Musical Theatre

The cast of the Shanghai production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera sequel. Love Never Dies, has been announced.

The cast features Luke McCall as The Phantom, John Ellis as alternate Phantom, Manon Taris as Christine Daae, Olivia Holland Rose as alternate Christine, Niall Sheehy as Raoul, Olivia Barnett Legh as Meg Giry, Britt Lenting as Madam Giry, Katrina Kemp as Fleck, Chris Draper as Squelch and Nic Cain as Gangle.

The ensemble comprises Alxander Emery, Cameron McAllister, Daniel Cox, Ben Nicholas, Josh Bennett, Francesca Benton-Stace, Sarah Kacey, Teddy Thomas, Sophie Hutchinson, Jess Bock, Eleanor Wainwright, CJ Field, Oliver Ramsdale, Robbie Alexander, Jessica Meegan and Embla Bishop.

Jack Sherran, Odo Rowntree-Bailly and Zayne Norris share the role of Gustave.

From the cast list, which features British, European and Australian performers, it seems clear that the production will be performed in English. I think it's also possible that this may be the first stop in an international tour.

The official Love Never Dies website doesn't have a lot of detail as yet, but will undoubtedly will be populated with season dates and venue information soon.

In this interactive video series, Olivier and Tony Award-winning Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic Matthew Warchus (who has directed musicals including Matilda and Groundhog Day) offers a glimpse into the process of putting on a musical from initial concept planning to opening night and beyond.

10 films offer a advice and insight on:

• Getting started on your musical
• Rights, permissions and finances
• Different types of musicals
• The design process
• Casting
• The rehearsal process
• The Sitzprobe
• Tech week
• Previews
• Opening night and beyond

This is part of The Old Vic's Hub for aspiring theatre makers and performers. Another article that might be of interest to musical theatre writers is How to adapt for the stage, although this article isn't specific to musicals.

The National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is the nation's premier program for the development of all styles and genres of music theater, including musicals, song cycles, operas, and hybrid pieces. Every summer, three unproduced works are selected from a nationwide pool of submissions for a two-week-long, artist-driven workshop residency on the O’Neill’s campus in Waterford, CT. Each piece is matched with a team of industry-leading directors, dramaturgs, musicians, and actors for an intensive 60-hour rehearsal period, culminating in three public, script-in-hand staged readings. At every step in the process, the O’Neill strives to foster an inclusive, collaborative environment in which artistic exploration and experimentation is encouraged.

2024 NMTC Submission Window: October 2–16, 2023! For updates and reminders, sign up for the mailing list.

If you are interested in submitting a play, the 2024 NMTC Application Guide is available here for your reference. The application itself will be hosted on Submittable, which you’ll be able to access through this webpage when applications open. Be sure to sign up for email updates, too, to stay in the loop about NMTC applications. Eligibility requirements and a rundown of application materials can be found below.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Writers must be at least 18 years of age or older and have the right to work within the United States.
• Work must not have had a professional production prior to submission, and that the work remain unproduced until July 31, 2024. A professional production means that the artists working on the show were compensated for their time, and that all the theatrical or production elements desired were present. If your piece was produced but the production lacked significant and necessary theatrical elements — a Zoom or virtual reading, stage lighting, projections, or puppets, for instance — we do not consider that a “professional production.”
• NMTC has no specific requirements regarding the form or content of the piece. NMTC supports the development of all styles and genres of music theater, including song cycles, operas, and experimental works.
• You may submit an adapted work, providing that the rights to any material not in the public domain have been granted in writing, and a copy of the release is sent along with the script. You must provide proof of rights at the time of submission.
• Jukebox and catalog musicals are ineligible for consideration.
• The O'Neill requires vaccination for all staying on campus; therefore, all writers must be vaccinated against Covid-19.
• Only complete applications will be accepted.

The administrative fee for NMTC 2024 is $20 per script submission. This helps offset the costs of the application process itself: its organization, staffing, administration, and submission platform. A number of fee waivers are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you would like to request a fee waiver, please use this Request Form before you begin your application.

