Tony Sheldon returns home for Priscilla revival
Bernadette is coming home, and she’s getting back on the bus!
The principal cast for Australia’s most successful stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert has been confirmed ahead of a Melbourne opening on Sunday January 21, 2018.
Tony Award and Olivier Award nominated actor (and Australian national treasure) Tony Sheldon will be returning home to reprise his role of Bernadette in the show’s 10th Anniversary Celebration Tour. After creating the role of Bernadette in the original stage production, Sheldon reprised the role in the West End production before treading the boards at the legendary Palace Theatre on Broadway, frocking up more than 1750 times across the globe as the sassy desert queen.
Completing the trio of misfits who hop aboard a battered old bus bound for Alice Springs is accomplished leading man David Harris as Tick and Kinky Boots and Les Miserables alumni Euan Doidge as Felicia.
David Harris has a celebrated career spanning more than 20 years, gaining critical acclaim for his portrayal of Chris in Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Miss Saigon and has won countless awards and nominations for various musical roles, including Fiyero in Wicked, The Baker in Victorian Opera’s Into The Woods and as Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde.
Euan Doidge was most recently seen in Cyndi Lauper’s musical Kinky Boots as one of the sequinned, high-heeled “Angels”. He understudied the lead role of Lola and performed many times to great acclaim. He previously played Marius in the recent Australian tour of Les Miserables and has appeared in Anything Goes, The Producers, A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde.
Tony, David and Euan lead a cast of 25 soon-to-be-announced movers and groovers for the 10th Anniversary tour of this veritable national treasure; Australia’s most popular homegrown musical and top cultural export. Based on the 1994 film of the same name (starring Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp and Guy Pearce), this production will once again be directed by Simon Phillips and staging from co-choreographers by Andrew Hallsworth and Ross Coleman. Michael Cassel Group and Nullarbor Productions in association with MGM on Stage are presenting the tour, which is set to transfer to Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane after its Melbourne season.
Of course, the great Tony Sheldon is Oz Theatre Royalty, and it is cause to celebrate his return in the award-winning performance he triumphed in internationally, but here on Broadway, in New York City, he has become one of the most beloved imports in the history of The American Theatre.
Treasure him, celebrate him, and enjoy him on this return engagement tour – and then PLEASE let us borrow him back to his second home on Broadway. We are far from finished with him and he has much more history to make on these shores before we let him go again. And thank you for letting us share the finest of Australia’s home grown, legendary, greatest national gift to the rest of the world!
Gratefully,
Rick McKay
Director/Producer
The Broadway: The Golden Age Film Trilogy
http://www.broadwaythemovie.com
It breaks my heart reading Rick’s very kind comments as this passionate and irreplaceable theatre historian died suddenly last week. His wonderfully entertaining documentary feature BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE, available on dvd, is a must-see for any student of theatre and a rough cut of the sequel, BEYOND THE GOLDEN AGE, had been previewed at the time of his death and will no doubt be released in the near future. Sadly, the trilogy will now most likely remain incomplete.
I was delighted to get tickets for the Australia Day evening performance in Melbourne which was simply outstanding. From the cast to the costumes, the music to the amazing cast and crew – if you only go to one in your lifetime this would be the one I’d choose. From someone who was unaure if I’d enjoy this but knew thier bff wanted to go for her 40th birthday celebrations, I am a total convert and I cant wait to drive the 7hrs back to Melbourne to attend.