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Australian musicals - an overview and recent developments

While Australia punches well above its weight when it comes to performers, there have been comparatively few locally written and developed shows that have become successful. This may be changing. Over the past 18 months (since the start of 2022) there have been at least thirteen Australian musicals that been either produced (including presentations of public development showcase readings) or announced.

Not all of these will become successful (realistically, only a few - or fewer - will), but the amount of work in development reaching point where it can be presented to the public (either in showcase or full form) is encouraging.

Australian musicals that have had a showing since 2022 include:

  • Moulin Rouge
  • Midnight - the Cinderella Musical
  • Bananaland
  • Bloom
  • The Dismissal
  • Driftwood
  • Rabbits on a Red Planet
  • The Lucky Country
  • Metropolis
  • Show People
  • Mount Hopeless
  • Work of Art
  • Dubbo Championship Wrestling
  • The Deb
  • Songs of the Unseen
  • Wonderfully Terrible Things
  • Roller Coaster
  • Forgetting Tim Minchin
  • The Hero Leaves One Tooth
  • The Marvellous Elephant Man
  • Villainy
  • My Brilliant Career

If you know of more, please chime in.

More details in the posts below.

Note: this post is about musicals written (or otherwise created by) Australians. It is not about international musicals produced in Australia, such as Australian productions of Hamilton, Wicked, Mamma Mia, Into the Woods, The Great Comet etc.

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  • The Australian musical theatre writing and development scene is small compared to its counterparts in the US or UK.

    While Australia punches well above its weight when it comes to performing, there have been comparatively few locally written and developed shows that have become successful.

    Partly this is because there are fewer people living in Australia - about 26 million compared to 67 million (UK) and 333 million (US). When you have smaller talent pool to tap into, it's not surprising that there are fewer shows being written and produced.

    But that alone doesn't account for the disparity.

    I would say the two key differences are a lack of tradition in this field, and lack of writing & development infrastructure for musicals.

    Lack of tradition

    American and British creators can look back and take inspiration from creators who are (or at least whose works are) known the world over - Gilbert & Sullivan, Rodgers & Hart & Hammerstein, Lionel Bart, Frank Loesser, Bock & Harnick, Kander & Ebb, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Steven Sondheim, the list goes on and on and on and on (as Maltby & Shire might put it). There's undeniable proof going back a hundred years that one can be successful writing musicals in these countries.

    (It's interesting that Ireland, which boasts world-renowned playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, JM Synge, Brian Friel, Martin McDonagh, Oscar Wilde and Enda Walsh, has produced relatively few well-known stage musicals, with Once - to which End Walsh contributed the book - perhaps being the biggest exception.)

    Australian creators have only recently started to make their mark on the world scene, with Tim Minchin and Eddie Perfect both having success on shows that have had Broadway and West End runs. While other Australian shows have been successful, usually their success has been limited to Australian shores, eg Muriel's Wedding (ironically commissioned by a Brit Jonathan Church when he was the artistic director of Sydney Theatre Company, and a show that I personally think could play well in London). Or they've been jukebox shows such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Boy from Oz or Moulin Rouge).

    Lack of training and development infrastructure

    In the US you can study writing musical theatre at a tertiary level, at universities such as the Tisch School of Arts at New York University (NYU), and also Temple University, both of which offer MFAs in writing musicals. (Granted, the cost of these courses is wallet and heart-breaking.)

    In the UK Goldsmiths University offers a similar course. (While it's more academic and less practical than the NYU and Temple courses, it's also substantially cheaper.)

    While there are top-tier acting and directing schools in Australia, including the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and others, there are no schools formally teaching musical theatre writing.

    In the United States you can also participate in programs, courses, workshops, conferences and sheet music publication services such as the renowned BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, New Musicals Inc (NMI), the O'Neill National Musical Theater Conference and New Musical Theatre.

    In the UK similar organisations exist, such as Book Music Lyrics (BML), Mercury Musicals Development and New UK Musicals.

    Australia currently has no organisations (that I'm aware of) that are focused on training people to write, and cultivating the development of, Australian musicals. A small Melbourne-based company, Magnormos, with such a brief was founded in 2002 but currently appears to be dormant. New Musicals Australia was an initiative funded by the Australian Federal Government but only last about three years. Sydney's Hayes Theatre Company does have a creative development arm which has brought a number of shows to fruition, but this is as an adjunct to its main purpose of curating a full season of musicals (usually international shows, with some local ones mixed in).

