DUSTY tells the story of Mary O’Brien, known to the world as Dusty Springfield.
Wonthaggi Theatrical Group again brings a major musical to the stage, displaying all the local talent, creativity and expertise that audiences have come to expect.
In 1950’s England, a star-struck, plain and dumpy London schoolgirl imagines she could become a glamorous movie idol. Her parents tell her that her fantasies will never come true and not to dream the impossible dream. But nothing deters her.
Blessed with an amazing voice and talent, she sets out to become a singer and a star. Soon, plain Mary O’Brien has transformed herself into the blonde pop icon, Dusty Springfield. But while Dusty, the gorgeous blonde star, is the image the world sees, it is an illusion behind which little Mary O’Brien still lives; the alter ego from which Dusty can never escape and who remains with her throughout her life.
In the 1960’s, Dusty Springfield takes the entertainment world by storm with a score of hits, a top TV show and a legion of fans. But the success she wanted is hollow and real happiness eludes her. Driven by her sense of perfection, Dusty takes on the world even as she discovers a desperate need to be loved in a way that could cause her career to crash. At the pinnacle of international success, with triumphs in Britain and America, Dusty finds the pressure unbearable. Unable to be what other people expect, and finding the spotlight’s heat can burn, she retreats from the world into a dark place.
Finding strength in adversity, Dusty returns to soar to the top. With the world applauding again, she has one more battle to fight.
A DAZZLING, FUNNY AND HEARTBREAKING STORY OF THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN ENTERTAINER PETER ALLEN, FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IN THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK THROUGH A METEORIC RISE TO FAME AND INTERNATIONAL STARDOM.
Reaching superstar status in the 1980’s, largely through songs he wrote for other artists, Peter Allen is best known for hits like ‘I Honestly Love You’ and ‘I Go to Rio’, as well as his 1981 Academy Award winning song ‘Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)’, written with Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross and Carol Bayer Sager, whom he collaborated with on a number of other well known titles.
The show opens in the 1950’s with Peter Allen, born Peter Richard Woolnough, in the small Australian bush town of Tenterfield, making his entertainment debut at the age of 5 and progressing quickly through his formative years. As a teenager he became a pop star on local TV as half of the singing duo ‘The Allen Brothers’, which then toured Asia, where he met Judy Garland. Judy takes Peter under her wing, hiring him as her opening act and taking him to New York where she introduces him to her daughter and future wife, Liza Minnelli.
In the US Peter enjoyed the height of success by winning an Oscar, selling out performances in Radio City Music Hall, and receiving adulation when he returned to Australia. But throughout all his fame and fortune, there were also plenty of lows … the separation from beloved wife Liza, the heart breaking death of his partner Greg, staging a ‘successful’ Broadway flop, and eventually losing his own battle with an AIDS related illness.
The Boy From Oz is a class above all other ‘jukebox’ musicals with a plot skillfully weaved around the life and complexities of Peter Allen. The songs and lyrics sit easily with the rhythm of the show as characters enter and re-enter his life, sometimes in spirit, and it is Peter’s experiences and memories that ultimately become the stories he writes and sings from the heart.
My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor determined to transform Eliza into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who really is being transformed?
Directed by Robert Ray, this sublime production features the GSOV Orchestra, playing Frederick Loewe’s ravishing score and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. My Fair Lady boasts a bouquet of classic songs: I Could Have Danced All Night, Get Me to the Church on Time, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, On the Street Where You Live, The Rain in Spain, and I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.
The Horsham Arts Council is the Wimmera’s premier amateur performing arts group, active in producing high quality musical theatre productions. A family friendly show full of beloved childhood characters and an abundance of colour, Seussical the Musical will be presented by the company at the Horsham Town Hall Theatre in May 2023.
Seussical the Musical is narrated by The Cat In the Hat and tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing the tiny world of Whoville. Horton faces a double challenge: not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird! Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, his neighbour Gertrude McFuzz and Jojo the Who never lose faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant – for as Horton says, “a person is a person, no matter how small.”
Additionally, there will be a relaxed performance on Thursday the 11th of May, which will include dimmed lights and sound, the house lights staying on slightly and an opportunity for individuals who prefer spare seats next to them to be accommodated.
Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths are quickly estranged when Tunny enters the armed forces, Will is called back home to attend to familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot relies on the lyrics from Green Day’s groundbreaking album to execute the story line.
The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical Green Day’s American Idiot, based on the Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before. This high-octane show includes every song from Green Day’s album, American Idiot, as well as several songs from its follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown.
A classic story of rivalry and power, Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical opens with Mitchie and her friends arriving at Camp Rock, ready to spend another summer jamming out and having the time of their lives. But the new, flashy Camp Star across the lake now threatens Camp Rock’s very existence. To keep the doors open, Mitchie steps up, rallies her fellow Camp Rockers and gets them into top shape for the ultimate showdown!
The epic struggle between good and evil comes to life on stage in the musical phenomenon, Jekyll & Hyde. Based on the classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson and featuring a thrilling score of pop rock hits from multi-Grammy- and Tony-nominated Frank Wildhorn and double-Oscar- and Grammy-winning Leslie Bricusse, Jekyll & Hyde has mesmerized audiences the world over.
An evocative tale of two men – one, a doctor, passionate and romantic; the other, a terrifying madman – and two women – one, beautiful and trusting; the other, beautiful, and trusting only herself– both women in love with the same man and both unaware of his dark secret. A devoted man of science, Dr. Henry Jekyll is driven to find a chemical breakthrough that can solve some of mankind’s most challenging medical dilemmas. Rebuffed by the powers that be, he decides to make himself the subject of his own experimental treatments, accidentally unleashing his inner demons along with the man that the world would come to know as Mr. Hyde.
Ladies in Black is a coming of age story of a young intelligent bookworm embarking on a summer job between completing her Leaving Certificate and hopefully embarking on a Literature degree at Sydney University.
Over a summer that changes her life, she befriends the colourful characters of the women’s clothing department. Each is on the precipice of change – facing independence, working for a living and what it means to be a woman.
With music and lyrics from Tim Finn and written by Carolyn Burns, this show is sure to keep you entertained!
Attend the dark, witty and gruesome tale of love, murder, revenge and indigestion, set against the eerie backdrop of 19th century London. A Stephen Sondheim classic!
Enjoy this all-new re-imagined and innovative production of Chicago by the same creative team that brought you CLOC’s smash success Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
There may be murder and mayhem, but mixed with the brilliance of humour, stunning dance numbers and show stopping songs (All That Jazz, Mister Cellophane, When You’re Good to Mama, Me and My Baby and Razzle Dazzle), Chicago is a roller coaster ride through the universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz.
