Nine of Australia’s brightest stars to perform one of musical theatre’s biggest roles in Funny Girl the Musical in Concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

The bright lights of Broadway will shine on the Sydney Opera House next July as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra presents the hit Broadway musical Funny Girl in Concert.

With the film celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2018, this special concert production will be directed by three-time Helpmann Award winner Mitchell Butel (director of the Sydney Theatre Award-winning Violet and SSO's Porgy and Bess) and will feature nine of Australia’s favourite leading ladies who each night will share the role of Fanny Brice on stage.

The star-studded Fanny Brice line-up includes: -

• Michala Banas – McLeod’s Daughters, Winners & Losers, Upper Middle Bogan and 2010 winner of the Helpmann Award for Best Lead Female in a Musical for Avenue Q
• Casey Donovan – The Sapphires, We Will Rock You, Flowerchildren – The Mamas & the Papas Story
• Virginia Gay – Calamity Jane, Vivid White, Winner and Losers, All Saints
• Verity Hunt-Ballard – Winner of the 2011 Helpmann and Green Room Award for her role in Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins and 2014 Helpmann Award winner for Sweet Charity
• Dami Im – ARIA #1 and platinum selling artist, 2013 winner of X Factor, Australian representative at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.
• Zahra Newman – Best New Talent 2017 AACTA Awards, The Drowsy Chaperone, As You Like It
• Caroline O’Connor – Anastasia the Musical on Broadway, Anything Goes, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and Green Room Award winner for her role in The Production Company’s Funny Girl (2016)
• Queenie van de Zandt – King Kong the Musical, Smoke & Mirrors, The Boy from Oz
• Megan Washington – Two-time ARIA Award winner and multi-platinum album selling artist

The show will also star Trevor Ashley (Hairspray, Les Misérables), Nancye Hayes (Sweet Charity, My Fair Lady, A Little Night Music) as Mrs Brice andDon Hany (Ali’s Wedding, Offspring, East West 101) as Nick Arnstein.

Funny Girl, which starred Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in both the original stage and film versions, features beloved songs such as People, I’m the Greatest Star, Don’t Rain on My Parade and The Music That Makes Me Dance.

A triumphant story of starry success and a bittersweet story of love, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s Funny Girl is a musical theatre classic celebrating the exuberant and elegant flavour of Broadway in the 1910s and 20s and the comic genius of Fanny Brice.

Further cast details to be announced.

Director Mitchell Butel
Musical Director Vanessa Scammell
Choreography Amy Campbell
Lighting Design Max Wilkie

Booking information:

Tickets on sale: 9am Friday 8 December 2017
Dates: Thursday 12 July 2018 at 8pm
Friday 13 July 2018 at 8pm
Saturday 14 July 2018 at 2pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Prices: Tickets from $79
Bookings: sydneysymphony.com or SSO Box Office (02) 8215 4600
sydneyoperahouse.com (02) 9250 7777 or ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100