The Xanadu Crew want You

Anyone with backstage experience might want to have a look at this, Xanadu is currently hiring crew and wardrobe.

http://backstagejobs.com.au/jobs/?job_id=460

The Boy From Oz extends

After one hugely successful Melbourne season, it was announced earlier this year that the Boy from Oz will return for an encore season in January.
The Musicals Insider has recently been tipped off that the season has been extended yet again, this time for an extra week from Feb 7-13 before heading up to Sydney for a March opening.

Love Never Dies Casting

Principal casting of Love Never Dies has been finalised. The Insider has heard the lead role of Christine has been won by someone fairly familiar to the industry. While we have not been given a specific name, Julie Goodwin appears to be the main rumour, with Michael Cormick rumoured for the Phantom.
Former Glinda Standby Erin Hasan has landed the first understudy position.

You Can Certainly Slow the Beat, But You Can't Keep the Flying Nanny Down

Staff working at the Princess theatre have been informed the show will close in late March.
The news comes as ticket sales have been struggling, with several shows this past week, including Friday night, only selling 600 tickets, or roughly at 40%.
It is understood discount tickets ate available from the Box Office, with all remaining seats for that week selling for $50.

This is contrary to the other Melbournian Mega-Musical Mary Poppins, which has been at 95% capacity. The show has had a 'Sorry House Full' sign out the front permanently since July and has regularly completely selling out. The show will close on Friday the 1st of April to transfer to Sydney's Capitol theatre. The show has been strongly rumoured to make a swift return to Melbourne.

Maybe She Really is Magic...

Contrary to our earlier post regarding Verity Hunt-Ballard, Verity performed both shows this past Wednesdsy the 8th of December. It is unclear as to her exact status, but it appears she has recovered somewhat which is great to hear! It is unknown whether she will continue to perform all 8 shows for the next few weeks or allow understudies Sarah Bakker and Christina Tan to perform some of the shows.

Poppins Update

The Insider has discovered that Mary Poppins star Verity Hunt-Ballard is presently performing with an injury. It is not known what the injury is or how it was attained, but it means she is no longer performing both shows on 2 show days. While she fully recovers, the Matinees will be performed by understudies Sarah Bakker and Christina Tan. Bakker is also unwell at the moment, allowing Christina to recently have her first two performances.

When my baby smiles at me I go to Sydney...

Following a return engagement in Melbourne, the Production Company's The Boy From Oz will tour to Sydney in early 2011. It is expected to fill the Capitol Theatre for 2 weeks at the start of March.

Xanadu Cast Announcement

Rising Musical Theatre superstar Christie Whelan has landed her first lead in a large scale commercial musical.
Whelan will play Kirra in the 2011 Melbourne production of Xanadu.
Also starring in the show are Sam Ludeman, as Sonny, Ally Fowler, as Melpomene/Medusa, Susan-Ann Walker as Calliope/Aphrodite, and John McTernan as Danny Maguire/Zeus.

Xanadu opens on Docklands in Melbourne on Thursday the 3rd of March 2011.

Rock of Ages Casting

The cast for the 2011 Melbourne production of Rock of Ages has been announced this afternoon by Producers.

The cast includes Justin Burford from the band End of Fashion as Drew and Amy Lehpamer as Sherrie.

The rest of the cast include:

Regina - Francine Cain
Justice - Rachel Dunham
Joey Primo - Alex Ellis
Stacee Jaxx - Michael Falzon
Franz - Lincoln Hall
Dennis - Anthony Harkin
Constance - Mel Hawkins
Lonny - Brent Hill
Angel - Ellen Sutton
Hertz - David Whitney

Ensemble - Thern Reynolds, Rachel Bickerton, Brendan Coustley, Samm Hagen, Shaye Hopkins, John O'Hara and Jensen Overend.

The production opens in Melbourne's Comedy Theatre in April 2011, with tickets going on pre-sale through Ticketmaster at 6:30pm tonight AEST with the password ROCKON

The baby is unnaturally GREEN

The Musicals Insider would like to extend our congratulations to former Elphaba Amanda Harrison. Amanda has given birth to a healthy and presumably not green baby boy, Max, on the 9th of November.

Full Doctor Zhivago Cast

The full ensemble cast of Doctor Zhivago has been announced today.

As well as the previously reported principals, the ensemble includes:

Johanna Allen, Gavin Andrew, Anton Berezin, Caitlin Berry, Tony Cogin, Todd Goddard, Natalie Gamsu, Frank Hansen, Scott Hili, Glenn Hill, Luke Joslin, Todd Keys, Ben Lewis, Elise McCann, Kathleen Moore, Shaun Murphy, Chris Scalzo, Annie Stanford, Belinda Wollaston and Jamie Ward.

You Can't Stop the Beat. Or can you?

