Stage Briefs

Star Guests For Musical Theatre Festival

Australian stage and TV stars Rob Mills and Jemma Rix will headline the first ever Australian Musical Theatre Festival in Tasmania.

Rob and Jemma will be the celebrity guests at the festival which will happen in Launceston from 23-26 May this year.

Rob is a household name as a regular on Neighbours and an Australian Idol finalist. His musical theatre career has included lead roles in Jesus Christ Superstar, Ghost the Musical and the original Australian cast of Wicked The Musical.

Lea Salonga to Tour in November 2019

Tony® and Olivier Award-winner, ‘Disney Legend’ and musical theatre royalty Lea Salonga  will be returning to Australia in November 2019 for an east coast tour.  Lea Salonga: In Concert will, for the first time, take to the QPAC stage in Brisbane and will return to Sydney and Melbourne, following her previous sold-out concert tour.

Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not)

A new musical about the Philippines explores the effects of colonization on an indigenous culture.

McFadden Music will present Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre in late March/ early April.

Noli Me Tangere is the national novel of the Philippines. It was written by the national Filipino hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal about the long history of Filipino struggle for independence.

Extended Adelaide Festival Tenure for Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy

The Adelaide Festival Board has announced that it has extended the tenure of Joint Artistic Directors Neil Armfield AO and Rachel Healy. This represents the second contract extension for Armfield and Healy taking their total tenure through to and inclusive of the 2023 Adelaide Festival.

Adelaide Festival Reviews 2019

Click on the links below to read various Adelaide Festival 2019 reviews.

Image: Un Poyo Rojo

Grand Finale

Zizanie

Ulster American

Foehn

Picaresque

Jacqueline McKenzie Joins Cast of Mosquitoes

Australian actress Jacqueline McKenzie will play the role of Alice in the Sydney Theatre Company's upcoming Australian premiere of Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood, directed by STC Resident Director Jessica Arthur. Jacqueline assumes the role previously announced to be played by Anita Hegh, following her withdrawal the production. Jacqueline joins a cast which also features Mandy McElhinney, Jason Chong, Charles Wu and Annie Byron.   

Geraldine Turner's Gypsy Heartbreak

David Spicer reports.

Music Theatre star Geraldine Turner has been heartbroken by the cancellation of a forthcoming season of Gypsy - which is the fifth time in her career that she has been cast in the lead role, in a production of the Stephen Sondheim/Jule Styne/Arthur Laurents musical, that has been called off.

Late last week it was announced that the blockbuster pro-am production scheduled for the Q Theatre in Queanbeyan for April-May has been cancelled "with great regret."

Adelaide Fringe Reviews 2019

Click on the links below to read various Adelaide Fringe 2019 reviews.

Image: FLIGHT

Neel Kolhatkar

Renee Geyer

Homer’s Odyssey - The Musical

The 60 Four

Barnum

Simon Gallaher as Wizard in Arena Oz

Harvest Rain CEO Tim O’Connor has announced that Simon Gallaher will play the role of The Wizard in The Wizard Of Oz - Arena Spectacular touring Australia in 2019 – 2020.

Cast Announced for West Side Story on Sydney Harbour

Opera Australia has revealed the full cast for its brand new Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production of the iconic Broadway musical, West Side Story.