Major Musicals Movements 2013

Major Musicals Movements 2013

Thanks to a few requests from our readers, here is a break down of all the Major Musicals known to be playing in Australia in 2013.

Addams Family
Jersey Boys
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
South Pacific
I Dreamed A Dream: The Susan Boyle Musical
Strictly Ballroom
Legally Blonde
King Kong
The Lion King

Arena Concert Tours:
We Will Rock You
Jesus Christ Superstar

Currently Running:
A Chorus Line: About to finish a season in Perth, followed by a Brisbane Season in November
Jersey Boys: Now playing in Adelaide before moving to Melbourne in January and Perth in April
South Pacific: Now playing in Melbourne before moving to Brisbane in December and a return to Sydney in September 2013 
Legally Blonde: Now playing in Sydney, however the Box Office is struggling presently. 


Opening 2012
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: November 2012
Opening 2013
Addams Family: Sydney March, followed by a tour
Strictly Ballroom: Sydney September
King Kong: Melbourne's Regent in June
The Lion King: Sydney's Capitol late 2013

Still rumoured:
9 to 5

Sister Act
Book of Mormon
Shrek
Les Miserables
Ghost (initially 'postponed')

Theatre-by-Theatre

Sydney:
Opera House
South Pacific: September 2013

Capitol Theatre

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: November 2012

Addams Family: March 2013

Lion King: December 2013

Lyric Theatre
Legally Blonde: Present - approximately Feb/March 2013 (depending on ticket sales)

Warhorse: Opening March
Strictly Ballroom: September 2013

Royal
I Dreamed A Dream: 4th of July

Melbourne

Regent Theatre
King Kong: June  2013

Her Majesty's Theatre

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: Present - January 2013

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: 30th of January to late March/April
I Dreamed A Dream: 31st of May 2013 for a limited 4 week season

The Princess Theatre

South Pacific: Present - November 25th 2012

Jersey Boys: January 2013 to March

Legally Blonde: from March


Brisbane
QPAC

A Chorus Line: 16th November - 2nd December 2012
South Pacific: 27th December 2012



Perth
Crown (ex-Burswood) Theatre
A Chorus Line: until November 2012

Jersey Boys: from 21st April 2013

Adelaide
Festival Theatre
Jersey Boys: Now playing until very late 2012

Additional Legally Blonde casting

Despite ensemble auditions continuing this week, additional cast members of Legally Blonde have been announced. The announced cast now includes:

Elle Woods - Lucy Durack

Emmett - David Harris

Warner - Rob Mills

Professor Callahan - Cameron Daddo

Brooke Wyndham - Erika Heynatz

Vivian - Ali Calder

Serena - Ashlea Pyke

Margot - Renee Burleigh

Pilar - Chloe Zuel

Kyle - Mike Snell

Enid - Zoe Jarrett

Ensemble: Michelle Barr, Ash Bee, Ryan Gonzalez, Ed Grey, Matt Hamilton, Glen Hill, Shaye Hopkins, Nicole Melloy, Elenoa Rokobaro, Andrew Ronay-Jenkins, Darren Tyler, Stephen Wheat and Teagan Wouters (Elle u/s)

The Production Company 2012

The Production Company will launch their 2012 season next Wednesday the 28th of March at a function at Raheen.

The season will include productions of Promises, Promises and The Producers featuring Christie Whelan as secretary/receptionist Ulla.

There have also been rumours of a production of Gypsy starring Caroline O'Connor as Mama Rose, but we believe these plans fell through.

The 3rd show has now been officially announced to be Chess.

MI Ticket Giveaway- Oliver! in Sydney

The Musicals Insider is excited to announce it's first ever ticket giveaway.

We have 1 double pass to give away for the new pro-am Oliver! at Riverside Theatres in Sydney, presented by Packemin Productions.

In the leading roles are Wayne Scott Kermond as Fagin, Todd Keys (Phantom, Zhivago) as Bill Sikes and Katie McKee (My Fair Lady, Floyd Collins) as Nancy. They are joined by the adorable Damian Hempstead as Oliver and a supporting cast of almost 100.

