sankoff & David Hein. Bairnsdale Production Line Theatre Co. May 2 - 18. Forge Theatre and Arts Hub. bairnsdaleproductionline.org

The Black Woman of Gippsland by Andrea James. Melbourne Theatre Company. May 5 - 31. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. mtc.com.au

The Piano Women. Emma Knights. May 5 - 10. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Out of Date. The Butterfly Club. May 7 - 10. thebutterflyclub.com

Beetlejuice. Score by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown & Anthony King. Michael Cassel Group. From May 7. Regent Theatre. beetlejuicethemusical.com.au

Hadestown. Music, Lyrics and Book by Anaïs Mitchell. Opera Australia and JONES Theatrical Group. Her Majesty’s Theatre. From May 8. hadestown.com.au

Drinking Habits by Tom Smith. Wyndham Theatre Company. May 9 - 17. wyndhamtheatrecompany.org.au

Knife Edge by Alison Campbell Rate. Beaumaris Theatre Group. May 9 - 24. beaumaristheatre.com.au

The Girl on the Train by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel. The Mount Players. May 9 - 25. Mountview Theatre. themountplayers.com

Henry 5 by William Shakespeare. Bell Shakespeare.

May 11 - 25. Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne. artscentremelbourne.com.au

Hampton House by Shari Miles. May 12 - 17. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

What To Do When You Kill Your Co-Star. The Butterfly Club. May 12 - 17. thebutterflyclub.com

Humans 2.0. Circa. May 1424. Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne. artscentremelbourne.com.au

1984. A play by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, based on the 1949 novel by George Orwell. JMC Academy Graduating Acting Company. May 15 - 18. The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne. artscentremelbourne.com.au

Betrayal by Harold Pinter. Thursday’s Child. May 15 - 25. Chapel Off Chapel. chapeloffchapel.com.au

Nice Work If You Can Get It. Songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Book by Joe DiPietro. Inspired by material by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. CLOC Musical Theatre. May 16 - 31. National Theatre, St Kilda. cloc.org.au

Proof by David Auburn. Peridot Theatre Inc. May 16 - 25. Clayton Community Centre Theatrette. peridot.com.au

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. Malthouse. May 16Jun 7. malthousetheatre.com.au

Stop.Rewind by Melissa Bubnic. Mozart Theatre. May 16 - 25. Monash Hall, Yallourn North. moartz.com

Mr. Nobody by Ehsan Bayatfar. May 19 - 24. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Femme Play (ungrateful slut). May 21 - 31. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Endgames. Three short works by Hibberd, Beckett and Chekhov. Fortyfivedownstairs.

May 22 - Jun 1. fortyfivedownstairs.com

The Housekeeper by James Prideaux. The 1812 Theatre. May 22 - Jun 14. 1812theatre.com.au

Ignite. A Theatrical Showcase. JMC Academy Performance Ensemble. May 22 - 23. The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne. artscentremelbourne.com.au

The Wedding Singer. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. Warragul Theatre Company. May 2331. West Gippsland Arts Centre. warragultheatrecompany.org

The Addams Family by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice and Andrew Lippa. Wonthaggi Theatrical Group. May 23 - Jun 8. wtg.org.au

School of Rock. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Glenn Slater. Geelong Lyric Theatre Society. May 23Jun 1. Geelong Arts Centre, The Play House. geelonglyric.com

Godddesses Unleashed by Kate Lawson. May 26 - 31. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The Barden Party. May 26 - Jun 1. Chapel Off Chapel. chapeloffchapel.com.au

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The Barden Party. May 26 - Jun 1. Chapel Off Chapel. chapeloffchapel.com.au

How To Hold A Sign. May 2831. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Switch by Shannon McCann. Jun 2 - 7. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Monolith. Rising / Joel Bray Dance. Jun 3 - 15. Arts House. 2025.rising.melbourne

On Stage Victoria

Co-created, written and performed by Joe Paradise Lui and Merlynn Tong, Legends (Of The Golden Arches) is a powerful, deeply personal examination of the Chinese cultural experience and the enduring power of friendship, revealed through a hilarious yet subtly moving lens.

From June 5 to 28 at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler as part of Melbourne’s 2025 Rising Festival. 2025.rising.melbourne

Rising Festival. June 4 - 15. Various venues across Melbourne.

2025.rising.melbourne

POV. Rising / Re: Group Performance Collective. Jun 48. The Showroom, Arts Centre Melbourne.

2025.rising.melbourne

Hamlet. Rising / Teatro La Plaza. Jun 4 - 8. Union Theatre, The University of Melbourne.

2025.rising.melbourne

Kill Me. Rising / Marina Otero. Jun 5 - 8. The Sumner, Southbank Theatre.

2025.rising.melbourne

Legends (Of The Golden Arches) by Joe Paradise Lui and Merlynn Tong. Rising / Melbourne Theatre Company. Jun 5 - 28. Southbank Theatre, The Lawler.

2025.rising.melbourne

Fat Pig: The Opera by Matt Boehler and Miriam GordonStewart. Fortyfive downstairs.

