Major Musicals: Openings and Closings Update

Ben Lewis
Ben Lewis as the Phantom in Love Never Dies

Over the last few months, there have been so many changes to the major musical theatre schedule we decided we should update our Major Musicals: Openings and Closings article.  So, here is an updated summary of the known ‘openings and closings’ of major musicals in Australia for the next few months.

Love Never Dies will close in Melbourne on December 18 2011 ahead of a Sydney opening in on January 12, 2012 at the Capitol Theatre. Read More

Mary Poppins, the current show at the Capitol, will close on 17 December 2011 before heading to Brisbane to begin previews at QPAC Lyric Theatre from December 27 2011. Verity Hunt-Ballard is scheduled to return to the role of Mary from early December. (West End Star Scarlett Strallen is currently performing the role). Read More
Rock Of Ages

Rock Of Ages will open in Brisbane on 12 November 2011 for a limited season, and the proposed Sydney season at the Theatre Royal has been postponed. The show was set to preview from January 11, but cast and crew were advised last night that due to “the current economic down turn in Australia impacting on single ticket sales in Sydney” [from press release] they will not be transferring to Sydney at this stage. Read More

Annie, starring Anthony Warlow, Nancye Hayes, Todd McKenney and Chloe Dallimore will open at the Lyric Theatre Sydney on December 29, 2011. It will open in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC on April 7 2012. It will then move to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from 29 May 2012. Read More and More

Jersey Boys will close on the 18 December 2011 at the Theatre Royal Sydney. They are scheduled to transfer across the Pacific to The Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand from April 2012. Read More 

A Chorus Line will open at Adelaide’s Festival Theatre on December 31 2011, before transferring to Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne in February. Read More

Strange Bedfellows was scheduled to open at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne on October 19 2011 for a limited season, but the season was postponed. Producer, Spencer McLaren cited inability to confirm a key cast members as a major part of the decision to postpone the show. Read More and More

An Officer And A Gentleman is opening at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on May 19 2012 starring Amanda Harrison, Ben Mingay, Kate Kendall and Alex Rathgeber. Read More, and More

Legally Blonde will open in September 2012, and is rumoured to be playing at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney, although nothing is confirmed. Read More Moonshadow, a new musical by Yusuf (Cat Stevens) will premiere at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in May 2012 read more

Opera Australia’s South Pacific starring Teddy Tahu Rhodes will open at the Sydney Opera House in from 11 August 2012. Read More and Les Solomon’s Column King Kong, produced by Global Creatures will begin a final workshop mid-2012 before opening at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne in 2013. Read More

How to Train Your Dragon, also presented by Global Creatures will premiere in Melbourne in March 2012 and is rumoured to star one of Australia’s young Billy Elliots as Hiccup.

The Addams Family is scheduled to open in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre in March 2013. Read more

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will come to Australia, presumably in 2012, produced by Tim Lawson and TML Enterprises

Ghost The Musical will open in Melbourne, August 2013  Strictly Ballroom, a brand new musical produced by Global Creatures (King Kong, How To Train Your Dragon) and based on Baz Luhrmann’s iconic film will open in Sydney at the Lyric Theatre, The Star in September 2013 

Erin James

Erin James is AussieTheatre.com's former Editor in Chief and a performer on both stage and screen. Credits include My Fair Lady, South Pacific and The King and I (Opera Australia), Love Never Dies and Cats (Really Useful Group), Blood Brothers (Enda Markey Presents), A Place To Call Home (Foxtel/Channel 7) and the feature film The Little Death (written and directed by Josh Lawson).

Erin James

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