Independent Theatre

Inside ‘Boys of Sondheim,’ part of the MELT festival in BRISBANE Feb 2-4

Credit Simon Mason

As part of their mandate to offer Brisbane audiences an alternative to mainstream musical theatre, Alex Woodward and Understudy Productions are once more set to thrill with Boys of Sondheim.

A cabaret-concert weaving the works of celebrated composer Stephen Sondheim with monologues capturing the essence of what it is to be a gay man in today’s Australia, written by Anthony Nocera, Boys of Sondheim seeks to add a different voice to the stories of gay Australia in partnership with the annual MELT Festival run by the Brisbane Powerhouse.

Alex Woodward of Understudy Productions, Supplied Image.

Sondheim has always been linked with the messiness of human interaction. His works live in liminal spaces –between decisions, between states of being, and between identities. It is this core mysticism about identity which has fuelled the fires of LGBTQ debate in this country, and also, the necessity of artistic exploration of just what these questions mean.

This will be Understudy Productions’ second public offering following their debut in July of 2016 with Edges: a Song Cycle, and they have gone with a similar casting philosophy featuring an ensemble of 5 emerging Brisbane artists.

The cast includes: Kurt Phelan (Dirty Dancing Australian tour as Johnny Castle), Sean Andrews (Phantom of The Opera the International Asian tour), Tim Carroll (Grease The Arena Experience with Harvest Rain), Alexander Woodward (Grease The Arena Experience with Harvest Rain), and Stephen Hirst (Into The Woods).

With the rising emergence of independent and cooperative theatre models in Australia, Understudy productions are a little company with a very large goal. They, and far too few others, are seeking to establish an off-broadway vibe that has slowly begun to infiltrate the nations’ consciousness over the last 5 years.

With a well trained and dynamic group of performers, some of the most celebrated musical theatre songs written in our generation, and stories inspired directly by real-life testimony of Gay Australian men, Boys of Sondheim seems to have all of the elements required for a great night out at the theatre.

Show Details:
Where: Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington St, New Farm QLD 4005
When: February 2 – 4, 2016

Tickets: Adults $39 / Concession $34 (plus booking fees)
brisbanepowerhouse.org

For more ticketing info head to Facebook: Facebook.com/understudyproductions

Chris Fung

Hailing from the wind-blasted steppes of Mongolia, Chris Fung is a highly accomplished mathematician, award-winning potato grower, and habitual liar. Two specialities which have lent themselves perfectly to his current career in Musical Theatre. Chris met former AussieTheatre Editor Erin James when they were both cast members of the Australian national tour of 'The King and I', wherein Chris was fortunate enough to understudy and play the title role to 25 audiences at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne. 

The King that is, not Mrs. Anna. 

Chris studied at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (B. Musical Theatre), at Sydney University (B.A. in Performance Studies and Education) and at the School of Hard Knocks (B. ing a very bad man that nobody wanna mess with)

Recent Posts

HEATED RIVALRY parody producers report recoupment as run extends to January 2027

Producers say HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY has recouped its approximately US$500,000 Off-Broadway capitalisation…

22 hours ago

Broadway’s &JULIET sets final performance for January 2027

Broadway's & JULIET will play its final performance at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on 3…

22 hours ago

Gate Theatre to cease operations after 47 years

London’s Gate Theatre will cease operations at the end of October 2026 after 47 years,…

2 days ago

Arts Centre Melbourne to present landmark visual opera OPERATION:ORFEO

Arts Centre Melbourne today announced that OPERATION:ORFEO, a hypnotic depiction of the myth of Orpheus…

2 days ago

ROHTKO, Operation:Orfeo and The Avalanches announced as first events for Perth Festival 2027

Perth Festival today revealed that its 2027 program will open with the Australian exclusive season…

2 days ago

MJ THE MICHAEL JACKSON MUSICAL to play in Singapore from August 2027

Original Broadway Producers Lia Vollack and John Branca, alongside Michael Cassel and Base Entertainment Asia,…

2 days ago