Hit Broadway Musical Anastasia Loved By Brisbane, Opening To Rave Reviews

Feature-ANASTASIA

The Courier Mail said “Georgina Hopson is every bit the star” and that ANASTASIA is “the ultimate theatrical tasting platter. You get the show tunes and soaring ballads, but you also get comedy, romance, opera, ballet, extravagant costumes and big Broadway moments”. Scenestr said that “Georgina Hopson is a perfect princess” and “an absolute must see” while The Hollywood Reporter called it “musical theatre at its absolute finest. Don’t miss it.”

The cast for this charming modern fairytale and much-loved musical includes Georgina Hopson as Anya, Robert Tripolino as the charismatic con artist Dmitry, Joshua Robson in the role of antagonist Gleb, Rodney Dobson as Vlad, the universally adored Rhonda Burchmore as Countess Lily and theatre icon Nancye Hayes AM in the role of the Dowager Empress.

The ensemble cast includes Sophia Bae, Elliot Baker, Nicholas Cunningham, Davis Giotopoulos Moore, Todd Goddard, Matthew Jenson, Stephanie Kurlow, Bella Minniti, Simon Plant, Nathan Stafford, Alexis Van Maanen, Patrick Volpe, Annie Wilson, Deone Zanotto and Andrea Zappacosta with the Swings team featuring Manon Gunderson-Briggs, Iosefa Laga’aia, Nathan Pinnell and Emma Russell. The local Queensland performers who feature as Little Anastasia include Eva Boldery, Kalina Kita, Harvey Rose McClelland and Holly Murray.

Inspired by the mysterious tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution, and the 1997 Oscar nominated animated film of the same name, ANASTASIA has been brought to life on the stage by the Tony Award-winning creative team of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.

ANASTASIA is a lavish musical for all ages, transporting audiences from the twilight years of the Imperial rule to the euphoria and exuberance of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman named Anya sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by an army officer determined to silence her, she enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Directed by Tony Award winning director Darko Tresnjak, ANASTASIA premiered on Broadway in March 2017. It received a Tony Award nomination for Best Costume Design in a Musical and won more than 15 major international awards including Best Musical awards in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.

The book for ANASTASIA was written by the late five time Tony Award winning writer Terrence McNally, whose credits include Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime.

Music and lyrics for ANASTASIA were written by the renowned writing team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens who have been referred to as “one of the greatest songwriting teams in Broadway history.” (Chicago Tribune).

Lyric Theatre QPAC, Brisbane until 18 October 2026

For tickets and further information, please visit www.anastasiathemusical.com.au

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Monty Python’s Spamalot Opens This Week!

Feature-Monty Python’s SPAMALOT

This week Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre is set to welcome the three time Broadway Tony award winning musical Monty Python’s SPAMALOT with preview performance beginning on Wednesday September 16 ahead of the red carpet opening night on Saturday, September 19. The Tony Award-winning Best Musical has recently extended its Melbourne run through October 11, following extraordinary ticket sales and demand. Heading to the stage for the Melbourne season is an exceptionally talented and diverse cast, headlined by Australian screen and television favorite Stephen Curry, stepping into the royal role of King Arthur in his musical theatre debut.

Joining Stephen as the captivating Lady of the Lake for Melbourne is vocal powerhouse Jaz Flowers, marking her triumphant and long-awaited return to the stage after ten years.

Perth standout Jamie Rolton reprises Patsy alongside Stephen Curry’s King Arthur. They are joined by rising comedian Nick White (Man of Many Characters), NIDA graduate Gareth Isaac (Sir Robin), WAAPA graduate Jesse Vasiliadas (Sir Lancelot), and Perth alumni Noah Skape (Sir Galahad) and Ethan Jones (Sir Bedevere). The ensemble includes Grace Williams, Emily Huynh, Danielle Gibson, Jacinda Tsakalos, Will Basson, Jack Coyne, Dominique Hamilton, Regan Walker and Ethan Churchill.

Directed and produced by Drew Anthony, this spectacular new staging of the beloved classic brings all the film’s iconic humor to life. The production features an innovative high-definition digital set that seamlessly presents recognisable scenes from the original movie. With book and lyrics by Eric Idle and a celebrated score composed by John Du Prez and Idle, this riotous retelling follows King Arthur and his loyal Knights. Affectionately parodying standard musical theatre tropes, the clever production delivers a dynamic combination of soaring Broadway-style vocals, tap-dancing knights, and flying cows.

