Come Alive: The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular Opens In Adelaide Tomorrow

Feature-COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular has arrived in Adelaide and will delight audiences from tomorrow at the Morphettville Racecourse. This is the third stop on the production’s Australian tour which has already delighted fans across Sydney and Perth. Following its six week run in Adelaide the spectacular will then move on to Brisbane before farewelling Australia in Melbourne in early 2027.

Performed beneath a purpose-built Hippodrome, this all-ages spectacular reimagines Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s iconic soundtrack from the 20th Century Fox motion picture like never before—live, loud and breathtakingly close, with world-class circus artistry, dazzling visuals and electrifying performances.

Since its Australian premiere in May in Sydney, COME ALIVE! has become a must-see favourite, bringing to life beloved anthems including This Is Me, Rewrite the Stars and A Million Dreams.

Leading the all-Australian cast of actors, singers, dancers and acrobats Des Flanagan (CATS, Moulin Rouge!) as The Showman and Ruby Clark (The Lord of the Rings) as Max have won over audiences along with the local and international circus sensations responsible for bringing this internationally acclaimed production to life.

David Hutchinson, CEO of The Path Entertainment Group said: “After an ongoing sellout run in the UK, we have been thrilled to see Australian audiences so warmly and enthusiastically embrace COME ALIVE! We look forward to performing for Adelaide on the next stop on our national tour after being so warmly welcomed by fans new and old in both Sydney and Perth.”

At the helm of the production is Drama Desk award-winning Creative Director Simon Hammerstein (Masquerade, a bold new immersive production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera; Usher’s sold-out ‘My Way’ Las Vegas Residency; and Queen of the Night). The creative team behind the production and its expansion consists of Music Producer and Olivier Award-nominated Matthew Brind (Paddington 2, Just For One Day, Legally Blonde – West End), Choreographers Jerry Reeve (Taylor Swift, The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Party At The Palace) and Lukas McFarlane (Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance?, The X Factor), Emmy Award-nominated Lighting Designer Adam Bassett for Woodroffe Bassett Design (The Rolling Stones – ‘SIXTY’ Tour 2022, London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Adele – Live), Set Designer Ruby Law (Billie Eilish, Jorja Smith, the Royal Albert Hall, Sadler’s Wells Theatre), Costume Designer Susan Kulkarni (The Peripheral, Silence, Dirty Dancing – Secret Cinema), Co-Musical supervisor Greg Arrowsmith and Technical Consultancy by Gary Beestone Associates.

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is inspired by the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture The Greatest Showman story by Jenny Bicks and songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. ‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular in Australia is produced by Showpath Entertainment Ltd by special arrangement with Outside The Box Amusements and TSG Entertainment.

Tickets are on sale now at comealiveshow.com.au

‘COME ALIVE!’ The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular 2026/27 remaining Australian Dates:
Adelaide – From 29 October 2026, at the Morphettville Racecourse
Brisbane – From 23 Dec 2026, at Royal Queensland Golf Course
Melbourne – 25 Feb 2027, at Caulfield Racecourse

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Ballet At Its Darkest: Big Live’s Dracula Returns To Sydney & Melbourne

Feature-Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest

AUSTRALIAN-BORN DRACULA EXPANDS TO 65 PERFORMANCES ACROSS SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE

Fresh from sold-out international seasons, BIG Live brings its Brisbane-born global success back to Melbourne and Sydney, across 65 performances. Following sold-out seasons in London’s West End and the United States, and a record-breaking tour across Australia and New Zealand in 2025, BIG Live’s critically acclaimed Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest will return home for 65 performances across Sydney and Melbourne: 35 in Melbourne and 30 in Sydney.

The Australian-born production will play 35 performances at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, from 10 September to 25 October 2026, alongside two Sydney engagements: eight performances at the State Theatre from 22 to 27 September, followed, due to overwhelming demand, by 22 additional performances at the Capitol Theatre from 7 to 29 November 2026.

