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Phar Lap: The Electro Swing Musical Returns In 2027

13/09/2026 Breaking News

Feature-Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical

Hayes Theatre Co is thrilled to announce the award-winning sold-out hit of 2025, Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical, will return in 2027. This new Australian musical with the biggest heart returns to Sydney in an expanded, unbridled production playing at Carriageworks, before a national tour including a season at Melbourne Theatre Company, Merrigong Theatre Company, Geelong
Arts Centre, The Art House Wyong, and many more.

A gangly Kiwi racehorse. A trainer down on his luck. A nation ready to believe in a long-shot. Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical is the rags-to-riches story that galloped into history, reimagined with heart, wit and a toe-tapping electro-swing score. The road isn’t easy – there are gambling scandals, double-crosses, an attempted shooting and a career-threatening addiction to sugar. It’s high stakes, high drama and highly historically accurate.

Phar Lap boasts an irresistible electro-swing score by Steven Kramer, with inspirations from Duke Ellington to Daft Punk. Brassy, lively and retro – these songs will take you from the race course to the rave hall.

It was an unprecedented sold-out hit at Hayes in 2025, and now Phar Lap gallops back to Sydney, again starring New Zealand born but Australian claimed triple threat Joel Granger (Guys and Dolls, The Book of Mormon) as the titular hero.

Winner of three 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Production of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Sheridan Harbridge) and Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Musical (Joel Granger), Phar Lap swaps horse shoes for tap shoes celebrating Australia’s big-hearted equine hero.

★★★★★ “Phar Lap is everything you’d expect from the Hayes – irreverent, funny, slightly chaotic – but the elegant story-telling, lovable characters and electric performances take it to the next level.” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★★ “Dazzlingly clever.” – Stage Noise
★★★★☆ “Likely to gallop into Australian musical theatre history … an odds-on favourite to sell out
as soon as it leaves the starting gates.” – Limelight
★★★★☆ “Steven Kramer delivers a remarkable trifecta: great music, sharp lyrics, and an
outrageously bonkers book to match.” – Cultural Binge

“Phar Lap is a really special show – it’s funny, it’s clever, it’s undeniably unique – and truly deserving of the praise it’s received as a new Australian classic. Audiences at our Hayes season were genuinely bowled over by this energetic, irreverent telling of a story that’s so deeply ingrained in our collective culture – so it’s very exciting that many more people will now have the chance to see it.” – Richard Carroll and Victoria Falconer, Artistic Directors, Hayes Theatre Co.

Pop the champagne, harness up and get ready for a wild ride. Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical is the show that will stop the nation in 2027!

PHAR LAP: THE ELECTRO-SWING MUSICAL
Book, Music and Lyrics by Steven Kramer
Director: Sheridan Harbridge
Musical Supervisor: David Gardos
Musical Director: David Youings
Choreographer: Ellen Simpson
Set Designer: Hailley Hunt
Costume Designer: Mason Browne
Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest
Sound Designer: Liam Roche
Arranger and Orchestrator: Jack Earle
Orchestrator and Track Producer: Steve Toulmin
Starring Joel Granger

SEASON DETAILS
Venue:
Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh
Season:
8 July – 8 August 2027
Times:
Tues 6.30pm, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 2pm, Sun 5pm
Price:
From $94 Adult, $84 Concession/Group, $79 Under 35
Bookings:
www.hayestheatre.com.au | (02) 8065 7337
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/phar-lap-2027-carriageworks/

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New Australian Musical Silver Tongue Announces Full Cast Ahead Of World Premiere

11/09/2026 Breaking News

Hayes Theatre Co is set to welcome a bold new Australian musical this November with the full cast announcement for Silver Tongue, a new work by breakout Australian talents Miranda Middleton, Jacob Parker and Alec Steedman, developed by Hayes Theatre Co over several years. Opening 13 November, Silver Tongue brings together a stellar ensemble of actors, musicians and music-makers to tell a new Australian story through an original score. Tickets are now available at hayestheatre.com.au.

Leading the cast in the title role of Silver Tongue is Billie Palin (Pirates of Penzance). Natalie Abbott (Muriel’s Wedding) plays Dick, alongside Marty Alix (Hamilton) as Jim.

Co-Artistic Director Victoria Falconer (My Brilliant Career) takes on the role of Peg, while also serving as Music Director, with Jack Green (Bright Star) playing Squire / Dad. The ensemble is completed by Tana Laga’aia (Jesus Christ Superstar) as Hands and also serving as Assistant Music Director with Shannen Alyce Quan (Little Women) as Livesey. Composer Alec Steedman (Bright Star) will also appear on stage on violin, with Lawrence Hawkins (RENT) joining the production as a standby.

A bold, funny, wryly inventive, and gloriously offbeat re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island – new musical Silver Tongue rips up the map and re-draws the legend with killer songs, knockabout humour, and a touch of that special Hayes Theatre magic. The story follows Jim – a young person adrift in the world, wrestling with questions of ambition and identity as they chase after a map and a myth – and the notorious Silver Tongue – a salty, swaggering, magnetic pirate queen who’s equal parts mentor, menace and mystery. This unlikely duo set off on a rollicking treasure hunt, where double- and triple-crossing soon see them diving into uncharted waters, and ultimately into a whole new quest for truth, redemption, and the chance to write their own story.

