Celebrating their 20th year, The Production Company (TPC) have announced their 2018 Season with three of the best musicals – Oklahoma, The Boy From Oz and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder – to be presented at Arts Centre Melbourne.
“I started The Production Company 20 years ago to provide opportunities for Australia’s extraordinary talent,” said Jeanne Pratt AC. “Now as I look back on the hundreds of artists who have worked with us, it’s a veritable Who’s Who of musical theatre.”
“We’ve produced 58 musicals in Melbourne, won multiple awards and toured interstate. Our shows have thrilled audiences of more than 600,000! I couldn’t be more proud. And now for our 20th birthday we’re celebrating with three of our favourites.”
Oklahoma!
State Theatre: 26 May – 3 June
It’s a beautiful morning whenever Curly sees Laurey, but Laurey’s not so sure about Curly and wonders if she really loves Jud. And Will loves Ado Annie, but Annie loves… well, everybody. She’s just a girl who cain’t say no!
Oklahoma! features an award winning line-up of stars including Simon Gleeson known for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in Les Miserablés (West End and Australia), and Chess and Curtains for The Production Company; A
They are joined by award winning stars: Elise McCann, Bobby Fox, Robyn Nevin, Ben Mingay and Richard Piper. Directed by Chris Parker with TPC Founding Musical Director Guy Simpson (My Fair Lady, The Phantom of the Opera) to conduct the TPC Orchestra and Amy Campbell (Violet) choreographing her first TPC musical.
When Oklahoma! opened on Broadway in 1943, it revolutionised the American musical, won a Pulitzer Prize and set the standard for modern musical theatre, brimming with show-stopping hits: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, The Surrey With The Fringe On Top, People Will Say We’re in Love, I Cain’t Say No and the title song Oklahoma!
The Boy from Oz
State Theatre: 11 – 19 August
The iconic Australian musical, The Boy from Oz turns 20 in 2018, and to celebrate TPC are staging a new production. This is the dazzling, funny and moving story of the legendary Australian entertainer Peter Allen. From a humble start, Peter was singing in country pubs at age 11. He survived family tragedy to become a teenage TV star. Discovered by Judy Garland, he married her daughter Liza Minnelli and went on to achieve international stardom as a performer and songwriter.
Rohan Browne, (Singin’ in The Rain, Brigadoon) stars as Peter Allen, and Caroline O’Connor (Funny Girl, Anastasia [Broadway] and The Rink [London]) returns to The Production Company for the role of Judy Garland. Matthew Manahan (Brigadoon) plays Greg Connell. Green Room Award winner Jason Langley (Brigadoon, Dusty) directs, with Helpmann Award winning Musical Director Michael Tyack (Brigadoon, Dusty) and Choreography by Green Room Award winner Michael Ralph (Dusty, West Side Story).
The Boy from Oz features many of Peter Allen’s best loved hits including: Quiet Please, There’s A Lady On Stage, Not The Boy Next Door, Everything Old Is New Again, I Honestly Love You, I Still Call Australia Home, Tenterfield Saddler and the show-stopping I Go to Rio.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
Playhouse: 27 October – 11 November
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder a brand new, drop-dead musical comedy about Monty, a penniless clerk who discovers he is ninth in line to be Lord D’Ysquith, the Earl of Highhurst. But the D’Ysquith family dismiss his claim then curiously the eight family members in line to be Earl start dying from unnatural causes! Meanwhile Monty woos money-minded Sibella but also finds himself drawn to young Phoebe D’Ysquith…what could possibly go wrong?
Triple Helpmann Award winner, Mitchell Butel stars as all eight members of the D’Ysquith family. Chris Ryan (King Kong) makes his TPC debut as Monty, Amy Lehpamer (Dusty, Beautiful) is Sibella, Genevieve Kingsford (Brigadoon, Light in the Piazza) is Phoebe and the legendary Nancye Hayes returns as the mysterious Miss Shingle. Roger Hodgman (Curtains, Fiddler on the Roof) directs, with musical direction by Kellie Dickerson (The Book of Mormon) and choreography by Dana Jolly (Curtains, Fiddler on the Roof).
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder ran on Broadway for three years and in 2014 won four Tony Awards including Best Musical. The hilarious score includes: A Warning to the Audience, I Don’t Understand the Poor, Poison In My Pocket, Better With A Man, Why Are All The D’Ysquiths Dying? and Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun!
Subscription packages are now available, with single ticket sales available from 10 April 2018. For more information, visit: www.theproductioncompany.com.au for details.
Image: Simon Gleeson, Rohan Browne and Mitchell Butel – courtesy of The Production Company