Latest news with #TheatreRoyalSydney
Time Out
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Oh, pretty woman! Broadway's smash-hit ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical' is coming to Sydney in 2025
Get ready: One of the most iconic love stories of all time is hitting the stage, with Pretty Woman: The Musical coming to Sydney in 2025 – bringing a star-studded cast, memorable one-liners and a whole lot of bangers. The Broadway and West End sensation is having its Aussie premiere in Brisbane later this year before delighting Sydneysiders when it comes to the Harbour City this spring. Adding even more buzz, Aussie pop superstar Samantha Jade will make her musical theatre debut in the starring role of Vivian. This is going to be big. And we mean BIG! HUGE! Since its debut on Broadway in 2018, Pretty Woman: The Musical has broken box office records and captivated audiences in London's West End, as well as in Spain, Italy and Germany. Based on one of Hollywood's most beloved rom-coms – the 1990 blockbuster Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere – this musical adaptation tells the iconic tale of a chance meeting between Edward (a ruthless businessman) and Vivian (a free-spirited escort) in a whole new way. One of Australia's favourite triple threats, Samantha Jade will play the role made famous by one of her own favourite actors, Julia Roberts. The X Factor Australia winner says, 'I was so familiar with the movie, and it felt like all the stars were aligning when I got the first email to come and audition.' 'I've been lucky enough to sing and dance and act, but separately,' Jade continues. 'Doing them at once, live on stage, eight times a week... that's a whole new challenge.' You can catch Pretty Woman: The Musical at Theatre Royal Sydney from November. Brought to life by a powerhouse creative team, the production features a blazing rock score from Grammy winners Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance ('Summer of '69', 'Heaven'), with direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde), and a book by the original movie's director Garry Marshall with screenwriter J.F. Lawton. Trust us, missing this musical during its Sydney run would be a big mistake. A big, huge mistake! You can join the waitlist for tickets in Sydney here.
Sydney Morning Herald
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The unlikely musical that conquered the world
Gabriyel Thomas remembers the exact moment she first encountered Cats. 'I was four and my mum brought home the 1998 film version on VHS,' she says. 'I started watching it, again and again, on repeat, like it was my job. 'I danced around the living room to it so much that, even now, when people have been learning their choreography here, I know almost every movement they have to learn.' The 'here' Thomas refers to is the Alexandria rehearsal room for the 40th Australian anniversary production of Cats, opening this week at the Theatre Royal Sydney. Fresh from rocking a nun's wimple in the Australian production of Sister Act, Thomas is part of the production's 28-strong cast as Grizabella, the once-glamorous, bedraggled moggie who sings the melancholic, chart-topping mega-hit Memory. 'It's one of those songs where if you don't know Cats, you still know Memory, ' she says. 'It's iconic. I did worry about doing it justice but, now, when I'm on the floor being Grizabella, the notes just come out. It takes over my entire existence.' Since premiering in 1981 in London's West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sung-through contemporary dance musical about the Jellicle cat tribe has taken over stages around the world. Pioneering the concept of a blockbuster musical, and earning more than $3.5 billion worldwide to date, Cats has played in 51 countries, been translated into 23 languages and played to more than 81 million people. Its original UK season won multiple Olivier and Evening Standard Awards followed by Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and more, after the show's 1982 Broadway premiere. But there were bumps along the way.
The Age
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The unlikely musical that conquered the world
Gabriyel Thomas remembers the exact moment she first encountered Cats. 'I was four and my mum brought home the 1998 film version on VHS,' she says. 'I started watching it, again and again, on repeat, like it was my job. 'I danced around the living room to it so much that, even now, when people have been learning their choreography here, I know almost every movement they have to learn.' The 'here' Thomas refers to is the Alexandria rehearsal room for the 40th Australian anniversary production of Cats, opening this week at the Theatre Royal Sydney. Fresh from rocking a nun's wimple in the Australian production of Sister Act, Thomas is part of the production's 28-strong cast as Grizabella, the once-glamorous, bedraggled moggie who sings the melancholic, chart-topping mega-hit Memory. 'It's one of those songs where if you don't know Cats, you still know Memory, ' she says. 'It's iconic. I did worry about doing it justice but, now, when I'm on the floor being Grizabella, the notes just come out. It takes over my entire existence.' Since premiering in 1981 in London's West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sung-through contemporary dance musical about the Jellicle cat tribe has taken over stages around the world. Pioneering the concept of a blockbuster musical, and earning more than $3.5 billion worldwide to date, Cats has played in 51 countries, been translated into 23 languages and played to more than 81 million people. Its original UK season won multiple Olivier and Evening Standard Awards followed by Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and more, after the show's 1982 Broadway premiere. But there were bumps along the way.
Time Out
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Things to do in Melbourne in May
Is it getting hot in here? Come on Melbourne, it's time to head way down, to Hadestown. Seen by 3 million, streamed by more than 350 million and adored by fans all around the world – the acclaimed West End and Broadway musical phenomenon Hadestown will make its Melbourne premiere at Her Majesty's Theatre in May 2025, after having its Australian debut at Theatre Royal Sydney in February. For the uninitiated, the gist is this: written by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown is a genre-defying musical adaption of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in a dystopian steampunk-esque underworld, set to an evocative score that blends New Orleans-style jazz and blues with modern American folk music – with a live brass band on stage, to boot. The show won eight Tony Awards when it opened in 2019, including Best Musical, and is still playing to packed houses five years later. Hadestown already has a dedicated fandom around the world and here in Australia, and it has an edge that will also appeal to everyone who isn't already a die-hard musical theatre fan. The Melbourne premiere of this sensational musical is presented by Jones Theatrical Group and Opera Australia. Jones Theatrical Group's Susan Jones says Melbourne audiences "embrace musicals like no other city". "In return, musicals delight in performing here due to the rousing receptions and support that they receive. Hadestown will be no exception. Creator and writer Anaïs Mitchell is such an...
