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Rising From The Ashes Of Bazball: Cricket The Musical To Tour Australia This Summer

29/10/2025 Breaking News🥇

By overwhelming demand, the wickedly funny singer, songwriter and satirist Denis Carnahan is making a triumphant return to the stage this summer with his hilarious one-man cult hit musical comedy show, Cricket The Musical. Playing in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney from November 2025 through to January 2026, Cricket The Musical will follow the English Cricket Team’s tour of Australia. “The 2025/26 cricket season is destined to be filled with controversy and pantomime, from the World Test Championship to the West Indies series, followed by the always hilarious touring English Cricketers. They’re still smarting from the Farce of the Wandering Bairstow, and sure to bring the slapstick of Bazball,” said Carnahan. “Add to that the drama of last season’s Indian shoulder charges and send offs and the burlesque of the Big Bash, and you have more comic narratives than any music theatre librettist could ever dream of! So I can’t think of a better time to tour Cricket The Musical and bring people together around their shared love of the game than while the energy is high and the crowds are buzzing around the country this summer.”

“Cricket The Musical is a delight” – The Age
“Great show… really enjoyed it” – Ian Chappell (if you don’t know who he is, this might not be the show for you)
“Hilarious. My favourite musical – even better than The Lion King” – Ryan, aged 14
“…takes you through the eras with song, laughter and characters. Great fun performed by a mad genius” – Andrew Moore – ABC Sport commentator

Australia’s hardest working musical sports satirist will use his unique satirical spin to review all the standout moments of the summer’s cricket, along with the game’s history of treachery, villainy, facial hair, and illegal abrasives. For almost two decades, Carnahan has been producing songs and parodies about the many colourful characters and controversies Australian sport produces. They go to air weekly on the ABC, and have previously featured on The Footy Show, Fox Sports, Triple M and many more. His songs about Stuart Broad’s sportsmanship, MCC selection policies, Mitchell Johnson’s moustache and other sports have had millions of hits on YouTube. So prepare yourself to boo the villains and cheer the heroes as Cricket The Musical brings songs to life on stage, with videos, sketches and caricatures celebrating the many controversies of this summer’s matches. Tickets are now on sale available at cricketthemusical.com.au

CRICKET THE MUSICAL:
Perth – Nov 19, 20, Studio Underground, State Theatre
Brisbane – Dec 2, The Old Museum, Bowen Hills
Adelaide – Dec 14, Lion Arts Factory, CBD
Melbourne – Dec 27, 28, The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne
Sydney – Jan 3, 4, 9 & 10 – The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle
TICKETS: cricketthemusical.com.au.

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Drew Anthony Creative’s Award-winning Production, Saturday Night Fever Comes To Melbourne!

29/10/202528/10/2025 Breaking News🥇

Award-winning Drew Anthony Creative will bring the smash hit musical Saturday Night Fever to Melbourne, direct from a highly successful Perth season. This marks the return of Drew Anthony, one of Australia’s most celebrated directors and choreographers, to Melbourne’s stages after nearly two decades. This spectacularly reimagined version of the show will have audiences grabbing their boogie shoes and dancing in the aisles bringing all the explosive energy, sensational dancing and vocal performances, that is synonymous with Saturday Night Fever. In this beloved ’70s throwback, Tony Manero, a nineteen-year-old Brooklynite paint store clerk, spends his weekends moonlighting at a local disco, as the king of the dance floor. When he and mesmerizing dancer Stephanie enter a dance competition, the pair’s professional partnership blossoms into a deep friendship, and challenges them both to reflect on what’s important in life, amidst rising social tensions and disillusionment.

Based on the revolutionary 1977 cult film, Saturday Night Fever which became a cultural milestone, that reshaped music, fashion and film in the 1970s, featuring an Academy award nominated John Travolta. The timeless soundtrack, packed with disco classics including the Bee Gees’ hits Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Tragedy and More Than A Woman, has sold more than 45 million copies ranking amongst the best-selling albums in history. The show is set to take over Melbourne’s historic Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne from January 8th, 2026. Drew Anthony’s production is a brilliant new version of this much-loved classic filled with breathtaking choreography, costumes and explores the complexities of human connection.

The show cleverly examines the underlying themes of this hit show including escapism, social aspiration, and working-class identity, as Tony uses the allure of the dance floor as a place to escape from his dead-end life. Audiences will be propelled into the gritty streets of downtown Brooklyn, thanks to a modern new set featuring stunning high-definition digital scenery that incorporates iconic scenes from the hit film. The 2024 Perth production, celebrated for its excellence, garnered BroadwayWorld Awards Perth 2024 for Best Direction, Best Scenic Design, and Best Performer. Director Drew Anthony said, “I am thrilled to be returning to Melbourne stages next year with this fabulous show!

