Dream Lover: Another world debut musical for Sydney
Frosty the Showman has done it again! Another brand new musical will debut in Australia thanks to the backing of the prominent Australian producer.
His blockbuster musical WICKED has only just ended its 8 year Australasian stint, but producer John Frost has already announced his next project. Frosty, along with John and Barbara Gilbert of Gilbert Theatrical Pty Ltd. will co-produce the world premiere production of Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical in Sydney next year, it was confirmed today.
Estimated to attract more than 29,000 visitors to Sydney, the show is set to open at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre in September 2016 for a 10 week season, injecting a projected $7.1 million in visitor expenditure into the state.
Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical will be directed by Simon Phillips, who also tackled the new musical An Officer and A Gentleman (also produced by John Frost), the Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera sequel Love Never Dies and the highly successful Australian export Priscilla.
“Our director Simon Phillips conducted a number of workshops and the results were fantastic. They got me really excited about this thrilling new musical, and it’s now ready for a full production. I can’t wait to present it to Australian audiences,” Frost said.
Frost acquired the rights to this new musical back in 2010 and in 2011 told AussieTheatre: “I like working with [Simon Phillips], he knows how to construct a musical, and that’s certainly an asset to have… he’s terrific.”
Securing Dream Lover’s premiere season for Sydney is a major coup for the NSW Government, according to Stuart Ayres, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events.
“Hosting first-run musicals in Sydney further establishes our city’s position as the live performance capital of Australia and provides added inspiration for interstate and international visitors to book a trip to Sydney and NSW”, he said.
Although a healthy rivalry still exists between Melbourne and Sydney for the ‘theatre capital’ of Australia, the NSW Government certainly has hosted many first run musicals over the past few years including An Officer and A Gentleman, Dr Zhivago and Strictly Ballroom. Destination NSW also managed to secure the Australian premiere of Matilda The Musical, despite widespread initial speculation that the show would be opening in Melbourne.
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical will tell the fascinating story about the Grammy award-winning singer and Oscar nominated actor and feature a range of music genres including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country.
“With hit songs from the 1960s including Mack the Knife, Splish Splash and of course Dream Lover, this sensational musical is set to provide viewers with an unforgettable performance,”she Chipchase said.
Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical is written by Frank Howson and John Michael Howson.
Waitlist at dreamlover.com.au