Jun 5 - 8. fortyfivedownstairs.com

My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe. Babirra Music Theatre. Jun 6 - 15. The Round. babirra.org.au

Diagrammatica. Rising / Jason Mailing. Jun 6 - 15. The Atrium, Fed Square. 2025.rising.melbourne

Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare. Rising / Forced Entertainment. Jun 6 - 15. The Guild, University of Melbourne Arts Centre. 2025.rising.melbourne

The Wrong Gods by S. Shakthidharan. Melbourne Theatre Company. Jun 6 - Jul 12. Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. mtc.com.au

Mamma Mia! Book by Catherine Johnson. Music and Lyrics Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus. Windmill Theatre Company. Jun 7 - 21.

Online extras!

Get a taste of what’s on offer at Melbourne’s 2025 Rising Festival youtu.be/zQe6DC6MGYY

Bunjil Place Theatre. windmilltheatre.com.au

Heartbreak Hotel. Rising / EBKM. Jun 10 - 22. The Showroom, Arts Centre Melbourne.

2025.rising.melbourne

Don’t Get Carried Away by Roy Barker. Jun 10 - 14. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Backwoods to Barbie. Ginger van der Snatch. Jun 10 - 14. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Ectasy. Marcus Whale. Rising. Jun 11 - 14. The Substation. 2025.rising.melbourne

The Act. Amitra Hepi with Mish Grigor and Tilly Lawless. Rising. Jun 11 - 14. Chunky Move Studios. 2025.rising.melbourne

Super by Emelie Collyer. Red Stitch. Jun 11 - Jul 6. redstitch.net

Circe’s Carnival of Voice. Fortyfivedownstairs. Jun 1122. fortyfivedownstairs.com

The War of the Worlds, by Howard E. Koch from the novel by H.G. Wells. The Basin Theatre Group. Jun 12 - 22. thebasintheatre.au

Mickey. Brooke Stamp. Rising / Buxton Contemporary. Jun 1214. Buxton Contemporary 2025.rising.melbourne

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Warrandyte Theatre Company. Jun 13 - 28. Warrandyte Mechanics Institute. warrandytearts.org.au

Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Text by John Cameron Mitchell. Music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. Rising / GWB

Entertainment / Andrew Henry. Jun 13 - 26. Athenaeum Theatre. 2025.rising.melbourne

Mary Poppins. Original music & lyrics by Richard M. & Robert B.

Photo: Matsu Photography.

On Stage

Victoria, Tasmania & South Australia

Ten strangers are lured to a solitary mansion on an island off the English coast. When a storm cuts them off from the mainland and one of the party dies, they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among them and the true reason for their presence on the island becomes horribly clear. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, directed by Robyn Nevin, continues its tour at the Theatre Royal Sydney from May 3, then His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth from June 8 and Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide from August 2. andthentherewerenone.com.au

Sherman, with new songs by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe. Book: Julian Fellowes. MDMS. Jun 13 - 22. Karralyka Theatre. mdms.org.au

Promise & Promiscuity by Penny Ashton. Jun 14 & 15. Chapel Off Chapel. chapeloffchapel.com.au

Asexual Fantasies and Hopeless Aromantics. Sophie Harvey. Jun 16 - 21. The Butterfly Club. thebutterflyclub.com

Bulletproof. The Butterfly Club. Jun 16 - 21. thebutterflyclub.com

Next Fall by Geoffry Nauffts Ballarat National Theatre Inc. Jun 19 - 22. bnt.org.au

Things I Know to be True by Andrew Bovell. Essendon Theatre Co. Jun 19 - 28. essendontheatrecompany.com.au

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Malvern Theatre Company. Jun 20 - Jul 5. malverntheatre.com.au

Happy-Go-Wrong by Andi Snelling. Fortyfivedownstairs. Jun 25 - 29. fortyfivedownstairs.com

Rabbit Hole by David LindsayAbaire. Williamstown Little Theatre. Jun 25 - Jul 12. wlt.org.au

Mother Play - A Play in Five Evictions by Paula Vogel. Melbourne Theatre Company. Jun 30 - Aug 2. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. mtc.com.au

Young Frankenstein. Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan. Music and lyrics by Mel Brooks. Theatre of the Damned, Geelong. Jun 20 - 28. Belmont High SchoolPerforming Arts Centre. theatreofthedamnedgeelong.com

Tasmania

Yes, Prime Minister. John X Presents. May 9 - 25. The Playhouse Theatre, Hobart. playhouse.org.au

Uni Revue 2025: (Dim)Witted. Old Nick Company. May 9 - 24, Theatre Royal, Hobart. theatreroyal.com.au and May 29 - 31, Princess Theatre Launceston. theatrenorth.com.au

Jekyll & Hyde. A Slightly Isolated Dog. May 13 & 14, Studio Theatre, Theatre Royal, Hobart, theatreroyal.com.au and May 16 & 17, Earl Arts Centre, Launceston, theatrenorth.com.au

