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Hayes Theatre Co Unveils Its 2027 Season

15/09/2026 Breaking News

Stylized retro city skyline with a heroic figure standing to the right, symbolizing urban leadership and ambition.

Hayes Theatre Co today announced its 2027 season, the company’s biggest yet, expanding beyond its Potts Point home with work presented at larger Sydney venues under the banner Hayes in New Places while continuing an expansive program at the Hayes Theatre. Artistic Directors Richard Carroll and Victoria Falconer, in their final year as ADs, will lead a season of new work, reimaginings, classics and major theatrical events.

Leading the season is Steven Kramer’s Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical, starring Joel Granger, returning to Sydney for an expanded staging at Carriageworks from 8 July to 8 August ahead of a national tour culminating at Melbourne Theatre Company. Phar Lap previously received rave reviews, sold-out seasons and awards; the 2027 staging is on a larger scale.

The Foundry Theatre will be transformed into an underground bar in October for Mack The Knife, a major new work by Richard Carroll, Victoria Falconer and Jordan Shea that re-imagines The Threepenny Opera. Beginning as an immersive promenade experience, it evolves into a rock-cabaret musical shaped by the audience each night.

At the Hayes Theatre in Potts Point, the season of eight productions spans cabaret, comedy, opera, contemporary musical theatre and drama. The year opens with Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, a new cabaret-concert directed by Hayden Tonazzi with arrangements and musical direction by Steven Kramer (three-week season from 13 January). February and March feature Claudia Barrie’s Lucky Stiff, followed by the return of House of Rot after its sell-out at the 2026 Winter Cabaret Festival. May presents the Australian premiere of the folk epic Swept Away (directed by Drew Livingston), followed in July by Jacinta John’s production of Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal.

In August Matthew Barclay presents a technicolour reimagining of Mozart’s Così fan tutte or The School for Lovers. September brings Cameron Mitchell directing and choreographing the sci-fi satire Be More Chill, and the season closes with Flowers for Mrs Harris starring Rachael Beck and directed by Julia Robertson.

Hayes will again present two major festivals: the Festival of New Work returns for its fourth year extended to three weeks, and the Winter Cabaret Festival returns in June rebranded as Flare. Regular Hayes events include three Neglected Musicals (1776 in March, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in May and Dames at Sea in October), Theys at the Hayes and Victoria Falconer’s Parlour Night for Mardi Gras 2027, plus returning favourites Musical Bang Bang, Home Grown, An Evening With and Carols by Cabaret. Subscriptions are on sale from Monday 14 September, with single tickets on sale at various times in coming months. Phar Lap single tickets are available now from https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/phar-lap-2027-carriageworks/.

With its most expansive program yet, Hayes Theatre Co’s 2027 season is presented as an invitation to discover music theatre in new places, in new forms and at every scale while continuing to champion artists, audiences and Australian work.

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Where Harmony Meets Healing: The Heartbreak Choir

14/09/202614/09/2026 Jules Hart🥉

The Heartbreak Choir Rating

★★★★★

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Opening to a robust audience at Brisbane’s PIP Theatre, The Heartbreak Choir by the late playwright Aidan Fennessy explores the healing power of song while deeper tensions simmer beneath the surface of a country community.

Deftly directed by Sherryl Lea Secomb, The Heartbreak Choir invites us into the world of a small group of choristers who splinter from their established choir, incensed over a matter of principle. With a new name, a new space to rehearse and a public debut looming, the newly formed choir is determined to right the wrongs of the past. As the first act unfolds, snippets of dialogue and moments of interaction hint at an undercurrent of tension, gradually revealing the basis of this moral divide by Act One’s conclusion.

The play opens in a tired community hall on the outskirts of a rural Australian town. Hannah Page’s sound design is immediately immersive as a woman enters, flicks on a buzzing fluorescent light and coaxes the only radiant bar heater to life. The simple set features a kitchenette, worn metal fold-up chairs and a stock standard piano. It’s not too long before the eclectic mix of characters arrive for their first breakaway choir rehearsal under their leader Barbara (Catarina Hebbard).
Anchoring the choir group is Barbara, exuding a faded elegance and grounding warmth. She is level headed and guides the group with gentle authority.

Straight talking and bustling farmer Mack is brought to life by Gemma Galley. Her refreshing authenticity and ability to burst into a room and inject it with a bombastic energy sets you back in your chair. There’s a stark contrast between Mack and child Savannah (Micheal Enright), who selectively communicates non-verbally. Similarly affected by anxiety, this contrast highlights how differently people can express their inner turmoil.

Though often quiet, Savannah carries a presence impossible to ignore; sassy and stubborn, yet intensely observational. With angelic singing voice and signing, Enright’s portrayal compels you to lean in further to interpret their messages.

Diedre Grace portrays Totty—frighteningly organised, a delightfully brazen inability to read the room, and getting about in Hi-Viz gear for no obvious reason. Diedre’s unfiltered delivery of lines in tense situations never fails to pop the bubble of tension, bringing a fresh swell of energy to the scene.

