2008: The Year In Preview

January 7: AussieTheatre.com's TROY DODDS looks ahead to what 2008 holds in store for theatre lovers...

Strap yourself in for the next 12 months because theatre will provide very few dull moments in a year full of international blockbusters, eagerly awaited new Australian work and a few returning favourites that just may prove surprise packets.

Two shows sure to have great success in 2008 actually premiered last year - the sensational and moving Billy Elliot and the funny and popular Spamalot - both of which have been doing good business at the box office and received outstanding reviews. Like The Lion King before it - at the same venue, no less - Billy Elliot has a huge pull from its film predecessor and its season at the Capitol Theatre should be long and very lucrative for producers. It is also most likely to be the show that will sweep the 2008 Helpmann Awards, expected to be held in August.

The first big premiere of the year comes via Shout!, a revival of the popular musical that helped launch the career of swing and cabaret sensation David Campbell. This time around a new Campbell in the shape of soap star Tim is in charge of the Johnny O'Keefe bio-tuner and it will premiere in Melbourne this month before moving to Sydney in March.

The Phantom Of The Opera and Miss Saigon enjoyed great success in 2007, and will continue their Australian tours during 2008. The former's run at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney is expected to be a long one, with Anthony Warlow's name pulling in fans who supported the show so well when it was last year more than a decade ago.

In February, Sydney will see the world premiere of the James Millar and Peter Rutherford musical The Hatpin, based on the true story of Amber Murray. It has stellar cast - Caroline O'Connor, Peter Cousens, Barry Crocker, Melle Stewart, Octavia Barron-Martin, Jennifer Peers, Nick Christo, Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, Michelle Doake, Tyran Parke and Jodie Harris - and is part of the Seymour Centre's first subscription season, which will also include a production of Altar Boyz and the ever-popular Keating!

Of The Hatpin, Millar - who wrote the book and lyrics - believes the story of Murray is one that deserves to be told.

"I had known the story since I was a kid," he said.

"I had a copy of an Australian Crime Almanac that I read constantly. It frightened me but I also found it so intriguing. It reminded me of this old, ghostly world that was nothing like Sydney today. Hopefully, we will finally tell the story of Amber Murray in an exciting and unique way."

In March, Melbourne will host a production of Guys and Dolls, and it too has a sensational cast - Lisa McCune as Sarah Brown, Ian Stenlake as Sky Masterson, Garry McDonald as Nathan Detroit, Marina Prior as Miss Adelaide, Shane Jacobson as Nicely Nicely and Magda Szubanski as Big Jule. It could turn out to be the biggest surprise packet of the year, catering for older audiences who may not be interested in the contemporary blockbuster musicals that will be surrounding it.

It is what the Regent Theatre provides in July, however, that will sweep all-comers. Replacing Priscilla is the hit Broadway and West End musical Wicked, which has been such an extraordinary success overseas and arrives in Australia with a huge weight of expectation. Producer John Frost said: "Wicked spans the demographic. It brings in people who’ve never been to the theatre, and it grows by word of mouth in a way and to a degree unlike any show I know."

Wicked is expected to announce its cast within weeks. The rumour mill has been working over time, but producers are keen to keep everything under wraps until an official launch, most likely to be held next month. Frost did confirm late last year that he believed the roles of Elphaba and Glinda would be cast with "unknowns".

Other big musicals to make appearances this year include The Rocky Horror Show, which will open at the Star Theatre next month, and Irene, which will play in concert version in Perth. Menopause will make a return, playing yet another Brisbane season, and there is continued speculation about Karaoke, which had another workshop recently.

It is an important year for besieged national musical theatre company Kookaburra, which will be attempting to turn around the drama of 2007 and have a positive impact this year. After the Company scandal and the woeful Pippin, the Peter Cousens-led company is hoping its productions of Tell Me On A Sunday and Little Women will earn positive reaction.

The country's theatre companies will also present a number of high quality shows during 2008. The Ensemble Theatre Company's season includes Reg Livermore's self-written The Thank You Dinner, while the Sydney Theatre Company's highlights include Tom Stoppard's Rock 'N' Roll and William Shakespeare's epic The War Of The Roses starring Cate Blanchett and the STC Actors Company. The Queensland Theatre Company will host productions of The Female Of The Species and I Am My Own Wife, while the Sydney hit Holding The Man will finally make its way down south thanks to the Melbourne Theatre Company.


STATE BY STATE: THE SHOWS YOU MUST SEE IN 2008

New South Wales
The Seed - Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney from February 16 - (02) 9699 3444
The Hatpin - Seymour Centre, Sydney from February 23 - (02) 9351 7940

Victoria
Guys And Dolls - Princess Theatre, Melbourne from March 26 - 132 849
Wicked - Regent Theatre, Melbourne from July - 132 849

South Australia
When The Rain Stops Falling - Scott Theatre, Adelaide from February 23 - 131 246
Ghosts - Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide from October 3 - 131 246

Queensland
The Phantom Of The Opera - Lyric Theatre, Brisbane from February 6 - 136 246
David Campbell Live - Concert Hall, Brisbane from March 7 - 136 246

Western Australia
Speed-The-Plow - Playhouse Theatre, Perth from July 19 - (08) 9484 1133
Into The Woods - Subiaco Arts Centre, Perth from June 5 - (08) 9380 3000

Northern Territory
The Sound Of Music - Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin from April 2 - (08) 8980 3333
The Club - Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin from May 11 - (08) 8980 3333

Tasmania
Les Miserables - Theatre Royal, Hobart from March - (03) 6233 2299

Australian Capital Territory
Anne Wood Live - Street Theatre, Canberra from May 19 - (02) 6247 1223.