Australian Musical Theatre Festival. Mar 21 - 25. Launceston - Various venues. amtf.org.au

The Legacy. Eternal Performing Arts. May 22 & 23. Studio Theatre, Theatre Royal, Hobart. theatreroyal.com.au

Branwell and the other Brontës by Stephen Knight. An Exitleft Signature Production. May 27Jun 1. The Playhouse Theatre, Hobart. playhouse.org.au

Dark Mofo. June 5 - 15. darkmofo.net.au

VOID. Dark Mofo. Jun 5 - 8. Theatre Royal, Hobart. theatreroyal.com.au

Beauty and the Beast. Victorian State Ballet. Jun 20, Princess Theatre Launceston, theatrenorth.com.au and Jun 21 & 22, Theatre Royal, Hobart, theatreroyal.com.au

Next to Normal. Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. Black Box Theatre Company. Jun 25 - 29. Earl Arts Centre, Launceston. theatrenorth.com.au

South Australia

Wrong Turn at Lungfish by Garry Marshall & Lowell Ganz. Galleon Theatre Group. May 2 - 10. Domain Theatre, Marion Cultural Centre. galleon.org.au

Dream Big Children’s Festival. May 7 - 17. Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

Photo: Jeff Busby.

On Stage

La Cage aux Folles. Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Book by Harvey Fierstein. The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company of SA. May 8 - 17. The Arts Theatre, Adelaide. metmusicals.com.au

Beauty and the Beast. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice. Book by Linda Woolverton. Disney

Theatrical Group. May 8 - Jul 6. Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

Flight. Composer: Jonathan Dove. Librettist: April de Angelis. State Opera South Australia. May 8 - 10. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

Little Women The Musical. Book by Allan Knee. Music by Jason Howland. Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Hills Musical Company. May 9 - 24. Stirling Community Theatre. hillsmusical.org.au

Murder at Checkmate Manor by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jr. Tea Tree Players. May 21 - 31. teatreeplayers.com

Merrily We Roll Along. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by George Furth. The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA. May 22 - 31. Arts Theatre, Adelaide. gandssa.com.au

Looking for Alibrandi. By Vidya Raja, based on the book by Melina Marchetta. May 2231. Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. May 23 - Jun 1. Little Theatre, University of Adelaide. adelaide.edu.au/theatreguild

Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival. May 23 - Jun 1. cabaretfringefestival.com

South Australia & Western Australia

Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Jun 5 - 21. Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

La Clique. Spiegeltent International and David Bates. Jun 18 - 28. Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

Bonnie & Clyde. Book by Ivan Menchell. Lyrics by Don Black. Music by Frank Wildhorn. Marie Clark Musical Theatre. Jun 20 - 28. The Arts Theatre, Adelaide. mcmt.net.au

One Act Play Festival Galleon Theatre Group. Jun 21 & 22. Marion Cultural Centre. galleon.org.au

1984. Shake & Stir. Jun 2628. Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au

Western Australia

The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett. Old Mill Theatre. Until May 10. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth. oldmilltheatre.com.au

Sister Act by Alan Menken, Glen Slater, Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner. Until May 11. Crown Theatre, Perth. sisteractthemusical.com.au

Disney Newsies Jr by Alan Menken, Jack Feldman and Harvey Fierstein, Stirling Players. Until May 10. Stirling Theatre. stirlingplayers.com.au

Chalkface by Angela Betzien. Melville Theatre. May 2 - 17. Melville Civic Centre. melvilletheatrecompany.au

Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. May 2 - 10. Koorliny Arts Centre, Sulphur Rd, Kwinana. koorliny.com.au

The Pajama Game. Book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell. Music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Murray Music and Drama. May 3 - 17. Pinjarra Civic Centre. taztix.com.au

Alice by Heart by Jessie Nelson and Steven Sater. Wanneroo Repertory. May 8 - 24. Limelight Theatre, Wanneroo. limelighttheatre.com.au

Mary Poppins by Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman and George Stiles, based on the novel by P. L. Travers. Stray Cats Theatre. May 8 - 11. Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. manpac.com.au

Shrine by Tim Winton Darlington Theatre Players. May 9 - 24. Marloo Theatre, Greenmount. marlootheatre.com.au

Don Quixote. Choreographed by Dame Lucette Aldous after Marius Petipa. The West Australian Ballet and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. May 16 - 31. The Western Australian Ballet Centre, Maylands. waballet.com.au

Hoods by Angela Betzien. Barking Gecko Theatre. May 19 - Jun 13. Koorliny Arts Centre, Subiaco Arts Centre, Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, Kalamunda Performing Arts Centre, Red Earth Arts Precinct Karratha. barkinggecko.com.au

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare. The Midnite Youth Theatre Company. May 21 - 24. Drama Centre, Christchurch Grammar School.

midnite.ccgs.wa.edu.au

8 Women by Robert Thomas, translated by Celine Oudin. Playlovers. May 22 - 31. The Old Mill Theatre, South Perth. playlovers.org.au

Footloose by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. Drew Antony Creative. From May 22. Planet Royale, Northbridge. planetroyale.com.au

