Musicals & opera
MJ the Musical - Credit: Matt Murphy | Michael Cassel Group
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
Head across from The Star to LuMi for a fine dining degustation based on seasonal ingredients and Italian inspiration. The waterfront location is the cherry on top. For a relaxed pre-show dinner, Bar Zini in Pyrmont does simple but high-quality Italian, and wine bar Mister Percy offers a modern taste of the Mediterranean underneath the Woolstore 1888 by Ovolo hotel.
Named Gourmet Traveller’s NSW restaurant of the year in 2023, AALIA is a Middle Eastern restaurant that explores dishes and techniques from Arab and North African cuisines. Alternatively, head to French brasserie Manon for classics like mussels, steak frites and beef Bourguignon (and a TikTok-famous hot chocolate!).
The Capitol Theatre is located at the intersection of two of Sydney's most delicious neighbourhoods: Chinatown and Thaitown. Down some dumplings at Nanjing Dumpling off Dixon Street, or try authentic Thai noodles, soups and curries from Yok Yor, Show Neua, or award-winning Porkfat. Head down George Street to Regent Place, a food-focused shopping centre home to some of Sydney’s most underrated Asian eateries.
Just across Belmore Park will take you to the ever-trendy neighbourhood of Surry Hills. Try Nomad for elegant dishes cooked with fire or Pellegrino 2000 for intimate Italian (also a favourite post-show restaurant of Taylor Swift). Tio’s Cerveceria can provide the margaritas.
This CBD theatre is close to plenty of good eating and drinking options. Go where the locals are lining up: Soul Dining for modern Korean fine dining and Caterpillar Club for late-night drinks and live jazz in an underground speakeasy.
The YCK Laneways are a five-minute walk from the theatre and a hidden maze of small bars and lively restaurants open until late. Try award-winning Mexican at Esteban, rum flights at The Lobo, New Orleans-style soul food and jazz at The Swinging Cat or artful Japanese and sake cocktails at Kuro. Not sure where to start? Try a secret bar tour here with Local Sauce.
Just down the road you’ll find award-winning Kindred, with a menu of hearty and shareable Italian dishes and freshly made pastas. Or head to Ester in Chippendale, a much-loved and constantly evolving fine diner that deserves to be on your bucket list.
Spend your pre- or post-show meal among the buzz and good vibes of Darling Square, a dining precinct adjacent to Darling Harbour. Top restaurant picks are XOPP, a next-generation venture from now-closed Chinese institution Golden Century; Nakano Darling, a lively Japanese izakaya; or 789 Korean BBQ, where you can cook your own dinner over a charcoal grill.
From the chefs behind some of Sydney’s favourite restaurants, Clam Bar is a New York-style steak house that amps up the luxury with a raw seafood bar, caviar and exquisite cocktails. You can also continue your evening post-show at Restaurant Hubert, where French food mixes with live jazz, or Aster Bar on the rooftop of the InterContinental Sydney, with incredible harbour views.
Grand Electric
Sandwiched between the eat streets of Redfern and Surry Hills, the Grand Electric is walking distance from innovative award winners like Ester, mid-range dining like Kindred (expect homemade pastas in a homey dining room) and Bush (sustainability-focused modern Australian), as well as casual eats like Japanese Juan Bowl and Tea and Pakistani Lal Qila. Before dinner, drop into a local bar. Moya’s Juniper Lounge specialises in gin, Noble Hops in craft beer and Arcadia in good vibes.
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