Australian Musical MIRACLE CITY to Open at Sydney Opera House This October

A brand new production of Nick Enright and Max Lambert's celebrated Australian musical Miracle City takes over the Sydney Opera House Studio from 12 - 29 October with an outstanding cast of new stars and musical-theatre veterans.

Set in the early 1990s, at the height of televangelism, Miracle City tells the story of the Truswells, a family with a dream to build a religious theme park, and the extreme lengths the patriarch, Ricky Truswell, will go to in order to make their dream a reality.

The new production features an outstanding cast, including:

ARIA award-winner Missy Higgins in her first musical role as part of the powerhouse trio, the Citadel singers, alongside Lara Mulcahy (Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom) and Josie Lane (Little Shop of Horrors, Jerry's Girls, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Miracle City);

Gus Murray (The Great Gatsby, McLeod's Daughters, Packed to the Rafters) as the Reverend Ricky Truswell;

Kellie Rode (Mamma Mia!, Rocky Horror Show, Mother & Son) as his wife Lora Lee;

Jessica Vickers (Light in the Piazza, Fiddler on the Roof) as their apple-pie-fresh daughter Loretta;

Liam Nunan (Away, The Golden Age) as Loretta's love interest, and;

Anthony Phelan (Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Kettering Incident, The Wild Duck) as evangelist Pastor Millard Sizemore.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Performance, Danielle Harvey, says: "It's been said by many that Miracle City is an undiscovered gem of Australian musical theatre. I'm thrilled to champion local work with a cast and crew of formidable talent. Miracle City is a story that still resonates, loudly, today."

Producer, Alistair Thomson of The Theatre Division, says: "Miracle City is a unique, powerful and exhilarating Australian musical written by one of our finest musical Theatre Partnerships. We are delighted to bring this show to a wider audience with a stellar cast at The Studio at Sydney Opera House, a venue perfectly suited to this contemporary work."

The late great Australian dramatist Nick Enright (The Boy From Oz, Lorenzo's Oil, Cloudstreet) wrote the book and lyrics for Miracle City, based on a concept by Max Lambert (Hairspray, King Kong, Strictly Ballroom), who also wrote the music. It premiered at the Sydney Theatre Company in 1996 to universal acclaim, and was resurrected at the Hayes Theatre Co in 2014, earning five Sydney Theatre Award nominations and a slew of rave reviews.

This new production is directed by Darren Yap (Diving For Pearls, Letters To Lindy, A Murder Is Announced, Miracle City - 2014) with Max Lambert returning as musical director and conducting from the piano, and choreography by the award-winning Kelley Abbey (Fame The Musical, Footloose, Grease: The Arena Spectacular and Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour - Carmen).

Photo: Missy Higgins appearing in her musical theatre debut

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