At Home with the Sheridans by Yvette Wall. May 23 - Jun 8 Roxy Lane Theatre, Bayswater. (08) 9255 3336. taztix.com.au

Blue by Thomas Weatherall. Black Swan State Theatre

Company. May 23 - Jun 8. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth. blackswantheatre.com.au

Utopia Ltd. By W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan Society of WA. May 30 - Jun 7. Dolphin Theatre, University of Western Australia. gilbertandsullivanwa.org.au

Sweeney Todd Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler. Garrick Theatre. Jun 5 - 21. garricktheatre.com.au

Laying the Ghost by Simon Williams. KADS. Jun 6 - 21. KADS Town Hall Theatre, Kalamunda. kadstheatre.com.au

Hopelessly Devoted by Elise Greg. Art in Motion. Jun 714. New Australian Musical. City of Gosnells, Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, Thornlie. gosnells.wa.gov.au And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Jun 8 - 22. John Frost for Crossroads Live. His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth. andthentherewerenone.com.au

Red Silk by Lois Achimovich. Koorliny Arts Centre. Jun 1321. Koorliny Arts Centre, Kwinana. koorliny.com.au

Never Have I Ever by Deborah Frances-White. Black Swan State Theatre Company. Jun 14 - Jul 6. Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth. blackswantheatre.com.au

Nanna’s Naughty Knickers by Katherine D Savino. Rockingham Theatre Company. Jun 27 - Jul 12. The Castle, Rockingham. rtcrockingham.com

The 7 Stages of Grieving by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman. Yirra Yaakin Theatre, Jun 30 - Jul 12. Subiaco Arts Centre. yirrayaakin.com.au

A Girl’s Guide To World War Writer, Director and Producer Katy Forde. Composer, Musical Director and Producer Aleathea Monsour. Musical Theatre Australia. Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. Apr 8 - 12.

KATY Forde and Aleathea Monsour’s 2018 musical brings a riveting chapter of WWI to life with bluesy guitars, clever set transformations, and a cast who juggle roles, accents, and emotions with aplomb. Based on the true story of Dr Agnes Bennett and her team of trailblazing women, the show is an inventive musical, with gripping storytelling.

Aleathea Monsour plays Dr Bennett with restraint and grace. Susie French’s Dr Lilian Cooper is brisk, unapologetically forthright, and openly queer. The relationship between Cooper and Josephine Bedford (played with warmth by Zoe Georgakis), adds great emotional depth.

Margery Forde delights as the prickly Mrs Harley and brings regal status to the Crown Prince of Serbia. Matilda Malone (Kathleen) and Rachel Fentiman (Elsie) have infectious energy, sharp comic timing, and lovely vocals. Minette Cooper impresses as Higgins and a Gallipoli soldier.

The band, Vix Nightsinger, Sue Moxon, Suzanne Hibbs, with Monsour on bass guitar occasionally, gives the show a raw, vibrant energy. The harmonies in ensemble numbers shimmer with beauty. Production

Online extras!

Watch as the cast perform “This Is War” from A Girl’s Guide To World War. youtu.be/SW8jhRfNZe0

design by Bill Haycock is inventive and evocative. Direction by Katy Forde ensures the emotional shifts feel earned, and the comedic beats land.

A Girl’s Guide to World War is educational and entertaining. It’s a testament to female resilience and ingenuity, wrapped in song and laughter, and delivered with extraordinary care.

Kitty Goodall

The Glass Menagerie

By Tennessee Williams. Ensemble Theatre, Sydney. Director: Liesel Badorrek. Mar 21 - Apr 26.

THE first thing you notice is the wallpaper. It says ‘1930s America’ most of the time but, right in the middle, there’s a giant portrait of a handsome man that has started to peel from the wall and, in a remarkable effect, collect in a large puddle on the floor. It’s part of a brilliant set design by Grace Deacon that includes a large outside fire escape and a tiny all-glass toy set, the menagerie of Tennessee Williams’ title.

This is the play that, starting in Chicago in 1944, blasted off the career of the famed writer.

The man on the wallpaper usually seen in a large picture frame is the absent father, gone for at least 15 years, still missed by his self-deluded wife Amanda (Blazey Best), who scrapes a living selling magazine subscriptions.

A Girl’s Guide to World War.

Photo: Luke Monsour.

Also in this shaky residence are her two children in their 20s, Laura (Bridie McKim), a crippled, intensely shy girl, and Tom (Danny Ball) who, dissatisfied with his monotonous warehouse job, goes to the cinema every spare moment.

Into a disturbed, feverish company comes Jim (Tom Rodgers), an ordinary sort of bloke, not at all ready for a coiffured, dressed-up Laura, desperate in her quietness. Top marks to Bridie McKim, who has the audience at her beck and call throughout.

The desperation in this situation is brought out gradually by director Liesel Badorrek. Here, with this difficult play, she achieves a complete success: it remains fresh and pithy.

The amazing setting and costumes (Grace Deacon), and the lighting design (Verity Hampson), are first rate.