Saturday Night Fever is a brilliant production that cleverly uses music and dancing to explore its characters’ search for identity and a place in the world. The cast we have assembled for this show is phenomenal and they have rightfully earned their place after a huge audition process. There is nowhere else I would rather be taking this show right now than Melbourne and I can’t wait for audiences to see it!” Saturday Night Fever will play at the Athenaeum Theatre from January 8th until January 25th, 2026, and is a must see this summer! Directed by Drew Anthony with choreography by Jamie & Suzi Rolton, this new production of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER thrusts this cult classic to dazzling new heights bringing the amazing disco soundtrack to life! Tickets are now on sale for Saturday Night Fever from 10am on Tuesday 28th October via www.ticketmaster.com.au.

CAST LIST
Tony Manero Ethan Churchill
Stephanie Mangano Regan Barber
Annette Izzi Green
Flo Manero Chelsea Plumley
Frank Manero George Kapiniaris
Frank Jnr Matthew Casamento
Linda Manero Amileya Moro
Linda Manero Charis Morabito
Bobby C Sam Hamilton
Double J Dimitri Raptis
Joey Ewan Herdman
Nightclub Singer 1 Clara Harrison
Nightclub Singer 2 Bianca Baykara
Nightclub Singer 3 Thalia Oseguda-Santos
Male Ensemble 1 Joshua Kobeck
Male Ensemble 2 Julian Seguna
Male Ensemble 3 Anthony Garcia
Male Ensemble 4 Ayril Borce
Female Ensemble 1 Ruby Voss
Female Ensemble 2 Sophia Katos
Female Ensemble 3 Lily Baulderstone
Female Ensemble 4 Hannah Cañon
Swing/Dance Captain Katrina Bickerton

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER CREATIVES
Producer Drew Anthony Creative
Associate Producer Rachel Burgess
Director Drew Anthony
Production Design Drew Anthony & Aquixel Studios
Choreographers Jamie & Suzi Rolton
Costume Design Dani Paxton

Musical Director Daniel Puckey

Based on the Paramount/RSO Film and story by Nik Cohn. Adapted for the stage by Robert Stigwood and assisted by Bill Oakes. Edited by Ryan McBryde. By arrangement with David Spicer Productions.

ABOUT DREW ANTHONY
Drew Anthony has had an extensive career in the creative and performing arts, both in Australia and internationally. He started as a musical theatre performer and later became a Creative Director, Event Director/Choreographer, and Producer. His experience spans arts and cultural festivals, corporate and civic events, national and international ceremonies, live broadcast, professional theatre productions, and major concert events. His creative work includes producing, directing, and choreographing numerous musical theatre productions such as Little Shop of Horrors, Footloose the Musical, The Wedding Singer, Saturday Night Fever, A Chorus Line, and Strictly Ballroom the Musical. He has also served as a Senior Creative for large-scale events like the Sydney 2000 Olympic Closing Ceremony, Winter Olympics Vancouver, Rugby World Cup 2011, White Night Melbourne and Ballarat, State of Origin, World Handball Championships and the Asian Games Doha 2006. As a performer, he has appeared in musical theatre productions such as Hot Shoe Shuffle, 42nd Street, Cats, and Me and My Girl, touring internationally. He was also a motion capture actor/choreographer for the feature film, Happy Feet. Drew has received several awards including Fred Astaire World Tap Champion (1984), Queensland Young Citizen of the Year (1985), Mo Awards for Best Choreography (Jolson, 2000) and Achievement in Musical Theatre (2001) and Finley Awards for Best Choreographer and Best Director for 42nd Street (2022). More recently, he received BroadwayWorld Australia awards for Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for Strictly Ballroom (2023), and multiple awards for Saturday Night Fever (2024) and The Wedding Singer (2024).

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Smash-hit Musical The Lovers Opens In Sydney Next Week

23/10/2025 Breaking News🥇

Australian pop musical sensation The Lovers opens next week on 31 October at Sydney’s Theatre Royal for two weeks only. Those audiences looking for an extra special night out will also have the chance to celebrate Halloween at the very first performance in Sydney for a chance to win best dressed prizes, purchase exclusive merchandise and fall in love with the extraordinary superstar cast.

Romantic, rebellious and irresistibly fun, this tangled tale of love is written and composed by the acclaimed Laura Murphy and directed by Nick Skubij. The Lovers catapults Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream into the 21st century with a pulsating pop soundtrack, a powerhouse live band and a bold new twist on the timeless comedy — bursting with energy and heart.

Audiences and critics alike have fallen head over heels for The Lovers, most recently playing at Queensland Performing Arts Centre where the show received rapturous audience response with nightly standing ovations and rave reviews. The Courier Mail called it “Truly magical, a show that looks and feels like a big-budget Broadway import, yet pulses with fresh Australian energy,” and further emphasised “Mark my words: this is Australia’s next big musical.”

