After rave reviews and sold-out performances in Melbourne, the highly anticipated international smash-hit phenomenon SIX the Musical has arrived in Sydney. The queendom will descend on Sydney’s Theatre Royal to celebrate the newly coronated cast of queens. The official opening night of this award-winning global sensation will be on Wednesday 14 October at Theatre Royal Sydney. The production will then be heading to QPAC’s Playhouse Theatre in Brisbane from January 2027.
The opening night Purple Carpet is expected to bring out Sydney’s finest. Media can make their way to the Theatre Royal for 6.30pm guest arrival, with the performance kicking off at 7.30pm sharp.
Guest List for SIX Opening Night
Amanda Keller; Andy Trieu; Damien Leith; Donny Galella; Georgie Parker; Jeremy Fernandez; Kate Ritchie; Leigh Sales; Melissa Hoyer; Penny McNamee; Richard Reid; Savannah Clarke; Steve Pennells.
Angelina Thomson; Ash Magic; Darren Palmer; Emily Weir; Ian Stenlake; Jessica Redmayne; Kathryn Eisman; Lisa Wilkinson; Nancye Hayes; PJ Lane; Rob Mills & Georgie Tunny; Simon Burke; Taylor Haynes.
Annabel Crabb; Belinda Russell; Deborah Hutton; Erika Heynatz; Jay Laga’aia; John Pearce; Kerri-Anne Kennerley; Mitch and Mark; Nikki Webster; Rachael Beck; Rodger Corser; Sophie Dillman; Tina Bursill.
From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the six wives of Henry VIII—Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr—turn up the mics remixing five hundred years of history into an 80-minute electrifying pop-concert musical.
The new SIX Queens are played by an Australian cast: Sarah Murr (Catherine of Aragon), Mia Paris Scalise (Anne Boleyn), Cara Bessey (Jane Seymour), Kadesa Honeyhill (Anna of Cleves), Angela Brischetto (Katherine Howard), and Lorinda May Merrypor (Catherine Parr).
Swings include Lauren Goetz, Geena Hutton, Thalia Smith (Dance Captain/Swing) and Cristina D’Agostino (Associate Choreographer/Assistant to the Director/Alternate Swing). The on-stage band includes Claire Healy (Music Director/Keys), Heidi Maguire (Assistant Music Director/Keys), Kathryn Stammers (Drums), Danielle Colligan (Guitar) and Matilda Yang (Bass). The company works under Australian Associate Director Sharon Millerchip.
SIX tells the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII who step out of the shadow of their infamous husband and reclaim their own narratives. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, this pop-inspired musical portrays these historical figures as influential pop stars.
SIX has won 38 international awards including two Tony Awards and has a Platinum certified soundtrack listened to over 5.5 billion times. Since debuting at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, it has played in over 15 countries.
Creative team: Book, lyrics and music by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss; directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage; choreographed by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille; set design by Emma Bailey; costume design by Gabriella Slade; lighting design by Tim Deiling; sound design by Paul Gatehouse; orchestrations by Tom Curran; musical supervisor Joe Beighton. Originally produced by Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, and George Stiles. Produced in Australia by Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Linda Bewick.
Tickets on sale now Sydney – Theatre Royal Sydney – until December 20 Brisbane – Playhouse Theatre, QPAC – from January 2 https://www.sixthemusical.com.au
The champagne is back on ice and Sydney is invited to indulge as the five-star BLANC DE BLANC returns by popular demand, opening 28 October 2026 at one of Sydney’s hottest destinations for live entertainment, The Grand Electric, Surry Hills.
Celebrating 10 years since BLANC DE BLANC first burst onto the stage at the Sydney Opera House in 2016, this dazzling new season brings together the very best in its most ambitious Sydney staging yet.
A heady cocktail of high-energy performances from world-class acrobats, dancers and aerialists, cheeky comedy, cabaret, burlesque and vintage glamour, BLANC DE BLANC has seduced audiences from London’s West End to Las Vegas with its intoxicating blend of high-energy entertainment and sophisticated mischief.
Producer Jess Copas said, “This remount will be one of our most ambitious stagings of the production yet and will herald many new theatrical surprises and will bring back some beloved classics including a rather infamous hot-tub scene!”
The all-new cast includes your charismatic host, Alex Makardish (USA) direct from extended seasons in London and Melbourne alongside world champion contortionist Misha Makarov. Joining them are award-winning aerialists − Duo Coco & Marie, Marie Lebot (France) and Corentin Lemaitre Auger (Canada). This will be the first time all four performers have appeared on a Sydney stage.