Frank Hatherley

Doctor In The House

By Richard Gordon

and Ted

Willis.

Tea Tree Players. Tea Tree Players Theatre, Surrey Downs, SA. Apr 2 - 12.

ORIGINALLY a 1952 novel and adapted for film and television, this stage version of class-clashing medical students set the entire story in the living room of their English shared house.

Welcoming a new student, Simon Sparrow (Clinton Nitschke), Tony (Ben Proeve) and John (Kyle McCarthy),

The Glass Menagerie.

Photo: Prudence Upton.

Doctor In The House.

together with Tony’s live-in girlfriend Vera (Rebecca Mason), play drinking games and bend the rules on females in the student house.

Proeve and McCarthy took on the stiff theatrical acting style of the 1950s. McCarthy was excellent as a scholar who’s more interested in drinking and playing ‘rugger’.

Proeve hammed up his role as a perpetual student and he created a believable relationship with Mason, who did well to lift her character out of the period with defiance and resistance against male-enforced stereotypes.

Nitschke was best in physical comedy, where his ignorance of life and class was used to others’ advantage. Barry Hill was excellent as the forceful yet forgetful surgeon, Sir Lancelot Spratt, his comic timing greatly assisting the ensemble.

Charlie Klose was a straight-faced Riggie, a young female nurse whose intentionally wooden performance in the play-within-a-play was hilarious.

Director Brian Godfrey ensured the farce is strong, with the take-down climax involving the whole ensemble excellently crafted. It was mostly clean fun, with a dose of dated values medicated by some strong female personalities.

Mark Wickett

The Robot Dog

By Roshelle Yee Pui Fong & Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan.

Melbourne Theatre Company. Director: Amy Sole. Southbank Theatre, The Lawler, Melbourne. Mar 125.

JANELLE (Kristie Nguy) and Harry (Ari Maza Long) are a young couple dealing with grief and a futuristic technologically augmented society. They are trying to work out how to express their respective cultural identities; Janelle has Cantonese heritage while Harry is a First Nations man. After Janelle’s mother passes away, they move into her family home where almost every aspect of their life is “assisted” by AI (voiced by Jing-Xuan Chan). It monitors their everyday functions and controls the home in ways that are annoyingly paternalistic and also provides them with a robotic therapy dog. The situations these circumstances generate are both poignant and humorous.

The text is very tightly, and expertly, scripted and the energetic and emphatic performances highlight the complexity of the emotions. Lighting and sound design is also very effective in creating the futuristic setting. The sparseness of the set helps to consolidate the futuristic scenario while the colour in the costume and decor adds a good measure of naturalness. This keeps the focus on important questions such as the difficulty of negotiating cultural difference and the role of technology. The play does not offer simplistic answers but considers how society can be misguided when it seeks simple or cliched

Take a trip into an AI-filled future with MTC’s The Robot Dog. vimeo.com/1067938073

The Robot Dog.

Photo: Tiffany Garvie.

solutions. This well-executed and entertaining play portrays a very recognisable, relatable, and timeless emotional journey.

Patricia Di Risio

Ladies In Black Music and Lyrics by Tim Finn and Book by Carolyn Burns. Beaumaris Theatre, Victoria. Mar 7 - 22.

LADIES in Black is an Australian stage musical written by Split Enz and Crowded House co-founder Tim Finn and Carolyn Burns.

The show is a coming-of-age story set in Sydney in the 1950s. It tells of young, intelligent Lisa, who joins the sales staff in the fashionable department store F.G. Goode’s, in a summer that changes her life as she befriends the colourful characters of the women’s clothing department.

Debbie Keyt (Director), Rhonda Vaughan (Musical Director) and Camilla Klesman (Choreographer) are a formidable creative team who have worked together on many Beaumaris Theatre shows. It was easy to see Debbie’s supportive hand in the entire production. The orchestra was excellent under Rhonda’s firm baton and never overwhelmed the performers. The choreography was effortless and effective, perfect for the venue.

Five mannequins were arrayed in alcoves around the stage, each dressed in stunning gowns from costumer Cheryllyn de Vries and her team. The mannequins were subtly lit throughout, as was the entire performance.

Grab your copy of the playscript for The Robot Dog from Book Nook tinyurl.com/26fytg3p

Rose Chambers, who played Lisa, has a beautifully trained musical theatre voice and strong acting ability, taking the audience through Lisa’s story.

Bek Chapman played the role of Magda with conviction, warmth, and aplomb. Jacqui Moore and her real-life partner, Dan Bellis, played Patti and Frank, adding nice touches of comedy. Roisin O’Neill brought an appropriate touch of emotion to Mrs Myles.

The entire cast sang beautifully, solo and as a group with tight harmonies, musical entrances, and exits. When a cast works together as assuredly as this team, it allows the audience to relax and float away inside the story.

Jane Court

The Player Kings: Part 1 & 2

By

William Shakespeare, adapted by Damien Ryan. Sport for Jove in association with Seymour Centre. York Theatre, Seymour Centre. Mar 26 - Apr 5.