Hairspray the musical has this week discovered that with great technological innovation comes great technological failure. This Tuesday the 26th of October's performance has to be cancelled at the absolute last minute. The audience was sitting in their seats waiting for the performance to commence when Trevor Ashley walked onstage in full Edna costume, announcing that evening's performance could not go on. One of the three giant LED screens was not working, so the show was forced to be cancelled. Theatre-goers were understandably not happy, with many thinking it was a joke until the doors were opened, and many others swamping the bars for refunds on drinks and snacks.
A full refund or rescheduling into another show of their choice has been offered to all patrons.

More on Dr. Z

This morning at Melbourne's Sofitel Hotel, Producer John Frost announced more details about his new show, Doctor Zhivago.

Rounding out the cast will be Lucy Maunder as Lara, Taneel Van Zyl as his wife Tonia, Martin Crewes as Pasha Antipov, Bartholomew John as Viktor Komarovsky, Peter Carrol as Alexander and Trisha Nobel as Anna.

The Melbourne date was also announced as April 9th at Her Majesty's Theatre.

More on Love Never Dies

The full creative team for Love Never Dies is as follows:

Director: Simon Phillips
Choreographer: Graeme Murphy
Musical Supervisor: Guy Simpson
Associate Director: Rainer Fried
Associate Choreographer: Janet Vernon

Audition dates are as follows:

First Round: Melbourne - October 25-28, Sydney October 29-November 3rd

Second Round: Sydney November 15-16, Melbourne 17th-20th

Final Round: Sydney 22nd-25th November, Melbourne 26-27 November


Rehearsals commence at the start of April with the season commencing from May.

The production will be touring to other Australian cities.

Love Never Dies to make Melbourne debut

It has been confirmed today that Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to the Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, will open in Melbourne in May 2011.
It will move into Melbourne's Regent Theatre, a strange choice given the nature of the show.

We can only hope that a brand new Australian creative team can invigorate the production and make it become even slightly more successful than the doomed West End production.

Members of the creative team include Director Simon Phillips and Producer Tim McFarlane.

Auditions begin nation-wide in exactly 2 weeks time, agents should have received details today.

Rob Guest Endowment Concert

The Annual Rob Guest Endowment Concert was held last night as Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. In what is fast becoming one of the hottest events of the theatre calendar, it was a case of new talent interacting with stars of the theatre industry.
The event served as a reunion for the industry, with all sorts of theatre people spotted.
Guests included Tevin Campbell, Nancy Dennis, Trevor Ashley, James Maxfield, socialite Megan Castran and was hosted by Bert Newton.

The 6 finalists - Bree Langridge, Simon Brook McLachlan, Francine Cain, Nathan Derrick, Drew Weston and Sarah Bakker displayed immense talent and maturity, wowing the crowd with what they could do. There was noticeable improvement in the behind the scenes planning with regards to last year's show, with contestants no longer restricted to a set list of songs, contestants now being properly announced before their performance and props/other actors allowed to be used.

Act 2 started with a live auction with 3 major prizes.
Lot 1 was a Mary Poppins Experience, including tickets, a signed poster and a Backstage Tour. This went for approx. $2000.
Lot 2 was a Musical Theatre poster set, including signed posters from Wicked, Jersey Boys, Hairspray and West Side Story. This went for $1600.
Lot 3 was a framed and mounted Phantom of the Opera mask, as worn by Rob Guest. This went for $5000.

Highlights of the evening included the heartfelt return of the heavily pregnant Amanda Harrison, performing The Story Goes On, cast members from Mary Poppins lead by Philip Quast, singing Sunday and Little Brown Jug performed by Chris Horsey, Mark Hill, Matt Lee and Leah Howard.

Although Francine Cain was announced as the recipient of the Rob Guest Endowment for 2010, all who performed or were in attendance on the night were the real winners.

The programme was as follows:

Act one

Putting it Together - 2010 finalists

Oscars Medley - Rachel Beck, Danielle Barnes, Mandy Carnie

Always True To You - Bree Langridge, feat Ross Hannaford

Love Look Away - Simon Brook McLachlan

Little Brown Jug - Chris Horsey, Mark Hill, Matt Lee, Leah Howard

Shy - Francine Cain

Not While I'm Around - Nathan Derrick

The Story Goes On - Amanda Harrison

I'll Be Here - Drew Weston

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Bakker

Bring Him Home - David Harris

Sunday - Cast Members from Mary Poppins


Act Two

Dream On - Lucy Durack, Matthew Robinson, Esther Hannaford, Chris Parker

Live Auction

Maybe I Like It This Way - Francine Cain

Sunset Boulevard - Drew Weston

Maybe This Time - Rhonda Burchmore

Gethsemane - Simon Brook McLachlan

Astonishing - Bree Langridge

Feeling Good - Tom Burlinson

Glitter and Be Gay - Sarah Bakker

Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat - Nathan Derrick

Show Off - Chloe Dallimore

Burn For You - Michael Cormick

Colour Purple Medley - Danielle Matthews

Up The Ladder to the Roof - Wicked Cast Members

Hairspray Understudies

Here is a full list of the Hairspray cast and understudies. An Opening Night review is to come.

