VIC college to stage musical first in Australia

The first production of hit British kid’s musical Dazzle! to be staged in Australia is gearing up to open in Victoria. The acclaimed children’s show with West End-quality songs is being produced by Daylesford College, renowned for excellence in music and the performing arts. It follows recent productions of Dazzle! in China, Kuwait and Malta, and more than 100 stagings across the U.K.

Wayne Pickering, head of drama at Daylesford and production coordinator, said, “Dazzle! is a wonderful, inspiring show, and combines an exciting story full of drama and humour with fabulous songs. We are very excited to be staging the first production in the southern hemisphere.”

He added, “It’s an outstanding vehicle for our students to develop and showcase their talents, both on and off stage.”

Dazzle!, penned by British composer Andrew Bailey, tells the story of a young girl called Poppy Pringle who inherits a run-down seaside funfair on Dazzle Bay.

In a show packed with thrills and spills, Poppy leads the band of fairground kids to take on the bad guys and the bulldozers, to try and save the funfair and restore it to its former glory.

Weaving between the bright lights of the fun fair and Dazzle Bay’s promenade, the story involves copious quantities of candy floss and has an electrifying scene in the ghost train.

Songs from the show were performed at The Royal Festival Hall in London recently as part of a concert of the best new children’s music. Dazzle! was a U.K. entry to the New York Festival of New Musicals.

Composer Andrew Bailey said, “It’s thrilling to see the show springing up in new productions, not just in the U.K. but internationally. The show was written on a family holiday, and things started to take off following release of the CD. The musicians, singers and production team are superb. I couldn’t have wished for a better rendition of the songs. It brought the show bursting into life.”

He is now completing the recording of a new musical called Poptastic, based on a children’s talent competition that gets out of hand. “It starts local and ends up in the stratosphere!” Bailey exclaimed.

Dazzle! opens at Daylesford on September 1, with further performances on September 2, 8 and 9. Visit www.dazzlethemusical.com for more information.

Photo (top): The Malta production of Dazzle! performs “The Sun’s always high in the sky.” Photo (left): Sarky Cutter sings “Freeze the Air” for the Malta production. Photo (right): “The Ghost Train” scene from the Malta production. Photos courtesy of Limelight Musicals.