Theatre

Musical Comedy Sensation Pride And Prejudice* (*sort Of) Opens This Week

Feature-Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)

The Australian tour of the musical comedy Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) arrives in Sydney this week after an acclaimed and sold out season in Melbourne. Opening on Thursday at the Sydney Opera House’s Drama Theatre, the show is “an exuberant reinvention that celebrates Austen’s wit while gleefully dismantling convention.” (Australian Arts Review)

Five performers portray the iconic roles of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, Mr and Mrs Bennet and all other characters – Amy Lehpamer (& Juliet, The Sound of Music), Zoe Ioannou (Grease, Hairspray), Kaori Maeda-Judge (White Pearl, Little Women), recent graduate of QUT Ruby Shannon and Teo Vergara (Jagged Little Pill, Converted!).

“Cleverly reinterprets the Regency tale of love and class with modern sensibilities, humour and karaoke” – Limelight
“An inventive, joyful and brilliantly performed theatrical experience” – The Scoop
“The energy of the performances, and the wit of the storytelling will sweep you away… not to be missed” – Stage Whispers
“A hilarious and joyful night at the theatre… a rare gem” – Australian Stage

“It has been a long-held dream to undertake this tour with our take on Austen’s masterpiece,” said writer and original director Isobel McArthur. “This show is a true celebration of love and romance so, now that the match-making is done, I cannot wait to watch Pride & Prejudice* (sort of) and Sydney audiences fall head over heels for each other.”

Kaori Maeda-Judge , Teo Vergara, Ruby Shannon, Zoe Ioannou PRIDEANDPREJUDICESORTOF_PRODSHOTS_ Credit Matthew Chen (9).jpg
Zoe Ioannou, Amy Lehpamer, Teo Vergara PRIDEANDPREJUDICESORTOF_PRODSHOTS_ Credit Matthew Chen (8).jpg

Direct from its triumph in the West End where it won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is a unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic love story. Men, money and microphones are fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance.

This “smart, laugh out loud funny” (Daily Telegraph) show features a string of pop classics including Young Hearts Run Free, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and You’re So Vain. Coming to Australia for the first time, these five fearless women bring Austen’s world of love, class and chaos to life with heart, humour and unstoppable energy in this modern take on one of the world’s most adapted pieces of literature.

www.prideandprejudicesortof.com.au

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE* (*sort of)
By Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen
Original production directed by Isobel McArthur
Co-Director Simon Harvey
Produced by Neil Gooding Productions and Woodward Productions by arrangement with David Pugh Limited

SYDNEY SEASON DETAILS (Presented by Sydney Opera House)
Venue: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Season: 16 July – 30 August
Performance Times: Tues-Sun 7pm, Wed & Sat 2pm, Sun 1 or 2pm (times vary weekly)
Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/theatre/pride-prejudice-sort-of or (02) 9250 7777
Groups 8+ call (02) 9250 7777

WOLLONGONG (Presented by Merrigong Theatre Company)
Venue: IMB Theatre, IPAC
Season: 2-13 September
Performance Times: Tue 6.30pm, Wed-Thurs 6:30 or 7:30pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Thurs 11am, Sat & Sun 1:30pm (times vary weekly)
Prices: From $84 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: merrigong.com.au or (02) 4224 5999

CANBERRA
Venue: Canberra Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre
Season: 16-27 September
Performance Times: Tues 6:30pm, Wed-Sat 7:30pm, Wed, Sat & Sun 1:30pm, Sun 6:30pm (times vary weekly)
Prices: From $65.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: canberratheatrecentre.com.au or (02) 6275 2700

BRISBANE
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
Season: 30 September – 18 October
Performance Times: Tues-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Wed, Thurs & Sat 2pm, Sun 3pm (times vary weekly)
Prices: From $65 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: qpac.com.au or phone 136 246

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

The Addams Family Officially Opens Tomorrow Night At Hayes Theatre

Feature-The Addams Family

Tomorrow night, the gates of the family crypt creak open as The Addams Family officially opens at Hayes Theatre, inviting Sydney audiences to embrace the delightfully dreadful, gloriously gothic musical comedy that proves every family has its skeletons. After weeks of raising the dead (and rehearsing), the cast is ready to unleash a production that’s wickedly funny, hauntingly heartfelt, and just the right amount of unhinged. Tickets are selling quickly at www.hayestheatre.com.au

At the heart of this gloriously gothic household stands Morticia Addams, embodied by double Helpmann Award–nominated triple threat Erika Heynatz (Legally Blonde, Menopause the Musical), whose elegance is as sharp as her wit. Opposite her, the ardently devoted Gomez Addams finds his match in acclaimed Filipino-Australian performer Marcus Rivera (Miss Saigon, City of Angels), promising a romance that burns as brightly as it does bizarrely.

