Light and Bright – Production Company season for 2012 announced

BREAKING NEWS

It was officially announced today that The Production Company will present three blockbuster musicals starring some of Australia’s biggest music theatre talent in 2012.

The Producers, CHESS The Musical and Promises, Promises will make up the season at the State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne.

Chairman of The Production Company, Jeanne Pratt said the programming team were looking for fun and uplifting shows for this year’s season.

“In planning our 2012 season we have kept our thinking light and bright! We’re focused on comedy and great music”, she said.

Mel Brooks’ laugh-a-minute comedy The Producers (July 10-15) will be directed by Andrew Hallsworth and Dean Bryant, the creative team who staged the highly successful season of Anything Goes last year, with Musical Direction by Kellie Dickerson.

Starring Christie Whelan (The Importance of Being Earnest, Xanadu), Wayne Scott Kermond (Anything Goes, Singin’ in the Rain), Trevor Ashley (Hairspray), Mitchell Butel (Avenue Q), Rohan Browne (West Side Story, A Chorus Line) and Brent Hill (Rock of Ages), this show is sure to start The Production Company’s season with a bang!

Simon Gleeson, fresh from the stage of Love Never Dies will join Martin Crewes (Dr. Zhivago), Bobby Fox (Jersey Boys) and Silvie Paladino (Mamma Mia, The King and I) in CHESS The Musical from August 21-26.

Multi-award winning Australian Director Gale Edwards will re-stage this extraordinary musical, and Tony Bartuccio will choreograph. The score by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (and book by Tim Rice) will be conducted by David Piper at all performances .

The final show in The Production Company season will feature Australia’s darling of the stage, Marina Prior (Mary Poppins, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), starring opposite Matt Hetherington (Next To Normal, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) in Burt Bacharach’s Promises Promises from October 3-7.

Film and stage director Nadia Tass makes her Production Company debut as director and Guy Simpson (Love Never Dies) will return from international commitments to Musically Direct and conduct this show.

For the very first time this year, The Production Company will be offering an UNDER 30 SERIES. This special offer will allow young audiences the ability to see two of the musicals for $60 per subscription. Full subscriptions cost $114 for all three shows.

Each show will have twelve days of whirlwind rehearsal; one day of dress and media rehearsals; and between five and seven performances. With no Government subsidy, The Production Company rely on the support of the corporate sector, individual support and box office takings in order to continue to function.

To book your tickets for the 2012 season, or for more information, visit www.theproductioncompany.com.au