Australian tour of the Boy From Oz opens today

Arts News

By Amy Somensky Aug 3, 2006, 1:01 GMT

Sydney: The Australian arena tour of The Boy From Oz kicks off today at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Joining Tony winner Hugh Jackman as Peter Allen is Chrissy Amphlett as Judy Garland, Angela Toohey as Liza Minelli, Murray Bartlett as Greg, Peter Hardy as Dick Woolnough, and Colleen Hewett as Marion Peter's mother. Set to direct and choreograph is Kenny Ortega. The creative team includes costume design by Roger Kirk, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, and co-coreography by Kelley Abbey.This new production has been designed specially for the arena stage. The touring schedule is as follows:Sydney
Sydney Entertainment Centre
August 3rd - 6th Melbourne
Rod Laver Arena
August 11th - 13thAdelaide
Adelaide Entertainment Centre
August 24th - 26thBrisbane
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
September 1st - 3rdHugh Jackman said previously in a statement, "I am so excited and honoured to be returning to the Australian stage in The Boy From Oz . The Boy From Oz is a celebration of not only a great Australian, but of what it means to be Australian, and I look forward to celebrating Peter Allen's life in a thrilling tour with a great Australian cast. After a year with the show on Broadway I can't wait to sing "I Still Call Australia Home" IN Australia." Ben Gannon previously said "We are very excited to be reviving the show after its phenomenal success in Australia and New York, and doubly so, to be able to bring Hugh Jackman to Australia so his countrymen can be dazzled by what is now considered a legendary performance in Broadway history. When the show opened Hugh was hailed as the greatest leading man in musical theatre for decades, and as well as being a major movie star he is now established as the supreme star of the international musical stage. The original production of The Boy From Oz was seen by over 1,000,000 Australians, and we expect many of them, and many more, will be thrilled to see Hugh, one of our real international superstars, performing live on home ground. We are creating a spectacular new production on a massive scale to ensure that The Boy From Oz will be the showbiz event of 2006."The Boy From Oz world premiered in Sydney in 1998 then toured the country for two years. The musical opened on Broadway in October 2003, earning Hugh Jackman a Tony Award as well as critical and popular praise. A Japanese production ran in June 2005.The Boy From Oz tells the dazzling, funny and heart-breaking story of the great entertainer Peter Allen, from his humble beginnings growing up in the Australian outback through a meteoric rise to fame as an international star who would go on to sell out week-long engagements at Radio City Music Hall. Singing in the country pubs from age 11, Peter Allen survived family tragedy to become a local TV star at age 16. Discovered by Judy Garland, he married her daughter Liza Minelli and went on to become a beloved performer and an Oscar-winning songwriter. For The Boy From Oz tickets visit our database here.

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