Priscilla Off To London
Leading cast members of Priscilla will jet off to London in September to kick up their heels for a sensational UK launch to debut their March 2009 UK season. They will then return to Sydney to commence intense rehearsals for the Lyric Theatre — Star City return season, which runs for 12 weeks from October 7, 2008.
Priscilla will feature 20-full scale production numbers including the disco classics I Will Survive, Shake Your Groove Thing, over 500 spectacular costumes, 200 gravity-defying headdresses, 23 tonnes of scenery and, as its dazzling centrepiece, a six tonne 10 metre long custom made bus named Priscilla.
A host of new cast members will greet Sydney for their first Priscilla ride in October.
Todd McKenney will play as one of the principals, Tick, (played by Hugo Weaving in the original film) to hold the the volatile group together and goes on his own journey of discovery to reunite with his young son. McKenney will co-star alongside Tony Sheldon (Bernadette) and Daniel Scott (Felicia)
McKenney is a dance and music theatre pedigree, crowned by his stunning Peter Allen in the Australian hit The Boy From Oz that cemented his reputation as a bona fide star of the theatre.
Since then Todd has performed in his own one man shows and is about to again appear on Channel 7 as a judge on the top rating television show Dancing With the Stars. He currently co-hosts the breakfast show on Sydney’s Mix 106.5 with Sonia Kruger and will mix Priscilla, TV dancing and his radio world over the busy 12 week season.
Bill Hunter, will play the heart-warming role of Bob, winning the hearts of lucky Tony Sheldon and the of many female audience members. Hunter is one of Australia’s leading actors, with a successful career in theatre, television and film.
Colette Mann will take on the hilarious female role of Shirley. She has worked extensively in Australian theatre, television, film and radio.
Two new singing sensations will deliver their vocal power suspended up to six metres above the stage, as part of the Divas, Josie Lane and Miss Min Cilla.
Josie trained in Acting, Dance and Voice with the Young Australian Broadway Chorus for 8 years. She recently made her professional theatre debut with the Sydney Theatre Company playing the role of Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Miss Min holds an A.Mus.A and a Diploma of Public Performance from the Australian International Conservatorium of Music. For the past 5 years she has been a featured Artist for David Campbell, including his national and regional Swing Sessions Tour Also in 2006 Miss Min was awarded Singer of the Year at the Mc Donald’s Arts Challenge which resulted in her own caberet show Sass and Class.
Michael Linder will join the Priscilla team in Sydney to perform the delicious role of Miss Understanding. He has a BA in musical theatre performance after studying at both WAAPA and Ballarat University and for the past 16 years he has toured Australia extensively and internationally with hit musicals such as Miss Saigon, Grease — the mega musical, Hair, Scrooge and The Merry Widow.
Since making its world premiere in Sydney on 7 October 2006, Priscilla has gone on to become the most successful Australian musical of all time. After playing almost a year in Sydney the show then transferred to Melbourne wowing both audiences and critics alike, and collected six Green Room Awards, including Best Music Theatre Production, along the way.
Priscilla made its world premiere in Sydney October 2006 and has enjoyed two years of sell-out seasons in Melbourne and Auckland.
Priscilla has already been seen by over a million people and grossed in excess of AUD$90 million at the box office. In addition to London and Toronto, further productions are being considered for Scandinavia and Germany with interest also from South Africa, Brazil, Italy, France and Japan.