2010 HELPMANN NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

The nominations for the 2010 Helpmann Awards were announced yesterday concurrently at the Sydney Opera House and the Victorian Arts Centre.

HMT are thrilled to hear that Michael Cormick has been nominated for Best Male Actor in a Musical for his role as Sam in MAMMA MIA!, which played at The Maj earlier this year.

In the musical theatre categories, Jersey Boys, The Drowsy Chaperone and Avenue Q have all received several nominations. Last year’s season of Chicago at HMT was in the 2009 Helpmann Award season, in which Sharon Millerchip won the Best Female Actor in a Musical. MAMMA MIA! was in the original Helpmann Award ceremony in 2002, and won the Best Musical award.

The awards will be announced on Monday 6 September at the Sydney Opera House. Her Majesty’s Theatre would like to congratulate all the nominees.

COLLEEN HEWETT TO JOIN CHICAGO

Colleen Hewett is joining the award-winning cast of Chicago the Musical, taking over Gina Riley’s role of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, from Tuesday 10 November. Tickets to all remaining Melbourne performances are now on sale.

When making the announcement, producer John Frost commented, “We’re delighted that the success of Chicago has meant that we are able to extend our stay at Her Majesty’s, but this means that Gina Riley will be leaving on Sunday, November 8.”

“We are delighted that we have managed to obtain Colleen for the role,’ he said. ‘Colleen is a terrific talent, of course, as she showed when she played two other Mamas. In The Boy From Oz and Shout! she played the roles of the mothers of, respectively, Peter Allen and Johnny O’Keefe.”

Colleen Hewett was taken to Australia’s heart in 1970 when she recorded Day by Day, from Godspell, in which she played Mary Magdalene. The song went gold and led to her being voted Queen of Pop for two successive years. She went on to co-star with Johnny Farnham in Pippin, also at Her Majesty’s Theatre, and then had a leading role in Tommy. Most recently, she won a Helpmann Award in 2006 for her role in The Boy From Oz, for Best Supporting Female Role in a Musical.

CHICAGO AND SPAMALOT WIN HELPMANNS

Sharon Millerchip from Chicago The Musical, and Bille Brown from Monty Python’s Spamalot, have both won a coveted Helpmann Award, at a ceremony at the Sydney Opera House.

Sharon won in the category of Best Actress in a Musical, and Bille in the category of Best Actor in a Musical.

Her Majesty’s Theatre is incredibly proud to be the Melbourne home of both these productions.

For more information, visit the Helpmanns Award website.

09 HELPMANN NOMS ANNOUNCED

Spamalot and Chicago The Musical have both been nominated for 2009 Helpmann Awards, the highest live entertainment award in Australia.

Monty Python’s Spamalot earned four nominations: Best Musical, Best Female Actor in a Musical (for Lucinda Shaw as Lady of The Lake), Best Male Actor in a Musical (for Bille Brown as King Arthur), and Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (for Derek Metzger as Patsy). The upcoming production of Chicago The Musical also got three nods, for Damien Bermingham (Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical), Gina Riley (Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical), and Sharon Millerchip (Best Female Actor in a Musical). (more…)