IN squeezing eight of Shakespeare’s history plays into just nine hours, Damien Ryan and his 17 actors had to create more than just a speedy turmoil of blood and action, by cutting out boring bits.

Musician Jack Mitsch spent most of his time banging out on the drum the pistol shots and thud of beheadings. It is after all the story of 100 years of hopeless English monarchs and their murder, of slaughter in battles winning then losing in France, of endless conspiracies and the bloodiest of civil wars.

Join the Beaumaris Theatre cast during rehearsals for Ladies In Black. youtu.be/SL3ToTyl0o4

Ladies In Black.

Photo: Pietro Giordano.

Reviews

Online extras!

Watch the official trailer for Sport For Jove’s The Player Kings Part 1 & 2. tinyurl.com/28ajmff6

Online extras!

The crowds at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre praised Jesus Christ Superstar. youtu.be/vQemgWluOVM

But this condensed version also offers a clearer and tender view of Shakespeare’s, often repeated, themes the deadly power vacuum around boy kings, vain monarchs indulged and exploited by favourites, or lacking any just administration of noble and common privileges, and the consequential dysfunction, chaotic governance and guilt which flowed from that first regicide, of Richard II. These are the Player Kings.

Characters are cut but Ryan’s adaptation keeps the remainder well-fleshed, with an artful cut and pasting of dialogue, and an experienced eye for wit and rich thoughtfulness. The beautiful, melancholic poetry of Richard II (Sean O’Shea) remains; as does old John of Gaunt’s (John Gaden) vigorous harangue at his governing; and later at Agincourt, Henry V’s rousing speeches to his soldiers.

An ongoing link is also Kate Beere’s brilliant garden of England spread before us, beloved now insecure, flanked by flowers and vines and from a central stage of tiles slopes of lawn sliding into the auditorium.

Ryan keeps scenes dynamic and sightlines clear with frequent agile but natural movement. Props and progressive costuming by Lily Moody, Beere and Ruby Jenkins move from stylish 40’s to voluminous 80s, onto a resort world with mobiles, ipads and gangsters, and the men foppish, or in legalistic suits or British army uniforms, and the poor soldiers in France fighting it seems in their underwear.

The Player Kings keeps Shakespeare’s women as energetic players, notably Richard II’s Isabel of France (Katrina Retallick) and Henry VI’s Margaret of Anjou (Emma Palmer), both exasperated by their husband’s passivity. Margaret is bankrupt after battling for her son’s royal inheritance but as a bag lady still arrives at Westminster to curse her enemies (the prophesies play out!).

The Player Kings. Photo: Brett Boardman.

Ruby Henaway is a wildcat warrior Joan of Arc, here far less a holy child to the English and in Shakespeare’s Henry VI Pt 1 & 2. These plays are rarely staged but within this epic they reveal the most murderous family feuds in the Wars of the Roses. Scott Witt and other fight choreographers are kept busy.

Puppets are effectively manipulated to play the children, like the doomed princes in the tower and the child Henry VI. Gareth Davies is outstanding as the adult king, ever shuffling from the chaos of his long reign and, in contrast, also as the cold and haunted usurper Henry IV. Playing out another Shakespearian theme of parenthood and responsibility, Henry’s son, Hal (Oliver Ryan) understandably escapes the court for the drunken company of Sir John Falstaff (Steve Rodgers) at the Boar’s Head Tavern here the production’s clarity gets lost in funny business but Hal keeps to his promise and steps up to kingship.

In one of the show’s successful excursions into modernity, the peasant’s rebellion in Henry VI is reimagined as a union-driven anarchy led by a menacing if jocular Jack Cade (Rodgers), who prompts yet more beheadings.

It’s a long voyage but eventually the Yorkists win back the Lancastrian crown, under Edward IV (an authoritative Christopher Stollery). But his younger brother, Richard of Gloucester (played with giggling strategy by cerebral palsy effected Liam Gamble) is ticking off the murders and marriages which will secure his crown.

This is an impressive ensemble production given much wit and authority in all roles by veterans John Gaden and Peter Carroll. The cast also includes Andrew Cutcliffe, Lulu Howes, Leilani Loau and Max Ryan. It’s a compelling immersive experience, a mere nine hours of awe and majesty, surprise and delight, authentic, emotional and fully involving.

Martin Portus

Jesus Christ Superstar

Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Production. John Frost & David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions. Directed by Timothy Sheader. Princess Theatre, Melbourne. Mar 16 - Jun 22.

THIS is an exceptional production of this iconic musical. Michael Paynter (Jesus) is an absolute powerhouse; the strength of his vocal talent literally blows the audience away. Javon King (Judas) also impresses his audience with equal intensity. Mahalia Barnes’s (Mary) soulful singing brings an incredible sweet, authentic, and vulnerable quality to the role. Reuben Kaye as Herod is an absolute hoot, Peter Murphy (Pilot) is vicious, while Elliot Baker (Caiphas) and John O’Hara (Annas) are positively menacing.

