Zealous Productions has unveiled the full cast and creative team behind its upcoming adults-only pantomime, Throbbin’ Wood – Very Naughty Robin Hood, opening at the Regal Theatre on 24 July. Written by renowned UK pantomime writer Tom Whalley, Throbbin’ Wood takes the classic Robin Hood tale and turns it on its head with outrageous characters, cheeky humour, audience participation and a healthy dose of adult mischief. Leading the company as the legendary outlaw Throbbin’ Wood is Charles Sherrington, joined by Elethea Sartorelli as Maid Marian and Manuao Te Aotonga as the Sheriff of Frottingham. The colourful cast also features Rachel Monamy as Fairy Glitterous, Chris Gerrish as Nanny Fanny, Will Basson as Anal-A-Dale, Blake Jenkins as Triar F***, Samuel Maloney as Silly Willy, Maree Cole as Little Jonnie and Sherena Pereira as Ensemble.
Bringing the production to life behind the scenes is an experienced creative team led by Producer Dixie Farinosi and Director Vincent Hooper, alongside Choreographer Shenae White. The live band features Mason Vellios as Band Leader and Percussionist, Ben Clarke as Vocal Director, Pianist, King Dick and Narrator, and Sam Timmerman on Trumpet. The production team also includes Lighting Designer Richard Timms, Sound Designer Dave Keys, Costume Designer Katie Williams, Costume Supervisor and Costume Maker Nicole Jenkins, Scenic Supervisor and Set Dresser Rhi Walker, Scenic Artist Ryan Hite, Stage Manager Karla NessfieldThomas, Deputy Stage Manager Elysia Harris, Assistant Stage Manager Karen Thompson and RF Technician Clara Evans.
Producer Dixie Farinosi said the company was excited to bring its first-ever adult pantomime to Perth audiences.
“Throbbin’ Wood is unlike anything we’ve produced before. It’s cheeky, ridiculous and completely unapologetic. Perth audiences have embraced our family pantomimes for years, and we’re excited to invite them back for something that’s definitely not for the kids.”
The production marks a new chapter for Zealous Productions, which has built a loyal following through large-scale family musicals and pantomimes at the Regal Theatre.
Packed with live music, outrageous characters, audience interaction and plenty of laughs, Throbbin’ Wood promises a night of pure escapism for adults looking to leave reality at the door.
SHOW DETAILS Venue: Regal Theatre Subiaco Season: From 24 July 2026 Running time: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes Audience: 18 plus only Warnings: Adult language, sexual references and innuendo Website: www.zealousproductions.com.au
MELBOURNE & SYDNEY: Drew Anthony Creative is thrilled to reveal the sensational new cast for the upcoming east coast season of MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT. Legendary Australian actor and comedian Stephen Curry will make his musical theatre debut, stepping into the regal shoes of King Arthur. Sharing the spotlight with Stephen will be powerhouse vocalist and theatre performer Jaz Flowers, who will star as the enchanting Lady of the Lake for the Melbourne season – while the celebrated musical theatre star Marney McQueen assumes the mystical role for the Sydney performances. The production will also feature the sharp comedic wit of rising stand-up comedian and Tik Tok sensation Nick White, tackling the formidable role of Man of Many Characters.
Stephen Curry is a household name in Australian entertainment, etched into the national psyche since his breakout role as Dale Kerrigan in the cinematic classic The Castle. A versatile and celebrated character actor, his recent screen triumphs include standout roles in Population 11, Bay of Fires, and Ten Pound Poms, as well as an appearance in the blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder. His distinguished career across the small screen spans beloved titles such as Fisk, Rake, Cloudstreet, and The Secret Life of Us. Stephen’s masterful portrayal in The King earned him the trifecta of an AFI Award, a Silver Logie, and an ASTRA Award for Best Actor. Further accolades include a Film Critics Circle Award for his work in Hounds of Love and a prestigious 2024 Silver Logie nod for Bay of Fires.
Award winning performer, Jaz Flowers will take on the role of the mystical diva, The Lady of The Lake at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre from September 16 until October 4. Jaz is best known for her Sydney Theatre Award-winning and Helpmann-nominated portrayal of Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. Her stage career includes acclaimed roles as Veronica Sawyer in Heathers The Musical, Oz in We Will Rock You, and April in Hot Shoe Shuffle. Jaz’s other credits include a Helpmann-nominated performance in Fame The Musical, as well as roles in Shane Warne the Musical and Cabaret. She was also a featured artist on The Voice on Keith Urban’s team.
Charismatic Australian performer Marney McQueen, who recently delivered a stellar performance as Celine Dion in the hit show Titanique is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most versatile performers. For the season at the Sydney Event Centre at the Star Sydney from 15 – 18 October, and the Coliseum Theatre in Western Sydney from 22 – 25 October, Marney will bring her comedic and vocal prowess to the role of The Lady of The Lake. Marney’s extensive career has seen her tour the world in both musical theatre and comedy. Her theatrical credits include her debut in the Australian premiere of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical, starring as ‘Velma Von Tussle’ in Hairspray, and appearing as ‘Nina’ in Dreamlover alongside David Campbell.