We have one double pass for either Friday the 3rd of Feb 7:30, Saturday the 4th of Feb at 7:30 and Sunday the 5th of Feb at 3:00.

To go into the draw for the double pass, tweet us the answer to the following question:

What was the name of the recent BBC series to find a Nancy for the West End, and who was the eventual winner?

Entries close at 10pm on Wednesday the 25th of Jan, with the winner drawn and notified on Australia Day. Make sure you are following us at @MusicalsInsider

Good Luck!

If you would like to get us to organise a ticket giveaway for your show, please contact us at MysteriousMusicals@gmail.com

Major Musicals Movements

With several new announcements and developments recently, it is time for our favourite segment: Major Musicals Update!


Currently Running:
Rock Of Ages: 1 month in Brisbane, then unknown
Mary Poppins: Brisbane season, then Perth and Asia
Love Never Dies: 3 months in Syd then closing
Jersey Boys: New Zealand before Australian Capitals

Opening 2012
Annie: East Coast and Perth tour,
A Chorus Line: Adelaide, Melbourne, Singapore & Sydney, then Australian tour to Brisbane & Perth
An Officer & A Gentleman: Sydney & Melbourne
Legally Blonde: Sydney from September
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Sydney from November
South Pacific: Australian Tour
Strange Bedfellows (hopefully...)

Opening 2013
Addams Family: Sydney March, followed by tour to all Australian Capitals
Strictly Ballroom: Sydney September
Ghost: Melbourne August
King Kong: Melbourne's Regent
The Lion King: Sydney's Capitol late 2013

Still rumoured:
Sister Act
Book of Mormon
Shrek
Les Mis

Theatre-by-Theatre

Sydney:
Opera House
South Pacific: August- September 2012

Capitol Theatre
Love Never Dies: from the 8th of January - April 1st 2012

A Chorus Line: July 20th - 5th of August

Next to Normal: September 2012 - October 2012
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: November 2012
Addams Family: March 2013

Lion King: December 2013

Lyric Theatre
Annie: 28th of December - 28th of March 2012
An Officer & A Gentleman: May - August (TBC) 2012
Legally Blonde: Late September 2012 onwards
Strictly Ballroom: September 2013

Royal
Nothing major at this stage

Melbourne

Theatres TBA

Legally Blonde
Strange Bedfellows


Regent Theatre
Annie: 24th of May - July 2012
King Kong: Early 2013

Her Majesty's Theatre
A Chorus Line: 4th of February to the 10th of March

An Officer & A Gentleman: Depending on success of Sydney, approx August/September
Ghost: August 2013

The Princess Theatre
Moonshadow: May 2012
South Pacific: October 2012


Brisbane
QPAC
Mary Poppins: 27th of December - March 17th
Annie: April 7th - Mid May 2012
Opera Australia Season: May - June

Jersey Boys: 13th July - September
A Chorus Line: 16th November - 2nd December
South Pacific late 2012/early 2013



Perth
Burswood Theatre
Mary Poppins: from March 2012

Annie: Dates TBA, but until September 30
Jersey Boys: TBA

A Chorus Line: October 20th

Adelaide
Festival Theatre
A Chorus Line: December 31st - January 2012
Jersey Boys: October 26th 2012
South Pacific: TBA

Full cast of A Chorus Line

The full cast of the upcoming production of A Chorus Line has been revealed, with a mix of well known performers and up and coming performers.

