Coming to Taranaki: Show bringing the best of Broadway puts silver lining in lockdown

Verity Burgess has performed in Cats, Children of Eden and the UK tour, West End production and international tour of Evita. Photo / Supplied

Six of New Zealand's greatest musical theatre performers have returned home from Broadway, West End and other international stages for lockdown, which is great news for musical theatre lovers in NZ.

Not content to sit idle any longer, the six artists are bringing their talent to stages in 23 towns and cities across New Zealand, with a tour of their production, The Shows Must Go On.

The show will feature well known classics from all the great musicals including the Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Hairspray, Dreamgirls, The Greatest Showman, We Will Rock You and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Producer Dave Spark says The Shows Must Go On is a rare chance to see and hear some
of New Zealand's greatest proponents of musical theatre.

"The idea sprang from having the artists at home plus having a lot of experienced technical teams out of work because border closure meant international acts could not get here. If there's a silver lining to Covid, this is it. Such a rare opportunity for New Zealanders to enjoy the magic that Broadway and West End audiences do every day. Right here on their doorstep. You could say it's the perfect storm for musical theatre aficionados."

The cast is certainly star-studded, featuring Hayden Tee, Verity Burgess, Akina Edmonds, Paul Ross, Emily Burns and Jack Fraser. Between them they have starred in musicals such as Evita, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Cats, My Fair Lady and many more on stages in London's West End, Australia, New York's Broadway, as well as featuring on television shows such as The Voice Australia, various festivals and concerts worldwide and plenty more.

This formidable talent on the stage is matched off stage as well. New Zealand's leading musical theatre director, Stephen Robertson, is at the helm ensuring musical theatre lovers are in for a treat. Stephen is well known in New Zealand, having amassed an impressive resume of directing credits throughout the years including Chess, West Side Story, Avenue Q, Evita, Les Miserables, The Mikado and Miss Saigon to name just a few.

The Shows Must Go On: TSB Showplace, New Plymouth. Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17. Performance starts at 7.30pm. Tickets available through Ticketek.

Be in to win: The promoters have given us one double pass to the show on Friday night show in New Plymouth for a lucky reader to win. To enter, simply call us on 06 969 4024 or email editor@stratfordpress.co.nz and tell us the name of one of the six performers to star in this show. Include your name and contact details and you are in the draw. Competition closes at noon, Friday, September 25 and the winner will be contacted shortly afterwards.