  • Great write-up! What is your favourite of all the new Australian musicals you listed at the top?
    And what is needed from the general public to support and nurture the Australian musical scene, in your opinion?

    • What is your favourite of all the new Australian musicals

      Of the ones I've seen (most of them), Moulin Rouge is undoubtedly the most grand in scope and polished in execution. That said, despite its many strengths (which I largely attribute to Alex Timbers, who ironically does Baz Luhrman better on stage than Baz Luhrman himself did with his adaptation of Strictly Ballroom - a show I thought was pretty woeful), Moulin Rouge is ultimately not my kind of show (even though I have seen it multiple times). I prefer musicals to have an original score.

      The Deb was pretty solid too. Can't remember the specifics now, but I recall thinking the construction, songs and performances were all quite good. Although I undoubtedly had quibbles as well.

      I was also predisposed to like Show People (just ignore what I said ten seconds ago about preferring original scores) because I absolutely adored Dean Bryant, Mathew Frank and Christie Whelan-Browne's Britney Spears the Cabaret. I pretty much consider Britney Spears the Cabaret the female version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (although Hedwig has also been played by women such as Ally Sheedy and Lena Hall of course): both take a seemingly ridiculous premise and extract plenty of laughs from it, but then actually take us on an affecting personal journey underscored by great pain and culminating in a kind of catharsis. It's a shame that Britney Spears the Cabaret never had a production without Whelan-Browne (who, don't get me wrong, is amazing), because I think the material is certainly strong enough.

      I also rate Muriel's Wedding very highly (weirdly, the original production also had Christie Whelan-Browne in a supporting role, although - dare I say - I think she was miscast). While not perfect (eg I think the show is a little overstuffed with plot) I think Global Creatures could have a hit with Muriel's Wedding in London. Heathers - another show with an acerbic sensibility centred around high school girls - successfully played in the massive Theatre Royal Haymarket there, and I think London audiences would respond well to the daggy, dark tone of Muriel's Wedding. Carmen Pavlovic probably sees Broadway as a more lucrative market, but I'm not sure if American audiences would connect with Muriel's Wedding.

      Of the new Australian musicals coming up, I'm looking forward to The Dismissal the most. I had a ticket to the 2019 showcase in Sydney but couldn't make it at the last minute. I was then looking forward to seeing the show as part of my STC subscription, but that didn't work out. (Interesting that Squabbalogic are now mounting it themselves rather than being rescheduled into another STC season.) Squabbalogic really is "the little company that could" with a solid track record going back well over a decade now. And they're focusing more and more on new work development, which I find really commendable. The Dismissal is their big work in progress of course, but they also got rights to do an adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens - for which they had a development reading in Wollongong in 2019.

      I'm hoping to make it to Melbourne to see Midnight, but not sure if I will. I saw Life's a Circus some years ago, and Anthony Costanza has a gift for a catchy tune. And Kate Miller-Heidke, who contributed a song (and who did Muriel's Wedding), has a unique voice.

    • And what is needed from the general public to support and nurture the Australian musical scene

      Hmm. Great question.

      I'm not sure the responsibility rests on the general public to be honest.

      I think it's up to the creators (writers, composers, designers, musicians etc) to develop shows that people will connect to, and for producers to have the wherewithal (capacity and courage) to back good material.

      I also think that there is definitely a role for government and industry bodies. If only there was an Australian equivalent of NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (although one that doesn't cost hundreds of thousands of dollars like that NYU program does), or a local version of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, or if there was more federal and state government funding to sustain a long-term pipeline of creative development activity.

      So governments have to support new Australian musicals by providing money to educational institutions and funding bodies. (And government investment can pay off - Australia spent millions funding the Australian Institute of Sport in the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the medal tally reflected that investment.) Producers - both commercial and subsidised theatre companies - have to take chances on new work. And writers have to write good shows of course.

      And there has to be a recognition that the pay-off for such investments may not come for a decade or two, because 5-10 years is how long it takes to develop a musical these days (and that's in countries like the US where there is so much more infrastructure to support such development). You need a large pipeline - dozens (preferably hundreds!) of new works being developed at the same time because the nature of the artform and the business is that you need dozens or hundreds of new works in order to produce one bona fide hit. Because most shows are not that great. (That's not an indictment of Australian talent - it's Sturgeon's law.) And even if a show is great, it doesn't always find its audience. Look at Australian plays for instance. There's at least ten times as many new Australian plays produced as new Australian musicals, but I can think of only one Australian play that's been a big international hit in recent years - Suzie Miller's Prima Facie.