Zach: Josh Horner
Larry: Gerrard Carter
Don: Mark Hill
Maggie: Stephanie Grigg
Mike: James Maxfield
Connie: Leah Lim
Greg: Rohan Browne
Cassie: Anita Louise Combe
Sheila: Debora Kirzak
Dianna: Karlee Misipeka
Bobby: Ashley McKenzie
Bebe: Monique Salle
Judy: Renee Armstrong
Al: Will Centurion
Kristine: Sian Johnson
Val: Hayley Winch
Mark: Scott Morris
Paul: Euan Doidge
Roy: Mitchell Hicks
Tom: Jakob Ambrose
Frank: Mark Strom
Butch: Joel Hewlett
Lois: Samantha Dodemaide
Vicky: Amber Jean Thomas
Trisha: Meghan O'Shea

Alice Ramshaw - Dance Captain

Heath Keating - Swing

Producer: Tim Lawson
Director/Choreographer: Baayork Lee
Musical Director: Peter Casey

Congratulations to everyone. The show opens on New Year's Eve in Adelaide, then moving to Melbourne on the 4th of Feburary.

Mini shows updates.

Just for some quick news on several shows.

The cast of the Adelaide and Melbourne seasons of A Chorus Line is to be announced very soon, but it has been revealed Debora Krizak will play Sheila, with Josh Horner to play Zack, Renee Armstrong as Judy Turner and Anita Louise Coombe as Cassie. Rehearsals start in November.
The show will play from New Year's Eve in Adelaide before transferring to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre from early February 2012.

Mary Poppins last night bid farewell to four cast members - Christina Tan, Justin Anderson, Troy Sussman and Anna Lee Robertson. Taking their places are Jodie Harris, Glen Oliver, David Spencer and Jennifer Peers respectively. Natalie Gamsu will soon be taking over the role of Miss Andrew from Judi Connolli and Monica Swayne (Swing/Mary understudy) will also be joining the company in the near future.

At Love Never Dies, Ben Lewis is back playing the Phantom after a recent illness following the DVD filming. During this time both of his understudies, Matt McFarlane and Tod Strike have been playing the coveted role.

Legally Blonde has been pushed back to September 2012 and is now expected to play in the Lyric theatre, after speculation it would play the Capitol. A formal announcement of casting is not expected to be made until February.


The Addams Family and King Kong are both currently auditioning, with King Kong looking for more cast members for their Workshops and possible future seasons. Esther Hannaford and Queenie van de Zandt are both participating in the current workshop.

Addams Family is currently auditioning for leads for their 2013 season. Ensemble auditions are not until mid 2012.


The Asian tour of Wicked is in negotiation with Equity regarding contracts and conditions. This follows an unfortunate trend of sub-standard tours through Asian countries. A tour of Kiss Me Kate earlier this year ended abruptly when producers went bankrupt, owing artists many performance fees.

Joining the cast will be Glen Hogstrom as Dr. Dillamond and Anne Wood as Madame Morrible. Joining the ensemble is Justin Anderson, straight from Mary Poppins, Luigi Lucente from Jersey Boys, Chris Scalzo from Zhivago and Claire George as ensemble/Glinda understudy. Former ensemble member Deanna O'Leary is also rejoining the company for the tour, again the ensemble.

An Officer and A Gentleman Official Casting

The casting for An Officer and A Gentleman was officially announced today.
Several of the names mentioned in our August casting blog post have succeeded in winning roles.

These include Ben Mingay and Amanda Harrison in the lead roles of Zack Mayo and Paula Pokrifki respectively. Kate Kendall and Alex Rathgeber were also announced as landing roles. Ensemble casting will be announced soon, but we understand Bert La Bonte will play the role he originated in the workshop, that of Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley.
Zahra Newman has also been cast in the ensemble.

Mary Poppins Cast Updates

This week is set to be a busy one on Cherry Tree Lane.

6 months into the Sydney season and it is time for a significant cast change.

As we have reported earlier, Verity Hunt-Ballard is taking time off in order to recover from an injury. We believe it is a repetitive strain injury (RSI) to her shoulder caused from the harness required to fly and constant use of the umbrella.
Scarlett Strallen has been flown in to help out before the Brisbane season. She watched a performance last weekend and will start rehearsals this week.
She will play the leading role between Wednesday the 5th of October and Sunday the 27th of November.

