Have we got a show for you: Music theatre returns to Melbourne

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This was published 3 years ago

Have we got a show for you: Music theatre returns to Melbourne

By John Bailey

Predicting anything about the 2021 music theatre calendar seems about as safe as forecasting the Melbourne weather. But while most of 2020 saw stages attracting dust rather than applause, folks behind the scenes were figuring out the most reliable ways of bringing back colour and movement. Given the costs involved, music theatre is always a huge gamble, but it's almost never a reckless one.

Danny Burstein as Harold Zidler in the Broadway production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Danny Burstein as Harold Zidler in the Broadway production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.Credit: Matthew Murphy

Before proceeding, though, it's worth saluting those shows that were supposed to be keeping Melburnians entertained last year but fell victim to the obvious.

The well-received season of Billy Elliot was among the first to close its doors in March, while the highly anticipated debut of cult-hit Six was forced to cancel its April run. Shrek was next to decamp, and Dolly Parton's much-hyped 9 to 5 never made it to our shores. The 30th anniversary season of Indigenous Australian musical Bran Nue Dae was cut short during its national tour, leaving Melbourne audiences the poorer for missing out, and a November production of Fiddler on the Roof also failed to eventuate. A lavish new version of The Secret Garden starring Anthony Warlow was another late scratching.

A further cancellation came with added emotional heft. May was supposed to see the final show presented by The Production Company, the long-time supporters of lesser-staged musical theatre classics and more commercially risky new work.

But now for the good news: while this year might not be populated by the biggest shows we've ever seen, the sheer number is cause for cheer.

Come From Away's 2020 cast.

Come From Away's 2020 cast.Credit: Jeff Busby

COME FROM AWAY

The first cab off the rank might also be the most uplifting. Set in the town that opened its arms to airline passengers diverted from New York in the wake of September 11, it's a rare show that takes kindness as its emotional propellant. The production returns after extended runs in Melbourne pre-coronavirus, and the good-natured generosity of the work makes it ideal for anyone still wary of returning to theatres.

Now playing at the Comedy Theatre.

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BEATING THE BLUES WITH FINN, BURNS AND PHILLIPS

MTC is keeping details about this mystery project under tight wraps, but we do know it's a glimpse at a new musical being developed by the company with Carolyn Burns, Tim Finn and Simon Phillips at the helm. Featuring performances by Alison Bell, Simon Gleeson and Chris Ryan, it will be a rare sneak peek at a work still in the creation stage.

February 5 and 6 at Southbank Theatre.

Eddie Perfect

Eddie PerfectCredit: Simon Schluter

EDDIE PERFECT: INTROSPECTIVE

Eddie Perfect is one of Melbourne's big musical success stories, having won over Australian audiences and eventually moving to New York to pen Beetlejuice and King Kong for Broadway. He's back at Malthouse Theatre for this intimate show in which he turns his gaze to his own career, peeling back the curtain to reveal the mental and emotional labour it takes to forge a life in music theatre. He'll be performing songs – many new – on piano, with violin and cello accompaniment.

February 16 to 21 at the Malthouse Outdoor Stage.

CHESS

One Night in Bangkok gets just one night (plus matinee) in Melbourne during an east coast tour of the show that united ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus with music theatre legend Tim Rice. The pop-heavy score has aged well while the story set at the height of the Cold War is a winning blend of the personal and political. Casting is unknown at this point, but independent producers Storyboard Entertainment won acclaim with with their last outing, Barnum the Circus Musical.

April 24 at The Regent.

THE WEDDING SINGER

The 1998 Adam Sandler film is more than just inspiration for this musical adaptation – the movie's writer Tim Herlihy is co-writer of the stage production, along with Chad Beguelin, who also wrote lyrics for the blockbuster Aladdin. Not much is known about casting or creatives, but overseas productions have drawn strong audiences craving an ’80s-heavy nostalgia hit.