Assini, the soulful, heavily pregnant Zimbabwean woman emits the necessary warmth to the group. Through her poignant stance and pragmatic reactions, Brightholly Nininahazwe is unafraid to quietly stand her ground in spaces of moral division.

Nervously gatecrashing this new tight knit bubble of choristers is senior police offer Peter (played by Bradley McCaw), burdened with both the weight of his past and reservations about what his future holds. There’s a humble vulnerability McCaw brings to the role, which ultimately acts as a catalyst for the choir to deal with their past.

Benjamin Cole, as son of Peter, perfectly aids McCaw in displaying the contrast between the different impacts of grief on a person. Both racked with shock from recent events; they convey the significance that trauma holds in shaping who you are and how you act.

Although Beau’s transformation is slow, his character arc feels rewarding to watch unfold. And with few lines, Cole successfully utilised body language and unspoken interpersonal dynamics to illustrate his unacknowledged emotional story.

The plays’ darker themes are balanced remarkably well with humour and quirky characters, testament to the strong ensemble cast. It’s difficult to pick a clear standout performer—each brings such heart and believability to their role that the play wouldn’t feel complete without any of them.

While the underlying message of this production is quite a serious one, most of the show is surprisingly funny, with plenty of classic Aussie slang, humorous ramblings, and raw character interactions sparking moments of laughter around the room.

With the finale song Our Little Town, composed and arranged by Bradley McCaw, and in collaboration with local choir Ignite, led by Harmony Woollet, the production provides a joyous tribute to the power of connection through community.

PIP Theatre’s The Heartbreak Choir is performing till the 19th September. For tickets please visit: 2026 | The Heartbreak Choir | PIP Theatre

To book tickets to The Heartbreak Choir, please visit https://piptheatre.org/heartbreak-choir/.

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

13/09/202613/09/2026 Rebecca Rose⭐🦉

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Rating

★★★★★

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Musical theatre is as strong as ever in Melbourne, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a testament to that.

This spectacular Sondheim musical is an absolute must-see, but is only on for a limited season, playing at Chapel off Chapel, through Soundworks Productions.

Based on the fictional character, Sweeney Todd, this dark thriller follows a blood-thirsty barber in 19th century London.

After his return from serving several years in Australia for a crime he was wrongfully committed for, Benjamin Barker, a talented barber, discovers his wife is deceased, and his daughter is kept as a ward from the Judge who had wrongfully accused Benjamin of his crimes (and raped his wife).

This leads Benjamin Barker to change his name to Sweeney Todd, and side-up with his downstairs pie-making neighbour, Mrs. Lovett, with a plan mutually beneficial plan to get back his daughter, Joanna with the help of a young sailor, Anthony Hope, and to turn Mrs. Lovett’s pie business around for the better.

What results is a story of revenge… and a lot of murders!

The talented cast crafted their character to perfection, leading to compelling and captivating performances across the board.

The lead actors were mesmerizing with their performances, bringing the audience right into the world of the characters in this dark and haunting story.

The musical is bursting with memorable songs, catchy melodies, lyrics that are both disturbing and often hilarious, and masses of energy.

The live orchestra did a fantastic job of bringing Sondheim’s music to life along with the outstanding vocal performances across the entire cast.

The set was beautifully designed and lit, providing a feast for the senses, and really enhancing the emotional rollercoaster the audience are taken on throughout this musical.

The special effects (yes, there is a fair amount of blood at times) were effective and convincing.

The pie oven scene at the end was well done; a simple set-up, but it was made to seem so real on-stage, enhanced by the knock-out cast performances.

There was a beautiful section where two ballet dancers performed as birds, which gave such a lovely reprieve from the darkness, that is, until you realised the dark undertones of that scene!

The attention to detail was evident across the board in this musical; from the acting and vocal performances to the costumes, set, and direction – this really is a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable show.

This Tony award-winning musical is definitely a highlight for the 2026 musical theatre calendar in Melbourne, so make sure to not miss out on this high-quality production.

Sweeney Todd is running at Chapel off Chapel until September 20. At the time of this review being published, the entire season has sold out, but take any chance to get your hands on a ticket if you can!

To book tickets to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, please visit https://www.sweeneytodd.com.au/.

Photographer: Matthew Chen

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Hello Dolly!

13/09/202613/09/2026 Debra Campbell🥇🦉🎭🎶

Hello Dolly Rating

★★★★★

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Director Noel Browne and his creative team, including the extraordinary costuming by Felicity Hall have once again conquered a remarkable opening night of HELLO DOLLY!

How I LOVE a show by NOVA MUSICAL THEATRE, the team never fail to put on a community show at a professional level! You could easily drop this cast in their costumes into a big city theatre without any questions whatsoever.

I vividly remember seeing the movie (when I used to rate movies as a kid on a list on my door – a reviewer in the making). My Mum loved Barbara Streisand and she said I’d love it and I did – it would’ve been given 10/10 by me back then. This stage production by NOVA no different, a 10/10 for storytelling, singing, acting, costuming, choreography, set design, sound tech., lighting, casting and creativity! Then I would add in the completely AMAZING orchestra and music of course for 12/12.