One of the fastest-rising figures in Australian comedy, Nick White has built a massive following with his unique blend of sketch comedy, characters, and impressions making him an ideal choice for the demanding role of Man of Many Characters. After originally training as an architect, Nick transitioned to comedy full-time in 2022 and has since amassed an enormous following on social media, and performed at some of the world’s most iconic stand up comedy venues. This role will also be Nick’s musical theatre debut.
“I am absolutely thrilled to unveil such an exceptionally gifted company of performers. This production is both hilarious and inspiring, and this cast is perfectly poised to breathe life into these wonderful characters,” said producer/director Drew Anthony. “Following our stellar run in Perth, the initial reaction to this show on the east coast has been astounding. People are clearly looking for the brighter side of life right now! I encourage everyone to secure their seats soon as possible!”
Further cast announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT features Eric Idle’s book and lyrics alongside a score by Idle and John Du Prez, offering a hilarious and irreverent parodic of musical theatre filled with show-stopping vocals and tap-dancing knights. A contemporary landmark, SPAMALOT won three Tony Awards after its 2005 Broadway debut.
MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT will play at the Athenaeum Theatre from 16 September until 4 October. The show will play at the Sydney Event Centre at the Star Sydney from 15 – 18 October, before transferring to Coliseum Theatre in Western Sydney where it will play from 22 – 25 Oct 2026.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public for Melbourne on Friday 19 June and for Sydney on Monday 29 June via www.ticketmaster.com.au.
This production is recommended for audiences 12 years +.
The Marais Project, acknowledged Australian masters of the baroque, launch their new album in July and will follow up with a spectacular concert in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Saturday August 15 at 7.30pm.
The Exquisite Harmonies concert features ensemble leader and viola da gamba virtuoso Jennifer Eriksson, keyboard wizard Anthony Abouhamad and enchanting violinist/vocalist Susie Bishop, plus – on the album – maestro of the lute, Tommie Andersson.
Unlike the violin and brass families whose members evolved but remained in use across the 17th to 20th centuries, the viol and the harpsichord all but disappeared by the late 1700s. They returned to concert stages in the 1960s and 70s and have not left the podium since! Over the years they have built a fan base of dedicated admirers.
This was the experience of gambist and The Marais Project’s founder, Jenny Eriksson: “As a young musician I had no idea about the viola da gamba and initially studied the cello at Sydney Conservatorium. The first time I heard the gamba ‘live’ I fell in love with it. I’ve been in love ever since!”
Anthony Abouhamad similarly commenced with the modern-day piano but became interested in the fortepiano and harpsichord at Sydney Conservatorium. At different times both Anthony and Jenny undertook post graduate studies in The Netherlands, returning to Sydney to make their respective careers here. Anthony recently completed a PhD and is now on the staff of his alma mater.
“In one sense, there was a period of my life when I grew up making music with Jenny,” Abouhamad commented, “And I’ve always enjoyed working with her.” Having met as members of one of Eriksson’s Musica Viva Australia in Schools ensembles, they continued to perform together regularly. Most recently, Anthony appeared on The Marais Project’s ‘Australian Monody’ album. Appropriately, all ticket sales from the 15 August performance will go to the Musica Viva Australia in Schools Program – the musicians donating their time to this important cause.
The Exquisite Harmonies program includes suites and sonatas for viola da gamba by Telemann and Carl Friedrich Abel. In addition, Jenny assembled a ‘Grand Suite’ of several famous French baroque composers for the viol, men whose lives were closely linked. For example, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, who famously added the seventh string to the viola da gamba, taught the young Marin Marais. Antoine Forqueray’s fearsome virtuosity was said to have exceeded that of the celebrated Marais, whose career he overlapped with. Both men attracted the attention of the music and dance-loving monarch, Louis XIV. A contemporary commentator, Hubert Le Blanc, wrote that Marais played like an angel, and Forqueray like the devil! Anthony also presents music for solo harpsichord by Telemann and Couperin as well as improvising a Fantasia in the style of Telemann – a rare treat!
The Marais Project has always taken an innovative approach to music making. The final track on Exquisite Harmonies is The Acceptance by Biripi and Gamillaroi musician and composer, Troy Russell. Jenny asked Troy to write The Acceptance as a kind of musical acknowledgement of country. Tommie Andersson, gallichon, and Susie Bishop, voice and violin, join Jenny on this track. It gently reminds listeners that First Nations’ artists preceded European musicians on this continent by millennia.
Singles from the album will be released on 15 and 29 July with the full album available from 7 August.
