Due To Popular Demand, New Performances On Sale For A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

Feature-A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

Following a hugely successful on-sale earlier this month, demand for the Sydney season of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL has prompted the release of additional performances. Tickets for shows through to Sunday 10 January 2027 will go on sale from Wednesday 1 July. The internationally acclaimed production will play a strictly limited season at the Sydney Lyric from Saturday 14 November 2026. Visit www.theneildiamondmusical.com.au for ticket information.

Ahead of arriving in Australia for rehearsals commencing in early July, the Broadway star reprising his highly acclaimed role as Neil Diamond (Then), Will Swenson, said, “I’m beyond excited to be playing Neil Diamond in Melbourne and Sydney. Telling Neil’s life story through his incredible music is such a privilege. This will be my very first time performing in Australia, and I can’t think of a more thrilling way to make my Australian debut than in this beautiful production that means so much to me.”

“Broadway’s Will Swenson electrifies audiences. Close your eyes and you’d swear that Diamond himself is on stage performing his string of hits.” FORBES
“So Good, So Good, So Good!” Entertainment Weekly
“It sends you home hungry to hear the albums again and there is no higher tribute.” The Hollywood Reporter

Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chartbusting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 140 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like “Cracklin’ Rosie”, “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway – and the world.

Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is a deeply personal and electrifying theatrical experience, charting Neil Diamond’s rise to superstardom through the songs that defined his life and career.

Neil Diamond’s connection with Australia spans nearly half a century of music and memories. He has toured here seven times with promoter Paul Dainty AO, from the landmark Thank You Australia tour in 1976 through to 2015, with his music resonating deeply with audiences. His iconic 1972 live album Hot August Night spent 29 weeks at number one and 65 weeks on the chart, making it the third-longest-charting album of its era in Australian music history.

“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while sharing my music with audiences around the world,” said Neil Diamond. “A BEAUTIFUL NOISE has already had an incredible journey on Broadway and is currently touring across the U.S. and it’s an incredible honour to see it heading to Melbourne and Sydney. I hope Australian audiences enjoy the show as much as I have.”

The Australian cast of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is led by Broadway star Will Swenson in the titular role Neil Diamond – Then, bringing his acclaimed, award-winning performance to Australia for the very first time.

Joining Swenson is an exceptional company of Australian talent, featuring principal cast members Terence Crawford (Neil Diamond – Now), Ashleigh Rubenach (Marcia Murphey), Monica Sayers (Doctor), Alana Tranter (Jaye Posner), Tim Wright (Fred Weintraub / Tommy O’Rourke), Paul Hanlon (Bert Berns / Kieve Diamond), Hannah Fredericksen (Ellie Greenwich / Rose Diamond), with Rob Mallett (Standby Neil Diamond – Then), and Mark Owen Taylor (Standby Neil Diamond – Now, Fred Weintraub / Tommy O’Rourke, Bert Berns / Kieve Diamond).

Rounding out the company as “The Beautiful Noise” ensemble are Katrina Bickerton, Cameron Davey, Paul Leandre Escorrido, Matt Hourigan, Alana Iannace, Jerome Javier (Swing) Joshua Kobeck, Etuate Lutui (Shilo soloist), Anna Mallows (Swing), Jordan Malone, James Maxfield (Swing), Isabella Roberts, Sophie Tzioumis, Emma Wilby (Swing), and Erica Wild (Swing).

A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Chess, Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Popes). The design team for A BEAUTIFUL NOISE features Tony Award winner David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa (Costume Design), four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Jessica Paz (Sound Design), and Luc Verschueren (Hair, Wig and Make Up Design). The production has Music Supervision and Arrangements by Sonny Paladino, Incidental Music and Dance Music Arrangements by Brian Usifer, Vocal Design by AnnMarie Milazzo, and Orchestrations by Bob Gaudio, Sonny Paladino, and Brian Usifer.

A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL: www.theneildiamondmusical.com.au

SEASON DETAILS

MELBOURNE
Venue: Princess Theatre
Season: Previews commence on Wednesday 5 August
Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Wed/Thu/Sun 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 6.30pm
Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: Visit ticketek.com.au or phone 1300 665 915
Groups 10+: Visit ticketek.com.au or phone 03 9299 9873 Mon-Fri 9am-4pm
Groups 10+: Email groups@marrinergroup.com.au

SYDNEY
Venue: Sydney Lyric, Pyrmont
Season: Previews commence on Saturday 14 November
Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Wed/Thu/Sun 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 6.30pm
Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: Visit ticketmaster.com.au or phone 02 9509 3600
Groups 10+: Visit ticketmaster.com.au or phone 1300 558 878 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Groups 10+: Email groups@ticketmaster.com..au

 

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Mi Todo Productions In Association With Qtopia Presents Casey And Diana

Feature-Casey and Diana

October 1991. Inside Toronto’s Casey House hospice, Thomas has been asking himself questions like – why hasn’t his roommate seen Steel Magnolias? And how did that diner get these eggs to smell like cat food? But now… he’s asking himself the most important question of all: what is the perfect ice-breaking question to ask a Princess?

