Musicals & opera in Sydney

If you love your stage show to come with plenty of musical and theatrical highs – you’re in luck. Sydney hosts an impressive number of musicals each year, from the latest Broadway and West End shows to timeless classics. The best bit? You get to enjoy your entertainment in establishments that are just as alluring as the drama unfolding before you. Here’s what you can look forward to for the rest of the year. 

 

Hamilton

Showing at: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Dates: 30 July to 31 October 2024 

A revolutionary story of passion, unstoppable ambition and the dawn of a new nation, the Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize-winning Hamilton has returned to Sydney. An epic saga that follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honour, love and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation, this global phenomenon has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education the world over. Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, if you missed this smash-hit last time it was in town, this is your chance.

 Cast on stage for Hamilton at the Lyric Theatre, Pyrmont

Hamilton at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, Pyrmont - Credit: Hamilton the Musical

Sister Act

Showing at: Capitol Theatre
Dates: 6 August to 26 October 2024

Sydney, your prayers have been answered! Direct from London's West End, the Broadway hit Sister Act has returned Down Under. If you aren't familiar with the story made famous by the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, let's recap: disco diva Deloris’ life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder and is placed under protective custody, hidden in the one place she shouldn’t be found a convent where she helps the struggling choir find their true voices while rediscovering her own. 

West End smash-hit Sister Act is coming to Sydney's Capitol Theatre

West End smash-hit Sister Act is coming to Sydney's Capitol Theatre - Credit: Mark Senior

Sunset Boulevard 

Showing at: Sydney Opera House
Dates: 28 August to 1 November 2024

Musical theatre and international recording superstar Sarah Brightman is leading a lavish new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical masterpiece. Weaving a magnificent tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition, Sunset Boulevard tells the story of Norma Desmond, a legendary silent movie star who is tortured by her longing for a return to the big screen, and her chance encounter and subsequent relationship with Joe Gillis, a struggling Hollywood screenwriter. Brightman played the original Christine Daae in 'The Phantom of the Opera' on both the West End and Broadway, and is playing her first role in a musical in more than three decades, right here in Australia.

Cast of the musical at Sunset Boulevard, Sydney Opera House

Sunset Boulevard, Sydney Opera House

Titanique

Showing at: The Grand Electric
Dates: 12 September to 3 November 2024

All aboard NYC’s must-sea musical comedy! When the music of Céline Dion makes sweet Canadian love with the eleven-time Oscar-winning blockbuster film Titanic, you get Titanique, off-Broadway’s award-winning splash hit, which turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical musical fantasia. Including hits like 'My Heart Will Go On', 'All By Myself' and 'To Love You More', this one-of-a-kind theatrical voyage is brimming with nostalgia, heart and campy chaos.

Titanique is coming to The Grand Electric, Redfern

Titanique is coming to The Grand Electric, Redfern - Credit: Evan Zimmerman/Michael Cassel Group

Flat Earthers: The Musical

Showing at: Griffin Theatre
Dates: 11 October to 9 November 2024

Somewhere on the fringes of the internet, Ria e-meets Flick and instantly falls in analogue love… until Ria learns with horror that Flick is a ‘Flat Earther’. And Flick learns with equal horror that Ria is a ‘Globe Earther’. Cue: a beautiful and chaotic musical epic that sees our star-cross’d lesbians plunge into the Dark Web and down YouTube rabbit holes to explore the one thing they know is real – their connection. The irreverent, ingenious minds behind acclaimed musical Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit are back with a West Side Story-meets-QAnon queer pop spectacular. 

Performers holding synthesizers in Flat Earthers: The Musical, Potts Point

Flat Earthers: The Musical at Griffin Theatre, Potts Point - Credit: Flat Earthers: The Musical

Dear Evan Hansen

Showing at: Roslyn Packer Theatre
Dates: 12 October to 24 November 2024

Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group, the company that brought Hamilton and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to our shores, are joining forces for the Australian premiere of this Broadway musical sensation. Telling the inspiring story of a socially anxious highschooler who is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when he inadvertently invents an important role for himself at the centre of a local tragedy, Dear Evan Hansen has been hailed a “breathtaking knockout of a musical” by The New York Times and has been the winner of six Tony Awards. 