Edna Turnblad: Trevor Ashley
Tracy Turnblad: Jaz Flowers
Wilbur Turnblad: Grant Piro
Corny Collins: Scott Irwin
Velma Von Tussle: Marney McQueen
Link Larkin: Jack Chambers
Penny Pingleton: Esther Hannaford
Amber Von Tussle: Renee Armstrong
Motormouth Maybelle: Cle Morgan
Seaweed J. Stubbs: Tevin Campbell
Inez: Nancy Denis
Female Authority Figure: Jacqui Rae
Male Authority Figure Garry Scale

Shelley: Briden-Starr Aspinall
Fender: Doug de Voogt
Duane: Samuel Gaskin, Peter Harrigton-Olsen
Prison Warden: David Gauci
IQ: Mitchell Hicks
Linda: Kirby Lunn
Gilbert: Loredo Malcolm
Brenda: Hayley Martin
Thad: Tshire Mokou
Sketch: Scott Morris
Lorraine: Kirsta Adesuwa Okunzuwa
Tammy: Ashlea Pyke
Lou-Ann: Michelle Smitheram
Gary: Michael Snell
Judine (Dynamite): Elenora Rokobaro
Kamilah (Dynamite): Chloe Zuel
Shayna (Dynamite):Akina Edmonds

On-Stage Swings: Scott McConnel, Karlee Misipenka, Katherine Rodrigues, Kirby Lee Burgess, Joel Benjamin Hewlett, Kay Hotos, Heath Keating

Understudies


Edna: David Gauci, Garry Scale
Tracy Turnblad: Kirby Lunn
Wilbur Turnblad: Garry Scale
Corny Collins: Scott McConnell, Mike Snell
Velma Von Tussle: Jacqui Rae, Katherine Rodrigues
Link Larkin: Scott Morris, Mike Snell
Penny Pingleton: Ashlea Pyke, Michelle Smitheram
Motormouth Maybelle: Akina Edmonds
Seaweed Stubbs: Joel Benjamin Hewlett, Loredo Malcolm
Inez: Karlee Misipeka, Elenoa Rokobaro
Amber von Tussle: Briden-Starr Aspinall
Female Authority Figure: Ashlea Pyke, Katherine Rodrigues
Male Authority Figure: David Gauci, Mike Snell
Dynamires: Kat Hoyos, Karlee Misipeka, Kristina Adesuwa Okunzuwa
Prison Warden: Garry Scale

Rob Guest Endowment Concert

Yes it is almost that time of year again, time for the Rob Guest Endowment Concert.

Hosted by Bert Newton, this star studded event will feature the best in Australian Musical Theatre. The diamond studded line-up includes:

Amanda Harrison
Lucy Durack
Matt Lee
Rachael Beck
Chloe Dallimore
Rachael Beck
Danielle Matthews
Michael Cormick
David Harris
Mitchell Hicks
Mark Hill
Chris Horsey
Matthew Robinson
Tom Burlinson
Rhonda Burchmore
Esther Hannaford
Danielle Barnes
Mandy Carnie
Michael Cormick
The Cast of Wicked
The Cast of Mary Poppins

As well as the 6 talented Endowment finalists - Sarah Bakker, Bree Langridge, Francine Cain, Simon McLauchlan, Nathan Derrick and Drew Weston.
The winner will receive a $1000 grant, return airfares to New York, accomidation in New York, vocal, dance and acting tuition in Australia and New York, a headshot package and media and finance training.

Tickets are still avaliable from Ticketek, but hurry!

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=ROBGUEST10

Donations to the Endowment can be made via any ANZ branch.

Practically Perfect, yet Short and Sweet

Rumours about Mary Poppins running at least a year have been proved false.
The risky Gordon Frost musical Dr. Zhivago has been confirmed for Her Majesty's Theatre in April, making Mary Poppins only a 9 month run.
Mary will then move to Sydney into the recently vacated Capitol Theatre.

It is rumoured Legally Blonde has had problems with production plans and casting and has therefore been delayed.

It's Hairspray!

Hairspray fever has taken a grip of Melbourne. With the show well into previews, some very positive word of mouth has been generated by those who have already seen it.

Implementing a highly innovative set, the Hairspray set is made up entirely of LCD screens to represent the scenes. Producers have made the unnusual move of not casting any big 'names' in the production and are hoping this move will pay off. Cast have been told to expect a 6 month run.

For a preview video, checkout this link to The Age.

Hairspray opens tomorrow night, October 2nd, at 8:00pm at the Princess Theatre.