Casey and Diana, by award-winning playwright Nick Green, was inspired by Princess Diana’s real visit to Casey House on 25 October 1991, 35 years ago this year. Since its 2023 Stratford festival premiere Casey and Diana has continued on to sold-out seasons across Canada and the US.

This award-winning play (Best New Canadian Play, Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards (2024); Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding New Play (2024); Heritage Toronto Award (2024)) explores the extraordinary capacity of people to care – and how through compassion and forgiveness this capacity can grow. It’s an intimate and unexpectedly uplifting countdown to Princess Diana’s arrival – where empathy triumphed over stigma.

Darkly humorous and unflinchingly honest, the play honours caregivers and patients whose small, everyday acts of love built courage in the face of loss.

“Believe the hype, ‘Casey and Diana’ is stellar” Now Magazine
“A moving celebration of women who choose compassion over fear” Globe and Mail
“Breathtaking and poignant” Broadway World

Mi Todo Productions (Mary Jane, ★★★★.5 – John Shand, SMH, Es & Flo,★★★★ – Suzy Goes See) is proud to present the Australian premiere of this award-winning and moving play. Nancy Denis (Ma’p Boulé, ★★★★ – SMH) directs her first full-scale production with a stellar cast, featuring Chad Traupmann (Foam, ★★★★.5 – Sydney Arts Guide), Lucy Miller (Heaven, ★★★★ – Sydney Arts Guide), Gabriel Alvarado (Clyde’s, ★★★★ – SMH), Linda Nicholls-Gidley (Monster, ★★★★.5 – SMH), Isabel Burton (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bell Shakespeare) returning to Mi Todo Productions after her acclaimed performance in Mary Jane, and Lib Campbell (Cluedo, ★★★★.5 – Limelight) as Princess Diana in a show that transforms history into a living act of remembrance – a luminous story about dignity, care, and the sound of hope.

DATES: Wednesday 22nd July – Saturday 8th August
TIMES: Tuesday – Saturday at 7pm
LOCATION: Qtopia, The Loading Dock Theatre
BOOKINGS: https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Casey-and-Diana/

TICKETS: From $29

WRITER Nick Green
DIRECTOR Nancy Denis
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Chad Traupmann
PRODUCER Sasha Lian
STAGE MANAGER Alexis Worthing
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Maitê Inaê
COSTUME DESIGNER Laura Mazikana
MARKETING Maddy Withington
DIALECT COACH Linda Nicholls-Gidley
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Zakk Allen and Attu Ngor

CAST Gabriel Alvarado, Isabel Burton, Lib Campbell, Lucy Miller, Linda Nicholls-Gidley, Chad Traupmann

 

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Ilbijerri Theare Company Presents – Gunawarra Re-creation: Re-imagining A Living Story

Feature-Gunawarra Re-Creation

Gunawarra Re-Creation, scripted by proud Taun Wurrung playwright Isobel Morphy-Walsh, is a contemporary play grounded in an uninterrupted ancestral storyline, expressed through memory, song and dance, where past and present collide.

Drawing from the traditional Kulin story of Gunawarra — the black swan and how it came to have black feathers — the work follows three generations of women reconnecting on Taungurung Country after significant life disruptions. “Growing up, my sister and I listened to our father telling creation stories, continuing rich oral traditions around fires, at bedtime, at community gatherings, and as part of ceremony. He told these stories to respond to life events,” explains Isobel.

From an early age, Isobel learnt that creation stories are living and breathing narratives, handed down through generations, and shared as frameworks for both the storyteller and listener to interpret through their own lived experiences. “Being one of many Gunawarra, Black Swan, woman, I was inspired to share a version of Gunawarra’s creation and how that connects to my family and I, in my first written play.”

Leading this new season of Gunawarra Re-Creation is award-winning Artistic Director Andrea James, a proud Yorta Yorta and Gunaikurnai woman, marking her directorial debut with ILBIJERRI Theatre Company. Andrea follows in the footsteps of the company’s former Artistic Director, Dr Rachael Maza AM – a proud Yidinji, Meriam and Dutch woman – who originally premiered the play with Melbourne Theatre Company in 2024. “We so rarely get the chance to remount new work in Australia, especially a play that is so generously gifted and richly layered,” says Andrea. This new season has created space to delve deeper into the script and connect more profoundly with Country, uncovering further layers of cultural and spiritual healing. “Collaborating with new actors alongside original cast members and drawing on what each artist emotionally brings, the new work production has renewed energy. I have a play that truly flexes artistic muscle.”

For First Nations audiences, the production invites people to find and carry their own version of ‘Gunawarra’ as they navigate life within our current world. For non-Indigenous audiences, the play offers an opportunity to experience how First Peoples’ stories remain alive and how ancestral narratives impart lessons that resonate within contemporary life. As the play unfolds, audiences are imparted with a powerful sense of the strength, authority and wisdom carried by Blak women, and their extraordinary capacity to heal.