An in-depth story and interview with playwright David Ives and director Joe Mantello about the development of Sondheim's final show, Here We Are, by Frank Rich, long-time Sondheim advocate and former theatre critic for the New York Times.

It documents the shows origins, the protracted development period and various dead ends, and the resonance that Covid brought to a story about a group of people trapped in a room.

The piece also offers a justification for the dearth of songs in the second act, which had been previously reported.. A dramaturgically justifiable way around Sondheim's procrastination / writer's block?

A long read, but a good one.

Original Cast Recordings: Art, Artefact and Analysis is a two-day international conference of presentations, panels and discussion exploring the history, production, consumption and cultural significance of musical theatre on record, 1900 - present day.

It takes place on 5 and 6 September 2023 (starting on Tuesday at 1pm British Summer Time) online and at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (for two sessions).

The conference agenda is here

Register for the conference here

The terms “arranger” and “orchestrator” are frequently confused.

Orchestrator Larry Blank explains the difference using the song “Singin’ in the Rain” from the eponymous film. The composer and lyricist are charged with writing the actual song (“I’m singin’ in the rain, just singin’ in the rain…”). The arranger creates the intro before the song begins. And the orchestrator decides that flutes should play that intro before the song begins.

Responsibilities of a Musical Arranger
In general, arrangers work primarily on enhancing songs and scenes with additional musical material. For example, if a song requires an ensemble to sing harmonies, an arranger will write the harmonies for said ensemble. If a number requires a dance break, an arranger will work with the choreographer to create the music for said dance break. If the director wants underscoring for a scene, an arranger will work with the director to create the music for said scene, while seamlessly blending into the existing song’s style.

Responsibilities of a Musical Orchestrator
In general, orchestrators work from piano/vocal scores prepared by the arranger and composer. Orchestrators will work with the composer and producers to determine instrumentation for the show as well as the number of players available. While they may receive some notes/ideas from the composer and arranger, the orchestrator are the primary decision maker all existing musical instrumentations, from songs to scene underscores.

The arranger works frequently with members of the creative team such as the composer/lyricist, choreographer, and director rather than the orchestra. In contrast, the orchestrator primarily works with the orchestra, composer, and arranger rather than the director and choreographer.

The North American Tour of Moulin Rouge will welcome Gabrielle McClinton as Satine, Christian Douglas as Christian, Robert Petkoff as Harold Zidler, Sarah Bowden as Nini and Danny Burgos as Santiago beginning Wednesday, September 27 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh.

Gabrielle McClinton originated the role of Angelina Baker in Paradise Square on Broadway. She has also starred as the Leading Player in Pippin after playing the role on Broadway, the First National Tour and in Australia. Her Broadway credits include Paradise Square, Chicago and Pippin, and her National Tour credits include Pippin and American Idiot. Gabrielle will appear in the upcoming film A Ramble Towards Rain.

Christian Douglas was last seen playing Tony in West Side Story at the Muny. Christian made his New York City debut as Charlie Price in the Off-Broadway revival of Kinky Boots. Other credits include the national tour of Pretty Woman: The Musical as well as regional productions of Songs for a New World at The Gateway, Newsies at Arena Stage and Gun & Powder at Signature Theatre.

Robert Petkoff has appeared in Ragtime, All The Way, Anything Goes, Spamalot, Fiddler on the Roof and Epic Proportions on Broadway. His National Tour credits include Fun Home, The Importance of Being Earnest, Tantalus and Spamalot. On the West End, Robert appeared in The Royal Family with Judi Dench and Emily Blunt.