Andrew Lloyd Webber in Concert

The Musicals Insider has discovered the Really Useful Group has been auditioning for a new concert tour of ALW's musicals. Similar to the previous 'Aspects of Lloyd Webber' tour, this production is expected to perform a variety of favourite songs and scenes from classic Lloyd Webber shows. Details of the production have been kept top secret, but they have been auditioning over the past few weeks and have all but decided on the cast.

In other Lloyd Webber news, while the exact timing of the show has not been confirmed, it is expected to be announced soon that Love Never Dies will make a mid-2011 debut in June or July in Melbourne. This follows Melbourne's tradition of having a 'big' musical debuting in winter, with the idea that the hype generated from the premiere is enough to guarantee ticket sales through the cold winter months.

Hairspray Casting

The entire Hairspray cast can now be revealed.

Other than those already announced:
Seaweed: Tevin Campbell
Female Authority Figure: Jacqui Rae
Male Authority Figure: Garry Scale

Ensemble:

Briden-Starr Aspinall, Kirby-Lee Burgess, Doug de Voogt, Akina Edmonds, Samuel Gaskin, David Gauci, Peter Harrington-Olsen, Joel Benjamin Hewlett, Mitchell Hicks, Kat Hoyos, Heath Keating, Kirby Lunn, Loredo Malcolm, Hayley Martin, Scott McConnell, Karlee Misipeka, Tshire Mokou, Scott Morris, Kristina Adesuwa Okunzuwa, Ashlea Pyke, Katherine Rodrigues, Elenoa Rokobaro, Michelle Smitheram, Mike Snell, Chloe Zuel.

It is expected that Loredo Malcolm will understudy Seaweed and Mike Snell will understudy Corny Collins.

Turns out Big Girls DO Cry Over Ticket Prices...

Further to our inital post on Sydney Jersey Boys ticket pricing, Jersey Boys Australia has taken an unprecedented move and are offering discounts on preview tickets. 6 weeks before the season opens even.
The discount allows Preview performances, from September 3rd til September 17th, to be purchased for only $100 using the codeword Massi.
Prices have initially been set very high, with Producer Seats, with the seat only, selling for $250 for a Saturday night. Other tickets can be found at $165, $145 and $125.

Omigod You Guys!

Following months of speculation, the Musicals Insider can confirm that Australia will see a production of Legally Blonde in late 2011 to mid 2012. It is set to take over Her Majesty's Theatre in Melborne after Mary Poppins moves to Sydney.

Addendum: Due to production problems, the production will now premiere in 2012 at Sydney's Capitol Theatre.

Another Wicked Update

As a follow up to a previous post:
17-year old Samantha Hagen is no longer joining the cast of Wicked. Samantha was cast, had costume fittings, shoes made and was starting rehearsals to cover Renee Armstrong's track when she pulled out. Samantha will now finish her HSC this year and will appear in Rock of Ages as Sherrie Understudy in Melboure next year. All the best to her!

Hairspray Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak at Hairspray rehearsals in Melbourne.

http://media.theage.com.au/entertainment/red-carpet/hairspray-in-melbourne-1764877.html

Helpmann Award Nominees 2010

The Helpmann Award Nominees for 2010 have been revealed today. While it is exciting that the MTC, especially The Drowsy Chaperone, have received a plethora of nominations, the STC has been snubbed, only receiving one nomination for sound design. A fuller list of nominees can be found here to save space: http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/news/helpmann-award-nominations-2010

BEST PLAY

The Book of Everything - Company B Belvoir & Kim Carpenters Theatre of Image
Advertisement: Story continues belowHappy Days - Malthouse Theatre
August: Osage County - Melbourne Theatre Company
Richard III - Melbourne Theatre Company

BEST MUSICAL

Avenue Q - Arts Asia Pacific and Power Arts
Jersey Boys - Dodger Theatricals, Rodney Rigby, Dainty Consolidated Entertainment, Joseph J Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group & Michael Watt in association with Latitude Link & Rick Steiner
The Drowsy Chaperone - Melbourne Theatre Company
The Wizard of Oz - Windmill Theatre

BEST OPERA

Le Grand Macabre - Adelaide Festival in association with State Opera of South Australia
Bliss - Opera Australia
Peter Grimes - Opera Australia
King Lear - Ten Days on the Island

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

Paul Blackwell - The Hypochondriac
Robert Menzies - The End
Toby Schmitz - Ruben Guthrie
Ewen Leslie - Richard III

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

Kathryn Hunter - Kafka's Monkey
Julie Forsyth - Happy Days
Jane Menelaus - August: Osage County
Robyn Nevin - August: Osage County

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Mitchell Butel - Avenue Q
Bobby Fox - Jersey Boys
Michael Cormick - MAMMA MIA!
Geoffrey Rush - The Drowsy Chaperone

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Michala Banas - Avenue Q
Christie Whelan - The Drowsy Chaperone
Delia Hannah - CATS
Ursula Yovich - The Wizard of Oz