Content warning: Gunawarra Re-Creation references rape, sexual assault, violence, forced removal of children and genocide.

Gunawarra Re-Creation was developed through the ILBIJERRI Blackwrights Program with the support of City of Melbourne, Bowden Marstan Foundation, Equity Trustees and InPlace. Gunawarra Re-creation was originally co-produced with Melbourne Theatre Company as part of Blak in the Room 2024.

CAST:
Gunawarra – Hannah Morphy-Walsh (Taun Wurrung)
Aunty Aggie – Lisa Maza (Yidinji, Meriam)
Roo – Melodie Reynolds-Diarra (Wongutha, Nadju, Mirning)
Murrun – Miela Anich (Badu/Kala Lagaw Ya)

CREATIVES:
Writer – Isobel Morphy-Walsh (Taun Wurrung)
Director (Remounted Production) – Andrea James (Yorta Yorta, Gunaikurnai)
Director (Premiere Production) – Dr Rachael Maza AM (Yidinji, Meriam)
Dramaturg – Amy Sole (Wiradjurri, Worimi)
Set & Costume Designer – Dann Barber
Associate Set & Costume – Emma Salmon (Nyikina)
Lighting Designer – Katie Sfetkidis
Sound Designer/Composer – James Henry (Yuwaalaraay, Gamilaraay, Yorta Yorta, Yuin)
Movement Consultant – Zoë Brown-Holten ((Th)Dunghutti, Gomeroi)
Stage Manager – Natasha Marich
Production Manager – Jess Maguire
Producer – Phoebe Watson (Gunditjmara)
Photography – Tiffany Garvie (Gunggari)

2026 TOUR:
SOUTH BANK THEATRE – NAIDOC WEEK – 50 YEARS OF DEADLY – Wednesday 8 July to Saturday 11 July 2026
GEELONG ARTS CENTRE – Friday 17 July to Saturday 18 July 2026
QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (QPAC) – CLANCESTRY – Wednesday 5 August to Saturday 8 August 2026

TICKET PURCHASE: https://www.ilbijerri.com.au/event/gunawarra-re-creation/

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Monty Python’s Spamalot Is Bound For Australia!

Feature-Monty Python's Spamalot

THE SHOW THAT SET BROADWAY BACK 1,000 YEARS IS BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA! THE TONY AWARD–WINNING BEST MUSICAL COMEDY – LOVINGLY RIPPED OFF FROM THE MOTION PICTURE MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

The legendary search for the Holy Grail is officially headed for Australia! After a spectacular season at Perth’s Planet Royale in May, Drew Anthony Creative has today announced that the Tony Award–winning Best Musical, MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT, will gallop into Melbourne and Sydney for a limited engagement during September and October this year.

This riotous retelling of the adventures of King Arthur and his loyal Knights features a book and lyrics by Monty Python’s very own Eric Idle, with a celebrated score by John Du Prez and Idle. The hilarious and clever production ruthlessly—and affectionately—parodies the staples of musical theatre, showcasing a truly unique blend of powerful Broadway-style vocals, tap-dancing knights, and even the occasional flying cow!

Since its 2005 Broadway debut, where it garnered 14 Tony Award nominations and secured three wins including Best Musical, MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT has established itself as a landmark of contemporary musical theatre. Renowned for its anarchic comedic style and sharp absurdity, the production features a legendary score with infectious classics such as “Find Your Grail,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” and the iconic “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.

This highly anticipated run will commence at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre before travelling to Sydney for performances at the Sydney Event Centre and the Sydney Coliseum Theatre.

“After celebrating 20 years since the original production last year, it is a great honour to restore MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT’s place on Australian shores for fans who have longed for its return and for new audiences to meet the Knights of the Round Table for the first time,” said producer Drew Anthony. “I’m thrilled to bring this hilarious show to audiences at a time when we all need to look on the bright side of life!”

“Camp, comical, and bursting with talent, this is a show not to be missed.” Out in Perth

“It’s a very entertaining night out whatever your favourite flavour of theatre.” Broadway World

“Monty Python devotees will undoubtedly love Spamalot and have a joyous time reliving the hilarious and timeless scenes from the movie.” Australian Arts Review

“Lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 cinematic masterpiece Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the award winning musical offers everything a theatregoer could desire – French taunters, killer rabbits, fish slapping, and the magnificent Lady of the Lake.

While casting and further creative details are to be shared at a later date, the arrival of this beloved classic promises an unforgettable theatrical experience for east coast audiences.

MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT will play at the Athenaeum Theatre from 16 September until 11 October. The show will play at the Sydney Event Centre from 15 – 18 October, before transferring to Coliseum Theatre, Rooty Hill where it will play from 22 – 25 Oct 2026.

Audiences can sign up for the waitlist for both Melbourne and Sydney here.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public for Melbourne on Friday 19 June and for Sydney on Monday 29 June via www.ticketmaster.com.au. This production is recommended for audiences 12 years +.

 

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