Saturday Night Fever Cast Members Announced

Producer John Frost has announced three of the cast members of the new version of Saturday Night Fever, which will premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from 29 March 2019. Paulini, Natalie Conway and Nana Matapule will be three of the ensemble of singers who will give voice to the disco soundtrack, alongside a cast of dancers. The rest of the cast, including the Australian performers who will play the roles of Tony and Stephanie, will be announced at a later date.

Since Paulinicame to notice on the inaugural series of Australian Idol,  the singer and songwriter has released three albums - she is still one of only 10 Australian female solo artists to have a #1 album on the Australian ARIA Charts. Last year, Paulini played the lead role of Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, her debut musical theatre production. Singer-songwriter Natalie Conway made her mark when she featured on Channel 7’s The X Factor in 2016. Nana Matapulewas most recently seen as one of the Drifters in the Australian tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. His other credits include the role of Collins in Rent at the Hayes Theatre and an original cast member of Boys in The Band and Swoon the Mad Men of Swing.

Paying homage to the classic movie, Saturday Night Fever is packed with disco classics, including the Bee Gees' greatest hits “Stayin' Alive”, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Night Fever”, “Tragedy” and “More Than A Woman”. This brand-new production premiered recently in Paris.

The 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta and Karen Gorney, was based on a story in New York Magazine by Nik Cohn, who many years later acknowledged that he made up the characters and the story. The movie is credited with defining the 1970’s, while the soundtrack remains the best- selling soundtrack of all time with over 45 million copies sold.

The stage adaptation of Saturday Night Fever began in the West End in 1998 at the London Palladium, where it played for two years, with a lengthy Broadway season commencing in 1999. Productions in Argentina, Holland, Mexico, Spain, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and South Africa followed, as well as UK and US tours and a two-year revival on the West End.

“Since it debuted in the West End and Broadway, the musical adaptation of Saturday Night Fever has set pulses racing around the world. The music is infectious and defined the distinctive disco era for a whole generation,” said John Frost. “I’m thrilled to bring this exhilarating new production to Australia, with its breathtaking dancing and the glorious collection of songs like Night Fever, Stayin’ Alive, You Should Be Dancin’ and If I Can’t Have You. I’m so excited that we’ll have Paulini, Natalie and Nana voicing those classic Bee Gees songs alongside another sensational vocalist, and can’t wait to introduce the rest of the cast.”

Saturday Night Fever tells the story of 19-year-old Tony Manero, a Brooklyn youth whose weekend is spent at the local discotheque, where life lights up on the disco floor. There, Tony luxuriates in the admiration of the crowd and a growing relationship with Stephanie Mangano, and where he can temporarily forget the realities of his life, including a dead-end job in a paint store and his gang of deadbeat friends.

Saturday Night Fever is based on the Paramount/RSO movie and the story by Nik Cohn, adapted for the stage by Robert Stigwood and Bill Oakes, while the new version has been arranged and edited by Ryan McBryde. Music and lyrics are by artists including the Bee Gees.

saturdaynightfever.com.au

SEASON DETAILS

Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star
From 29 March 2019
Wed-Thurs 7.30pm, Fri-Sat 8pm, Matinees Wed 1pm & Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm*
From $59.90**
ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 795 267
Groups 12+ call 1300 889 278

* Performance times vary weekly ** Transaction fees apply