Upcoming production - The Phantom Of the opera

Opera Australia is disappointed to announce the forced postponement of their production of The Phantom of the Opera that was scheduled to open at the Sydney Opera House in September and Arts Centre Melbourne in November.

The company has taken the incredibly difficult step to postpone both seasons due to the uncertainty created by the ongoing restrictions imposed by both the New South Wales and Victorian Governments because of the indefinite COVID-19 lockdowns.

Opera Australia acknowledges the health and safety of the community – including its performers, crew and audiences – is of the utmost importance and respects the health advice and orders in place to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Although a disappointing development for OA, Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini is confident new dates will be secured for 2022.

“This has been a really difficult decision for OA and our partners to make and has certainly not been made lightly when so many people will be affected.

“After making box office history at the Opera House, it was clear that Australians were very excited about this new production of the world’s most successful musical, and we’d brought together a fantastic cast of Australian performers, it’s heartbreaking to have to postpone.

“Rest assured we are working hard to secure dates for 2022 in both venues, that we’ll announce as soon as we can. We encourage all those who are able, to hold onto their tickets for next year,” said Terracini.

Of the postponement Cameron Mackintosh commented.

“The consequences of COVID-19 continue to disrupt people’s lives worldwide, with spikes, lockdowns and quarantine causing chaos in planning. Having got a wonderful Australian cast together for my new production of The Phantom of the Opera, due to open shortly with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, followed by the Arts Centre Melbourne, it is a huge disappointment, especially for the company and mostly sold-out audiences, that we have been forced by government restrictions to postpone the upcoming seasons.

“We very much hope that we will be able to confirm in the not-too-distant future that the production will open next year, by which time the vaccination rollout should be long completed and disruptions to theatre going will be an unpleasant distant memory.”

The ongoing lockdown in Sydney has made it impossible for OA to continue its work in the wardrobe and scenery manufacturing workshops, which has compromised the delivery of costumes and sets, to the high standards expected of this production, to be ready in time for the scheduled opening in September.

It also means that rehearsals, scheduled to start this Monday 26 July, cannot go ahead, and with no possibility of delaying the opening, a full postponement was the only viable option for the Company.

Both State Governments have indicated that any return to indoor performances when the full lockdowns lift are likely to involve reverting to previous COVID-safe practices including reduced audience capacities, which for a show as large as Phantom would be financially unviable.

Opera Australia is encouraging ticket holders to keep their tickets for 2022. All affected ticket holders will be contacted when new dates are announced.

A diverse program including National Treasure John Bell and touring to over 26 regional areas across Australia.

Bell Shakespeare has today announced their 2021 season, which will mark the company’s return to the stage and live performance for the first time since the COVID-19 lockdown in March. As Australia’s national touring theatre company and now in its 31st year, Bell Shakespeare will travel across the country with a program including an evening with company Founding Artistic Director John Bell, a remounting of this year’s popular Hamlet production that closed just 1.5 weeks after opening due to lockdown, and a staging of the popular classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Following a successful online sneak peek filmed with Bell Shakespeare Founding Artistic Director John Bell at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year after a cancellation due to COVID-19, audiences will finally be able to attend the live performance of One Man In His Time: John Bell and Shakespeare. Presented at the Sydney Opera House (11-14 March) and Canberra Theatre Centre (15 April), this intimate one-man performance is a reflection on works by Shakespeare that have left their mark on Bell, the man who believed that Australians could see themselves reflected in the works of Shakespeare, and founded a Company based on his belief. Now in his 80th year, Bell is an icon of the Australian stage and respected by audiences and colleagues alike for his personal and genuine connection to Shakespeare that has inspired Australians for decades.

Audiences will have a second chance to see the seminal revenge tragedy Hamlet which premiered earlier in 2020 to rave reviews, directed by Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans and starring Harriet Gordon-Anderson (The Miser) as Hamlet. Presented at the Sydney Opera House (11 August – 4 September), Arts Centre Melbourne (10-19 September) and Canberra Theatre Centre (24 September – 2 October), the production has been reimagined for contemporary audiences, transporting them to a wintery Denmark scene in the 1960s.   

