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!