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY

Charlie Garber - Gethsemane
Arky Michael - Love Me Tender
Humphrey Bower - Richard III
Dennis Olsen - King Lear

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY

Deborah Kennedy - The Book of Everything
Yael Stone - The Book of Everything
Alison Whyte - Richard III
Jennifer Hagan - Richard III

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Luke Joslin - Avenue Q
Scott Johnson - Jersey Boys
Adam Murphy - The Drowsy Chaperone
Geoff Revell, The Wizard of Oz

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Christina O'Neil - Avenue Q
Lisa Adam - Jersey Boys
Jaz Flowers - Fame the Musical
Jude Henshall - The Wizard of Oz

BEST MALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA

Peter Coleman-Wright - Bliss
Stuart Skelton - Peter Grimes
John Wegner - Tosca
John Wegner - The Flying Dutchman

BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA

Lorina Gore - Bliss
Emma Matthews - La Sonnambula
Susan Gritton - Peter Grimes
Takesha Meshe Kizart - Tosca

BEST MALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA

Barry Ryan - Bliss
Stuart Skelton - The Flying Dutchman
Paul Biencourt - Rembrandt's Wife
Andrew Foote - Peter Grimes

BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA

Taryn Fiebig - Bliss
Tiffany Speight - Cosi fan tutte
Taryn Fiebig - La Sonnambula
Catherine Carby - Peter Grimes

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

Neil Armfield - The Book of Everything
Michael Kantor - Happy Days
Simon Phillips - Richard III
Thomas Ostermeier - Hamlet

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Jonathan Biggins - Avenue Q
Des McAnuff - Jersey Boys
Simon Phillips - The Drowsy Chaperone
Rosemary Myers - The Wizard of Oz

BEST DIRECTION OF AN OPERA

Alex Olle (La Fura Dels Baus) & Valentina Carrasco - Le Grand Macabre
Neil Armfield - Bliss
Neil Armfield - Peter Grimes
Chris Drummond - The Flying Dutchman

BEST INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY CONCERT

George Michael - LIVE
AC/DC Black Ice Tour
Beyonce
Pink - Funhouse Tour

BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Homebake Music & Arts Festival 2009 - The 15th Anniversary
2010 Melbourne International Jazz Festival
big day out 2010
WOMADelaide

BEST COMEDY PERFORMER

Kitty Flanagan - Charming & Alarming
Fiona O'Loughlin - Fiona O'Loughlin On a Wing and A Prayer
Hannah Gadsby - Hannah Gadsby - The Cliff Young Shuffle
Wil Anderson - Wil Anderson - Wilful Misconduct

Mary #2

After 2.5 weeks of performances, Mary Poppins understudy Sarah Bakker has finally been given an opportunity to play Mary Poppins, performing the title role for both shows on Sunday the 1st of August. Verity Hunt-Ballad is believed to be ill.
The Musicals Insider is pleased to note that unlike other productions, posters were present around the theatre advising patrons of the cast change.

It is believed there is a bug going around the cast, with cast members Matt Lee, Judi Connelli, Deborah Byrne and Verity herself all missing at least one show over the weekend.

Mary Poppins Opens

Mary Poppins opened in Melbourne last night as the 6th production globally. The Musicals Insider was there to cover all the action.

As to be expected, it opened with much aplomb, with spectacular effects and performances from all cast members. Indeed the cast could not have been better. Particular standouts were Kurtis Papadinis and Hayley Edwards, given the honour of playing Jane and Michael Banks on opening night. The extensive search for a Practically Perfect Mary Poppins seems well worth the effort, with Verity Hunt-Ballad deliciously impish, yet authorative.
It is great to see Phillip Quast back on the Australian Stage. He and Marina Prior as Mr and Mrs Banks work very well with each other, while Sally-Anne Upton has perfect comedic timing with the character of Mrs Brill.
Matt Lee is better than expected as Bert, but loses the vital Cockney accent from time to time. With time however this can only improve.
From a technical perspective, at times the volume seemed to be far too quiet. Big numbers were adversely affected by quieter sounds, diminishing what should be big-hitting, high-impacting moments.

But all minor problems are engulfed by the majestic and creative sets, with a showstopper in practically every scene. Special shout-outs go to songs Practically Perfect, the co-ordination required to perform Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, the entire cast performing Step In Time and the magical effects involved in Spoonful of Sugar.
The only scene proving a little odd involves a giant lit up Parrot Umbrella... We're still not too sure about that one.



The Red Carpet included a who's who of the Theatre and Entertainment Industries, with guests including David Campbell, James Hird, Eddie McGuire, Megan Castran, Angela Bishop, Josh Thomas, Daryl Summers, Patti Newton, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Jeanne Pratt, Liz Stiles, Flip Simmons, Rhonda Burchmore, Russel Gilbert, Jason Coleman, Alan Fletcher, John Brumby, Ruby Rose and Vince Colosimo.