The performers are able to prioritise their outstanding vocals to convey the emotion of their characters. Their command of the vocal range is astonishing and, together with the superb music played by the band, they literally bring the house down. Highlights of the show include Paynter’s rendition of ‘Gethsemane’. The levels of energy and emotion he gives the song are incredibly moving while also clearly stunning audiences with his vocal acrobatics.

The lighting (Lee Curran), set and costume (Tom Scutt) design are all integral to establishing the overall sombre mood, accentuating themes of conflict, doubt, paranoia, and betrayal. The stylised choreography (Drew McOnie) of the ensemble also contrasted well with the more naturalistic movement of the protagonists. The Roman culture is beautifully suggested via versatile props and large masks that resemble marble busts.

Both fans and newcomers alike will find this production rewarding, engrossing and simply astonishing.

Patricia Di Risio

Jesus Christ Superstar. Photo: Jeff Busby.

Midnight Murder At Hamlington Hall

By Mark Kilmurry and Jamie Oxenbould. The Garrick Theatre, Guildford, WA. Mar 27 - Apr 12.

MIDNIGHT Murder at Hamlington Hall is a new Australian play, originally commissioned for Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre.

It’s opening night of a new murder mystery, presented by amateur theatre company Middling Cove Players, and many of the cast have ‘tested positive’. But the show must go on, so the three remaining actors and anyone else that they can co-opt, pitch in to do the show.

Played on a traditional drawing room set, expertly designed and constructed by Alistair Woodcock, this is a play in two distinct halves. Act One is a backstage comedy that takes a wry look at am dram. Act Two is a fabulous Coarse Acting production in the tradition of Michael Green’s The Art of Coarse Acting or The Play That Goes Wrong a wellexecuted, cleverly presented disaster.

Featuring a clever lighting design by Michael McAllan, theoretically operated by the Stage Manager’s 13-year-old niece (actually by Callum Hunter), directors Kirstie Francis and Sarah House make use of the whole theatre space.

Strong performances, bordering on the manic, abound. Meredith Hunter’s Phillipa, an actress with an inflated opinion of her own ability, is a recognisable delight and indeed Phillipa’s ability to play three roles in the second half is impressive. Jarrod Buttery’s blustery Barney (the sort of actor who gives his fellow performers notes) is annoyingly excellent, and Jarrod masters Barney’s breakdown with panache.

Jim Brown captures director/writer/actor Shane beautifully in a believable performance of an unbelievable performance. Jay Shaw is strong (and a little scary) as Stage Manager Karen. Olivia Keary is a delight in her brief appearances as Karen’s niece and Jack Riches’ later-in-show performance is topnotch.

A show that will appeal to any performer who has faced disaster on stage or anyone that has pre-show nightmares, because this is a “showmare” come to life, Garrick’s Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall is a loving tribute to the disasters that can befall any production.

Kimberley Shaw

Guys And Dolls Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser. Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. Opera Australia. Directed by Shaun Rennie. Mar 21 - Apr 20.

EYEBROWS were raised when Opera Australia chose a 1950s musical, set in grimy gambling dens around New York, for its annual outdoor production with Sydney Harbour and Opera House in the background.

But all doubts were blown out of the water by this joyous and exuberant production, with sumptuous new orchestrations from Guy Simpson, dazzling choreography from Kelly Abbey, gorgeous costumes from Jennifer Irwin and a brilliant cast to boot.

But let’s start with the set from Brian Thomson. The cartoon like quality of the characters was accentuated by the oversized New York Yellow Cab at the centre, which took 10,000 hours to build. It spun around, doors and boot opened for scene changes and characters climbed all over it when needed.

The stage was painted with yellow markings of a Manhattan Road and the band was aloft behind a one-way sign screen.

Dancers sprinted across the stage in one brilliant blur of colour and movement after another.

Nathan Detroit (Bobby Fox) and his long-suffering fiancé of 14 years Miss Adelaide (Angelina Thomson) milked every bit of vaudeville schtick possible from their fraught relationship.

Cody Simpson as Sky Masterson was the whole package with a beautiful voice and that popstar charisma.

If Stage Whispers did stars, I would have given this production five.

David Spicer

Online extras!

Audiences raved at the opening of OA’s Guys And Dolls on Sydney Harbour youtu.be/WZ64Ao2ERk8

Guys And Dolls.

Photo: Neil Bennett.

Bloom Music by Katie Weston and Lyrics by Tom Gleisner. Book by Tom Gleisner. Sydney Theatre Company. Directed by Dean Bryant. Ros Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay. Mar 29 - May 11.

WHAT a rare treasure an Australian musical with a completely original score and story which sold out at its first outing, and now the entertaining, touching new work has a second production.

Bloom originally produced by the Melbourne Theatre Company is the latest success from Working Dog Productions which produced the movie The Castle

The austere surroundings of the set of the Pine Grove Aged Care Centre are not exactly a glamourous location for a musical comedy. However, a stunning transformation of the set (designed by Dann Barber) is breath-taking.

