Following a sold-out debut season at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre, the smash hit new musical, The Lucky Country, about what it means to be Australian, will open at Melbourne’s Lawler Theatre from Monday 13 October, before heading to the Brisbane Powerhouse, as part of MELT Festival, from 22 – 26 October 2025.
With an original score that pays homage to some of Australia’s greatest musicians, this 60-minute chamber musical takes audiences on a joyful and moving ride through a patchwork of Aussie stories. Digging deep into the themes of identity and belonging, The Lucky Country is a heartfelt and wildly entertaining celebration of who we can be as Australians.
Created by two of Australia’s most exciting theatre-makers – composer and lyricist Vidya Makan (Hamilton, SIX) and director Sonya Suares (Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George) – The Lucky Country reclaims and reimagines the national songbook with a thrilling soundtrack, performed live by a five-piece band (featuring yidaki) alongside an outstanding ensemble of six.
“We wanted the music to feel instantly familiar – like flipping through the radio dial of Australia. You’ll hear echoes of Baker Boy, Jimmy Barnes, Kylie, The Seekers, Electric Fields plus loads more – all remixed through a contemporary lens that feels uniquely ours,” said composer and lyricist Vidya Makan.
Meet Boy, a 13-year-old Thiitharr Warra kid, whose youthful optimism is dashed when he clashes with his teacher’s notion of ‘our shared history’. It sparks a journey of self-actualisation that leads him back to Country and a moment of truth.
While Boy grapples with the fault lines in our national story, we encounter a collection of all-Aussie characters including grey nomads who find love on a Contiki tour, a Chinese Australian restauranteur who dreams of life as a Byron Bay nudist, a young refugee in Mingoola, a WW2 veteran, an aspiring actress and a fake Russian choir.
“This is a show that claims space for the voices and perspectives that tend to be overlooked when Australia tells its story. It’s cheeky, it’s irreverent, at times it pops off like a rocket. But at its core, it’s an invitation to gather, reflect, rethink where we’ve been and how we might move forward together,” said director Sonya Suares.
The full cast for the Melbourne and Brisbane season will be announced soon.
“…a profoundly new Australian musical with songs that are unassuming, hilarious and arresting in their exploration of the experience of those in the margins.” – Time Out
The Lucky Country will play at the Southbank Theatre – The Lawler from 13 – 18 October, before playing at the Underground Theatre – Brisbane Powerhouse, as part of the Melt Festival, from 22 – 26 October 2025.
Image: The Lucky Country (supplied)