Marina Prior has now left the company, with Pippa Grandison taking over as Mrs Banks, playing her first 'unofficial' performance last week.

Several ensemble changes are also about to happen.
Glen Oliver will come from Wicked to replace Justin Anderson, with Justin heading on the Wicked Asian tour.

Jennifer Peers will replace Anna Lee Robertson as Miss Lark, understudying Miss Andrew

David Spencer will replace Troy Sussman as Von Hussler, also understudying Mr Banks and the Park Keeper.

Jodie Harris is replacing Christina Tan in the ensemble, as well as Mrs Banks, Miss Lark and Bird Woman understudies.
Monica Swayne will be an onstage swing and new understudy for Mary Poppins.

And finally Philip Quast has been cast in Yes, Prime Minister, so will also not be continuing on the Australian Tour.

Trouble on Cherry Tree Lane

Mary Poppins star Verity-Hunt Ballard has injured herself. The full implications of her injury are unknown, however it is a shoulder injury and was not sustained during a specific performance. She will be taking a period of time off from the show to attempt to fully recover before the tour. It is believed a performer from the West End will be flown in to help out during this time. Once her replacement has been rehearsed, Verity will most likely not be performing in the show for the next 6 weeks.

Marina Prior is also set to leave the show on Sunday the 25th of September, with Pippa Grandison replacing her for the remainder of the Australian tour.

Edit: We have now been informed that Scarlett Strallen will be the one flown in to perform while Verity is recovering.

Another Musicals Update

Hairspray will be closing on the 25th of September, 2 weeks earlier than initially announced. The show has been playing to houses of 400-500 people, well under their capacity of about 2,000. Cheap seats are now available everywhere, go and see it before it's too late.
While producers are looking to tour the show internationally, for now the show will go into storage.


An adaption of Doctor Zhivago is currently auditioning for a Korean language version. The show will be adapted and recast for performance in Korean. Us here at the MI are just very glad we don't have to do a Russian accent in Korean...

The King Kong workshop had a setback recently when the rig collapsed. It is not believed anyone was injured, however it is inconvenient. The workshop was held recently, with Lisa-Marie Parker in the lead role of Anne.

A new musical, Dream Lover, based on the life of Bobby Darin is in workshops this week, being directed by Simon Phillips. Actors in the workshop include Hugh Sheridan as Bobby, Christy Sullivan, Robert Grubb, Sheridan Harbridge, Trisha Noble, Christen O'Leary

Legally Blonde casting is still underway, however quite a few roles and most of the ensemble has now been cast. There are quite a few performers also currently on hold for it. A formal cast announcement will not be made until February. The venue for the show has been subject to much rumour of late. It is becoming more and more likely to play in the Lyric theatre instead of the Capitol.

Rock of Ages will be closing on Sunday the 6th of November in Melbourne. It will do a very quick turnaround to get into QPAC in Brisbane by the 12th. It will play about a month in Brisbane moving into Sydney's Royal from about the 14th of January.

Love Never Dies will close on he 18th of December, with final tickets on sale now. It will open in Sydney's Capitol on Friday the 13th of January. The cast and creatives are getting ready for a DVD recording of the show to happen next week.

As we tweeted several months ago Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is expected to open in Melbourne in late 2012, produced by Tim Lawson.
Tim is currently auditioning for A Chorus Line, which is expected to open in Adelaide late 2011.
Sister Act will also make it's Australian premiere in Melbourne in 2012, according to Theatrepeople.com.au


John Frost announced the full cast of Annie earlier this week. It includes Lisa Bluthal, Tony Farrell, Anna Freeland, Todd Goddard, Emma Hawthorne, Luke Joslin, Jayde Kirchert, James Lee, Samantha Riley, Stephanie Silcock, Brianne Turk, Rod Waterworth, Jack Webster and Matt Young.
This is in addition to the other cast members already announced: Anthony Warlow, Nancy Hayes, Todd McKenny, Chloe Dallimore, Julie Goodwin and Alan Jones.
It will open in Brisbane in April and Melbourne's Regent Theatre in May 2012.


