Two Australian Premiere Musicals for Squabbalogic Season

Sydney based boutique music theatre company Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre has announced its first ever official annual season for 2013, featuring two Australian premieres - Broadway’s 2010 political punk rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and arguably the most infamous musical of all time, Carrie The Musical, in a revised and reimagined version.

The Squabbalogic 2013 season of three productions within a span of 5 months, will also include returning favourite Forbidden Broadway, a sell-out for Squabbalogic in 2009.

Since their inaugural 2008 musical theatre production, Reefer Madness starring Barry Crocker, Squabbalogic have produced such productions as Forbidden Broadway, Thrill Me, [title of show], and A New Brain. Their most recent production, in association with Darlinghurst Theatre Company, was the Australian premiere of Ordinary Days starring Rachael Beck, Michael Falzon and Erica Lovell in January last year.

Artistic Director Jay James-Moody, who established the company in 2006, describes the plan as “Bolder and more ambitious than we’ve dared to be in recent times. This is something we’ve been striving toward since the company’s inception. The shows we produce give local audiences a chance to experience some of the most talked about pieces from Broadway. Shows they would otherwise miss out on if waiting for commercial producers. This year we want to demonstrate to our growing audience this is something we are passionately committed to.”

"The Squabbalogic team are incredibly excited to introduce our first official season of shows. It's been a long time in the making and we think our eclectic line-up will have theatre fans very intrigued and hopefully delighted they will get the chance to see them in Sydney."

Associate Director Craig Stewart says, “There is something for everyone in our line-up. We’ve been asked for years to bring back Forbidden Broadway, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson lives up to our reputation for sourcing terrific contemporary theatre that struck a chord in New York. The timing of this political satire hitting just before the federal election is an added bonus. Audiences will certainly see that not a lot has changed in political discourse since the 19^th century.”

Associate producer Luke Erickson describes Carrie The Musical, based on the Stephen King novel, as “One of Broadway’s all-time legendary shows. In 1988 it ran for sixteen previews and five performances, becoming a much talked about curiosity that most assumed would never see the light of day again.” This revival, fresh from Off-Broadway last year, has been vastly improved and tells a compelling story of the horrors of puberty, bullying and teen anxiety -- with the aid of a lot of blood.

In addition to the season announcement Squabbalogic, in consultation with designer Kenney Ogilvie, have created a new brand aesthetic, recently revealed with an overhaul of www.squabbalogic.com. “We have been long aiming to develop our own brand identity as our profile has continued to grow. We wanted something playful and vibrant that reflects the care, collaboration and handcrafted manner in which we work with artists when producing our shows, and I think the new look ticks all of those boxes” comments producer Jessica Burns.

Season Details

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY GREATEST HITS VOL 1 (RETURN SEASON)

Created and written by Gerard Alessandrini

July 14-16, The Vanguard, King St Newtown

A cast featuring Christina Byrne, Blake Erickson, Linda Hale and Mark Simpson, with Alex Ash La Peyre on the keys, will skewer the Great White Way's best and brightest, and parade the hits (and misses) in this hilarious, loving and endlessly entertaining tribute to theatre’s premier stars and songwriters.

BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE)

Book by Alex Timbers. Music & Lyrics by Michael Friedman

August 14 – September 1, The Factory Floor Marrickville

Andrew Jackson: Seventh President, Kicker of British Butt, Shafter of Indians and Punk Rock Political Superstar. 

In this exhilarating, 90 minute white-knuckled look at the corrupt colonial past of America, Jackson is gonna ruin the banks, cripple the courts, take on the world and reclaim his country from the natives. And the will of the people is not going to stand in his way. 

Would you vote for him? What if he's really, really hot? Craig Stewart (A New Brain) will direct this Australian premiere staging.

CARRIE THE MUSICAL (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE)

Music by Michael Gore. Lyrics by Dean Pitchford. Book by Lawrence D. Cohen   Based on the novel by Stephen King

November (Full details available soon)

One of Broadway's most infamous musicals of all time, and unseen since it's legendary 1988 production until the recent Off-Broadway revival, Stephen King's classic prom queen finally returns to the stage in a revised and re-imagined vision.

She is outcast and bullied by the in-crowd, virtually invisible to everyone else, and at the mercy of her cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie White has just discovered a special power. And if pushed too far, she's not afraid to use it.

Directed by Jay James-Moody.

More reading - Musicals in 2013 and Beyond