After spending six years in development, a romantic comedy musical is finally launching at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne next year. Loosely inspired by the classic Cinderella story, Midnight the musical features Ella, a feisty young heroine, and The Prince, who is captivated by her and finds himself in uncharted territory. Can he prove his worth, and can she ignite his desire for change? All of this must be done, in classic fairy tale fashion, before the clock strikes twelve. Midnight will play for a strictly limited season at the Comedy Theatre from June 2023.
Midnight the musical
The cast so far includes several of Australia’s favourite musical theatre stars, including Lucy Durack (Wicked, Legally Blonde), Verity Hunt-Ballard (Mary Poppins, Sweet Charity), Thomas McGuane (Frozen, Jersey Boys), Matt Lee (Mary Poppins, Frozen) and Kristie Nguy. A nation-wide search is underway for the coveted role of Ella.
Midnight features music/lyrics by John Foreman (Aussie Pops Orchestra, Carols by Candlelight) and Anthony Costanzo (Life’s A Circus, Cross Roads). It also features an additional song by Kate Miller-Heidke (Muriel’s Wedding).
“Whilst we still have some of the beloved fairy tale characters, there are many new surprises that we know will delight audiences,” said producer Spencer McLaren. “Midnight has many Broadway-style showstoppers that people will be singing for years to come.”
The creative team includes Direction/Book by Dean Murphy (Charlie & Boots, The Divorce) and Pip Mushin (Resident: Book of Mormon, Fiddler on the Roof). Kelly Aykers (So You Think You Can Dance, The Wizard of Oz) will take charge of Choreography.
“The inspiration for Midnight is borne of the desire to create a fully formed, funny, complex heroine for a new generation and to create the definitive musical version of this magical, evergreen tale,” said Dean Murphy. “The Cinderella story has been retold for hundreds of years with the most widely known version being written in 1950 and reflecting the sensibilities of that era. So, a number of our team with young children felt it was time the world of Cinderella was freshly revisited to explore how this intriguing girl became an icon, but told through a new, empowering story that sees this force-of-nature fight for great change whilst still embracing the love, support and magic from those around her.”
Tickets go on sale at 9am, on Friday November 11.