One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream will debut at Arts Centre Melbourne (15-24 July) before travelling to far corners across the country to over 26 locations including Hobart, Alice Springs and Mackay, and finishing at the Sydney Opera House (14 October – 7 November), bringing Shakespeare’s classic comedy filled with magic and mirth to audiences all over Australia and reflecting the company’s ethos of providing all Australians with access to Shakespeare.

Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans said: “After a challenging year that saw us celebrate our 30th anniversary in a drastically different way than we had planned we can’t wait to get back into the theatre and enjoy live performance once again. We are going to keep celebrating Bell Shakespeare into 2021 and I’m delighted audiences will have a second chance to see our short-lived acclaimed 2020 production of Hamlet as well as an opportunity to see John Bell’s insights, thoughtfulness, deep love of this work and generosity on full display for One Man in His Time. To complete our year in a celebration of the theatre as we return to the stage, my refreshed and reimagined family friendly production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will tour to over 26 venues in almost every state and territory in Australia.”

Alongside this programming, Bell Shakespeare will present their extensive outreach and education program across the country in schools, juvenile justice centres, indigenous communities and community halls.

Company players will also for the first time present Play in a Day, an entertaining performance that is read, rehearsed and performed in just one day and available to season package purchasers. In 2021 the plays featured will be lesser known works by Shakespeare’s contemporary Thomas Middleton including Women Beware Women and The Revenger’s Tragedy.

Download the brochure here.

IMAGE: Bell Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 2020. Photo: Brett Boardman

“Made our day, our month, and even our year!” – E! News

Producers of the hilarious New York and Las Vegas hit Friends! The Musical Parody today announced the stellar cast who will be playing these much-loved and iconic roles in the Australian tour.

Acclaimed musical theatre performer Ali Calder (Wicked, Legally Blonde) has won the role of Monica, Belinda Jenkin (50 Shades! The Musical Parody, Top Gun the Musical) will play Phoebe, and Sarah Krndija (As You Like It, Sunday In The Park With George) will be Rachel. WAPPA graduate Maverick Newman (The King and I, Spring Awakening) will play Chandler, recent VCA Graduate Joseph Spanti (Spring Awakening, Netflix’ Dive Club) will play Joey, and Tyran Stig makes his professional debut in the role of Ross. Shakespearean actor Chris Huntly-Turner (A Midsummer Night's Dream and Merchant of Venice at Pop-up Globe) will play Gunther, while Nicole Herreen (50 Shades! The Musical Parody, Little Women) and Elliot Baker (Sweet Charity, The Fawlty Towers Tribute Show) are the swings.

““We couldn’t be more thrilled with this incredibly talented cast who will be bringing our favourite friends to life on stage,” said producer Sam Klingner.

Join your six favourite friends at their favourite café for a night of unstoppable laughs with a new musical that lovingly lampoons the beloved NBC sitcom. Friends! The Musical Parody celebrates the misadventures of our favourite group of 20-something pals as they navigate the pitfalls of work, life and love in 1990s Manhattan.

It’s a seemingly typical day in New York coffee shop, Central Perk, until an unexpected runaway bride enters the picture and kicks the whole gang out of second gear!

Follow Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe as they navigate life and friendship, all the while reliving favourite moments from the smash hit TV show. Friends! The Musical Parody plucks the best moments from the show’s decade long run and recreates the moments through an uncensored, fast-paced, music-filled romp.

Friends! The Musical Parody will be directed by Dash Kruck, with choreography by Cameron Mitchell, set and costume design by Frances Hannaway, lighting design by Jason Glenwright and musical direction by Steven Kreamer.

We hope this news makes your day, your month or even your year! Friends! The Musical Parody will not only keep you laughing but will tug at the heart strings drawing audiences into stories we know and love.

