Change of casting.

[Talissa]

This is from www.broadwayaustralia.com

The show really is creeping up on us suddenly. Either that, or I wasn't paying enough attention. I'm going to have to go hunt for a cast list now.



6/1: No big M for even one night
Marcia Barrett of Boney M fame has pulled out of her lead role in Oh What A Night!, which is scheduled to open in Sydney on March 13.

Jon Nicholls, Executive Producer of Oh! What A Night, today announced that Kathy Sledge, lead singer of pop sensation Sister Sledge has signed to star in the show, which has sold over 1.5 million tickets throughout the UK and Europe and smashed box office records on the show’s first season in Melbourne and Sydney.

"We are absolutely knocked out that Kathy has agreed to play the role in the production, especially since two of Sister Sledge’s hit songs were already in the Production" Mr Nicholls said.

Barrett has dropped out due to a serious health problem.

Tickets on sale at all Ticketek Outlets or telephone [phone] or www.ticketek.com

[Talissa]

More from Broadway/Australia

It was here just a couple of years ago but the producers of Oh! What a Night believe that Australia is ready for another dose of the high-energy musical that in its last run, appealed to audiences right through the age spectrum.

Oh! What a Night is an unashamedly escapist, feel-good show that combines comedy, romance and stunningly choreographed versions of over 40 favourite disco hits from the mirror ball era including Celebration, Dance to the Music, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, In The Navy, YMCA, Play That Funky Music, That’s The Way I Like It, Disco Inferno, Daddy Cool and Sister Sledge’s We Are Family.

Jon Nicholls, Executive Producer of Oh! What A Night, announced last month that Kathy Sledge, lead singer of pop sensation Sister Sledge, has signed to star in the show, which has sold over 1.5 million tickets throughout the UK and Europe and smashed box office records on the show’s first season in Melbourne and Sydney some years ago.

"We are absolutely knocked out that Kathy has agreed to play the role in the production, especially since two of Sister Sledge’s hit songs were already in the production," Mr Nicholls said.

The role was to have been played by Marcia Barrett of Boney M, who has had to drop out due to a serious health problem.

While musical history has recorded a lengthy list of performing family groups, there are but a handful who have truly transcended the genre - who are simply great musical units, regardless of their formal kinship. Four gifted young women who also happen to be real life sisters, Sister Sledge, has clearly joined this elite club of performers.

Since the 1979 release of their breakthrough album We Are Family, this remarkable group has continued to develop and expand their diverse talents, blossoming into multi-faced artists who have received over one hundred awards and commendations for outstanding work in the entertainment field. Highlights include Billboard Artist of the Year, Tokyo Music Festival Silver Award, and two Grammy Nominations for Best R&B Duo or Group and Record of the Year.

Joining Kathy Sledge for the extensive Oh! What a Night tour is the UK’s hottest DJ Tee Jaye, Rodger Corser (McLeod’s Daughters), Chris Pickard (Virgin Mobile’s ‘Warren’) and a cast of 25 of Australia’s most talented singers and dancers.

The show is set in New York in the mid-1970s, with the action focusing around the city's hippest disco - The Inferno - domain of the funkiest, coolest DJ of them all, Brutus T. Firefly. It's the place to be seen and everyone's life revolves around Saturday night. For the kids it's the one night of the week to forget harsh reality, put on your best clothes, meet your friends, dance to the greatest music on the planet, hopefully get off with somebody and generally have a good time.

The last production of Oh! What a Night in Australia was in 2001, and starred Marcia Hines and Gary Sweet. It gained major success, but whether it can repeat that just a few years later is the major task facing the 2003/4 tour, which kicks off in Perth this month before moving to Sydney in March.

Oh! What a Night opens at the Burswood Theatre in Perth on February 21 and will then tour the country