We were incredibly fortunate to call the Sydney Theatre Company home during its early development and the premiere season in 2017.
When the Muriel’s Wedding film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994, it snatched a piece of the world’s ‘misfit-loving’ hearts. It was only a matter of time before the story demanded a stage musical. So, two decades after the film was released, Global Creatures’ Producer Carmen Pavlovic approached film Director PJ Hogan about turning his iconic film into a musical. Hogan happened to already be in discussion with Simon Phillips who was interested in directing a stage production, and this set in motion a creative journey that would see Muriel’s Wedding The Musical come to life on stages in both Australia and the UK.
The musical first premiered in 2017 in partnership with Sydney Theatre Company, and was met with both critical and commercial acclaim, winning seven Sydney Theatre Awards and five Helpmann Awards.
Global Creatures brought together a dynamo creative team comprising Director Simon Phillips, book by PJ Hogan, with award-winning multi-platinum selling Australian artists Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall engaged to write original music and lyrics, to be performed alongside various iconic songs by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson originally written for ABBA.
The result was a vibrant musical that brought Muriel’s world to life with both humour and poignancy.
“AT ITS CORE, MURIEL’S WEDDING IS A SHARP AND UNFLINCHING PORTRAIT OF SMALL-TOWN AUSTRALIA WHERE BULLYING AND CORRUPTION ARE RIPE FOR COMEUPPANCE. IT’S A DEEP EXPLORATION OF SADNESS, LONELINESS AND A YEARNING TO BELONG. A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF ENDURING FRIENDSHIP – ONE THAT RESONATES TODAY JUST AS DEEPLY AS IT DID IN 1994.” CARMEN PAVLOVIC, PRODUCER
Following the success of the 2017 season, Global Creatures produced a return season in 2019 that toured nationally, keeping the original creative team at the helm and further cementing the show’s place in Australia’s musical theatre landscape.
Five years on, the Global Creatures team were excited to introduce Muriel’s Wedding The Musical to a new audience, this time in the UK. Click on the Leicester or Australia tiles below to explore these seasons further.
WORLDWIDE
Credit Matt Crockett
"Astonishing…A triumphant blaze of colour and emotion."
The Age
Creatives
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Credit Marc Brenner
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Credit Marc Brenner
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Credit Marc Brenner
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Credit James Green
| Book | PJ Hogan |
| Music and Lyrics | Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall |
| Additional Songs | Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson originally written for ABBA |
| Director | Simon Phillips |
| Choreographer | Andrew Hallsworth |
| Set, Costume & Projection Designer | Gabriela Tylesova |
| Lighting Designer | Trent Suidgeest |
| Sound Designer | Michael Waters |
| Music Supervisor, Orchestrations, Arrangements & Additional Music |
Isaac Hayward |
| Associate Director & Choreographer | Ellen Simpson |
| Set Design Associate | Charles Davis |
| Costume Design Associate | Alicia Clements |
| Musical Director | Daniel Puckey |
| Hair, Wigs & Make-up | Campbell Young Associates |
| Book | PJ Hogan |
| Music and Lyrics | Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall |
| Additional Songs | Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson originally written for ABBA |
| Director | Simon Phillips |
| Choreographer | Andrew Hallsworth |
| Music Supervisor, Orchestrations, Arrangements & Additional Music |
Isaac Hayward |
| Set Designer | Matt Kinley |
| Costume Designer | Gabriela Tylesova |
| Video Design and Creation | Andrzej Goulding |
| Lighting Designer | Natasha Chivers |
| Sound Designer | Adam Fisher |
| Casting | Stuart Burt, CDG CDA |
| Associate Director & Choreographer | Ellen Simpson |
| Associate Set Designer | David Harris |
| Associate Costume Designer | Philip Engleheart |
| Associate Lighting Designer | Hector Murray |
| Associate Sound Designer | Harry Barker |
| Production Manager | Patrick Molony |
| Hair, Wigs & Make-up | Campbell Young Associates |
Awards & Nominations
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Credit Jeff Busby
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Credit Jeff Busby
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Credit Jeff Busby
| Winner – Best Choreography in a Musical | Andrew Hallsworth |
| Winner – Best Original Score | Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall |
| Winner – Best Music Direction | Isaac Hayward |
| Winner – Best Costume Design | Gabriela Tylesova |
| Winner – Best Sound Design | Michael Waters |
| Nominated for Best Musical | Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures |
| Nominated for Best New Australian Work | PJ Hogan, Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall |
| Nominated for Best Direction of a Musical | Simon Phillips |
| Best Female Actor in a Musical | Max McKenna |
| Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Christie Whelan Browne, Madeleine Jones |
| Winner – Best Production of a Mainstage Musical | |
| Winner – Best Original Score of a Mainstage Production | Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall |
| Winner – Best Newcomer | Max McKenna (Muriel) |
| Winner – Best Direction of a Musical | Simon Phillips |
| Winner – Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Madeleine Jones (Rhonda) |
| Winner – Best Choreography in a Musical | Andrew Hallsworth |
| Winner – Best Musical Direction of a Musical | Isaac Hayward |
| Nominated for Best Costume Design of A Mainstage Production | Gabriela Tylesova |
| Nominated for Best New Australian Work | |
| Nominated for the Judith Johnson Award For Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role In A Musical | Max McKenna |
| Nominated for Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role In A Musical | Justine Clarke |
| Winner – Original Australian Writing | PJ Hogan (Book), Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall (Music & Lyrics) |
| Winner – Betty Pounder Award for Excellence in Choreography | Andrew Hallsworth |
| Winner – Set Design | Gabriela Tylesova |
| Winner – Costume Design | Gabriela Tylesova |
| Nominated for Best Lead Role | Natalie Abbott (Muriel) |
| Nominated for Best Supporting Role | Stefanie Jones |
| Nominated for Best Production | |
| Nominated for Best Direction | Simon Phillips |
| Nominated for Best Lighting and Multimedia Design | Trent Suidgeest |
| Winner – AWGIE Award for Music Theatre | PJ Hogan with Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall (lyrics) and Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson (lyrics) |
| Winner – David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre | P.J. Hogan with Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall |
| Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Carmen Pavlovic, Angela Dalton, Guy Simpson, Pip Norman |
GALLERY
Credit Matt Crockett, Marc Brennar, Jeff Busby and Jim Lee
KEY DATES
2017 |
18 November - Muriel's Wedding The Musical had its world premiere at Roslyn Packer Theatre, kicking off a smash-hit 10-week season with Sydney Theatre Company. |
2019 |
12 March - The national tour began at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, taking the show to audiences across Australia for the first time. |
2019 |
28 June - The production returned to Sydney with performances at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. |
2019 |
19 September - The tour continued to Brisbane with an opening night at QPAC. |
2025 |
10 April - Goodbye Porpoise Spit, Hello UK! The production made its UK debut at Curve Theatre in Leicester. |
Undateable. Unemployable. Unstoppable.
Stuck in a dead-end life in Porpoise Spit, Muriel dreams of the perfect wedding – the white dress, the church, the attention.
Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing: a groom. Following her dreams to Sydney, Muriel ends up with everything she ever wanted – a man, a fortune and a million social media followers.
That’s when things start to go really wrong.
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CREDIT JIM LEE
Story
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