Neglected Musicals to Stage DEAR WORLD at Hayes Theatre Co

Neglected Musicals will present DEAR WORLD, at Hayes Theatre Co on Monday, 3 August. Directed by Nicholas Hammond, the 1969 Broadway Musical, DEAR WORLD is a clash of good and evil where the forces of idealism, love and poetry win over those of greed, materialism and science.

"Jerry Herman's masterpiece, DEAR WORLD is a brilliant musical adaptation of The Madwoman of Chaillot combining magical realism, romance, and the triumph of good people over greed and venality" said Nicholas Hammond. "Its themes are timeless, and the music and lyrics Herman at the peak of his craft. Sometimes you need to feign madness in order to restore sanity to this world."

Neglected Musicals presents musicals that have rarely or never been seen in Australia via a reading presentation with scripts in hand, the musical numbers sung through, after only one day's rehearsal.

The original production of DEAR WORLD played at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on February 6, 1969, and played for 132 performances. It starred Angela Lansbury as Countess Aurelia. The musical received a Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical (Angela Lansbury), and a nomination for Best Scenic Design. In recent years a revised version of the musical has become available having been presented in Canada and the West End.

"This is a musical that I have always wanted to present for Neglected Musicals," said producer Michelle Guthrie. "The cast we are assembling including Genevieve Lemon, Simon Burke and Amanda Bishop, is quite remarkable, it's a wonderful show for such great talent.

Countesses Aurelia, Constance and Gabrielle are faced with the prospect of being uprooted from their home when ruthless businessmen make plans to drill for oil in their Parisian neighbourhood of Chaillot. In order to overcome this threat, they must scheme and sabotage the evil Chairman of the Board's operation. But will the help of a local waitress, a defecting businessman and a sewer man be enough to save the Countesses neighbourhood home? Or will the determination of greedy men triumph?

Songs include; I Don't Want to Know, Kiss Her Now, Dear World and I've Never Said I Love you.

Previous Neglected Musicals presentations; NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY, GIRL CRAZY, SEE SAW, MY FAVORITE YEAR, SHE LOVES ME, NICK AND NORA, ON THE 20TH CENTURY, LUCY STIFF, VARIATIONS and SUPERMAN. Neglected Musicals is not for profit, where the participants are volunteers. All proceeds from ticket sales fund the next Neglected Musical.

More cast to be announced soon, cast subject to change without notice.

Hayes Theatre Co is a dedicated music theatre and cabaret venue in Potts Point that was formerly the home of the Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Named for Australian musical theatre legend, Nancye Hayes OAM, Hayes Theatre Co honours and builds on the vast history of Australian Musical Theatre and its practitioners. This not-for-profit venue is managed by Independent Music Theatre, a collaborative partnership focusing on providing a permanent home for small-scale musical theatre and cabaret. By providing venue space to newly mounted productions, Hayes Theatre Co, will be a presenting partner together with independent producers and artists. Hayes Theatre Co is made possible through the City of Sydney's Accommodation Grant Program