Simon Gleeson News

The annual Helpmann Awards® recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre. The Helpmann Awards also incorporates the JC Williamson Award for outstanding contribution to the Australian live performance industry.

A lack of enthusiasm embodied me as I entered the Regent Theater on Saturday night for the Australian opening of Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew LLoyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Having seen the show twice at the Adelphi Theater in London I had a fair idea of what I was in for and quite honestly I felt that the two previous times where more than enough to convince me that this show, no matter how hard LLoyd Webber tries, simply does not work. How wrong I was. This is a brand new show from Overture to Curtain and even the familar story and score seemed to rise in this herculean effort by an Australian creative team led by Director Simon Phillips and Designer Gabriela Tylesova. The vast minimalist expanses of the Adelphi stage were now filled with a carnival of lights, carousels, and a cast of freaks and outcast characters that finally gave the show the vibe it needed. One cannot help but be wowed by the spherical design employed by Tylesova in the Coney Island Waltz in the early stages of Act 1, and in reality, it is the design of the show that is its star attraction. That and Phantom Ben Lewis. Lewis' character is vocally as powerful a Phantom that I have seen. However, it wasn't Lewis' vocal ability that won me over, it was his tender acting performance. So much so that what in the past was a particularly unmoving final scene became one of the most finite and complete in recent memory. The audience either side of me were fossicking for their handkerchiefs and it left me wishing I had brought one myself.

The continuation of Broadway's longest-running musical The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies will open today, May 21 2011 at the Regent Theatre.

The full cast for the Australian debut of Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES has been announced. Sharon Millerchip will reprise the role of Meg Giry, a part she originally created for the Australian premiere of The Phantom of the Opera in Melbourne. Sharon is no stranger to playing strong-sassy women in musical theatre, having portrayed both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in Chicago (winning Helpmann Awards for both), Anita in West Side Story, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity.

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It's just been announced that taking principal roles in the new Australian production of LOVE NEVER DIES are Maria Mercedes, Sharon Millerchip and Simon Gleeson, joining the previously announced Ben Lewis as The Phantom and Anna O'Byrne as Christine. They will join the rest of the cast, which are yet to be announced, when rehearsals start in just a few weeks.

Peter Polycarpou will play 'Daniel Warshowsky', the head of a family of actors, in the new musical 'IMAGINE THIS', which will have its premiere at the New London Theatre in the West End on Wednesday 19 November, following previews from 4 November

Peter Polycarpou will play 'Daniel Warshowsky', the head of a family of actors, in the new musical 'IMAGINE THIS', which will have its premiere at the New London Theatre in the West End on Wednesday 19 November, following previews from 4 November

Three Sides, a new musical, will play the New British Musical Theatre festival at the Finborough from June 25th through July 10th before it receives its New York premiere