Opera Australia in association with The Really Useful Group, will present Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, making its highly anticipated premiere at the Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre from 14 November 2021.
Marking almost 35 years to the day since it opened in London’s West End, before going on to become one of the most successful musicals of all time, this will be the first time it will be staged at Arts Centre Melbourne.
This spectacular new staging by Cameron Mackintosh premiered with a record-breaking sell out tour of the UK followed by a 7-year tour of the United States which grossed over US$400 million and thrilled critics and audiences alike.
Australia is now only the third country to see this new Phantom with its beloved and thrilling score including the hit songs The Music of the Night, All I Ask of You and Masquerade.
With stunning new staging and scenic design, Maria Björnson’s iconic original costumes and many special effects including a spectacular new realisation of the show’s chandelier. It will be performed in Australia by a cast and orchestra of 65, making it one of the largest musical productions ever in Australia.
“I am thrilled to be able to bring this exciting new production of The Phantom of the Opera to Arts Centre Melbourne with its spectacular new staging by director Laurence Connor and fabulous designs by Paul Brown and Maria Bjornson,” said Cameron Mackintosh.
“The unprecedented demand for tickets to this new Australian production has set box office records in Sydney and we look forward to an equally successful season in Melbourne, where my original production was a legendary success in 1990, running for over 2 1/2 years.”
Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini is thrilled to be presenting this new production of Phantom to Melbourne audiences after its record breaking run in Sydney.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for people to see one of the most iconic works in musical theatre history,” said Mr Terracini. “We’re looking forward to continuing our work with Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber to present this production in Australia’s culture capital.”
“Together we’re creating incredible theatre for audiences to enjoy and ongoing work opportunities for our arts industry.”
The cast will be led by Melbourne’s Josh Piterman playing the coveted role of The Phantom. Josh recently scored an impressive personal triumph playing the role in London’s West End before sadly the show had to close due to the pandemic.
Josh is an established musical theatre performer and classical crossover artist who has been working consistently on Australian and UK stages over the past 15 years.
His past credits include being a part of international pop opera group The Ten Tenors, Tony in the 2010 Australian production of West Side Story, Bustopher Jones/Gus/Growltiger in the 2015/16 Australian season of Cats (a role that won him the Green Room Award for best supporting actor in a Musical), Corny Collins in the UK tour of Hairspray and Gerry Goffin in the 2017/18 Australian tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Further casting will be announced shortly!
The Phantom of the Opera will play the Joan Sutherland Theatre – Sydney Opera House from 3 September, before playing the State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne from 14 November 2021. For more information, visit: www.phantomoftheopera.com for details.
Image: Josh Piterman in The Phantom of the Opera on the West End – photo by Johan Persson