I take along my neighbour tonight who also can’t believe the standard continually coming on one after the other.

The first thing I adore is the costuming, it is absolutely out of this world and the way the ensemble hold their ‘mannequin’ like poses in still-life moments is praiseworthy giving us a chance to look around the stage at all the colours and styles; long dresses with petticoats and parasols, frills and lace with delicately held reticule bags.

The men look equally splendid in their waistcoats and top hats. I recently learned on a history tour that the taller the top hat, the wealthier the gentleman. I particularly liked the orange, bright green and cobalt blue, but honestly everyone looked incredible in every scene. Those who danced around in white trimmed with colour too looked lovely with the lighting; you’ve got the picture!

Playing ‘Dolly Gallagher Levi’ (matchmaker meddler/organiser) is Susan Warner and what a show she puts on almost like she is performing for both audience and cast. A voice you could hear in any Broadway production and perfect persona for character. Susan is one of those seasoned performers you enjoy from the second she speaks her first word. She does the role with ease, her singing, her dancing (and dance-teaching), her acting and more; it is a privilege to appreciate such commanding attention. Absolutely LOVED watching her. Oh and her final courture – WOW!!

‘Horace Vandergelder’ is in character by John Leahy. I’ve seen John in a number of shows now, including him cast alongside my own daughter in Nova’s ‘Music Man’. My daughter now works overseas, but I know her experiences in community theatre only helped her become employed as a performer. John is every bit suited to playing the ubrupt half-a-millionaire beside Dolly. I love his loudness, stubbornness and watching him interact with all on his path to run his business and find a new wife. Will he eventually marry Dolly? Will he be tempted or shocked by the promise of an oochy-koochi with the fabulously played ‘Ernestina Money’ by Pamela Briathwaite in her pink feather boa that looks rather good on Horace too 😉

16 guys choreographed on stage for ‘It takes a Woman’ has everything down to Ra-Ra-Ra, and it’s just a taste, as this lot are back in lots of whacky waiter chaos at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant headed up by ‘Rudolph Reisenweber’ played strict and proper by David Sly.

Shout out to Daniel Sultana (ensemble) when the audience went wild after he bravely pulled off a HIGH flip-fall amongst plates and pheasants much to the delight of all. These full-on fun crazy good scenes are constant throughout, so you can eagerly anticipate another one. ‘Put on Your Sunday Clothes’ was my favourite.

Finally, I cannot even begin to give enough credit to:

Rafaela Cleeve Gerkens as ‘Irene Molloy’, in a word (from the lady sitting behind me) “WOW”, but in fact I have no words, just go hear her sing!

Hayley Wooten as ‘Minnie’, lovable from outset, this girl can ACT! She’s adorable!!

Patrick Cottin as ‘Cornelius’ just fantastic, he’s exactly like you expect and want him to be, a little awkward on purpose but heartfelt with telling us of his new-found love for Irene.

Nathaniel Calleja as ‘Barnaby’, so cute in this role, no wonder he already has a long list of credits in the program.

‘Ambrose’ and ‘Ermengarde’ played by Stephen Burton and Hannah Brodribb are great together, they nail the ‘polka’ competition dance and Hannah’s weeping cry is next level.

CONGRATULATIONS to all and let’s hope that HELLO DOLLY! never does go away….

DIRECTOR Noel Browne
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Peter Grant OAM
CHOREOGRAPHER Wayne Robinson
LIGHTING Michael Zagarn
AUDIO Mitchell Raymond
COSTUMES Felicity Hill
STAGE MANAGER Glenys Browne

CAST

DOLLY Susan Warner
HORACE John Leahy
CORNELIUS Patrick Cottin
BARNABY Nathaniel Calleja
IRENE Rafaela Cleeve Gerkens
MINNIE Hayley Wootten
AMBROSE Stephen Burton
ERMENGARDE Hannah Brodribb
ENESTINA Pamela Braithwaite
RUDOLPH David Sly
NIGHT COURT JUDGE Tristan Everett
MRS ROSE Nicole Cooper

ENSEMBLE: Tamsin Ashdown, Lauren Bolzonello, Stephan Brennan, Madeleine Brown, Michael Capon, Carrie Chiu, Eimear Cormack, Raelene Dundon, Ruby Hall, Stephanie Herbert, Philip Liberatore, Estelle Lipovertsky, Aaron McBride, Jett McIntosh, David Nicholls, Warren Overton, Robyn Parker, Hannah Powell, Kaleena Shillam, Daniel Sultana, Brian Sweetman, Tristan Wainwright, Max Reina-Henriksen.
and all the creative and production crew.

Tickets: https://www.theround.com.au/HelloDolly
More info: https://www.novamusictheatre.com.au/

To book tickets to Hello Dolly, please visit https://www.novamusictheatre.com.au/.

Photographer: Gavin D Andrew

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