British taxis were used to transport guests to the lavish afterparty at the Sofitel, with umbrellas adorning the ceiling. Waiters dressed as Chimney Sweeps served a selection of British foods and drinks, including cheeses, pavlovas, ice cream in waffle cones and spoonfuls of sugar.

Mary Poppins is truly the theatre event of the season. The season is selling exceptionally well, so get your tickets now.

Another Risky Musical?

On the back of Dr. Zhivago's launch, Gordon Frost has confirmed it will premiere it's other new musical, An Officer and a Gentleman, in Sydney early 2012.

Do You Hear The People Sing?

A revival of Les Mis to hit Australia in 2012. More info as it comes.

Dr. Z, Z, Calling Dr Z.

Doctor Zhivago the Musical has been launched in Sydney today. It will play in the Lyric theatre, not in the Capitol as predicted.
The female leads were not announced today, indicating there has still been problems finding suitable actresses.
Zhivago will have a limited 8 week run beginning Friday the 11th of Feb 2011. Tickets are currently on sale via Ticketmaster, using the password Doctor.
The show is expected to transfer to Melbourne at some point for another 8 week season, most likely into the Princess Theatre after Hairspray or Her Majesty's Theatre later in the year.

Get in quick!

Inside sources have revealed Hairspray's booking on the Princess Theatre is even shorter than expected - 4 months initially with a 2 month extension possible.

It does make us wonder though - what is booked into the Princess after those 6 months?

Adelaide... Meet Lucy Durack

Lucy Durack will be a special guest star at Adelaide's ASMF cocktail party this Wednesday night at the Adelaide EntertainmentCentre. Tickets are still avaliable but will not be for much longer.

Anyone wishing to see Erin Hasan perform the role of Glinda before she departs the production, head to the Wednesday night and most probably Wednesday Matinee shows.

Mary Poppins Understudies

We can now announce all the Mary Poppins Understudies.

Mary Poppins: Sarah Bakker, Christina Tan
Bert: Mark Hill, Drew Weston
George Banks: Michael Lindner, Adam Murphy
Winnifred Banks: Natalie Alexopoulos, Christina Tan
Ms Andrew: Louise Bell, Anna-Lee Robinson
Mrs Brill: Carrie Barr, Louise Bell, Kirsten King
Robertson Ay: Benjamin Girrard, Liam Mack
Admirale Boom/Chairman: Troy Sussman, Jack Webster
Birdwoman: Carrie Barr, Kirsten King

What's On: Melbourne

Over the next few days, we will posting information as to shows on in various cities around the country.
First up: The Musicals Capital - Melbourne

Jersey Boys
Closing Sunday July 25th.
No longer offering Student Rush Tickets, best option is to call the box office for decent tickets at this late stage.

Mary Poppins
Playing now at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Opening Night Thursday July 29th. Also selling VERY well, try Showbiz or the Box Office.

The Production Company at the State Theatre:
The King and I
July 14 – 24th. Tickets mostly $90/$80, but top of the balcony are $42

The Boy From Oz
Starring Todd McKenny. Almost sold out, possible extension. August 18- August 22nd.

Sugar
Starring Christie Wheelan. September 29th – October 3rd. Almost sold out – Hurry!


Viva Las Vegas
The Palms at Crown, August 7th

West Side Story
The Regent Theatre
From August 20 – October 3 (presently)
Press Night: Tuesday August 24th
Tuesday-Sunday schedule, Wednesday and Saturday Matinee
Selling very well, try Showbiz.com.au (or Qantas Box Office) for decent tickets.

Hairspray
Princess Theatre.
Opening Night October 2nd. Tues – Sun schedule, Matinees Wednesday and Saturday. Previews September 23rd – October 1st.

Rob Guest Endowment Concert
October 4th at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Tickets to be released soon


Rock of Ages
From April at the Comedy Theatre. Tickets to be released in October.

Sharing Information

Just a friendly little Admin note.
The whole point of this blog is so inside information on Musicals can become more widely known.
In order to protect the accuracy of our information and so as to avoid a 'chinese whispers' effect, if you are going to share the information around, please either quote it directly or provide a link to the original post.
Let's keep common knowledge accurate!
Thanks in advance.

Love really Never Dies

The Really Useful company have today confirmed rumours that the Sequel to the Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, has had to push back it's Melbourne Opening.
On the back of many negative reviews from London, Andrew Lloyd Webber has postponed the production to rework the musical, in particular the (rather dodgy) script.
Auditions were initiall scheduled for October 2010, but will now be very late 2010/Early 2011.

Clarification on Wicked

It appears that the Wicked the Musical Facebook fanpage has incorrectly interpreted our information.