September will see the release of both the MTC and STC seasons. Rumour suggests STC will possibly picking up the MTC's production of Next to Normal. STC will be launched on the 23rd of September and MTC on the 27th of September.

Mary Poppins will close on the 17th of December in Sydney before a 6 month tour to Brisbane and Perth. An international tour is on the cards but Adelaide is not expected to have a season at this stage.

And finally Wicked will play it's last Australian show this Sunday evening, 3 years after first opening in Melbourne. The show will head to Singapore in December.

An Officer and a Gentleman casting

An Officer and a Gentleman casting is close to being finalised.

While we do not have any solid news, rumour has it Amanda Harrison, Josh Piterman, Ben Mingay, Bert La Bonte and Chrystal De Grussa are all in contention for roles.

Sydney Annie Cast, Melbourne and Brisbane Auditions

The children's cast for the Sydney seaso of the musical Annie was announced today.
The lead role of Annie will be shared between Marley Aspinall, Siena Elchaar and Ella Nicol.
The rest of the orphans will be rotated between:
Skye Azzopardi, Gemma Bell, Keira Bellifemine, Ayanda Dlada, Jade Gillis, Zoe Ioannou, Alessandra Kitinas, Isabel Kratz, Jordan Lazarus, Lucille Le Meledo, Savannah Lind, Emily McKay, Antonia Marinovic, Natasha Mills, Imogen Ovijach, Jessica Percy, Emily Roach, , Maddison Smith-Catlin, Morgan Townsend, Kirsten Tsoltoudis and Ella Williams.



The Gordon Frost organisation are also taking expressions of interest for auditionees for the Melbourne and Brisbane seasons. Interested applicants should get their singing/dance schools to email Suzanne Jones, suzanne@gordonfrost.com.au with their details.
Adelaide auditions will be held at a later date.
Proper audition briefs will be send out later in the year, but below are the relevant details from the Sydney brief:

"The Producers for this new production of Annie are looking for girls aged between 6 and 13
to undertake the roles of the “ORPHANS and ANNIE” for the [Brisbane and Melbourne Seasons]


The vocal range required is Low B to High F#

Sheet music will not be required as all Auditionees will be taught a small section from the production.

Dance training is essential!"

The Rob Guest Endowment Concert 2011

In what has turned into an annual theatrical tradition, this year's Rob Guest Endowment concert will again be held at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.

On Monday the 10th of October, seasoned Musical Theatre performers and industry names will perform in a gala concert, while 6 up and coming performers will battle it out to win this year's Endowment competition.

Those 6 finalists are Blake Bowden, Gretel Scarlett, Ashlea Pyke, Luigi Lucente, Kirby Lunn and Jamie Ward.
All finalists have a wealth of performance experience with most presently being involved in 'major' musicals and having trained in Australia's most elite institutions.

Blake Bowden
Studying at The McDonald College of Performing Arts, Blake has also spent time at NIDA and graduated from Sydney University. Professional theatre credits include Dirty Dancing, The Boy From Oz, Jekyll and Hide and the recent Australian tour of West Side Story. Blake has recently finished appearing in the Australasian tour of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and is currently performing in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Belvoir Street.

Gretel Scarlett
Gretel is an exceptionally talented WAAPA graduate. She made her professional Musical Theatre debut in Breast Wishes, originating the role of Sal. She then went on to perform in the recent 10th anniversary tour of Mamma Mia! She is currently performing in Wicked in Perth and will continue on to the Asian tour as an Elphaba understudy.


Ashlea Pyke
Ashley has been training for a performance career from an early age, specialising in dance. Professional Theatre credits include We Will Rock You, Oklahoma! with the Production Company, Shane Warne the Musical and Shout!
Ashlea is currently appearing in Hairspray, where she plays the role of Tammy, while understudying the lead roles of Penny Pingleton and the Female Authority Figure.