The Marais Project: EXQUISITE HARMONIES – album available as CD and download from MOVE Records, Buywell Music, iTunes and streaming platforms including Apple Music (also mixed in Dolby Atmos), Spotify and as a high-resolution download
Exquisite Harmonies: Launch Concert 7.30 pm, Saturday 15 August 2026 Choir Rehearsal Room, Walsh Bay Arts Precinct – Wharf 4/5, 15 Hickson Road, Dawes Point
Following a hugely successful on-sale earlier this month, demand for the Sydney season of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL has prompted the release of additional performances. Tickets for shows through to Sunday 10 January 2027 will go on sale from Wednesday 1 July. The internationally acclaimed production will play a strictly limited season at the Sydney Lyric from Saturday 14 November 2026. Visit www.theneildiamondmusical.com.au for ticket information.
Ahead of arriving in Australia for rehearsals commencing in early July, the Broadway star reprising his highly acclaimed role as Neil Diamond (Then), Will Swenson, said, “I’m beyond excited to be playing Neil Diamond in Melbourne and Sydney. Telling Neil’s life story through his incredible music is such a privilege. This will be my very first time performing in Australia, and I can’t think of a more thrilling way to make my Australian debut than in this beautiful production that means so much to me.”
“Broadway’s Will Swenson electrifies audiences. Close your eyes and you’d swear that Diamond himself is on stage performing his string of hits.” FORBES “So Good, So Good, So Good!” Entertainment Weekly “It sends you home hungry to hear the albums again and there is no higher tribute.” The Hollywood Reporter
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chartbusting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 140 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like “Cracklin’ Rosie”, “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway – and the world.
Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is a deeply personal and electrifying theatrical experience, charting Neil Diamond’s rise to superstardom through the songs that defined his life and career.
Neil Diamond’s connection with Australia spans nearly half a century of music and memories. He has toured here seven times with promoter Paul Dainty AO, from the landmark Thank You Australia tour in 1976 through to 2015, with his music resonating deeply with audiences. His iconic 1972 live album Hot August Night spent 29 weeks at number one and 65 weeks on the chart, making it the third-longest-charting album of its era in Australian music history.
“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while sharing my music with audiences around the world,” said Neil Diamond. “A BEAUTIFUL NOISE has already had an incredible journey on Broadway and is currently touring across the U.S. and it’s an incredible honour to see it heading to Melbourne and Sydney. I hope Australian audiences enjoy the show as much as I have.”
The Australian cast of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is led by Broadway star Will Swenson in the titular role Neil Diamond – Then, bringing his acclaimed, award-winning performance to Australia for the very first time.
Joining Swenson is an exceptional company of Australian talent, featuring principal cast members Terence Crawford (Neil Diamond – Now), Ashleigh Rubenach (Marcia Murphey), Monica Sayers (Doctor), Alana Tranter (Jaye Posner), Tim Wright (Fred Weintraub / Tommy O’Rourke), Paul Hanlon (Bert Berns / Kieve Diamond), Hannah Fredericksen (Ellie Greenwich / Rose Diamond), with Rob Mallett (Standby Neil Diamond – Then), and Mark Owen Taylor (Standby Neil Diamond – Now, Fred Weintraub / Tommy O’Rourke, Bert Berns / Kieve Diamond).
Rounding out the company as “The Beautiful Noise” ensemble are Katrina Bickerton, Cameron Davey, Paul Leandre Escorrido, Matt Hourigan, Alana Iannace, Jerome Javier (Swing) Joshua Kobeck, Etuate Lutui (Shilo soloist), Anna Mallows (Swing), Jordan Malone, James Maxfield (Swing), Isabella Roberts, Sophie Tzioumis, Emma Wilby (Swing), and Erica Wild (Swing).
A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Chess, Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Popes). The design team for A BEAUTIFUL NOISE features Tony Award winner David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa (Costume Design), four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Jessica Paz (Sound Design), and Luc Verschueren (Hair, Wig and Make Up Design). The production has Music Supervision and Arrangements by Sonny Paladino, Incidental Music and Dance Music Arrangements by Brian Usifer, Vocal Design by AnnMarie Milazzo, and Orchestrations by Bob Gaudio, Sonny Paladino, and Brian Usifer.
MELBOURNE Venue: Princess Theatre Season: Previews commence on Wednesday 5 August Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Wed/Thu/Sun 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 6.30pm Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply) Bookings: Visit ticketek.com.au or phone 1300 665 915 Groups 10+: Visit ticketek.com.au or phone 03 9299 9873 Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Groups 10+: Email groups@marrinergroup.com.au
SYDNEY Venue: Sydney Lyric, Pyrmont Season: Previews commence on Saturday 14 November Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Wed/Thu/Sun 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 6.30pm Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply) Bookings: Visit ticketmaster.com.au or phone 02 9509 3600 Groups 10+: Visit ticketmaster.com.au or phone 1300 558 878 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Groups 10+: Email groups@ticketmaster.com..au
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