Ten (or more) big shows to book now
The chipper red-haired 11-year-old orphan who, pining for her parents, swaps an orphanage for opulence when Fifth Avenue billionaire Oliver Warbucks plucks her from Depression-Era captivity to life in his mansion ahead of Christmas to improve his image. Expect heartwarming tears, a very cute dog, songs such as Tomorrow and It's The Hard Knock Life, and Anthony Warlow, an Annie -aficionado after previous runs (including on Broadway), as warmly stoic Warbucks, comic chops from Debora Krizak as Miss Hannigan and the original Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, until June 21; Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Jul 8-Sep 28.
Anastasia: The Musical
Inspired by the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest Romanov princess, and the 1997 animated movie with a score by this musical's co-creators, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, Anastasia follows Anya, a young orphaned woman with amnesia seeking her true identity. Swinging from the dying years of the Russian Empire to the dazzle of 1920s Paris, it swirls between political turmoil, gilded palaces, a handsome ruffian and a ruthless villain, all alongside its resilient heroine. Regent Theatre, Melbourne, from December; Lyric Theatre, Sydney, from April, 2026.
MJ The Musical
A winner of four Tony Awards, seen by nearly two million people during its Broadway run, and one of the highest-grossing musicals ever created, this biopic is not about the 'King of Pop's' troubled years, or allegations made against him. Set over two days, it explores Jackson's creativity and artistic legacy, his father's influence, his early years singing with The Jackson 5, Motown, and Quincy Jones, and the songs, dance prowess and perfectionism that made him a superstar Lyric Theatre, Sydney, until Aug 23; Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Sep 9-Nov 2.
Carmen
Melbourne Theatre Company artistic director Anne-Louise Sarks swaps Blanche DuBois, the complex antiheroine of her 2024 production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, for Carmen, the molten femme fatale of Georges Bizet's four-act opera. Sarks' modern retake of the original story, a deadly love triangle between Carmen, gullible soldier Don Jose and dashing toreador Escamillo, redefines perceptions of the title character, amid heart-pulsing music, dance and song. Sydney Opera House, Jul 10-Sep 19, Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Nov 15-25.
The Book of Mormon
Regularly described as witty, filthy and outrageous, the Tony, Olivier, Grammy and, for its 2015 Australian debut, Helpmann Award-winning musical, is the satirical work of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, Frozen). Follow the adventures of Elder Cunningham (Nick Cox, Le Fou in Disney's Beauty and the Beast) and Elder Price (Sean Johnston, Hairspray), two naive missionaries sent to a remote Ugandan village, who discover what the power to make change for good is really all about. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, July 15-Nov 30.
Back to the Future: The Musical
If you get tingles hearing Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) ask Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), 'Wait a minute, Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine out of a DeLorean?' (exactly 23-minutes and one second into the 1985 film Back to the Future) then book this Australian production of the musical adaptation now. Not only does our teenage hero (played by Axel Duffy) utter the line, he says it to Tony Award-winner Roger Bart, who originated the boiler suit-wearing Doc Brown role on Broadway and the West End. There's also 17 new songs, skateboarding in a puffer vest, much 80's-50's plutonium-powered time-travel and that DeLorean. Lyric Theatre, Sydney, Sept 26-Dec 28.
The Lion King
No word yet on this mega-musical touring beyond Sydney but opening night is ten months away so anything could happen. Director Julie Taymor's 1997 adaptation of Disney's The Lion King won six Tony Awards, including best musical, and has been seen by 120 million people in 25 countries. It's the box office-breaking show's third visit to Australia and who wouldn't feel the love for Simba, Mufasa and Scar's return. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, from April 2026
Beetlejuice
Given five stars and hailed 'an offbeat triumph of camp gothic' by our reviewer, the Australian production of Beetlejuice is led by perpetual triple threat Eddie Perfect who wrote the music and lyrics for this Broadway adaptation of the 1988 Tim Burton comedy-horror film. It's welcome praise after its 2019 Broadway debut drew mixed reviews. Perfect plays the title's agent of chaos character to the hilt and film fans will rejoice that the musical retains Burton's desiccated heads, calypso songs from Harry Belafonte and Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) among other irrepressibly nightmarish kinks. Regent Theatre, Melbourne, until August 31
Rent
The late American playwright and composer Jonathan Larson's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, which transplants the Parisian bohemians of Puccini's La Boheme to New York City borough Alphabet City in 1989, was an immediate sensation after its 1996 opening. It also inspired a 17-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda to write his first musical. Larson never saw the show open – he died from an aortic dissection the night before its premiere – but Rent's earnest and emotional look at life, love and AIDS lives on. Sydney Opera House, Sep 27-Nov 1.