Luigi Lucente

Luigi trained at the Melba Conservatorium of Music and later graduated from the Industry School of Dance. Theatre Credits include Guys and Dolls, Urinetown, tick,tick…BOOM!, Brundibar (Opera Australia), King of SUN, The Wild Blue and The Silver Donkey. Luigi has also worked in Film and TV.
He is currently appearing in Jersey Boys in Sydney, as a Swing.

Kirby Lunn
Kirby's past theatre credits include Eurobeat with QPAC and various concert performances.
Kirby is currently in the ensemble of Hairspray playing Linda and is also the understudy for Tracy Turnblad.


Jamie Ward
Jamie graduated from WAAPA's Musical Theatre stream in 2010. Theatre credits while at WAAPA include King Arthur, 42nd Street, Company, Anything Goes and Ragtime. He has also performed Spring Awakening with STC. Jamie has just completed a the premiere Australian tour of the new musical Doctor Zhivago, playing the roles of Young Yurii and Yanko.



Also performing at the event will be Wicked stars Lucy Durack, David Harris, Rob Mills and Amanda Harrison, Esther Hannaford from Hairspray, last year's winner Francine Cain as well as performers from Love Never Dies, Rock of Ages and Strange Bedfellows.
The evening will again hosted by Bert Newton, with live auctions to be held during the evening as a fundraiser.


All of us here at the Musicals Insider will be live tweeting the event for anyone who can't make it, using the hashtag #RGE2011

Tickets are on sale now through ticketek.

An Officer and a Gentleman

The brand new Musical adaption of An Officer and a Gentleman was officially launched in Sydney this morning, fittingly on the flight deck of HMAS Sydney. The show focuses on the story of Zack Mayo, a young trainee pilot in the Navy. The show explores the relationships Zack develops with a girl called Paula and his tough training officer, Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley.
The show will open on the 24th of May 2012 in Sydney's Lyric theatre.

A workshop of the show was originally held in 2009 with many now well known Musical Theatre stars such as Josh Piterman, Chris Durling and Bert LaBonte.

As callbacks were only held approximately two weeks ago, casting announcements are not expected to be made for several weeks yet.


The original creative team comprised of book writers Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen, with music and lyrics by Kenneth W. Hirsch and Robin Lerner.

the Australian creative team is as follows:
Director: Simon Phillips
Assistant Director: Dean Bryant
Musical Director: Dave Skelton
Choreographer: Andrew Halsworth
Orchestrator: Spud Murphy
Designer: Dale Ferguson

Wicked Asian Tour Dates

The dates for the Asian tour of Wicked are as follows:

Singapore December 2011
Korea May 2012- September 2012
Taipei October 2012 - TBC, though we've heard rumours this has fallen through at the last minute.

before heading to New Zealand in 2013.

Helpmann Awards 2011 - Full List of Winners

Here is a full list of awards presented at the 2011 Helpmann Awards on Monday the 1st of August, 2011.


Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Philip Quast
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Esther Hannaford
Hairspray
Paul Dainty, Dainty Group & Joel Pearlman, Roadshow Live


Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play
Anthony Phelan
The Wild Duck
Belvoir


Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play
Anita Hegh
The Wild Duck
Belvoir


Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera
Kanen Breen
Partenope
Opera Australia


Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera
Elizabeth Campbell
Aida
State Opera of South Australia


Best Comedy Performer
Denise Scott
Denise Scott Regrets
Token Events


Best Cabaret Performer
Eddie Perfect
Misanthropology
Sydney Festival


Best Costume Design
Gabriela Tylesova
Love Never Dies
The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific and Arts Capital Trust


Best Scenic Design
Gabriela Tylesova
Love Never Dies
The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific and Arts Capital Trust


Best Lighting Design
Nick Schlieper
Love Never Dies
The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific and Arts Capital Trust


Best Sound Design
Peter Grubb
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best Original Score
Alan John
The Diary of a Madman
Belvoir


Best Individual Classical Performance
Sir Simon Rattle
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Sydney Opera House and the Perth Concert Hall