      One might argue that you don't need to be a hit on Broadway or the West End to be considered successful. And that's a valid point of course. But it's certainly a convenient indicator that you're playing in the big leagues.

      But enough about my blatherings on. How about you @BlondieBuff - what are the best Australian musicals you've seen, and how would you like the local scene to develop?

  • What is an Australian musical anyway?

    I'd define an Australian musical as one where the key members of the creative and/or initial producing team are Australians.

    This can become a bit of an academic argument. Tim Minchin and Eddie Perfect have written songs for Matilda and Beetlejuice respectively, but I wouldn't describe these as being Australian shows because the creative impetus for them originated in the UK and US respectively. But maybe I'll have a different view tomorrow.

    An Australian musical is not one where the show is set in Australia or is filled with Australian characters. So the 109-s musical Paris, a show about the Trojan War, would be an Australian musical because the creators, Jon English and David Mackay, are Australian. Similarly, Dusty - The Original Pop Diva, a jukebox musical about the English pop singer Dusty Springfield would be an Australian musical because the book writers and original producers were Australian, and the show premiered in and toured Australia.

    King Kong and Moulin Rouge are both interesting case studies. The Broadway production of King Kong featured songs by Eddie Perfect, an Australian. But the director, book writer and score composer were all British. (The 2013 production which premiered in Melbourne had a substantially different creative team, also mostly non-Australians.) So why would I call King Kong an Australian musical? Because the impetus behind the show came from Australian-based production company Global Creatures and its founder Carmen Pavlovic, who is Australian.

    Similarly, I would argue Moulin Rouge can be counted as an Australian musical, even though the stage show's key creative team members - such as book writer John Logan, director Alex Timbers, choreographer Sonya Tayeh and orchestrator Justin Levine - are American and the songs are raided almost entirely from non-Australian acts. However the musical's creative producer is the same Australian company Global Creatures, and the film on which the show is based was written and directed by Australians, Baz Luhrman and Craig Pearce.

    These edge cases aside, it is generally the case that Australian musicals are written by Australians, produced in Australia and feature Australian settings and characters. Historical, iconic events and figures such as the Eureka Rebellion, the Tivoli Circuit, outlaw Ned Kelly, cricketer Shane Warne and rock singer Johnny O'Keefe have all inspired musicals.

  • My Brilliant Career by Mathew Frank, Dean Bryant and Sheridan Harbridge will be part of Melbourne Theatre Company's 2024 season.

