BEAUDY OPENS NEXT WEEK

With nearly 30 years in the making Beaudy, the musical written by Australian musician, Michael Orland will open at the Parade Theatre (in NIDA) at Kensington on Thursday 8 July . The classic 17th century fairytale The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods is irreverently transported to modern day Australia in this exciting new musical theatre production. Beaudy is a funny contemporary musical set in a small Australian town. Beaudy is a memorable evening of song, dance and good old-fashioned story telling. Australianised and updated, Beaudy is a spruced up old fashioned tale filled with great original music, laughs and familiar icons.
“It has taken me 30 years to write this show and now we are going to present it with all the passion that led me to start on the wonderful journey all those years ago” said writer producer Michael Orland.
Beaudy transports the audience from European forest in the 17th century to a contemporary small Australian country town where there is a christening for Laura, whose mother died in childbirth and whose father the town relies on for its future. A woman from the past, now a wealthy black widow crashes the party and prophesies Laura’s untimely death before her nineteenth birthday.
To best protect Laura, played by Belinda Morris, the man surrenders the care of his daughter to his best friends living in Sydney. As Laura approaches her nineteenth birthday, she escapes from her overprotective family leading to the apparent fulfillment of the prophecy. Her father, losing heart at his daughter’s tragedy, lets his business unravel. Consequently, the entire town descends into despair. However, one young man has not surrendered hope…
Following the Search for a Beaudy casting event, Belinda Morris was cast as Beaudy only 4 weeks ago.
Sydney-based Belinda Morris a relative new comer, has appeared in Reefer Madness and Titanic.
Beaudy, also features a talented and exciting cast of sixteen including Stephen Fisher-King, Lizzie Taylor, and The Four Kinsmen’s Scott Radburn and is accompanied by a full live orchestra performing twenty wonderful songs.
Playwright and composer of Beaudy, Michael Orland has an underground Australian music legacy following his musical success on the local Sydney band scene in the late seventies and early eighties. Orland collaborated with a number of bands as a sound engineer and was a part of the much loved Harold Holt and the Sharks and Cocktails at 7. After years of playing, teaching and working as a sound engineer for both bands and venues, Orland has crystallized his excellent knowledge of music and passion for musical theatre with Beaudy.
Recipient of nine MO Awards including Australian Variety performer of the Year and Australian Male Vocalist of the Year, Stephen Fisher-King has performed lead roles in major musical theatre productions Hello Dolly, Evita, Cats and toured Australasia in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Fisher-King has recorded three CDs, Where Do I Begin, Vocal Treasures and Inspiration and has performed principal roles in operas and operettas including La Boheme.
The Four Kinsmen’s talented Scott Radburn was on the Cats South Korean Tour and was in the 1984 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Between his time on stage, he was on Nine Network’s Midday Show and Hey-Hey it’s Saturday and hosted Wave FM’s Breakfast program.
Session vocalist and entertainer, Lizzie Taylor is the recipient of eight MO Awards and two Australian Club Entertainment (ACE) Awards. A voice specialist, she has wowed audiences across the globe with her vocal and visual tributes to a variety of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Cher, Shirley Bassey, Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Anastacia, J-Lo, Fran Drescher’s The Nanny, Absolutely Fabulous’ Edina, Effie and Kath and Kim. Lizzie Taylor is in constant high demand for Corporate Events, Private Functions and the Sydney Club
Circuit, not only for her One Woman Show but also as a Presenter and Session Vocalist.
“This will strike the public nerve. There hasn’t been a musical like this in years!”
Larry Muhoberec, M.D. for Elvis Presley, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond and Tina Turner
Written by Michael Orland
Director and Choreographer John Michael Burdon
Musical Director Andy Peterson
www.beaudythemusical.com.au