Sarah Bowden was a member of the ensemble of the Moulin Rouge Broadway company. Her other career highlights include Cassie in A Chorus Line at The Hollywood Bowl/PCLO, Roxie in Chicago at The Muny and Velma at Maltz Jupiter. Internationally, Sarah starred as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Danny Burgos appeared in On Your Feet! both on Broadway and in the First National Tour. When he isn’t on stage, Danny is a registered nurse at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The North American tour of Hairspray, which is now in its third year, has announced new casting and a long list of tour stops for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

The tour will visit 45 cities including engagements in Calgary, Alberta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Edmonton, Alberta; Houston; Nashville, Tennessee; Ottawa, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia. The next stop is Ft. Myers, Florida (September 22-October 28).

The cast will be led by Greg Kalafatas as Edna Turnblad, Caroline Eiseman as Tracy Turnblad and Deidre Lang as Motormouth Maybelle. Joining them are Josiah Rogers as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Skyler Shields as Link Larkin, Ralph Prentice Daniel as Wilbur Turnblad, Andrew Scoggin as Corny Collins, Caroline Portner as Amber Von Tussle, Sarah Hayes as Velma Von Tussle, Scarlett Jacques as Penny Pingleton, and Kaila Symone Crowder as Little Inez. Micah Sauvageau is Male Authority Figure, and Emmanuelle Zeesman is Female Authority Figure.

The ensemble consists of Abigail Bensman, Connor Buonaccorsi, Ashia Collins, Joshua James Crawford, Scoob Decker, Craig First, Audrey Taylor Floyd, Gavin Guthrie, Alyssa Jacqueline, Leiah Lewis, Christy Oberndorf, Kynnedi Moryaé Porter, Caroline Purdy, Kalab Quinn, Josiah Thomas Randolph, Amy Rodriguez, Sage, Scott Silagy, Cara Torchia, Lilliannie Arie Urgent, and James Douglas Vinson.

Theatregoers were escorted from a London performance of Grease the Musical by police on Saturday night, to cheers of approval from the rest of the audience.

Footage posted online shows eight police officers and staff from the Dominion theatre lining the stairway in the balcony as audience members chant “out, out, out!”.

One officer could be seen stooping down to speak to a man and a woman in the audience, while another gestured at a different couple, apparently asking them to leave.

A Metropolitan police statement said: “Shortly before 8.40pm on Saturday 26 August, police received reports of two men and two women causing a disturbance at a theatre in Tottenham Court Road, W1.

“Officers attended and the group were escorted from the premises. No arrests. No injuries reported.”

The Guardian has covered the state of audience behaviour at the theatre in the past:

Almost 90% of theatre staff said that they had experienced or witnessed bad audience behaviour, while more than 70% believed the issue has worsened since the Covid pandemic.

Shockingly, nearly one-third of respondents said they had been involved in or witnessed an incident where a venue had to call the police, with 20% having feared for their safety at least once.

Constance Wu will make her New York stage debut in the off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors this fall.

The Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers star will play Audrey opposite High School Musical star Corbin Bleu, who will play Seymour. The two start performances in the musical revival, which has been running at the Westside Theatre since 2019, on September 26 2023.

Bleu replaces Jeremy Jordan, who will play his final performance as Seymour on Sept. 17, and Wu replaces Joy Woods, who will play her final performance as Audrey on Sept. 24.

“Little Shop has been my number one favorite musical since I first saw a community production growing up in Richmond, Virginia. The music is so wonderful and I love Audrey. I relate to her scrappiness and finding beauty in the simple things,” Wu said. “I am so excited to be in this production, singing and performing alongside the brilliant Corbin Bleu, and enjoying the thrill of live and alive theater with the audience.”

Bleu has appeared onstage several times, with Broadway credits including Kiss Me Kate, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, Godspell and In the Heights.

“I’ve been a fan of Little Shop since childhood — I watched the film on repeat. It’s a perfect musical and this is definitely a dream-fulfilling moment for me,” Bleu said. “I am really looking forward to performing with Constance and finding our Seymour & Audrey dynamic. We both love and crave live theater — our mutual excitement is kinetic.”

