Casting Announced for Metropolis at The Hayes.

Little Eggs Collective in association with Hayes Theatre Co will present the World Premiere of a new Australian musical Metropolis at the Hayes Theatre Co from 21 April. 

Fritz Lang’s iconic 1927 science fiction film Metropolis was based on the novel his wife, Thea Von Harbou, wrote two years earlier, with essential parts of the story lost on the cutting-room floor. Little Eggs Collective has adapted one of the most influential science fiction tales of all time into a live theatre experience.

Set in a technologically advanced city, which is sustained by the existence of an exploited class of labourers living underground far away from the gleaming surface world, the world of Metropolis offers complex examinations of faith, progress, capitalism, mass production and the ever growing class divide, with a love story at its centre.

The talented cast bringing this creation to life includes Joshua Robson (Phantom of the Opera) as the imperious Joh Fredersen and recent NIDA graduate Tom Dawson as his revolutionary son, Freder. Shannen Alyce Quan (SIX) will show their range playing both the magnetic and inspirational Maria and the evil robotic counterpart, Robot Maria. Tony Cogin (A Broadcast Coup) will be stealing audiences’ hearts and minds as the eccentric genius, Rotwang. Grot will be played by Jim Williams (Bonnie and Clyde). Georgi will be played by Tomas Parrish (When The Light Leaves), while the life-size robot, Futura, will be puppeteered in the safe hands of Amanda McGregor (Pomona), AJ Pate (The Normal Heart) and newcomer Anusha Thomas. Rounding out the cast are Dominic Lui (HMS Pinafore) as a Worker and newcomers Sam Harmon and Selin Idris as Swings.

The Little Eggs Collective is a multi award-winning independent theatre company devoted to the creation of new work. The collective champions a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to creating work that is original, compelling and accessible. Combining this innovative style of theatre-making with a brand new musical promises to be an unmissable and exciting event.

Writer and director of Metropolis, Julia Robertson, said, “Sometimes being shown the extremes of society can expose that those extremes are not as far away as we think. A city run by an oppressive tech giant? That doesn’t feel too far off to me.

“We’re hoping to blow the walls out of the Hayes, and show the audience an entire world. Von Harbou’s novel is rich and operatic in style, lending itself perfectly to sumptuous visuals, transcendent choral music and hyper-physical ensemble work. It’s a colossal undertaking, but with the team that we’ve gathered, I think we have the ingredients for magic here.” 

Tickets on sale now at www.hayestheatre.com.au

CREATIVES

Book and Lyrics: Julia Robertson

Composer: Zara Stanton

Director: Julia Robertson

Music Director: Zara Stanton

Scenic Designer: Nick Fry

Costume Designer: Ella Butler

Lighting Designer: Ryan McDonald

Sound Designer: Christine Pan

Assistant Director: Natalie Low

SEASON DETAILS

Venue: Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Potts Point

Season:  21 April - 21 May 2023

Times: Tue - Sat 7:30 pm, Sat 2:30 pm, Sun 5:00 pm

Price: Full price $79, Concession $69, Group 8+ $69, Previews $59

A footnote in passing. This isn’t the first time Metropolis has been adapted for the musical theatre stage. In 1989, an adaptation by the team of Joe Brooks and Dusty Hughes played at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for about six months. A revival, in a revised version, played in London for a month in 2017.