Among the classic revivals, film adaptations and jukebox musicals, Australia is up for some long-awaited premieres. Here I preview what’s in store for 2020.
Australia
There’s no better time to premier a new musical than amid the glittery celebration of the New Year, and for Australia it starts with Shrek: The Musical opening in Sydney before a season in Melbourne and Brisbane. Featuring 19 songs, it stars Ben Mingay as the green ogre, Lucy Durack as Princess Fiona, Todd McKenney as Lord Farquaad and Marcia Hines as The Dragon!
Also opening in January is the eagerly awaited musical, Six, which is an uplifting modern rock take on the six wives of King Henry VIII. These Tudor queens have been a huge success on London’s West End. The production kicks off at the Sydney Opera House with a cast including Kala Gare (Bright Star) as Anne Boleyn and Loren Hunter (Strictly Ballroom) as Jane Seymour.
Another much anticipated musical hitting our shores is Dolly Parton’s 9 To 5. Opening April in Sydney, it stars Marina Prior as Violet, Samantha Dodemaide as Judy and Erin Clare as Doralee. Caroline O’Connor plays Roz.
Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne star in A View From a Bridge at the Sydney Theatre Company
Making a return to Australia is the popular Rolling Thunder Vietnam – Songs That Defined A Generation, which will tour nationally. Combining songs of the era with powerful imagery, it features the talents of Toby Francis (Kinky Boots), Tom Oliver (RENT), Matthew Pearce (Calamity Jane) and Annie Aitken (Jekyll And Hyde).
Also returning, through Opera Australia, is Fiddler On The Roof, which will be uniquely performed in Yiddish, with surtitles displayed. Also coming from Opera Australia is The Secret Garden, with theatrical legend, Antony Warlow.
Waitress: The Musical, which has been delighting audiences on Broadway, will premier mid-year in Sydney. Based on the 2007 film, it tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a waitress trapped in an abusive relationship, whose chance at happiness may come from a pie-baking contest.
The year wouldn’t be the same without a musical production from Disney, and its modern classic Frozen will debut mid-year in Sydney.
Current productions will continue to tour the country include Chicago, Come From Away, The Book Of Mormon and Billy Elliot, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary tour. The ever-popular Harry Potter And The Cursed Child continues to draw audiences at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre.
Rolling Thunder Vietnam – Songs That Defined A Generation marks a return season in Australia
The unique Australian musical comedy, Bran Nue Dae, a coming-of-age story set in the ’60s, will star Ernie Dingo, Teresa Moore and Marcus Corowa. Written by Jimmy Chi, this Aboriginal rock’n’roll’ musical makes a welcome return after 30 years!
For fans of Meatloaf, Bat Out Of Hell: The Rock Musical will tour Australia with an international cast, premiering June in Sydney.
The Darlinghurst Theatre Company will be present A Chorus Line, as well as Fluid with Courtney Act. The Ensemble Theatre will stage the supernatural thriller The Woman In Black and Kenny, while the Hayes is featuring Bonnie And Clyde, The Bridges Of Madison County and The Rise And Disguise Of Elizabeth R.
Also worth a look will be the production of Angry Fags at the New Theatre, Newtown; the Tarantino-esque story of good gays gone bad stars Brynn Anthony, Phoebe Fuller and Lachie Pringle.
The Darlinghurst Theatre Company will present A Chorus Line at the Eternity Playhouse
Melbourne’s Malthouse will stage an adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas’ queer classic Loaded, with Roy Joseph (Five Bedrooms) as Ari, and Go To Hell featuring Paul Capsis and iOTA, conjuring songs about angels and demons while the apocalypse rains down. Both the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies will co-produce the Broadway success of Fun Home with a cast including Adam Murphy (Aladdin), Lisa McCune (The King and I) and Ryan Gonzalez (Kiss Of The Spider Woman). While the MTC will also feature the David Williamson classic Emerald City, the STC will see Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) and husband Bobby Cannavale (Will And Grace) star in A View From The Bridge.
Broadway
Move over Hamilton, one of the biggest productions currently on Broadway is The Inheritance. Written by Matthew Lopez and set in New York, the play explores contemporary gay life, highlighting age, social class and what one generation means to the next. As with the past classic Angels In America, this is a two-part production. Staring Andrew Burnap, Dylan Frederick and John Benjamin Hickey, The Inheritance has been described by The Telegraph as “The most important American play of this century,” while Variety called it a “Masterpiece”!
Move over Evita, Diana will star Jeanna de Waal as Princess Diana, along with Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles
The Tony Award-winning Take Me out is another gay-themed story, following the coming-out of a professional baseballer. It stars Grey’s Anatomy’s Jesse Williams as Darren Lemming with Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Suits star Patrick J Adams also in the cast.
Another production of great interest will be the new musical Diana, beginning previews in March. The production’s music and lyrics are by David Bryan and Joe DiPietrowith Jeanna de Waal (Kinky Boots/American Idiot) in the lead as the people’s princess. Other characters include Prince Charles, Camilla, James Hewitt and, of course, the Queen. Should be interesting.
Also opening on Broadway will be Flying Over Sunset, a musical and fictional account of film star Cary Grant’s meeting with writers Aldous Huxley and Clare Boothe Luce (who wrote The Women). The crux of the play revolves around their common enjoyment of LSD. Tony Yazbeck from Finding Neverland plays Grant.
After the conclusion of Will And Grace, Debra Messing will star in the new play Birthday Candles written by Noah Haidle. The story follows the journey of Ernestine, whose life from 17 to that of a centenarian, is told in a series of short scenes, each beginning with the preparation of her birthday cake.
Caroline O’Connor, Marina Prior, Samantha Dodemaide and Erin Clare star in Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical, opening April in Australia
Other stars featured on Broadway this year include Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker in the Neil Simon comedy Plaza Suite, and Ed Harris as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will star Roseanne’s Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett as the infamously drunken George and Martha, with Russell Tovey and Patsy Ferran as the innocent Nick and Honey.
Also look out for the musical adaptation of Mrs Doubtfire, written by Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots) with Rob McClure (Beetlejuice: The Musical) in the lead role. Fresh from the West End, The Tina Turner Musical has also arrives with Adrienne Warren continuing in the lead, and the jukebox musical Jagged Little Pill, featuring the music of Alanis Morissette.
The West End
In London’s West End, Imelda Staunton takes the lead in Hello Dolly, 55 years after its Broadway debut with Carol Channing. The most famous love story of all time gets a comedic reworking with And Juliet, a life after Romeo story, where Juliet actually lives. With songs from The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and The Weeknd, this is an infectious jukebox musical full of pop anthems.
Whoopi Goldberg is back as Deloris/Sister Mary Clarence along with Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior
Kevin Elyot’s Coming Clean, the story of a gay couple’s relationship breakdown, will have a limited run throughout January. Having first premiered in 1982, this production will star Lee Knight (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire) as Tony, and Stanton Plummer-Cambridge (Black Earth Rising) as Greg.
Believe it or not, Whoopi Goldberg is back in the habit as Deloris/Sister Mary Clarence in the stage version of Sister Act. The classic film, which was transformed to the stage in 2009, has been newly adapted again with Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior. And the critically acclaimed musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, inspired by the TV documentary Jamie: Drag Queen At 16, about Jamie Campbell, continues in 2020 with a UK tour. Layton Williams takes on the role of Jamie.