Also among the production’s cast are Bryce Pinkham as Dr. Orin Scrivello, Brad Oscar as Mushnik, Aaron Arnell Harrington as The Voice of Audrey II, D’Kaylah Unique Whitley as Ronnette, Tiffany Renee Thompson as Crystal, and Khadija Sankoh as Chiffon.

Josh Groban will return to the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd this week following a brief bout with Covid-19. He will return for the Thursday 24 August evening performance, performing opposite Jeanna de Waal through 25 August, while Annaleigh Ashford continues to recover from the virus.

Several new cast members will join the US tour of Moulin Rouge. Joining the company in Pittsburgh on 27 Septemgber 2023 will be Gabrielle McClinton as Satine, Christian Douglas as Christian, Robert Petkoff as Harold Zidler, Sarah Bowden as Nini, and Danny Burgos as Santiago

Dujonna Gift and Olivier winner Sam Tutty will star in the London premiere of Two Strangers Written by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, Two Strangers follows naïve but upbeat Brit Dougal (Tutty), who is flying to New York for the wedding of his estranged father. Waiting for him at the airport is Robin (Gift), a native New Yorker who is the sister of the bride. It will play at the Kiln Theatre from 9 November to 23 December 2023.

Joining the London company of Les Miserables on 25 September 2023 will be Katie Hall as Fantine, Luke Kempner as Thénardier, Will Callan as Marius, Amena El-Kindy as Eponine and Djavan van de Fliert as Enjolras.

These actors will join current cast members Josh Piterman as Jean Valjean, Stewart Clarke as Javert, Claire Machin as Madame Thénardier, and Lulu-Mae Pears as Cosette.

The company is completed by Annabelle Aquino, Hazel Baldwin, Brad Barnley, Michael Baxter, Emily Olive Boyd, Rosy Church, Ben Culleton, Matthew Dale, Matt Dempsey, Sophie-May Feek, Matt Hayden, Tom Hext, Christopher Jacobsen, Jessica Johns-Parsons, Yazmin King, Sam Kipling, Anouk van Laake, Harry Lake, Sarah Lark, Ellie Ann Lowe, Ben Oatley, Adam Pearce, Jordan Simon Pollard, Jonathan Stevens, Phoebe Williams, and Ollie Wray.

The full cast for the upcoming world premiere of Close Up The Twiggy Musical in London, will include Elena Skye as Twiggy, Lauren Azania AJ King-Yombo, Matt Corner, Darren Day, Beth Devine, Aoife Dunne, Hannah-Jane Fox, Steven Serlin, Emma-Katie Adcock, Liam Buckland, Harriet Bunton, Leanne Garretty, Luke Johnson, David McIntosh, Danny Nattrass, Sydney Spencer, and Karen Walker.

Written and directed by Ben Elton Close Up will open 27 September 2023 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, for a run through 18 November.
The world premiere explores the life of Twiggy, the world's first supermodel.

In the current London production of Cabaret, from 25 September 2023, the roles of The Emcee and Sally Bowles will be played by Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor AKA Self Esteem.

They join Nathan Ives-Moiba as Clifford Bradshaw, Beverley Klein as Fraulein Schneider and Teddy Kempner as Herr Schultz. Emily Benjamin will continue as the production’s alternate Sally Bowles until 18 October, with Nic Myers taking over (scheduled to perform once a week) from 19 October.

Also joining the company on 25 September are Wilf Scolding as Ernst Ludwig, Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, Liv Alexander as Texas, Natalie Chua as Frenchie, Taite-Elliot Drew as Hans, Damon Gould as Victor, El Haq Lateif as Helga, and Travis Ross as Bobby, joining Laura Delany as Rosie, Grant Neal as Herman/Max and Hicaro Nicolai as Lulu. The cast is completed by Rebecca Lisewski, Ela Lisondra, Nic Myers, Andy Rees, Toby Turpin and Patrick Wilden.

