Full Cast Set For THE DISMISSAL: AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS MUSIC COMEDY in Sydney

Award-winning music theatre powerhouse Squabbalogic has announced the full cast for the brand-new, original Australian musical THE DISMISSAL, which will be making its long-awaited world premiere from 26th August 2023 at Sydney’s Seymour Centre.

Conceived and directed by Jay James-Moody, with a book by Blake Erickson & Jay James-Moody, and music and lyrics by Laura Murphy, THE DISMISSAL is the must-see new musical of 2023.

THE DISMISSAL tells the epic story of Australia’s most dramatic political event – the sacking of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s government by the Governer-General Sir John Kerr on November 11th, 1975 – as told through the eyes of iconic larrikin Norman Gunston, played to uncanny perfection by the irrepressible Matthew Whittet (Darlinghurst Theatre’s Let The Right One In). 

Alongside Whittet, Justin Smith (Belvoir’s Into The Woods) will star as Gough Whitlam, Andrew Cutcliffe (Neglected Musicals & Hayes Theatre Co’s Bells Are Ringing) as Malcolm Fraser, and Octavia Barron-Martin (Hayes Theatre Co’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), as Sir John Kerr. 

These performers will lead an amazing cast of stand-out music theatre performers, including Georgie Bolton (Peacock/STAN’s Joe vs Carole), Peter Carroll (Belvoir’s Into The Woods), Lincoln Elliott (Squabbalogic’s On A Clear Day You Can See Forever), Joe Kosky (Rodney Rigby & Junkyard Dog Productions’ Come From Away), Kaori Maeda-Judge (Sydney Theatre Company’s White Pearl), Shannen Alyce Quan (LWAA’s SIX The Musical), Quinton Rofail Rich (National Theatre of Parramatta’s Choir Boy), Monique Sallé (ATYP’s The Deb), Brittanie Shipway (Bell Shakespeare’s The Lovers), and Anusha Thomas (Little Eggs Collective’s Metropolis).

With unimpeachable wit, a cracking original score, and a big heart, this ambitious world premiere doubles as both reckoning for the nation’s soul and a sensational night out, stirring audiences across generations and political persuasions.

The exhaustive four-year casting process has yielded an exceptional team of Australia’s top talent to bring the 1970’s Rogues Gallery of Politics to life.

Director and Co-Bookwriter Jay James-Moody said, “The process of casting this show so consciously over a number of years with our creative, casting and inclusivity teams has been thrilling, challenging, illuminating and ultimately very rewarding. We’re so thrilled that this story – largely about white men in the 1970’s – will be presented to 2023 audiences by a team that represents the vast diversity of present day Australia which adds a further depth to the tale we are telling.” 

THE DISMISSAL will open at the Seymour Centre from 26th August 2023. 

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