Emerging from the shadows, Wednesday Addams—the ultimate princess of darkness—will be brought chillingly to life by recent NIDA graduate Jenny Guigayoma (Nine, Peter Pan). Meanwhile, her delightfully devious younger brother Pugsley takes mischievous form in Georgia Oom (Werkaholics, Footloose), whose penchant for chaos keeps the household on edge.

Hovering somewhere between the strange and the sublime, Uncle Fester will be ignited by the electrifying Evan Lever (The Normal Heart, Muriel’s Wedding), guiding the story with peculiar charm. Adding fuel to the family fire, Deborah Galanos (The Boomkak Panto, Stop Girl) unleashes her comic prowess as the unapologetically anarchic Grandmama. Towering—both in stature and presence—Elliot Aitken makes his professional debut as the ever-loyal, ever-lurking Lurch.

1. Full Company of The Addams Family (c) James Reiser.jpg
image002.png

In a delicious twist of fate, Teagan Wouters (Bonnie & Clyde, The Wedding Singer), who originated the role of Wednesday in the original Australian production, returns to the Addams universe as Alice Beineke—a woman on the brink of polite society collapse. Her tightly wound husband Mal Beineke will be played by Rory O’Keeffe (HMS Pinafore, Playing Beatie Bow), while their seemingly “normal” son Lucas—harbouring a secret of his own—comes to life through First Nations performer Alexander Tye (Once on This Island, Footloose The Musical).

Completing this cryptic clan are the Addams ancestors, rising from beyond in the forms of Mae Li Cowell, Nathan Fernandez, Jayden Prelc and Paloma Renouf, with Kayla Ingle-Olson and Joey Phyland lurking in the wings as swings.

When Wednesday Addams, the ultimate gothic outsider, falls for a perfectly “normal” boy, everything the Addams family holds dear is turned upside down. As the two families meet for one fateful evening, secrets are revealed, boundaries are tested, and chaos is delightfully unleashed. With an extraordinary original score and a story to die for, The Addams Family promises a wickedly entertaining night for audiences of all persuasions.

Directed by Julia Robertson (The Producers, Metropolis), with musical supervision by Zara Stanton (Dear Evan Hansen, In The Heights) and choreography by Shannon Burns (Gutenberg! The Musical, The Producers), this bold new production will push boundaries and breathe new (after)life into a beloved classic.

The unsettlingly enchanting musical comedy from Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, writers of the multi award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, will haunt you in the most delightfully spooky way.

www.hayestheatre.com.au/event/the-addams-family

Producer Joshua Robson Productions (JRP)
Director Julia Robertson
Music Supervisor Zara Stanton
Choreographer Shannon Burns
Music Director Zander Gaal
Assistant Director/Choreographer Grace Stamnas
Production Designer Dann Barber
Associate Production Designer Meg Anderson
Lighting Designer Jasmine Rizk
Sound Designer Chaii Ki Chapman

SEASON DETAILS
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
Season: Until 9 August
Times: Tues 6.30pm, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Thurs 1pm, Sat 2pm & Sunday 1pm
Price: Adult, $95 Concession, $89 Groups/Previews from $85
Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au | (02) 8065 7337

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Black Swan Theatre Company Appoints New Artistic Director

Feature-Black Swan State Theatre Company Appoints New Artistic Director

Black Swan State Theatre Company is delighted to announce the appointment of acclaimed Australian theatre maker Matt Edgerton as its new Artistic Director.

An award-winning director, dramaturg, writer and actor, Edgerton will lead Western Australia’s flagship theatre company into its next artistic chapter, succeeding outgoing Artistic Director Kate Champion.

A WAAPA graduate with more than 25 years’ experience across Australia’s theatre sector, Edgerton brings an exceptional record of artistic leadership, new work development and audience engagement. His career has spanned senior creative roles including Head of New Work at Melbourne Theatre Company, Artistic Director of Barking Gecko Theatre Company, Resident Artist at Bell Shakespeare and Senior Lecturer in Acting at WAAPA.