Athenaeum Theatre from April 30.

Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox Arquette, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston in Friends.

Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox Arquette, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston in Friends.Credit: JON RAGEL

FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY

2020 saw an unexpected revival in popularity of one of the defining pop cultural artefacts of the 1990s and early 2000s, as a new generation of locked-down teens and twentysomethings discovered Friends for the first time. It's an excellent moment to bring out this affectionate tribute to the original series that's both a pick'n'mix bag of oddments plucked from the TV series and a collection of meta-gags referring to the real-life actors who shot to astronomical fame and wealth during its run. A must for fans, but it's probably not going to convert any haters.

At the Comedy Theatre from June 16 to 19.

MAGIC MIKE LIVE

“The biggest beef party in town” could have been a one-note excuse to put barely clad blokes in front of thirsty crowds, but by all accounts there's more to Magic Mike Live. Co-created by the original film's star Channing Tatum, it's a dance spectacular that also promotes the open expression of all forms of female desire and an undercurrent of feminist empowerment more generally. It's also hosted in a purpose-built Spiegeltent that looks about as flashy as they come.

At The Arcadia, Birrarung Marr from June 21.

THE WHO'S TOMMY

One of the first rock operas and possibly the best known, The Who's Tommy can also lay claim to be one of the world's weirdest musicals ever. The story of a deaf, mute, blind boy who rises to world stardom as a pinball player, it's both a vehicle for some catchy-as-hell songwriting and a psychedelic trip with twists that still genuinely surprise decades later. This Victorian Opera production was originally a one-night affair, but the 2020 show's cancellation has seen it extended across an entire week.

The Palais Theatre from August 13 to 21.

MOULIN ROUGE!

COVID cancellations around the world mean that Melbourne is now the first city to host Global Creatures' production of this Broadway mega-hit. 2021 is the 20-year anniversary of Baz Luhrmann's spectacular spectacular, making the unintentional coup an even bigger affair, and given the outstanding responses it gathered during its original New York run – including 14 Tony nominations – it's fair to expect big things from this one.

Previewing from August at The Regent.

PAPER STARS

This new musical is based on the early life of P. L. Travers, the Australian writer who created Mary Poppins. Told with “a healthy spoonful of imagination”, it's a whimsical exploration of a figure many know only from her work.

From November 3 at Theatre Works.

The cast of Once at the Princess Theatre.

The cast of Once at the Princess Theatre.Credit: Eddie Jim

ONCE

Once is the only Broadway show whose music has won the goat (Grammy, Olivier, Academy and Tony awards), and those who caught the last Melbourne production will agree it deserved every one. This new 21-week tour is set to arrive in Melbourne at some point, but dates and location are yet to be announced.

Musicals are home to spectacular fantasies and big emotions, but after the year that was 2020, which will audiences prefer? Elaborate escapes from reality, or profound opportunities to process complex feelings? This year's music theatre calendar offers ample helpings of both.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY OR EMOTIONAL EPICS?

What also remains in question is what audiences actually want from this year's music theatre – escape or catharsis? Will we be looking to forget our troubles or find some big feelings to make sense of the year that was 2020? Casting an eye on the 12 months to come, there are plenty of opportunities for both.

For unadulterated escapism it's hard to look past the likes of Friends! The Musical Parody and The Wedding Singer, both of which promise nostalgia-heavy, feelgood fare from an earlier era. Moulin Rouge! would rate just as highly, but it loses points due to one major character suffering from a deadly respiratory ailment. And if beefcake is your dessert of choice, Magic Mike is an all-you-can-eat buffet.

There are ample outings that go big on the feels, too: Eddie Perfect has always brought an unflinching honesty to his songwriting and has never been afraid of dark themes. Once is another entry whose acclaim stems from the genuine emotions it provokes, while Come From Away's focus on the transformative qualities of kindness and generosity might offer a timely reminder of our better natures.

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