Co-Artistic Director of Hayes Theatre Co, Richard Carroll (Pirates of Penzance, Calamity Jane), directs this bold new work. They are joined by Movement Director Vi Lam (Miss Saigon), and Assistant Director and co-writer Miranda Middleton (Bright Star).

“This extraordinary show captures everything we love about music theatre – it’s epic, silly, imaginative, ambitious, hilarious, moving, and so much more. From hearing the first notes of Alec’s beautiful song “Write My Story”, we knew this ingenious re-telling of the story of Treasure Island belonged on the Hayes stage.” – Richard Carroll, Director.

“Alec, alongside co-writers Miranda and Jacob have created a real rollicking tale with a rich, sea shanty-infused, folky-orchestral score; it’s been a pleasure to develop it with them over the past few years. We can’t wait to bring the tale to life with our brave and brilliant team of actor-musicians.” – Victoria Falconer, Music Director.

Get ready for a wet, wild and witty voyage packed with big ideas, whip-smart dialogue and punchy, genre-blending songs. With its bold new sound and irreverent spirit, Silver Tongue joins the next wave of original Australian music theatre, bringing fresh voices and an original score to the Hayes stage.

Website: hayestheatre.com.au

SILVER TONGUE
Book by Jacob Parker and Miranda Middleton
Music and Lyrics by Alec Steedman
Co-Writer Jacob Parker
Co-Writer / Assistant Director Miranda Middleton
Composer / Co-Arranger Alec Steedman
Director Richard Carroll
Music Director / Co-Arranger Victoria Falconer
Movement Director Vi Lam
Set Designer Hailley Hunt
Costume Designer Sam Hernandez
Lighting Designer Ryan McDonald
Sound Designer Daniel Herten
Fight Director Tim Dashwood
Assistant Music Director Tana Laga’aia
Production Manager Damion Holling

SEASON DETAILS
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
Season: 13 November to 12 December
Times: Monday 6.30pm, Tues-Sat 7.30pm, Thurs 1pm & Sat 2pm
Price: Previews from $74; in season prices: Adult from $79 Concession from $69, Under 35 from $60
Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au | (02) 8065 7337

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Co-producers Of ‘Heathers The Musical’ To Bring The Magic Of Banjo Patterson To The Stage In A New Australian Musical

06/08/2026 Breaking News

Stoddart Entertainment Group is proud to announce the commissioning of a new Australian musical, Clancy of the Outback, for development. Renowned for staging productions such as The Play That Goes Wrong, Evil Dead The Musical, and Heathers The Musical, the company will present this uniquely Australian story exploring identity, family, community, and acceptance through a uniquely Australian lens. The production is scheduled for its premiere in 2027.

The production is based on Phil Kettle and Bob Andersen’s beloved children’s book series, Clancy of the Outback, which drew its inspiration from Clancy of the Overflow, one of Banjo Paterson’s most famous poems, which is told from the perspective of an urban dweller who encounters the legendary drover and shearer, Clancy, and comes to long for the idealized pleasures of his outback lifestyle.

This original, one-act theatrical adventure will bring one of Australia’s most iconic children’s outback heroes to the stage, creating a fresh homegrown production that promises to captivate both young audiences and families.

Stoddart Entertainment Group CEO/Producer Daniel Stoddart said, “Australian stories deserve to be told on our stages, especially for young audiences. Clancy is adventurous, funny and deeply heartfelt, but what excites me most is that it doesn’t talk down to children. It treats them as intelligent, thoughtful audiences and invites families to experience all the hallmarks of a full-scale musical together.”

“At a time of significant change for Australia’s theatre industry, we’re incredibly proud to be investing in new Australian musical theatre. Original work is the lifeblood of our industry, and Australian stories deserve to be created by Australian artists and shared with audiences across the country. Clancy of the Outback is more than a new production – it’s an investment in Australian creativity, in emerging talent, and in the future of home-grown musical theatre.”

The production will feature book and lyrics crafted by an all Australian team led by Green Room Award-nominated writer Dylan Marshall, with an original score by Earl Marrows, a celebrated Australian composer and alumnus of New York University’s esteemed TISCH School of the Arts.

Writer/Lyricist Dylan Marshall said, “Clancy is a story about finding where you belong. While it’s wrapped in adventure and humour, at its heart it’s about connection – to people, to place and to community. Those themes feel incredibly relevant today.”

Composer Earl Marrows added, “The score draws inspiration from the Australian landscape itself. We wanted the music to feel big-hearted, emotional and distinctly Australian while still delivering the excitement, humour and spectacle audiences expect from musical theatre.”

Bursting with humour, heart and thirteen original songs, Clancy of the Outback will follow a city kid who finds himself thrust into the heart of regional Australia. At The Overflow Station, Clancy learns to fit in with the lively dust-covered community, raises a baby kangaroo, discovers the beauty and hardship of life in the outback, and faces an environmental emergency that challenges his courage, resilience and sense of belonging.

The production forms part of Stoddart Entertainment Group’s ongoing commitment to championing Australian stories and investing in the future of new Australian musical theatre.

Further details, including premiere dates, creative team and casting, will be announced in the coming months.

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