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT has remained a cornerstone of modern musical theatre ever since its 2005 Broadway premiere, where it earned 14 Tony Award nominations and won three, including Best Musical. Celebrated for its sharp absurdity and anarchic comedic tone, the show boasts a legendary score filled with memorable classics like “Find Your Grail,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.

Following its Melbourne season, the production will move to Sydney for performances at the Sydney Event Centre (The Star Sydney) from October 15–18, before heading to Western Sydney’s Coliseum Theatre from October 22–25, 2026. The staging features choreography by Jamie & Suzi Rolton alongside vocal direction by Rainer Pollard.

Melbourne tickets are available now through www.ticketmaster.com.au. For the Sydney Event Centre (The Star Sydney), booking is accessible via Ticketmaster, and tickets for the Sydney Coliseum Theatre can be purchased through www.ticketek.com.au

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How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying Opens At Hayes Theatre Tonight

Feature-How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying officially opens tonight at Hayes Theatre Co, bringing one of musical theatre’s most enduring comedies of ambition and office politics to the stage. Winner of seven Tony Awards, this razor-sharp musical comedy proves that climbing the corporate ladder can be every bit as entertaining as it is unpredictable. Tickets are on sale now and selling fast at hayestheatre.com.au.

Award-winning director Cameron Mitchell (Tootsie, Putting It Together) reunites the leading men from his acclaimed production of Catch Me If You Can for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Leading the company is Home and Away alumnus Jake Speer (Kinky Boots, Barefoot in the Park) as the ambitious and resourceful J. Pierrepont Finch, opposite acclaimed stage and screen performer, Simon Burke (WICKED, Moulin Rouge) as the formidable company president, J.B. Biggley. They are joined by Georgia Laga’aia (Dear Evan Hansen) as the devoted Rosemary Pilkington and Lucy Lalor (The Prom) as the glamorous Hedy LaRue.

The executive team is brought to life by an outstanding supporting cast, with Wayne Scott Kermond (Hot Shoe Shuffle) taking on the dual roles of Mr. Twimble and Mr. Womper, Max Macdonald (Tootsie) as Budd Frump, Stacey Thomsett (Rent) as Smitty, Noni McCallum (Beetlejuice) as Miss Jones and Play School alumnus Kaeng Chan (Miss Saigon) as Mr. Bratt. Madeline Pratt (Annie) plays Miss Krumholtz, Taye Grant (Back to the Future) appears as Mr. Overington, and Zachary Webster (Chicago) returns to the Hayes as Mr. Gatch while also serving as Assistant Choreographer. Completing the company are ensemble members Katie Green (Tootsie), Kye Hall (Tootsie), and Kristina McNamara, who returns to the Hayes following her recent acclaimed performance in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, performing in the ensemble while also taking on the role of Assistant Director.

A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a quirky instructional guide to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” the office party, backstabbing coworkers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

Featuring classic songs including I Believe in You, Brotherhood of Man and The Company Way, this comic gem of a musical features a score by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert. First staged on Broadway in 1961, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying won the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize. Subsequently it has been revived on Broadway, most recently starring Daniel Radcliffe and Tony Award winner John Laroquette. Last seen on Australian stages in 1963, this new production promises to get toes tapping funny bones aching and audiences falling in love all over again with this gloriously irreverent take on ambition, office politics and the pursuit of success.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a rollicking comic delight of satire and song—a joyful, knowing wink to the ambitious window washer lurking inside us all.

Producer: LPD Productions
Director and Choreographer: Cameron Mitchell
Musical Supervisor: Damon Wade
Musical Director: Kimberley Gilbert
Set Designer: Domonic Foffani
Costume Designer: Christine Mutton
Lighting Designer: Peter Rubie
Associate Producer: Kelsi Boyden
Assistant Director: Kristina McNamara
Assistant Choreographer: Zachary Webster

Season details
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
Season: To 27 September
Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Thurs 1pm, Sat 1.30pm & Sunday 2pm
Price: Previews from $75; In season prices Adult from $84 Concession from $75
Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au | (02) 8065 7337

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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.

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

 

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