Best Chamber &/or Instrumental Ensemble Concert
Garrick Ohlsson in recital as part of the Sydney Symphony International Pianists in Recital Series
Sydney Symphony


Best Symphony Orchestra Concert
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Sydney Opera House and the Perth Concert Hall


Best Music Direction
Stephen Brooker and Michael Tyack
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best New Australian Work
Tim Minchin & Sydney Symphony
Tim Minchin Vs Sydney Symphony
Sydney Symphony , Fox in the Snow and Smart Artists Management


Best Presentation for Children
Me and My Shadow
Patch Theatre Company


Best International Contemporary Concert
Leonard Cohen @ Hanging Rock
Leonard Cohen and Frontier Touring Company


Best Contemporary Music Festival
Splendour In the Grass 2010
Village Sounds and Secret Service


Best Regional Touring Production
Mathinna
Bangarra Dance Theatre


Best Australian Contemporary Concert
Powderfinger – Sunsets The Farewell Tour
Powderfinger and Secret Service & Village Sounds


Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production
Natalie Weir
Where the Heart Is
Expressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre


Best Choreography in a Musical
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best Direction of a Musical
Richard Eyre and Matthew Bourne
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best Direction of an Opera
Nigel Jamieson
La Fanciulla del West
Opera Australia


Best Direction of a Play
Neil Armfield
The Diary of a Madman
Belvoir


Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production
Paul White
In Glass
Sydney Opera House & Artful Management


Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production
Kristina Chan
In Glass
Sydney Opera House & Artful Management


Best Male Performer in an Opera
John Wegner
La Fanciulla del West
Opera Australia


Best Female Performer in an Opera
Emma Matthews
Partenope
Opera Australia


Best Male Actor in a Musical
Matt Lee
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best Female Actor in a Musical
Verity Hunt-Ballard
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh


Best Male Actor in a Play
Geoffrey Rush
The Diary of a Madman
Belvoir


Best Female Actor in a Play
Cate Blanchett
Uncle Vanya
Sydney Theatre Company in association with Bell Shakespeare


Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production
Not in a Million Years
Force Majeure


Best Ballet or Dance Work
Where the Heart Is
Expressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre


Best Opera
Partenope
Opera Australia


Best Play
The Wild Duck
Belvoir


Best Musical
Mary Poppins
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh

JC Williamson Award: Nancy Hayes, Jill Perryman and Toni Lamond.

Melbourne Open House Weekend

Each year, the city of Melbourne put on an Open House weekend. This is a weekend where many of the city's buildings that are otherwise inaccessible to the general public, are opened up for display. This year, Many of Melbourne's important theatre buildings will be available to explore.

Highlights include Her Majesty's Theatre full backstage and front of house tours, the Melbourne Athenaeum, the Trades Hall, the Malthouse Theatre, the Melbourne Recital Centre and an opportunity to have the first look at the redevelopment of Hamer Hall.

This event will be held this weekend - Saturday the 30th and Sunday the 31st of July, with most things being open from 10am-4pm. A perfect thing to do just prior to seeing Love Never Dies or Rock of Ages!

For more details and opening hours, please visit:
Melbourne Open House

Plagiarism...

It has come to our attention that there are certain theatre websites practically copying and pasting our blog posts without giving us credit or acknowledgement for it.

All of us here at the Musicals Insider spent quite a lot of time researching and writing up information in order to keep all of you readers as up to date with the theatre scene as possible.
The theatre industry is by nature full of gossip, rumour and speculation. We can be wrong on occasion, but for the most part we try to bring accurate infomation into the open.

When websites don't acknowledge us as their source this creates a Chinese Whisper effect, defying the purpose of what we have set out to do through this blog.
It's not hard to do, simply mention us when using our information. Most people seem capable of doing it, it's just a few ruining it for everyone else.
Thank-you all for your understanding.