Just to clarify, we do NOT believe Zoe Gertz will be leaving Wicked at this point in time. Samantha Hagen will be added as a 4th possible Elphaba, possible due to Zoe's impending Wedding/Honeymoon.

And she has liftoff...

By all reports, Mary Poppins' first preview tonight in Melbourne has gone off without a hitch, leaving audiences spellbound.

The full ensemble has therefore finally been revealed.

It consists of: Mitch Fistrovic, Leah Howard, Adam Murphy, Troy Sussman, Jack Webster, Natalie Alexopoulos, Justin Anderson, Sarah Bakker, Carrie Barr, Louise Bell, Dion Bilios, Angelique Cassimatis, Dean Coach (Swing), Nicholas Eaton, Benjamin Giraud, Mark Hill, Kirsten King (Dance Captain/Swing), Sarah Landy, Michael Lindner, Stephen McDowell (Swing), Liam McIlwain, Victoria Rimington, Anne-Lee Robertson, Christina Tan and Drew Weston.

EDIT: Ms Carrie Barr has since left the production due to illness. It is believed she has been replaced by Lisa Sontag.


The Banks Children will be rotated between 5 couples of children.

Jane: Victoria Borcsok, Hayley Edwards, Zoe Gousmett, Scout Hook and Sara Reed
Michael: Mark Balas, Callum Hawthorne, Trent Heath, Kade Hughes and Kurtis Papadinis,

Wicked update

There are to be several more cast changes within Wicked before the Brisbane season opens.

Dance Captain James Maxfield has an injury requiring surgery. He will be out for 6 months and it is unclear whether he will ever return. It is expected Ryan Sheppard will become the new Dance Captain.

Ensemble member Deanna O'Leary will also not be making the treck north.

New Elphaba Understudy Samantha Hagen will start in the next month. It is believed she will take Renee Armstrong's track as a 2nd understudy. It is not believed current understudy Zoe Gertz will be leaving.

Lead witches Jemma Rix and Lucy Durack have signed on for the Brisbane season.

Corny Collins Cover

Two weeks out from Hairspray rehearsals commencing, producers are still struggling to find suitable ensemble members. In particular they are looking for a Corny Collins cover.

Wickedness no longer

In Wicked-related news today, we have learnt that recent auditions have been held in Sydney and Melbourne. Among the positions needing filling are one female ensemble, one male ensemble/Fiyero cover and a Glinda Standby.
Present Glinda Erin Hasan will not be continuing with the tour, leaving at the end of the Sydney run.
We have previously confirmed Mike Snell and Renee Armstrong to be departing to join Hairspray, so these other positions would be to replace them.

Remember my name in October

It has been confirmed today that as we previously said, Fame will go into the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, from October 9th, with Press Night on October 14.

Tickets are currently on sale on Showbiz. Ticketmaster will release seats on Monday, July 12th. When chosing tickets, keep in mind the stage at Melbourne's Regent Theatre was extremely high. Seats in rows A-D of the Capitol would be highly recommended.

There will be many cast changes, due to cast members leaving for other productions. The audition process is in it's final stages, with an offer being made to a Melbournian-based actress for the role of Mabel.

Big girls don't cry... over ticket prices.

With Jersey Boys in it's last month in Melbourne, tickets for the Sydney season have been released and they don't come cheap.
Producer seats have increased from $200 in Melbourne to $250 in Sydney to accomodate for the smaller venue. With approximately 600 less seats than in Melbourne, ticket prices have been forced upwards.
Our tip for buying Jersey Boys tickets is to look at some of the cheaper price brackets instead of looking at 'Best Avaliable'. By doing this, tickets in the 2nd row were found for $135 instead of the premium $165 for much further back. Despite the prices, ticket seem to be selling very well, with Showbiz sold out for the first 6 weeks.

Jersey Boys will be closing in Melbourne on July 25th and transferring to Sydney's Royal theatre. Previews start from September 3rd, with Opening Night September 18.
Expect to see some new faces within the cast.

More Hairspray

The Musical Insider can now confirm that Wicked cast member Mike Snell will be in the ensemble for Hairspray.
All the best to him!

Tonight, Tonight...

A big shout out to the cast of West Side Story for their first show tonight. The production seems to be a scaled version down of the production, but features a stellar cast. There is definately Helpmann Award talk about this production!

Rob Guest Endowment

The closing date for entries for the Rob Guest Endowment have been extended until next Friday, July 9th. If you haven't thought about it as yet, do it!!

The only thing better than Hairspray? That's... undecided

Despite the principal roles being announced on Monday, the Insider has been tipped off that auditions for some ensemble roles are still continuing. When an announcement is made, expect to see cast members from Wicked and Fame represented.

Rob Guest Endowment 2010

Just a reminder to all aspiring Musical Theatre performers, there are only 2 days left to get your entries in for the 2010 Rob Guest Endowment.
The Endowment was a huge success last year in it's first year, with eventual winner Danielle Matthews performing with 5 other talented finalists in a star-studded concert.