Dear Evan Hansen by the Sydney Theatre Company, Walsh Bay

Dear Evan Hansen by Sydney Theatre Company, Walsh Bay - Credit: Sydney Theatre Company

SIX the Musical

Showing at: Theatre Royal Sydney
Dates: 25 October to 28 December 2024

Following sensational sell-out seasons across Australia, the pop musical phenomenon SIX the Musical is returning to Theatre Royal Sydney in October 2024. Having now won 35 major international awards, including two prestigious Tony Awards and a Grammy nomination, and with a global audience of 3.5 million people per year and a staggering 600 million soundtrack streams, this high-octane 80-minute musical experience has become a cultural sensation.

 Performers on stage at  SIX The Musical at Theatre Royal, Sydney CBD

SIX The Musical at Theatre Royal, Sydney CBD - Credit: James D Morgan/Getty Images

Jesus Christ Superstar

Showing at: Capitol Theatre
Dates: 13 November to 1 December 2024

After garnering an unprecedented amount of accolades and positive reviews during its US and UK tours – including winning an Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival – Jesus Christ Superstar is coming to Australia in 2024 with a mesmerising new production. Featuring lyrics and music by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the sung-through rock opera, which has been wowing audiences for over 50 years, is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks of the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. 

Performers on stage at Jesus Christ Superstar at the Capital Theatre, Haymarket

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Capital Theatre, Haymarket - Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale

Showing at: State Theatre
Dates: 7 January to 1 February 2025

Following its highly anticipated US premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, the stage production based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy beloved by generations of readers, will make its Australian premiere at the State Theatre in January 2025. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will journey to Middle-earth in the company of Hobbits in a theatrical event that celebrates community, courage and camaraderie.

Gandalf crouches down staring into the distance in The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, State Theatre

The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, State Theatre - Credit: Pamela Reith Photography/Workshop Creative Pty Ltd

MJ the Musical

Showing at: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Dates: 1 to 28 February 2025

He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now, Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry is heading to Australia in the new musical MJ. Created by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, the story is centred around the making of MJ's 1992 Dangerous World Tour, going beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, and taking a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson into legendary status.

MJ the Musical - Credit: Matt Murphy | Michael Cassel Group

MJ the Musical - Credit: Matt Murphy/Michael Cassel Group

Hadestown

Showing at: Theatre Royal Sydney
Dates: 10 February to 9 March 2025

Seen by three million, streamed by over 350 million and adored by fans all around the world, the Tony and Grammy award-winning Hadestown by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin will make its Australian premiere at Theatre Royal Sydney in February 2025. Taking you on a journey to the underworld and back, the musical phenomenon intertwines two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. 

Actor performing on stage in Hadestown, Theatre Royal Sydney

Hadestown, Theatre Royal Sydney - Credit: Hadestown UK Production Photography/Theatre Royal Sydney

The Book of Mormon

Showing at: Capitol Theatre
Dates: 15 July to 28 September 2025

In 2025, the Tony, Olivier, and Grammy award-winning production The Book Of Mormon is returning to Sydney once more. For those who have yet to see this outrageous musical comedy that took the world by storm after it debuted on Broadway in 2011, the international sensation follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of young missionaries sent on a two-year placement in Uganda, a place that's about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. The tongue-in-cheek show is simply a must-watch: The New York Times calls it "the best musical of this century" and Entertainment Weekly claims it to be "the funniest musical of all time".

Cast performing on stage during the The Book of Mormon at the Capitol Theatre, Haymarket

The Book of Mormon is coming to the Capitol Theatre in 2025 - Credit: ACMN - Sydney

Where to eat and drink pre/post-show

Looking for the perfect spot to fuel up or enjoy a tipple before or after your show? Follow our guide below for nearby fine-dining, cheap eats, cocktail bars and more.