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NEW AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL THE DISMISSAL MUSICAL NOW ON IN SYDNEY
Wednesday, 18 October 2023
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The brand new Australian musical THE DISMISSAL, featuring our very own Andrew Cutcliffe (OR2003) is now on at the Seymour Centre in Sydney. Newly deposed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam descends the steps of Parliament House to rage against his dismissal by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, who has replaced him with the opposition leader, Malcolm Fraser. A scoop of reporters throng toward him – chief among them Gold Logie-winner, beloved larrikin and Wollongong’s favourite son: Norman Gunston. Half a century later, Norman returns to deliver a rollicking, razor-sharp musical account of Australia’s epic constitutional crisis. In the spirit of Keating, SIX, and The Wharf Revue comes “Australia’s answer to Hamilton” (The Sydney Morning Herald) – a toe-tapping journey through time, a wry commentary on Australian history, and a confronting portrait of our national character. Conceived and directed by Jay James-Moody, with a book by Blake Erickson & Jay James-Moody, and music and lyrics by Laura Murphy, THE DISMISSAL is the must-see new musical of 2023. The exhaustive four-year casting process has yielded an exceptional team of Australia’s top talent to bring the 1970’s Rogues Gallery of Politics to life. Told through the eyes of iconic larrikin Norman Gunston, played to uncanny perfection by the irrepressible Matthew Whittet (Let The Right One In). He is joined by Justin Smith (Into The Woods) as Gough Whitlam, Andrew Cutcliffe (Bells Are Ringing) as Malcolm Fraser, and Octavia Barron-Martin (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) as Sir John Kerr. These performers will lead an amazing cast of stand-out music theatre performers including: Georgie Bolton (Joe vs Carole), Peter Carroll (Into The Woods), Lincoln Elliott (On A Clear Day You Can See Forever), Joe Kosky (Come From Away), Kaori Maeda-Judge (White Pearl), Shannen Alyce Quan (SIX The Musical), Quinton Rofail Rich (Choir Boy), Monique Sallé (The Deb), Brittanie Shipway (The Lovers), and Anusha Thomas (Metropolis). With unimpeachable wit, electrifying music, and a big heart, this ambitious world premiere doubles as both a reckoning for the nation’s soul and a sensational night out, stirring audiences across generations and political persuasions. Tickets can be purchased here Laurence Coy OIU Cultural Envoy Sydney |