This year the event proves to be bigger than ever. On May 17, the cast of Wicked performed a production of Sondheim's Into The Woods, raising over $90,000 for the charity.
This year's concert will be on Monday the 4th of October at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.
Entries close at 5pm July 2nd in Sydney.

For details or to make a donation, head to
http://www.robguestendowment.com.au/

When is Sydney going to live forever?

There is much speculation about the fate of the musical Fame.
After lackluster sales in Melbourne, the Brisbane season seems to be performing better. News that cast member Jaz Flowers will be leaving the show to play the lead in Hairspray has helped sales. The question now is when it will go to Sydney and in what venue
The Brisbane season is set to finish early August.

Looking at the availability of Sydney theatres, there are only 2 potential theatres for it to go into. Wicked is booked into the Capitol until September 12, with a week at the minimum to bump out.
Swan Lake will be occupying the Lyric theatre until September 5.

It has been confirmed Fame will run until at least mid-November in Sydney, so it looks as if a mid to late September opening for Fame.

The Wicked Witch heads West

We've had quite a few people asking if Wicked is going to Perth after Brisbane and Adelaide.
The answer is Yes, Perth will be a tour stop in 2011.

Lend me a Soprano

It seems Gordon Frost is having problems finding Sopranos for it's new production of Zhivago the Musical. Neither of the two lead Soprano roles have been cast, despite an extensive audition process and some very talented singers auditioning.
Rehearsals commence in December.

Zhivago opens on Feburary 19 at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney.

Renee Armstrong to play Amber

As a previous entry mentioned, it has now been confirmed that Wicked ensemble member, Renee Armstrong, will be playing the role of Amber von Tussle in Hairspray. Congratulotions to her!

Dreamgirls to hit Australia?

Rumour has it a a production of Dreamgirls is to reach Australia in the not-too distant future, either late next year or early 2012.

Meanwhile the cast of Mary Poppins move into Her Majesty's Theatre this week... Sources say the set and props are looking practically perfect in every way. Expect a completely magical production! Tickets are selling fast, keep an eye on Showbiz for decent seating.

Amber?

Following the Hairspray Cast announcement today, there have been rumours that Renee Armstrong from Wicked will play the role of Amber von Tussle. It is not known how accurate these rumour are.

Hairspray Offial Cast Announcement

Further to our post about Hairspray casting, we can now confirm that Cle Morgan will indeed be playing the role of Motormouth Maybelle and Nancy Denis will be playing Little Inez.

Below are some photos of the launch for your convenience, credited to the TheatrePeople website.

Twitter

The blog now can be found on twitter.

http://twitter.com/musicalsinsider

Although it is just starting up, we hope to use twitter to spread the word!

Wickedness

We know there are many Wicked fans out there, so here's one for you.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new Elphaba cover- 17 year old Samantha Hagen. One can only hope that a 17-year old has developed a good enough vocal technique to not develop the problems of so many Elphabas before her.

In other Wicked news, it appears an Australian Wicked cast member will be joining an American production. But who could it be? This blogger doesn't think it will be an elphaba - we need as many as we can get!
This could be under equity rules, to pay-back for borrowing Carmen Cusack and Jennifer Dinoia for a total of about 3.5 months from America.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Strikes Back

Theatregoers, keep your eyes peeled for more Andrew Lloyd Webber to hit our shores later this year.
Auditions for Love Never Dies and the Phantom of the Opera are currently scheduled for October, being produced by the Very Useful Group. This seems to indicate a new Phantom Tour of Asia and possibly Australia.
Lloyd Webber has indicated he wishes to 'tinker' with LND, so expect an Australian Opening to most likely be pushed back until 2011.

Hairspray Melbourne casting

The cast of Hairspray the Musical has been unofficially announced today.
The cast has been made up of primarily performs that are relative unknowns, but have performed professionally. This cast includes:

Tracy: Jaz Flowers
Penny: Esther Hannaford
Link: Jack Chambers
Wilbur: Grant Piro
Edna: Trever Ashley
Velma: Marney McQueen
Corny Collins: Scott Irwin

Amber and Maybel have yet to be announced, but the signs seem to point to Cle from Australian Idol taking on Motormouth Maybel. This blogger hopes this is not the cast - Cle is far too young. This blogger would like to see Darleene Love reprise her role from Broadway.

The rumours are that the ensemble cast will mostly perform with pre-recorded vocals.
Whatever happened to live theatre?

Musicals Gossip

Hello everyone reading this.
Welcome to the Mystery in Musicals. In this blog, we will be telling you things about the Australian theatre industry that no-one will officially.

If anyone has any tip-offs or scoops, feel free to email them to MysteriousMusicals@gmail.com.

Enjoy!