ALL ABOUT EVE Cast Announced for Malthouse Theatre's Australian Premiere

Malthouse Theatre has announced the full cast for the Australian premiere of Ivo van Hove's celebrated West End stage adaptation of All About Eve. Playing 20 November-12 December at the Merlyn, the play is based on Mary Orr's The Wisdom of Eve and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's cinematic masterpiece–which earned 14 Oscar nominations and six wins, including Best Picture. Helpmann Award-winner Dean Bryant directs this sumptuous reimagining of the classic tale of backstage ambition, marking his first production with the company as Artistic Director.

Joining the incandescent Christie Whelan Browne is an extraordinary cast featuring Brent Hill (Hamilton, School of Rock), Kevin Hofbauer (Melbourne Theatre Company's Macbeth, Malthouse Theatre's Hour of the Wolf), Evelyn Krape (Melbourne Theatre Company's Uncle Vanya), Christina O'Neill (Melbourne Theatre Company's My Brilliant Career, Malthouse Theatre's Hour of the Wolf), newcomer Tea Moma, and Junior Nyong'o, who last year starred opposite his sister, Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong'o, in The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park season of Twelfth Night.

The drama unfolds inside a dressing room in New York City, as Broadway legend Margo Channing is introduced to her biggest fan, Eve Harrington. Margo is the undisputed queen of the theatre, and Eve is happy to serve in whatever small way she can. But Margo knows something all women in her position do: danger lurks everywhere, and a society that lifts you up is just as eager to tear you back down.

In an impressive undertaking, Whelan Browne will perform the dual roles of Margo and Eve, famously originated on screen by Hollywood legends Bette Davis and Anne Baxter and later played by Gillian Anderson and Lily James in Ivo van Hove's West End production. Whelan Browne's multi-character interpretation draws inspiration from tour-de-force, one-person stagings like Andrew Scott's acclaimed performance in The National Theatre's Vanya, unifying predator and prey live on stage in a singular artistic feat.

The production marks a major milestone for Whelan Browne as she celebrates twenty-one years since her professional theatre debut. Stepping into both roles allows her to reflect on her own artistic journey and channel two sides of the performer's coin, flipping between the hunger of the ingénue and the mastery of the seasoned performer. It also deepens her rich creative partnership with director Dean Bryant, following acclaimed collaborations on Britney Spears: The Cabaret, Show People, and Melbourne Theatre Company hits Born Yesterday and An Ideal Husband.

For their latest project, Bryant brings this Hollywood classic and West End smash to Australian shores for the first time, giving the legendary film and Mary Orr's The Wisdom of Eve a sleek, modern reimagining. Designed by another of Bryant's longtime collaborators, Dann Barber (Victorian Opera's Candide), All About Eve will feature sophisticated fifties-inspired costuming, floating in a world of mirrored surfaces.

“Assembling this phenomenal ensemble to play some of the sharpest dialogue ever written is a dream come true,” said Director and Malthouse Theatre Artistic Director Dean Bryant. “Having Christie tackle both Margo and Eve alongside such exceptional performers as Brent, Evelyn, Christina, Junior, and Tea makes this a thrilling prospect. Christie and I have shared so many career-defining moments together, and having her navigate both sides of this ambitious duel surrounded by this cast is the ultimate celebration of her talent.”

“To mark my twenty-first year in this industry by playing both Margo and Eve under Dean's direction feels wonderfully poetic,” said Christie Whelan Browne. “These two characters represent the entire arc of female ambition in the performing arts–the vulnerability of holding onto your crown and the ruthless hunger to claim it. Exploring that duality within a single performance alongside this brilliant cast is the challenge of a lifetime, and there's no director I trust more to navigate that psychological tightrope with me.”

Bringing Bryant's vision to life is a sensational creative team including Dann Barber (Set & Costume Designer), Morgan Moroney (Lighting & Video Designer), and Rainbow Chan (Composer & Sound Designer).

All About Eve plays at Malthouse's Merlyn Theatre 20 November-12 December 2026. Tickets are on sale now at malthousetheatre.com.au.

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