Broadway eyes Melbourne for musical theatre return road map
With Broadway and West End shut down by the pandemic, both are looking to Melbourne for strategies to reopen musical theatre.
Arts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Arts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Broadway and London’s West End are looking to Melbourne to write the rule book on how to reopen musical theatre in the COVID normal climate.
With Come From Away opening at the Comedy Theatre last month, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child returning to the Princess Theatre this week, and Moulin Rouge raising the curtain at the Regent Theatre in August, producers say Australia is a sign of hope for shutdown shows overseas.
“It’s incredible when you look at it from a worldwide perspective; how advanced Australia is, and how incredibly lucky we are in this country,” Carmen Pavlovic, Global Creatures CEO and producer of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, said.
“Broadway is expected to be closed for most of 2021, the West End is very uncertain. To think Australia is not just reopening existing shows, but also premiering new productions (Moulin Rouge in Melbourne and Hamilton in Sydney), it’s fantastic for the industry.”
Ms Pavlovic added: “Australia has emerged as a world leader. The rest of the world is looking to Australia in terms of a road map for reopening venues.”
Moulin Rouge has started auditions, will announce a cast in April, kick off rehearsals in June, and open for preview shows in August.
Locally, producers are writing the rules for reopening musicals, theatre and plays, factoring in issues like audience, cast and crew safety, co-operation with venue management and government, ticketing options, QR codes, contact tracing, crowd flow in and out of venues, backstage bubbles, and front of house bubbles.
“Everybody is looking to Australia,” Michael Cassel, producer of Harry Potter and Hamilton shows, says.
“I’m having a lot of conversations with producers we work with, and some we don’t.
“It’s a great honour that so much focus is on Australian theatre, and we can be a beacon of hope for a lot of theatre practitioners. To be leading that charge is a great responsibility, and I know every show is willing to carry that mantle.”
Come From Away producer Rodney Rigby said: “We are sharing information with our partners around the world.
“Our friends on Broadway and London have been shut down for the past year, but Australia has become an example of, ‘It can be done! We can do it! We can get back to a new normal.’”
Mr Cassel said it’s been difficult for cast, crew and associated industries to have shows languishing in the dark for the best part of a year.
“The biggest challenge was the unknown,” he said.
“There is so much complexity with these productions, with the number of people involved, technical process, rehearsal process, let alone accommodating and rescheduling audience members who had purchased tickets.
“There was a lot that had to align in order for us to have the confidence to step forward and say, We are now going to reopen.’”
Ms Pavlovic agrees: “We had one foot on the pedal, one foot on the break, just waiting. But it’s full steam ahead right now. And I think many people are coming to realise how much it means to be able to consume culture in your day to day life.”
Good news for Esoteric ticket holders following festival cancellation
Esoteric Festival ticket holders will have a chance to “dance away the pain” at a one-day party in Melbourne this Sunday after the festival was cancelled at the last minute this week.
‘Standing ovations every night’: ‘90s musical Melburnians still talk about
Bert Newton called Beauty and the Beast “the greatest theatre show that Australia has ever seen”. Find out how it launched Hugh Jackman’s career, and why its legacy lasts to this day.