Previous Sydney seasons have won over audiences and critics alike:
“Awe-inspiring and fun.” Megaphone Oz
“A scintillating night of entertainment.” Scenestr
“A deliciously hedonistic evening of escapism.” Broadway World
“Delightfully decadent” Theatre People
“Spectacular” The AU Review
“Flawless, and it’s a toast to the boundless creativity and joy that cabaret brings” Stage Whispers
Provocative, playful and deliciously decadent, BLANC DE BLANC is an invitation to leave everyday at the door, pop the cork and surrender to a night of champagne-fuelled revelry.
Venue: The Grand Electric, 199 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills Season: From 28 October 2026 Showtimes: Wed to Fri 7pm; Sat 4pm & 7pm; Sun 5pm Tickets: From $75 to $449 for a Möet Chandon Champagne table for two Bookings: https://blancdeblancshow.com/sydney
We were warmed up and welcomed by “Jeremy” the twin of Celebrity Theatresports host Jeromaia Detto, at least that’s what Jeremy would have us believe. The theme of the day would be the circus. Jeremy had us practise our crowd hype including our circus animal noises. It was a very effective way to liven the excitement and energy in the room. The fun and passion was contagious and we were ready to be entertained, especially when Benny Davis from Axis of Awesome began to give the atmosphere a soundtrack, and we were introduced to our esteemed judges, hosts and the teams themselves.
I have a passion for Theatresports and I have done quite a few classes with our hosts, Impro Australia. It has been many years but I was excited to see, among the standout celebrities, were people that have celebrity status in my own heart and memories.
The six teams competing for the coveted Theatresports Celebrity Cup were:
The Greatest Show-Ponies (Adam Spencer, Rob Mills, James Galea and Jacqui Bramwell);
The Fairy Flossers (Steve Lynch, Kate Coates, Susan Prior and John Knowles);
Socceroo Sideshow (David Callan, Andrew Redmayne, Amy Tustian and Yarno Rohling);
The Big Top Guns (Ryan Atkins, Charlie Papps, Genevieve Hegney and Jack Scott);
Bunch of Clowns (Sophie Douglas, Daniel Cordeaux, Gary Eck, Felix Williamson and Sophea Op);
and Panda-monium (Linette Voller, Joji Malani, Murray Fahey and Scott Hall-Watson).
Round 1:
The first team was The Big Top Guns, who won my vote for best costumes (fully dressed to the theme). They also had the uber talented Genevieve Hegney, so they were at an advantage. The first game was Expert Double Figures where one player talks and the other lends their arms. The title they were given was “Teaching Tigers To Knit” and it was as hilarious as it sounds, especially Charlie Papps’ quick-thinking as their arms became the centre story.
Next up were The Greatest Show-Ponies taking on Genre Rollercoaster with audience suggestion of “Cleaning Out The Garage”: the genre having to be changed throughout. This team did a great job of keeping the story on track throughout the genre shifts. This was a standout in terms of technique.
Then the Fairy Flossers in all their dazzling pinkness had to take on the Animal Kingdom, which they all embodied well with the scene stealer being an exceptional meerkat played by John Knowles. Notable mention was the brilliant closing line at the end of all the mayhem from Kate Coates that the elephant (played comically by Steve Lynch) “Will never forget that!”
Number 4 was Panda-monium in all their Panda glory, including one Red Panda. They took on a fave of my own, Emotional Replay with the prompt of “Choosing a coffin”. This was a fun ride, culminating in “ecstasy” which was especially well embodied by Joji Malani’s impressive Vogue skills.
Number 5 was A Bunch of Clowns having to create a song entitled “Pickle Ball Is My Passion”, which hit the right notes with a catchy chorus. What some lacked in melody they made up for with hard-hitting lyrics, and Felix Williamson brought it all home with a brilliant finish.
Last, but not least was Socceroo Sideshow (with actual Socceroo Andrew Redmayne) who had the Sit, Stand, Kneel, Lie challenge at the airport. The characterisation with this physical challenge was impressive and it was chaotic fun watching them keep up with each other’s changing positions.
Round 2 was audio challenges from celebrities who were unable to be there.
Panda-monium had a request from Andrew Denton to see a scene with a lion and lion tamer who were afraid of each other. The team responded to this challenge by putting forward that they would do it with the team’s combined knowledge of High School French. It was tres impressive.
The Big Top Guns had a request from James O’Loghlin that they do a scene where someone can’t say the thing they desperately want to say. The team responded by having one character only able to speak in phrases from an audience member’s text message thread. Thus began a very clever family saga with a twist.