Shirley Valentine
Middle-aged Liverpudlian 1980s's housewife Shirley Valentine is living her 'little life' – dreary housework, dinner for her unadventurous husband, kids flown the nest, grey days with little spark. She talks to the wall because that's the only thing listening. After a friend invites her on a holiday to the Greek island of Corfu, Shirley rediscovers her adventurous self, sparking questions about her future. Lee Lewis's concise direction draws a smart, funny and affecting solo performance from Natalie Bassingthwaighte in Willy Russell's ever-wise and witty play. Theatre Royal, Oct 22-25
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2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ten (or more) big shows to book now
The chipper red-haired 11-year-old orphan who, pining for her parents, swaps an orphanage for opulence when Fifth Avenue billionaire Oliver Warbucks plucks her from Depression-Era captivity to life in his mansion ahead of Christmas to improve his image. Expect heartwarming tears, a very cute dog, songs such as Tomorrow and It's The Hard Knock Life, and Anthony Warlow, an Annie -aficionado after previous runs (including on Broadway), as warmly stoic Warbucks, comic chops from Debora Krizak as Miss Hannigan and the original Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, until June 21; Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Jul 8-Sep 28. Anastasia: The Musical Inspired by the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest Romanov princess, and the 1997 animated movie with a score by this musical's co-creators, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, Anastasia follows Anya, a young orphaned woman with amnesia seeking her true identity. Swinging from the dying years of the Russian Empire to the dazzle of 1920s Paris, it swirls between political turmoil, gilded palaces, a handsome ruffian and a ruthless villain, all alongside its resilient heroine. Regent Theatre, Melbourne, from December; Lyric Theatre, Sydney, from April, 2026. MJ The Musical A winner of four Tony Awards, seen by nearly two million people during its Broadway run, and one of the highest-grossing musicals ever created, this biopic is not about the 'King of Pop's' troubled years, or allegations made against him. Set over two days, it explores Jackson's creativity and artistic legacy, his father's influence, his early years singing with The Jackson 5, Motown, and Quincy Jones, and the songs, dance prowess and perfectionism that made him a superstar Lyric Theatre, Sydney, until Aug 23; Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Sep 9-Nov 2. Carmen Melbourne Theatre Company artistic director Anne-Louise Sarks swaps Blanche DuBois, the complex antiheroine of her 2024 production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, for Carmen, the molten femme fatale of Georges Bizet's four-act opera. Sarks' modern retake of the original story, a deadly love triangle between Carmen, gullible soldier Don Jose and dashing toreador Escamillo, redefines perceptions of the title character, amid heart-pulsing music, dance and song. Sydney Opera House, Jul 10-Sep 19, Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Nov 15-25. The Book of Mormon Regularly described as witty, filthy and outrageous, the Tony, Olivier, Grammy and, for its 2015 Australian debut, Helpmann Award-winning musical, is the satirical work of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, Frozen). Follow the adventures of Elder Cunningham (Nick Cox, Le Fou in Disney's Beauty and the Beast) and Elder Price (Sean Johnston, Hairspray), two naive missionaries sent to a remote Ugandan village, who discover what the power to make change for good is really all about. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, July 15-Nov 30. Back to the Future: The Musical If you get tingles hearing Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) ask Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), 'Wait a minute, Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine out of a DeLorean?' (exactly 23-minutes and one second into the 1985 film Back to the Future) then book this Australian production of the musical adaptation now. Not only does our teenage hero (played by Axel Duffy) utter the line, he says it to Tony Award-winner Roger Bart, who originated the boiler suit-wearing Doc Brown role on Broadway and the West End. There's also 17 new songs, skateboarding in a puffer vest, much 80's-50's plutonium-powered time-travel and that DeLorean. Lyric Theatre, Sydney, Sept 26-Dec 28. The Lion King No word yet on this mega-musical touring beyond Sydney but opening night is ten months away so anything could happen. Director Julie Taymor's 1997 adaptation of Disney's The Lion King won six Tony Awards, including best musical, and has been seen by 120 million people in 25 countries. It's the box office-breaking show's third visit to Australia and who wouldn't feel the love for Simba, Mufasa and Scar's return. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, from April 2026 Beetlejuice Given five stars and hailed 'an offbeat triumph of camp gothic' by our reviewer, the Australian production of Beetlejuice is led by perpetual triple threat Eddie Perfect who wrote the music and lyrics for this Broadway adaptation of the 1988 Tim Burton comedy-horror film. It's welcome praise after its 2019 Broadway debut drew mixed reviews. Perfect plays the title's agent of chaos character to the hilt and film fans will rejoice that the musical retains Burton's desiccated heads, calypso songs from Harry Belafonte and Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) among other irrepressibly nightmarish kinks. Regent Theatre, Melbourne, until August 31 Rent The late American playwright and composer Jonathan Larson's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, which transplants the Parisian bohemians of Puccini's La Boheme to New York City borough Alphabet City in 1989, was an immediate sensation after its 1996 opening. It also inspired a 17-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda to write his first musical. Larson never saw the show open – he died from an aortic dissection the night before its premiere – but Rent's earnest and emotional look at life, love and AIDS lives on. Sydney Opera House, Sep 27-Nov 1. Shirley Valentine Middle-aged Liverpudlian 1980s's housewife Shirley Valentine is living her 'little life' – dreary housework, dinner for her unadventurous husband, kids flown the nest, grey days with little spark. She talks to the wall because that's the only thing listening. After a friend invites her on a holiday to the Greek island of Corfu, Shirley rediscovers her adventurous self, sparking questions about her future. Lee Lewis's concise direction draws a smart, funny and affecting solo performance from Natalie Bassingthwaighte in Willy Russell's ever-wise and witty play. Theatre Royal, Oct 22-25
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Harry Connick Jnr: ‘I saw a billboard of a Victoria's Secret model and I married her'
This story is part of the June 15 edition of Sunday Life. See all 15 stories. Harry Connick Jr is a musician best known for winning multiple Grammy Awards. Here, the 57-year-old talks about losing his mother at a young age, how he first noticed his future wife, and working with some 'amazing' women. I lost my mother, Anita Livingston, to ovarian cancer when I was 13. Mom was a bright, 'woody' woman – she didn't really follow the norm. She was sensitive and communicative. When I was five, I wanted to run away from home. Rather than convince me to stay or tell me I was being silly, Mom said, 'Sorry to hear that.' As I went out the front door, she was right behind me with her suitcase. She said, 'You're right. I don't like it here either. Let's go.' I started crying and told her I didn't want to run away. When it was time to lay down the law, Mom did, but she always made sure we had the power to make our own decisions. My memory of her is frozen in time. She'll always be young to me. Mom became a lawyer in the mid-1950s. She ran for the position of Louisiana Supreme Court justice when she was diagnosed with cancer, against seven men. Because she was a public figure, they found out she had cancer and used that against her. She was emotionally strong, and I am proud of her ability to win that election. My paternal grandmother, Jessie Connick, died in 1985, several years after my mom. She was a great cook and had eight kids during the Depression. She was quiet, but maintained a deep Catholic faith. My sister, Suzanna, is three-and-a-half years older than me. I was a pain in the rear-end growing up. She was studious and I was an attention-seeker. We are incredibly close now. She spent 38 years in the military. She's a hero and I look up to her. I would notice girls at school, but they didn't notice me. I had a crush on a girl in the sixth grade; she was sweet and smart. I couldn't work up the courage to tell her. I saw her in New Orleans 20 years ago; I recognised her face, and got the courage to tell her I had the biggest crush on her as a child. She replied, 'I had the biggest crush on you, too.' My mother was aware I loved music from the age of three. I played the piano for the first time when my dad, Harry, was running for political office. He opened his campaign quarters and Mom got a piano in there for me to play.
