One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest for Melbourne

Exclusive to Melbourne, a stage adaptation of one of the world’s most iconic stories comes to Her Majesty’s Theatre for a strictly limited season from 23 May. 

By Dale Wasserman, and based on the novel by Ken Kesey One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest centres around the struggle for control between Randle Patrick McMurphy and the unforgettable Nurse Ratched, with audiences witnessing a remarkable power play. Written by Dale Wasserman, based on Ken Kesey’s novel, the script uses humour and drama to take the audience on an emotional rollercoster of a journey.

Lachy Hulme (Offspring, Beaconsfield, Romper Stomper, Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story) plays the anarchistic Randle Patrick McMurphy, a role made famous by Jack Nicholson in the 1975 film. He stars alongside Roz Hammond (The Heights, Mad As Hell, Five Bedrooms) who will play the chilling role of Nurse Ratched. 

The production features an international and Australian cast from theatre, film and television including Jeremy Proulx (Bones, King Lear, Red Forrest) reprising the role of Chief Bromden, for which he won a BroadwayWorld  award for Best Actor in a Play. Helpmann Award winner Bert La Bonte (The Book of Mormon, Cloudstreet, Kiss of the Spider Woman) will play Dr. Spivy & Aide Turkle. Home & Away star Lisa Gormley (The Gloaming, Bite Club) will play Candy Starr; Kirby Burgess (Barnum, Bring It On the Musical) will play Nurse Flynn. David James (Muriel’s Wedding, The Hollowmen, Jack Irish, The Sound of Music) will play Harding; Anton Berezin (Ragtime, Wicked) will play Scanlon. Grant Piro (Hairspray, Wentworth) will play Martini; Gerald Carroll (Folk, Proof, Wind in the Willows, Rake) will play Cheswick; NIDA graduate Thuso Lekwape (Anthem, Prize Fighter, Berlin Syndrome) will play Aide Washington and Dushan Phillips (The Gloaming, Fury, Romper Stomper, Angels in America) will play Aide Williams. 

Director Tyran Parke brings the Ken Kesey novel to life, reuniting him with set and costume designer Dann Barber and sound designer Michael Waters from last year’s Barnum the Musical. Lighting design is by Trent Suidgeest.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest opened on Broadway in 1963 with Kirk Douglas as McMurphy, Ed Ames as the Chief and Gene Wilder as Billy; and subsequently played for over one thousand performances Off-Broadway with Danny DeVito. In 1975, a film version helmed by Milos Forman was released and starred Jack Nicholas as Randle Patrick McMurphy and Louise Fletcher Nurse Ratched. 

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST 

Her Majesty’s Theatre, 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne 

From Saturday 23 May, 2020

Evenings: Wednesday to Saturday, 7.30pm 

Matinees: Wednesday and Sunday, 1.00pm, Saturday 2.00pm 

Tickets from $60.00* subject to availability (booking fees apply)

cuckoosnest.com.au