From 16 October, the prologue company will be Rachel Benson, Ami Benton, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Joseph Hardy, Liz Kamille, Andrew Linnie, Aine McLoughlin, Jack Parry, Jazmyn Raikes, Oliver Stockley and Ena Yamaguchi.

Casting is now complete for the West End revival of Sunset Boulevard.

The Jamie Lloyd-directed production will star Nicole Scherzinger as Norma, with Rachel Tucker playing Norma on Monday performances from 16 October 2023 to 6 January 6, 2024, as well as 12 October 2023 matinee. The cast will also include the newly announced Tom Francis as Joe Gillis, Grace Hodgett Young as Betty Schaefer, and David Thaxton as Max Von Mayerling.

Completing the cast are Carl Au, Georgia Bradshaw, Hannah Yun Chamberlain, Tyler Davis, Kamilla Fernandes, Ahmed Hamad, Laura Harrison, Charlotte Jaconelli, Olivia-Faith Kamau, Luke Latchman, Emma Lloyd, Mireia Mambo, Gregor Milne, Kody Mortimer, Jon Tsouras and Charlie Waddell, Lara Denning Jordan Cork, Shayna McPherson, Catherine Cornwall, Michael Lin, Jon Reynolds, Kirsty Anne Shaw, Harrison Wilde, and Lillie-Pearl Wildman.

Newcomer Nichelle Lewis Will Lead THE WIZ as Dorothy on Broadway and US National Tour.

The cast will include previously announced Wayne Brady to lead the production as The Wiz on Broadway, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Alan Mingo Jr. will star in the role of The Wiz in the following cities of the US National Tour, including Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Greenville, Chicago, Des Moines, Tempe, and San Diego. The cast will also include previously announced Deborah Cox as Glinda and Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.

The upcoming Broadway revival of Eric Idle and John Du Prez' SPAMALOT will feature Christopher Fitzgerald, James Monroe Iglehart, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Ethan Slater, Jimmy Smagula, Michael Urie and Nik Walker.

Iglehart, Kritzer, Smagula, Urie and Walker will be reprising their roles from the run at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. At the Kenendy Center, the role of Lancelot was played by Alex Brightman, who is currently starring on Broadway in The Shark Is Broken.

Performances begin Tuesday, October 31, 2023, and the official opening knight is Thursday, November 16, 2023 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre

Austin Scott joins the the cast of & Juliet on 15 August 2023 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre as William Shakespeare. Scott succeeds Stark Sands, who played his final performance on 6 August 6 as he prepares for his next project, the Avett Brothers musical Swept Away

Jake Pedersen joined the Broadway company of Wicked on 14 August 2023. Pedersen played Boq in the Wicked US tour. He succeeds Michael Wartella, who played his final performance 12 August 2023.

[The upcoming Broadway musical Harmony announced its full cast and creative team.]((https://www.broadwaynews.com/harmony-complete-cast-and-creative-team-announced/) Newly announced cast members include Allison Semmes, Andrew O’Shanick, Zak Edwards, Dan Hoy, Bruce Landry, RhonniRose Mantilla, Daniel Z. Miller, Benjamin H. Moore, Matthew Mucha, Constantine Pappas, Kayleen Seidl, Kyla Stone, Bronwyn Tarboton, Kate Wesler, Stuart Zagnit and Lee Zarrett.

They will join the previously announced Chip Zien, Sierra Boggess, Julie Benko, Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey. The Barry Manilow / Bruce Sussman show will begin previews on 18 October 2023 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

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.

Fremde, etranger, stranger. Happy to see you. Bleibe, reste, stay.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself.

If you're not sure what to write, here are some prompts. Feel free to answer any, all or none of these:

• Favourite musical?
• First musical you saw?
• Bucket list musical? (A show you've never seen but really want to.)
• Most memorable musical experience?
• What are you hoping to get out of this community?
• Anything else you feel like adding.

On the other hand, if you'd rather just let your posts and comments speak for you and skip the introductions, then, as Jack's Mother says in Into the Woods: "That's okay too..."