This will be the first original production since the musical debuted on Broadway, Williams said, after STC and Michael Cassel secured the rights to put on a fresh interpretation for Australia.
“It is an instant classic, so this is pretty thrilling,” Williams said. “And aside from the fact that it is filled with these incredible pop bangers, I hope it will bring young audiences in, many of whom will be having their first professional theatre experience. I’m really excited about that.
Of the 15 productions lined up for the STC’s 2024 season, 11 are by Australian playwrights. These include Angus Cerini’s Into the Shimmering World, which will star Kerry Armstrong and Colin Friels as a farming couple who must contend with a once-in-a-generation drought. Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison’s 1998 play Stolen, following five members of the Stolen Generation, will be restaged by Wilman Noongar director Ian Michael.