The Greatest Show-Ponies received their request from Rove McManus to see a scene in which somebody or something is being saved. The setting given was a Villain’s Lair. The team responded with Number Words, having host Jane Simmons shout out the number of words allowed in each line. With anything from 1 to 27, this was as hilariously challenging as you’d imagine.
Bunch of Clowns received their challenge from Kitty Flanagan, which was a scene where a farmer wants his son to take over, but his son wants to join the circus. The team responded with an American high school soap opera. This one showcased some wonderful teamwork as ideas were quickly thrown about and responded to.
Socceroo Sideshow got their challenge from the Umbilical Brothers which was an under the sea story called Raiders of The Last Air Bubble and they responded with Stunt Doubles, where two players enact the story and then have to swap over with their “stunt double” as dictated by the host and the stunt doubles play it out in slow motion. This was great fun with a special cameo from Millzy (Rob Mills) as the seahorse.
The Fairy Flossers got their challenge from Jonesy and Amanda in the form of two co-workers getting in trouble with a motorbike involved. They responded with a “Sing About It”. They came up with some catchy tunes, highlight being the Ballad of the Bike.
We then had some moving stories from the Canteen representatives, and we were all very emotional after learning more about how much this organisation means for cancer victims and their families.
Round 3 kicked off with The Hat Of Fate.
Fairy Flossers pulled out the prompt “In A Bank Vault” and were challenged to a Character Swap with a plot twist. Steve Lynch stole the show as a petulant teenage girl.
Big Top Guns pulled out “Taylor Swift Fan Club” and were challenged to an Off Broadway musical. It exposed the Swifties and those who drew a Blank Space when it came to her tunes.
Bunch of Clowns pulled “At A Fashion Show” and were challenged to a Shakespeare theme. They did doth handle that well.
The Greatest Show-Ponies pulled “At A Craft Brewery” and were challenged to an Opera, giving Millzy his real moment in the sun. It was a crafty little love story in song.
Panda-monium got “Top Deck on a Tour Bus” and were challenged to the audience providing the sound effects. This got the energy going and was a fun ride for all.
Socceroos got “Group Therapy” and were challenged to a ballet, which was actually rather beautiful.
The two teams revealed for the final round were Panda-monium and Socceroo Sideshow.
Panda-monium decided to use “Epic Quest” as their theme for the final round, and they were challenged to include a bum bag. They worked beautifully as a team and took us on a wonderful, wacky journey with other members of the other teams joining them along the way.
Socceroos decided to use “Film Noir with puppets” with the suggestion of a missing Pikachu. David Callan invited his students on stage to be the puppeteers and they did a fabulous job of following the prompts and uplifting the narrative.
Socceroo Sideshow were the winners overall and all the creatives were invited to the stage. John Knowles then delivered a moving tribute to Michael and Julie, the heart and soul of Impro Australia.
It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon of humour and heart. We all left with big smiles on our faces.
To find out more about Theatresports shows, classes and corporate events, visit www.improaustralia.com.au
If you are an adult true-crime fanatic and love historical detail then the Sydney’s Razor Gang True Crime Tour is for you. In fact it was more of a two-hour theatrical performance as Ryan delivered a high-energy, full blown monologue for the whole time in spite of being a dark and stormy night!
A group of eight met in Darlinghurst and walked through the suburb visiting the crime scene locations and it felt like we were on a live set with the characters brought to life as we travelled through their lives, crimes, fights and murders. First tip, put on walking shoes and be prepared as it is a non-stop and wonderful journey of facts not fiction.
We learnt about the major characters in the infamous Sydney razor gang wars. Ryan informed us how they moved from low crime to being major gang bosses including two ruthless women. Each location had a story to tell including the local art school having previously been the jail with plenty of hangings. We all mused about the students would paint and create and wondering if any of them had seen a ghost or two!
Ryan cleverly wove in and out of the history of each major gang member as they bumped up against the changing police laws and behaviour and fell in and out of favour with each other and their people. There were love affairs, cocaine and lots of blood. He gave us the full-blown background and impact of each player as this small but lethal community exploded and imploded.
The police didn’t escape as different characters including the first female officers came on the scene; a mix of honourable cops and others bordering on the legal side of the law. It was fascinating to find out their history and impact on managing the gangs and trying to bring some §sense of law to the area.
No one escapes in the end and they all died the way they had lived. Many in this time might have become rock stars and some could have legitimised their businesses or made enough money to live quietly but no, they were mad, bad and often sad.
Huge applause for Ryan as in the final moments he gave us the full war story with all gangs meeting in a frenzy of razor blade slashing whilst he was battling a windy storm. It just added to the atmosphere as we stood near a dark and dingy alley with lights flickering, a furious gale blowing and a sense of doom and gloom. Fabulous!