  • Recent developments in the Australian musical scene
    Since the start of 2022 there have been at least 13 Australian shows that been produced (including showcase readings) or announced:
    - Moulin Rouge (now playing) | adaptation of the Baz Luhrman film. Book by John Logan, music supervision by Justin Levine, directed by Alex Timbers, produced by Global Creatures. Currently playing at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) until 27 July 2023, then returning to Melbourne's Regent Theatre for an encore season from 20 August 2023. Productions are also playing in, or planned for, Broadway, London, North American tour, Cologne Germany, Seoul South Korea and Tokyo Japan.
    - Bloom (upcoming) | musical comedy about the power of music and connection. Book and lyrics by Tom Gleisner (co-creator of the films The Castle and The Dish), music by Katie Weston, directed and dramaturged by Dean Bryant, produced by Melbourne Theatre Company. From July 2023 at Melbourne's Arts Centre.
    - The Dismissal (upcoming) | musical comedy about the infamous dismissal of Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 by governor general John Kerr. Book by Blake Erickson & Jay James-Moody, music & lyrics by Laura Murphy, conceived and directed by Jay James-Moody, produced by Squabbalogic. From August 2023 at Sydney's Seymour Centre. A public reading was presented at the Seymour Centre in 2019. It was announced as part of the Sydney Theatre Company's season in 2021 but due to Covid the season was cancelled. It is now being presented as an independent Squabbalogic production
    - Driftwood (tour finished) | musical drama about a Jewish family in pre-WWII Austria and their post-war life in Australia, based on the memoir by Eva de Jon-Duldig and the play by Jane Bodie, music & lyrics by Anthony Barnhill, directed by Gary Abrahams. Toured Melbourne and three venues in Sydney, recently concluding in June 2023.
    - Rabbits on a Red Planet (season finished) | comedy satire about rabbits and a trip to Mars. Book & lyrics by Irving Gregory and Andy Leonard, music by Ryley Gillen, directed by Isaac Broadbent. Ran at Sydney's Flight Path Theatre in June 2023.
    - The Lucky Country (season finished) | song cycle musical about Australian diversity and identity. Music & lyrics by Vidya Makan in collaboration with Sonya Suares, directed by Sonya Suares, presented by Hayes Theatre Company. Ran May - June 2023 in Sydney.
    - Metropolis (season finished) | musical drama based on the 1925 science fiction novel by Thea von Harbou (which also inspired the classic Fritz Lang film). Book & lyrics by Julia Robertson, music by Zara Stanton, directed by Julia Robertson, presented by Little Eggs Collective and Hayes Theatre Company. Ran April - May 2023 in Sydney.
    - Show People (season finished) | one-woman musical cabaret about six people in the business of show. Written and directed by Dean Bryant, musical arrangements and direction by Mathew Frank, and starring Christie Whelan-Browne (the same team behind Britney Spears: The Cabaret another one-woman show which I think is in the running for the best Australian musical). Had runs in Adelaide (2016), Melbourne (2022) and Sydney (January 2023).
    - Mount Hopeless (development showcase) | satiric rock opera based on the story of Burke and Wills. Written and starring Tom Hogan and Elana Stone, presented by Merrigong Theatre Company. Development showcase presented at Wollongong in September 2022.
    - Work of Art (development showcase) | dramatic musical about the creation of the Sydney Opera House. Book, music & lyrics by Jesse Layt, directed by Alexander Andrews. Presented by Little Triangle at APA Darling Quarter Theatre in Sydney in August 2022.
    - Dubbo Championship Wrestling (season finished) | rock musical comedy about, well, see the title. Book & lyrics by Daniel Cullen, music by Daniel & James Cullen, directed by Sheridan Harbridge, presented by Hayes Theatre Company. Ran May- June 2022 in Sydney.
    - The Deb (season finished) | musical comedy about teenage angst and outcasts in a country town. Book, story, lyrics and co-directed by Hannah Reilly; music, lyrics and story by Megan Washington; produced by Camp Sugar Productions and Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP). Ran April - May 2022 in Sydney (after being postponed due to Covid). Rebel Wilson (the actor/producer behind Camp Sugar) is planning to make The Deb into a movie, which she will direct.
    - Songs of the Unseen (development showcase) | musical about the Australian migrant experience. Written and directed by the Curlew Collective (Natalie Gooneratne, Anya Icao, Fanar Moonee, Senelline Fangalahi) with Margie Breen, Donna Abela and Me-Lee Hay. Development reading was presented at Parramatta's Riverside Theatres in March 2022.

    • Totally forgot to add:

      • Midnight - The Cinderella Musical (now playing) | a modern take on the Cinderella story (or should that be another modern take on the Cinderella story). Music & lyrics by John Foreman and Anthony Costanzo (with an additional song by Kate Miller-Heidke). Book & direction by Dean Murphy andPip Mushin. Now playing at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre.

  • Another new Australian musical has come to light: Bananaland by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, who collaborated on the hit musical Muriel's Wedding.

  • Some more Australian musicals (or at least musical-adjacent shows) have come to light, including:

    • Roller Coaster - a music theatre piece about roller skating developed by Queensland-based group Everybody Now!, with songs by Luke McDonald and others. Roller Coaster just concluded a short run at the Gold Coast Bleach Festival, and follows in the footsteps (wheeltracks?) of other roller-skating musicals such as Starlight Express, Xanadu and The Little Mermaid
    • Forgetting Tim Minchin - a play with songs by, surprise, not Tim Minchin, but rather book writer / composer / lyricist Jules Orcullo. Forgetting Tim Minchin just finished a run at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre as part of the independent 25A program
    • The Hero Leaves One Tooth - a play by Erica J. Brennan with original songs by composer/lyricist Jake Nielsen. Presented by independent theatre company Ratcatch The Hero Leaves One Tooth also recnetly finished a run at Sydney's Kings Cross Theatre (which is no longer located in Kings Cross, but rather on Broadway... but not that Broadway).
    • Wonderfully Terrible Things a noir cabaret / circus act created and produced by Christine Ibrahim (aka Alysia Rose and Mesuline Wilde) - which recently finished a run at Sydney's 5 Eliza (in Newtown), and which will return in September as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival.
    • The Marvellous Elephant Man - a musical based on the lie of Joseph Merrick written and composed by Marc Lucchesi, Sarah Nandagopan and Jayan Nandagopan. But no relation, one assumes, to Elephant! from this movie

  • Villainy - a new Australian musical by Craig Christie premieres in Melbourne on 2 November.

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