Choosing A Show - Recommendations from Musical and Play agents
CATS: Young Actors Edition – A Purr-fect Triumph for Christchurch's Youth
The stage of the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch New Zealand pulsed with youthful vibrance this May as over 140 young performers brought the world of CATS to life in a production by the National Youth Theatre.
Tailored specifically for young voices and minds, CATS: Young Actors Edition was a thrilling showcase of emerging talent. The one-hour adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved musical allowed children and teens aged 7–21 to explore the magical, musical junkyard, portraying whimsical feline characters inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poetry.
Jack Shatford shared his creative journey in the CATS: Young Actors Edition in a Director’s Diary on YouTube
Visit origintheatrical.com.au for more details about performing CATS – Young Actors Edition in your community.
Music Theatre International Australasia.
Tootsie
Michael Dorsey will go to any length for his career in this hilarious 2019 musical, based on the hit comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman about an out of work actor who reinvents himself as a woman.
Ranked as one of the best comedies of all-time on American Film Institute's list of "100 Years...100 Laughs," Tootsie was hailed as "Broadway's funniest new musical!" (The New York Post).
With music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Robert Horn, Tootsie won the Tony for Best Book of a Musical and received a total of 11 Tony Award Nominations.
https://www.mtishows.com.au/tootsie
Sister Act
A woman hiding in a convent helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she rediscovers her own.
The feel-good musical comedy based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet, features original music by Tony- and eight-time Oscar winner, Alan Menken.
Filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing and a truly moving story, Sister Act will leave audiences breathless. The cast is full of amazing roles for women of all ages.
https://www.mtishows.com.au/sister-act
Once Upon a One More Time
Have the once upon a time of your life with this fairytale set to Britney Spears’ biggest hits.
When a fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of ‘The Feminine Mystique’ in the laps of classic heroines, the damsels embark on a quest to rewrite their stories and redefine “happily ever after.”
Weaves 23 of Britney Spears’ smash singles—like “Crazy,” “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “Circus,” “Lucky,” and “Toxic”—into “a big, modern, musical dance party, with Britney’s beating heart at its core.” (ABC News)
https://www.mtishows.com.au/once-upon-a-one-more-time
17 Again
A new musical based on the popular 2009 film starring Zac Efron and Matthew Perry, features music and lyrics by the Broadway team of Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner and a book by Marco Pennette.
This heartfelt musical comedy explores how the choices we make impact our life in unexpected ways.
The score is heavily influenced by pop/rock artists mashed up with musical theatre.
https://www.mtishows.com.au/17-again
The Magician's Elephant
Adapted from Kate DiCamillo's prize-winning novel.
Baltese is a town where nothing extraordinary ever happens. Recovering from a recent war, it’s a lonely place, where young Peter lives a harsh life.
Then one day, a magician conjures an elephant from the sky. The creature’s appearance sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that it changes Baltese forever.
https://www.mtishows.com.au/the-magicians-elephant
Hans Christian Andersen Jr
The stories of Hans Christian Andersen and the music of Frank Loesser meet a new generation.
Hans Christian Andersen Jr tells the story of 13-year-old Christian, a boy who struggles with reading and writing but discovers a remarkable gift for storytelling.
Narrators Crantz and Guilder guide us through the world and fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen, including "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," and "The Ugly Duckling".
https://www.mtishows.com.au/hans-christian-andersen-jr
David Spicer Productions 2025-26 Catalogue
The 2025-26 David Spicer Productions Catalogue of Musicals and Plays is out now.
The 16-page guide is available in hard copy (email david@davidspicer.com) or can be read on-line at the following link.
https://issuu.com/dsproductions/docs/dsp_spotlight_2025
The Guide includes:
Blockbuster Broadway and West End musicals.
Small and medium cast musicals.
Opera and operetta.
Youth musicals and plays.
Classic Australian comedy and farce.
Outrageous comedies.
Murder mysteries.
Christmas themes.
Jukebox musicals.
Parody and comedy.
Pantomime.
The catalogue includes the top 10 most popular DSP musicals and plays of the last three years and new releases:
Air Heart: A musical based on legendary aviatrix Amelia Earheart with outstanding female roles.
Schapelle Schapelle: A parody musical which sends up the sensationalist media that surrounded Schapelle Corby’s drug conviction.
Lambs: A large cast play about Australian under 18-year-old boys enlisted in WWI.
Plays by Kennedy Bennett Fox.
Kennedy describes his plays:
“Creating stories that bring to life relationships, struggles, passion, love, stirred up emotions, which play out as theatrical encounters.
“My journey - born on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia and residing in Buderim, surrounded by my garden, creates contentment and creative stimulus.
“A fourth generation Lawyer, who has experienced a lifetime in the law together with involvement in local theatre since the 1970's, both as an actor and director, I was wrapped seeing my first play Juggling, performed at the Maleny Playhouse in August 2023 under the direction of Anne Grant: 3bcreative.
“Join the journey. Check out my website for full details of my plays.
“Now, my first novel, Pass Me a Life is about to be published. Not sitting still, the creation of three more novels are in the pipeline, exploring male same sex relationships, with a touch of laughter, a tear or two, a tad or two of excitement, while the story weaves its way through your mind.”