The Capitol Theatre extension adds 22 performances to the originally announced eight-show State Theatre engagement, taking Dracula’s Sydney season to 30 performances in total. It will also return a major production to dates made available after the cancellation of Beetlejuice: The Musical’s Sydney season, supporting work for artists, technicians, venue teams and the wider live-performance economy.

The additional Sydney performances have been welcomed by Foundation Theatres, with Chief Executive Graeme Kearns placing the expansion in the context of the wider pressures facing the Australian live performance sector. “The industry relies on producers with the confidence to invest, adapt and continue bringing ambitious works to our stages. It is particularly significant to see an Australian founded company developing work here, building an international audience for it and then bringing that success home. Productions of this scale sustain artists, musicians, technicians and theatre workers, while giving audiences compelling reasons to experience great live performances. We are delighted to welcome BIG Live back to the Capitol Theatre with Dracula”

In Melbourne, the season also marks BIG Live’s return to Her Majesty’s Theatre during the venue’s 140th anniversary year. “In our 140th year of proudly entertaining Melbourne audiences, Her Majesty’s Theatre is delighted to welcome BIG Live back to our stage with Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest. We are proud to present an Australian-created production that has grown into a genuine international success, performing on major stages across the United Kingdom, the United States, Asia and Australasia. Its bold storytelling, exceptional artists and impressive theatrical scale make it a particularly exciting production to welcome back to Melbourne.” Quan Tu, Chief Operating Officer, Her Majesty’s Theatre

For BIG Live, the 65-performance return is part of a wider story of Australian investment and international growth. Founded in Brisbane and operating without government funding, the independent company is on track to sell more than 400,000 tickets across its productions in 2026, with more than 200,000 people expected to see Dracula during its 2026 international tour alone. “There’s no question the touring landscape is challenging right now, but there is also real cause for confidence. The response to Dracula – both across Australia and on major international stages – shows that when work genuinely resonates with people, the demand is there. We are proud to support Australian talent and to prove that Australian-led productions can hold their own anywhere in the world. As an independent company, we have built BIG Live around audience demand, long-term employment and the confidence to move quickly when opportunities arise.” — Khalid Tarabay, Executive Director and Co-founder, BIG Live

For Artistic Director and Co-founder Joel Burke, the Australian seasons are also a creative homecoming for a production developed in Brisbane and now established on major international stages. “Dracula was created in Brisbane with the belief that ballet can deliver the same emotional intensity, scale and excitement as any major theatrical production. We wanted to create something cinematic, immediate and unapologetically theatrical – an experience that could connect with devoted ballet audiences while also bringing people into the theatre who may never previously have considered seeing a ballet. To see an Australian-created production welcomed by audiences in London, the United States and Asia, and now returning for these major seasons at home, is enormously rewarding.” — Joel Burke, Artistic Director, Choreographer and Co-founder, BIG Live

BALLET AT ITS DARKEST

Choreographed by BIG Live Artistic Director and Co-founder Joel Burke, Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest is a bold, cinematic reimagining of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic – a visceral exploration of forbidden love, grief, obsession, immortality and sacrifice.

The production features a powerhouse cast of artists with experience at the Mariinsky Theatre, English National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet and other leading companies. BIG Live principals Ervin Zagidullin and Abbey Hansen perform as Dracula and Mina Harker, with internationally renowned guest artist Adamzhan Bakhtiyar appearing at selected performances.

Set within a world of gothic grandeur created by award-winning CTS Design, Dracula is driven by a powerful score led by Emmy Award-winning composer Jason Fernandez and featuring masterpieces by Bach, Rachmaninov, Mozart, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns and Debussy.

Dracula’s 2026 international tour has included the London Palladium, Sadler’s Wells, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre and Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre, before returning to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Further international performances are scheduled for Hong Kong and Bangkok in January 2027.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Melbourne – Her Majesty’s Theatre: 10 September – 25 October 2026 | 35 performances | Tickets and venue information
Sydney – State Theatre: 22 – 27 September 2026 | 8 performances | Tickets and venue information
Sydney – Capitol Theatre: 7 – 29 November 2026 | 22 additional performances | Tickets and venue information

Full production and ticket information: bigliveco.com/performances/dracula

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