Note: This performance is recommended for mature audiences aged 12+

www.friendsmusical.com.au

Instagram        friendsthemusicalau

Facebook         Friends The Musical Parody - Australia

MELBOURNE

Venue: Comedy Theatre, Melbourne

Season: 23 November - 12 December 2021

Performance Times: Tues-Fri 7:30pm, Sat 6:00 & 8:30pm, Sun 2:00 & 6:30pm

Ticket Price: $79.90*

Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 111 011

Bell Shakespeare will revive their popular 2020 production of Hamlet for their third season of 2021. The production, which received rave reviews before closing only one-and-a-half weeks after opening due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney, will see the return of Harriet Gordon-Anderson as Hamlet, opening at the Sydney Opera House (7 August – 4 September), before travelling for the first time to Arts Centre Melbourne (9 – 19 September) and Canberra Theatre Centre (24 September – 2 October). 

Directed by Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans, Shakespeare’s seminal revenge tragedy is reimagined for contemporary audiences, transporting them to a wintery Denmark in the 1960s. Inside the glamorous court, a family is torn apart by murder and betrayal. Outside, a country is threatened by Norway. And at the centre of this struggle is a young man’s grief for a murdered father.   

Peter Evans, Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled we have a second chance to bring this production of Hamlet to the stage after having to close only 12 days into our season last year. Not only that, but we’ve got the fabulous Harriet Gordon-Anderson reviving her truly great performance as Hamlet. I couldn’t have been happier with what she brought to the play and believe our understanding of this extraordinary play is richer for having a her play him.

“Hamlet is an astonishing work of art, imbued with both comedy and tragedy, love and loss, and was the first work Bell Shakespeare ever staged. My hope is we can all find ourselves in the ideas of this play, not the cultural specificity, not in the period it was written or the period of the production, but in the experience of longing, of grief, of delight, of pain, of being a parent, of being a child, and perhaps, if I may be so bold, of being,” continued Mr Evans.

Alongside Gordon-Anderson, Bell Shakespeare Founder John Bell’s daughter Lucy Bell will take up the role of Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. Joining them on stage will be Jeremi Campese, Tony Cogin, Jack Crumlin, James Evans, James Lugton, Jane Mahady, Robert Menzies, Rose Riley and Mirii Anderson.

The creative team includes Designer Anna Tregloan, Lighting Designer Ben Cisterne, Composer and Sound Designer Max Lyandvert, Movement and Fight Director Nigel Poulton, Voice and Text Coach Jess Chambers and Dramaturg James Evans.

Producers John Frost, Suzanne Jones and Ambassador Theatre Group Productions are disappointed to announce that the Australian seasons of Dolly Parton’s hit musical 9 TO 5 will be postponed.

The priority for the producers is the well-being of the audience, cast, crew and theatre staff. In consultation with both the Sydney Lyric and Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne, they have reviewed the most recent advice issued by the Federal Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and have postponed both the Sydney and Melbourne seasons of 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL to a later date. 

We are currently reviewing options to reschedule in both cities and sincerely thank theatregoers for their patience and support of the industry while we work through these complex issues. Once we receive Government advice regarding the re-opening schedule for venues and new dates can be secured, existing ticket holders will be provided with an exclusive first option to secure the best seats.

In the meantime, patrons who purchased tickets to 9 TO 5 will receive an email from the official ticketing provider shortly providing details on the refund process for performances that have been postponed.  

Theatre and the arts are an integral part of the social wellbeing of the community and we are looking forward to bringing 9 to 5 to Australia as soon as we are able. We look forward to sharing the joy of Dolly Parton’s 9 TO 5 with you soon!

9to5themusical.com.au

The producers of SIX THE MUSICAL are sincerely disappointed to announce that as a result of the Government’s most recent advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all forthcoming seasons including Melbourne, Adelaide and Wellington are now postponed.

The health, safety and well-being of our staff, artists, audiences and our community will always be paramount and the producers are working on reviewing options to reschedule.

We sincerely thank the audiences and fans of SIX for their support of the full production team, cast, crew and musicians of the show, and look forward to being able to notify future season dates as soon as possible.

Ticket holders for all future performances will be contacted by your ticketing providers directly with refunds to be organised to the original credit card holder. There is no need to contact your ticketing provider unless you have been requested to provide further information.

WWW.SIXTHEMUSICAL.COM.AU