Edgerton is widely recognised for creating bold, inventive theatre that connects deeply with audiences. His directing credits include productions for Melbourne Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Barking Gecko, The Last Great Hunt, Monkey Baa, Sport For Jove and numerous other leading Australian companies.

He has also enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Black Swan, directing The Seed, The Shepherd’s Hut and Fully Sikh, while appearing on stage in Plainsong and Speaking in Tongues.

Black Swan Chair Francois Witbooi said Edgerton’s appointment marks an exciting new era for the company.

7.png
10.png
12.png

“Matt is one of Australia’s most respected theatre artists and leaders. His remarkable ability to champion new voices while reimagining classic works makes him an exceptional choice to lead Black Swan into its next chapter. He deeply understands this company, its audiences and the unique role Black Swan plays in telling Western Australian stories.”

Witbooi said Edgerton’s vision aligns strongly with the company’s commitment to artistic excellence and community connection.

“Matt brings an extraordinary combination of artistic ambition, generosity and strategic leadership. His passion for developing artists, building audiences and creating theatre that is inspiring, courageous and entertaining will ensure Black Swan continues to thrive as one of Australia’s leading theatre companies.”

Edgerton said he is honoured to lead Black Swan.

“Black Swan gave me my first professional break in the epic Plainsong, directed by its Founding Artistic Director Andrew Ross. Nearly thirty years later, it is the greatest honour of my career to be appointed as the company’s fifth Artistic Director,” he said.

“I can’t wait to begin work with the amazing Black Swan team and our community of exceptional artists to create the next wave of great Western Australian theatre for audiences here and across the country – work that is bold, eclectic and unmistakably our own, “ Edgerton said.

Edgerton will commence full time as Artistic Director at the beginning of 2027, working closely with the company to build upon the strong artistic legacy established under Kate Champion’s leadership while shaping an exciting future for Black Swan State Theatre Company. Champion will continue to finalise the 2027 programme, and will conclude her term at the end of this year.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Love Letters

Love Letters

Love Letters Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

1

“Money doesn’t buy everything and definitely not love of one’s self” was the key factor in this wonderful ‘two-hander’. It is just a shame that it is playing in a small theatre for only a few days so go and see it if you have the chance.

We are taken on a journey of social change and behaviour across the decades spanning from a 1930s preppy Eastern Seaboard moneyed lifestyle through to World War 2 and the coming of age of the USA, ending in a sense of the 80s era as computers emerge. In a minimal set of two desks, young Alan Ladd and his childhood friend, Melissa Gardner, reveal their lives, hopes and fears in letters exchanged over the years.

Both characters introduce themselves as opposites trying to find their way to each other and constantly missing opportunities spinning them onto different paths. Alan, following the Ivy League road and expectations is fascinated by Melissa and her free spirit. Max Fernandez, a young actor, is convincing as a teenager ageing into his 50s with unrequited love hovering in his shadow and only his written letters really representing who he wants to be. No makeup was used but with body language and a range of authentic facial expressions the audience saw the youthful naivety leave as life decisions took their toll and sombreness and duty set in.

 

Love Letters
Love Letters
Love Letters

 

Melissa Gardiner, a free spirit from a wealthy but dysfunctional family, is drawn to the steadiness and kindness of Alan. Keeley Tennyson is very convincing as a wayward young woman trying to free herself of American conventional wealth and recognising in herself that something is missing. Extra acclaim goes to Tennyson as she only stepped into the role the week before opening night and the audience wouldn’t have guessed.

The set, lighting and costumes were muted with the focus being the writing desks and the acting.
Letters are read in turn even when there is tension and silence due to slurs, anger and missed exchanges. Then the conversation returns and life invades again. Both actors kept up the pace delivering pieces of life and responses to each other’s revelations as they represented different parts of American society and how to behave, or not. The audience laughed at times but also recognised some of the regrets along the way and the heavy silences when neither responded to impulsive decisions. Both actors made us forget their youth to focus on their monologues believing the changes during the different stages of their lives. It was a journey with an inevitable ending.

To book tickets to Love Letters, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1594637.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Connect Online

© 2026 Dark Stories Pty Ltd     ♦     Whats The Show