Simon Phillips News

In 1962, the original production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum was struggling in its off broadway try out. Audiences were not turning up and so producer Hal Prince hired director Jerome Robbins to come in and offer some advice to the creative team. Robbins biggest influence in the piece was to scrap the opening number 'Love is in the Air' and commission Stephen Sondheim to write a new uptempo tune that introduced the piece as a wild bawdy comedy. 'Comedy tonight'was born and so to the show which went on to win a number of Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Geoffrey Rush will lead John Frost's production of Sondheim's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, which opens in Melbourne Saturday, October 27 at Her Majesty's Theatre and runs for twelve weeks. The show is directed by Simon Phillips. BroadwayWorld has a look at photos from the cast announcement and media launch. Check back soon for full production shots!

Geoffrey Rush will lead John Frost's production of Sondheim's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, which opens in Melbourne Saturday, October 27 at Her Majesty's Theatre and runs for twelve weeks. The show is directed by Simon Phillips. BroadwayWorld has a Q&A session with the cast. Check out the video below!

Geoffrey Rush will lead John Frost's production of Sondheim's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, which opens in Melbourne Saturday, October 27 at Her Majesty's Theatre and runs for twelve weeks. The show is directed by Simon Phillips.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert played its final performance on Broadway on June 24, 2012, after 23 previews and 526 performances. Now, according to an Equity casting notice, a national tour for the show will launch from Minneapolis on January 8.

Dopo due stagioni poco fortunate, il Teatro Brancaccio cambia direzione artistica e si mette nuovamente al servizio della sua città grazie al coraggio e alla tenacia di Alessandro Longobardi, già alla guida della Sala Umberto di Roma.

Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed in a recent interview with Scotsman.com that the Australian version of LOVE NEVER DIES will indeed make its way back to the UK. He told Scotsman: 'The Australian production, which was wonderful - the London production wasn't very good, the Australians got it right - is going out next year. The plan is, that will go on the road here, in the autumn of next year.'

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert played its final performance on Broadway on June 24, 2012, after 23 previews and 526 performances. Now, according to an Equity casting notice, a national tour for the show will launch from Minneapolis on January 8.

Live Performance Australia (LPA) today announced the names of Award Presenters for the 41 categories for the 2012 Helpmann Awards. These include Amanda Bishop, Blake Bowden, Bille Brown AM, Bryan Brown AM, Darcey Bussell CBE, Daniel Carter, Kate Ceberano, Gerry Connolly, Li Cunxin, Cameron Daddo, Lucy Durack, Marta Dusseldorp, Amanda Harrison, Verity Hunt-Ballard, Genevieve Lemon, Matt Lee, Emma Matthews, David McAllister AM, Lisa McCune, Rob Mills, Simon Phillips, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Leo Schofield AM, The Hon. George Souris, Lyndon Terracini, Stuart Wagstaff AM, and John Waters.

Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett tonight announced their final season as Co Artistic Directors of Sydney Theatre Company which will include exceptional onstage partnerships directed by internationally lauded directors. Cate Blanchett and legendary French actor Isabelle Huppert will play murderous sisters directed by Benedict Andrews in a fresh exploration of Genet's The Maids by Andrew Upton and Benedict Andrews. Richard Roxburgh and Hugo Weaving are reunited with Uncle Vanya director Tamas Ascher to give their all for a cornerstone of 20th century theatre, Beckett's Waiting for Godot; and Tim Minchin and Toby Schmitz take on another of theatre's great double acts directed by Simon Phillips in Stoppard's comic masterpiece Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

Jon Nicholls, Executive Producer, 2012 Helpmann Awards® Ceremony today announced that Cirque du Soleil will perform at the annual awards ceremony to be presented at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 24 September.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert plays its final performance on Broadway today, June 24, 2012, after 23 previews and 526 performances. After a pre-Broadway try-out in Toronto, the show opened on March 20, 2011, at The Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway), starring Tony Award nominee Will Swenson, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon and Nick Adams as a trio of friends on a road trip, who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback, and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.

The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan opens in UK cinemas today, 22 June, 2012, distributed by Momentum Pictures. Check out photos from the film below!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert star Nick Adams welcomed guest rocker Joan Jett backstage at the Palace Theatre last week on June 14. Adams invited Jett to see Priscilla before its 549-performance run ends this Sunday, June 24. Check out a photo of the pair below!

The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan opens in UK cinemas on 22 June, 2012, distributed by Momentum Pictures. Check out photos from the film below!

Geoffrey Rush will lead John Frost's production of Sondheim's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM when it opens in Melbourne Saturday, October 27 at Her Majesty's Theatre. The show will be directed by Simon Phillips and will feature a cast of Australian comedy actors, according to funnything.com.au.

Deadline.com reports that producers of the current Australian production of AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN: THE MUSICAL plan to 'make changes and relaunch the musical ahead of a possible tour of the U.S.'

An Officer and a Gentleman, directed by Simon Philips and co-written by Douglas Day Stewart and composer and lyricist team Ken Hirsch and Robin Lerner, made its world premiere performance on May 18 at the Lyric Theater in Sydney, Australia. New photos of the production have been released and BroadwayWorld brings you all of them below!