Major Musicals Mayhem

Yes, it's that time of year again, time for a summary of all the major shows. The next couple of months are going to be interesting in Musical Theatre, with most of the major shows traversing across the country or even ocean.
One interesting trend with shows at the moment is the revival of New Zealand as a viable tour destination, with both Wicked and Jersey Boys crossing the ditch. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.


Mary Poppins
The show will be at the Capitol Theatre until the 17th of Decmeber. It will then transfer to QPAC in Brisbane, with previews starting from the 27th of December. After Brisbane it will head to Perth. After that there are rumours of a return Melbourne season or an international tour.
The Sydney season has seen the first of cast members leaving, with ensemble members Jack Webster and Louise Bell the first to go. Auditions are cureently being jold for another ensemble member, with spmeone else expected to leave soon also.

Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages has announced it's last weeks in Melbourne. Although a closing date has yet to be confirmed, the first week of November seems to be a likely candidate. The show is transferring to Brisbane in November, with previews starting from the 12th. It is in for a very short season however, as Poppins will need the theatre from roughly the 20th of December to bump in. After this, it will head to Sydney's Royal from
mid January

Wicked
Musical juggernaut Wicked has recently celebrated it's 3rd birthday in Australia. The Perth season will close on the 11th of September. This show will also be original Glinda Lucy Durack's final performance with the show. The show is set to tour through Asia next year and New Zealand in 2013. It is unknown exactly which cast members will continue with the show, but expect to see quite a turnover of approximately half the cast.

Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys will close in Sydney on the 18th of December before transferring to New Zealand. A return to Australia is most likely once the theaters become available.


Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago will close in Brisbane on the 14th of August. It is believed some minor reworking of the show will be done ahead of the show being taken internationally, while Anthony Warlow is busy performing in Annie. The show is rumoured to then head to Korea and then to London with Warlow still at the helm.

Love Never Dies
Love Never Dies will close in Melbourne on the 17th of December before opening at Sydney's Capitol Theatre at the start of the year. It will have a maximum 6 month run, as Legally Blonde will open in June.
A live recording of the show will also happen in September, with plans for an international DVD release.

King Kong
King Kong is in workshops in Sydney at the moment, with rumours for a 2012 Opening in Melbourne's Regent Theatre

Hairspray
The fate of Hairspray is as yet unknown. The season again seems to be struggling with poor ticket sales, just as in Melbourne. The show will close in Sydney on the 25th of September. Other major cities in Australia will not host the production at this point.

Annie
Annie casting is still being finalised, as there is such a wide range of young children required. The season will open in Sydney's Lyric theatre in late December for a 12 week season. An Australian tour will then happen, heading to Brisbane in April and Melbourne mid year.


Strange Bedfellows
Strange Bedfellows will be opening in Melbourne on the 26th of October, with previews from the 19th. Despite only a 2 week season and the pulling power of Peter Cousens, John Wood, Melissa Langton and Lucy Durack, ticket sales look very sluggish. This may
affect plans for an Australian tour.

An Officer & A Gentleman
An Officer And a Gentleman is currently auditioning in Melbourne. Sydney's first round auditions were held last week with callbacks to happen next week. The show is expected to open in Sydney's Lyric in May 2012.

Upcoming:
Legally Blonde will open in June 2012 at Sydney's Capitol Theatre, however there are rumours this will be moved to the Lyric or Royal instead.
The Addams Family will open early 2013 at the Capitol
Strictly Ballrooms will open at the Lyric in September 2013.

Rumour files

We are hearing about many rumoured shows. These include Shrek, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Sister Act, 9 to 5, South Pacific, The Lion King, Dreamgirls, La Cage Aux Folles, Ghost, Warhorse (technically a play) and Book of Mormon. We have nothing to substantiate these rumours at the moment.

One rumour we have found very interesting is that South Pacific will be put on by Opera Australia. We have heard John Frost has expressed interest in mounting a version similar to the Lincoln centre's production, but an Opera Australia production seems more likely.

A Les Miserables tour looks less and less likely to happen, with producers citing theatre availabilities and generating funding as problems.