Jayme-Lee Hanekom, Stellar Perry in TheLovers (c) Joel Devereux 7341.jpg

The Lovers’ star-studded cast includes Natalie Abbott (Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, Zombie! The Musical) as Helena, Jason Arrow (Hamilton, Guys and Dolls) as Demetrius, Jayme-Lee Hanekom (Tina The Tina Turner Musical, The Book of Mormon) as Puck, Loren Hunter (SIX The Musical, American Psycho) as Hermia, Stellar Perry (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Show) as Oberon and Mat Verevis (Beautiful, Tina The Tina Turner Musical) as Lysander. Rounding out the cast are Indigo Hunt (Hamilton), Jenni Little (Titanique, Tina The Tina Turner Musical) and Nic Van Lits (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Show).

Supporting them is a team of some of the country’s most revered creatives including Director Nick Skubij (Frankenstein), Choreographer Yvette Lee (Follies), Music Director Heidi Maguire (SIX The Musical), Designer Isabel Hudson (Dear Evan Hansen), Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest (Frankenstein) and Tony® Award nominee David Bergman (The Picture of Dorian Gray) as Video and Sound Designer.

Get set for a totally modern love story — where nothing goes as planned, but everything happens for a reason.

Shake & Stir Theatre Co and John Frost for Crossroads Live present The Lovers A musical by Laura Murphy

Venue: Theatre Royal Sydney
Season: 31 October – 16 November
Performance Times: Tue 7pm, Wed 1pm & 7pm, Thu 7pm, Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2pm & 7.30pm, Sun 1pm
Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: theloversmusical.com.au or 1300 163 808
Groups 8+ call 1300 163 808

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Putting It Together Comes To Sydney’s Foundry Theatre

19/10/2025 Breaking News🥇

A dazzling celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest work, Putting It Together, is coming to Sydney’s Foundry Theatre in January. Set at a glamorous cocktail party, the show blends wit, charm and razor-sharp insight as the cast navigate the complexities of love, ambition and desire. Featuring a seamless revue of Sondheim’s most iconic songs, audiences are taken on a journey through the genius of one of musical theatre’s most influential composers and lyricists, all wrapped within a clever and intimate story set at an all-night, black tie party. This once-in-a-lifetime event brings together some of Australia’s finest performers – Caroline O’Connor (Chicago, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd), Michael Cormick (The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty & the Beast), Nigel Huckle (Miss Saigon, West Side Story), Bert LaBonté (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Book of Mormon) and Stefanie Caccamo (Into The Woods, The Lord of the Rings) – alongside Australia’s finest creative team. Together, they deliver extraordinary vocal power, charisma and artistry to Sondheim’s timeless score. Their combined talent transforms the production into an unmissable theatrical experience, a stunning musical celebration of both Sondheim’s brilliance and the best of Australian stage talent.

“It’s not often you get to put your dream cast on stage — but that’s exactly what we’ve achieved here,” said producer Craig Donnell. “Every one of these performers represents the finest Australian talent, drawn from the biggest musicals across Australia, Broadway and the West End. Stephen Sondheim described Caroline O’Connor as ‘the best Mrs Lovett he has ever heard’. Michael Cormick is Australia’s ultimate leading man – Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and The Beast and more.

Bert LaBonte, Nigel Huckle, Caroline O'Connor, Michael Cormick, Stefanie Caccamo.jpg

“We’re so pleased to be bringing Bert LaBonté back to the stage in between his film and television work. Nigel is returning from New York specifically to take part, and Stefanie has been touring the world in The Lord of the Rings. To have them all together on one stage in Sydney is a magnificent achievement.”

Graeme Kearns, CEO of Foundation Theatres, added, “We’re thrilled to be staging this exceptional production of Putting It Together in the intimate setting of the Foundry Theatre. This is exactly the kind of world-class performance we built the theatre for — a place where audiences can experience the very best of musical theatre up close and in comfort. It promises to be a truly special night at the theatre.”

Putting It Together was first performed in Oxford, UK in 1992, directed by Julia McKenzie and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, with a cast led by Diana Rigg and Clive Carter. The original US production in 1993 by the Manhattan Theatre Club featured Christopher Durang, Rachel York and Dame Julie Andrews, making her return to the New York City stage after an absence of more than 30 years. The Broadway production in 1999 starred Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Ruthie Henshall, John Barrowman and Bronson Pinchot. Hearn was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The revue received its West End premiere in 2014 featuring Janie Dee, David Bedella, Damian Humbley, Caroline Sheen and Daniel Crossley.

Don’t miss this extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime musical event; www.foundrytheatre.com.au/putting-it-together

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Words and Music by Stephen Sondheim
Devised by Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Musical Supervisor Guy Simpson
Directed and choreographed by Cameron Mitchell
Musical Direction by Kevin Wang
Set Design by Nick Fry
Costume Design by Nigel Shaw
Lighting Design by Trudy Dalgleish
Sound Design by Michael Waters
Creative Producer Sharon Millerchip
Produced by Impresario Productions
Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia)

SEASON DETAILS
Venue: Foundry Theatre, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont
Season: 6 January – 15 February 2026
Performance Times: Tue-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Matinees Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm (performance times vary each week)
Prices: From $69.00 (Transaction fees apply)

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