The story is about a shonky nursing home which advertises for university students to work at the aged care centre in return for free board.

Unqualified music student and occasional dope smoker Finn (Slone Sudiro) is the fish out water who forms an unlikely friendship with the deliciously eccentric Rose (Evelyn Krape).

There is a motley mix of other characters in the centre. The villain of the home is supervisor Mrs MacIntyre (Christie Whelan Browne), whose swishing around the stage was hilarious.

The music from Katie Weston is tuneful and varied. The showstopper is a Radio City Music Hall conga line.

Hijinx abound, with Finn transforming the residents into a sparkling (but unrealistic) choir, then a rebellion brews just as an inspector visits the home.

David Spicer

Online extras!

Join the opening night throng of Sydney Theatre Company’s Bloom. youtu.be/AuKWbb8siq4 Bloom.

PERFORMING ARTS MAGAZINE

MAY/JUN 2025. VOLUME 34, NUMBER 2

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CAST & CREW

Editor: Neil Litchfield

Sub-editor: David Spicer

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Contributors: Cathy Bannister, Anne Blythe-Cooper, Michael Brindley, Kerry Cooper, Rose Cooper, Ken Cotterill, Bill Davies, Coral Drouyn, Jenny Fewster, Kitty Goodall, Peter Gotting, John P. Harvey, Frank Hatherley, Barry Hill, Jude Hines, Beth Keehn, Fiona Kelly, Tony Knight, Debora Krizak, Neil Litchfield, Ken Longworth, Rachel McGrath-Kerr, Mel Newton, Peter Novakovich, Peter Pinne, Martin Portus, Suzanne Sandow, Kimberley Shaw, David Spicer, Mark Wickett, Geoffrey Williams and Carol Wimmer.

Photo: Daniel Boud.

I’m Into Something Good

Jukebox musicals that is musicals with scores which are comprised of popular songs originally written in a different context are a fixture on our theatre landscape. The first big contemporary hit was the biographical Buddy, with many others following from Mamma Mia! to We Will Rock You

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the world community theatre premiere of Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical, which I represent, and was able to have my photograph taken with real-life Seeker, Keith Potger.

Behind the scenes, these types of musicals can be very difficult to put together. Unlike traditional book musicals, where the composer can write a new song and they are married to the show, a jukebox musical has the peril of song rights being withdrawn.

The smoothest to administer are one band or one artist musicals. The artist or estate agrees to have their catalogue used as the basis for the show upfront. The hardest are musicals which draw on a range of different artists.

If the subject is still alive and the musical is biographical, then there is the added complexity of representing

someone on stage still around to watch it. Peter Allen had no say in The Boy From Oz, but his ex-wife Liza Minnelli could not bear to watch the musical.

Keith Potger was pleased with the way he was represented in Georgy Girl and raved about the sound generated by the four Seekers at the performance he attended.

The biggest drama behind the scenes was the loss of a song. The opening of Act Two requires a sexy sixties dance song not written by the Seekers that is a dream sequence, depicting Judith Durham’s boyfriend being unfaithful to her.

The original professional season had the Tom Jones hit ‘It’s Not Unusual’, but the owners of that song withdrew the rights, presumably because they want it exclusively used in a different project.

So off we went looking for a replacement. You would think it would be easy to have the owners of popular songs agree to having ongoing income in this context but no, the bigger the hit the more difficult it is to get a ‘yes’.

Songs we sought included ‘Let’s Twist Again’ and ‘Twist and Shout’. The agents for the songs are publishing companies who tried but

could not find the owners in some cases or get an answer.

We needed a spectacular song and were getting anxious. Finally Richard East, the Producer of Georgy Girl who also was one of the original producers of Mamma Mia! made a great suggestion. What about ‘I’m Into Something Good’ by the legendary duo Gerry Goffin (lyrics) and Carole King (music)? It had a nice tune, dance opportunities and was about someone being flirtatious with a girl in his neighbourhood.

To our great relief, the owners said yes, some band charts were commissioned and the production in Sydney was the first outing for the song. Miranda Musical Theatre Company had a very talented young actor, Max Fernandez, playing the role, with sparkling choreography from Chris Bamford to boot, so I was delighted by the outcome (see p43).

Once a musical is published, then losing a song, is an even bigger headache. Elton John withdrew ‘Crocodile Rock’ from the musical Disco Inferno, which I represent, so a batch of band books had to be thrown out. The same thing happened to Popstars: The 90’s Musical. I hear that the writers of Priscilla Queen of the Desert were plagued by the same problem. Luckily there are lots of replacement songs to choose from when a whole decade or style is the basis for a production.

The producers of Moulin Rouge! had the best idea. That jukebox musical is a hyper blend of different songs cut and pasted together. Unpicking half a verse of one song if Dolly Parton changed her mind would have been a nightmare.

So, their clever song wrangler forced the owners to sign up for life. Once the song appeared on the Broadway stage it was married for life to the work. Saying yes was forever. Amen to that.

David Spicer

Musical Spice

David Spicer and Keith Potger.