International NewsLove Never Dies’ Simon Phillips to Direct New Musical Starstruck, Based on Australian FilmPriscilla Queen of the Desert’s Gary McQuinn is producing.
By
Andrew Gans
September 04, 2018
Gary McQuinn, one of the producers of the musical version of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, will produce another Aussie screen-to-stage property, the 1982 movie musical Starstruck.
Gillian Armstrong's film, which follows two teenagers as they try to make it in the music business, will be workshopped at the National Institute of Dramatic Art prior to a 2019 staged version at Kensington's Parade Theatre featuring members of NIDA’s graduating class, according to Time Out Sydney.
Priscilla and Love Never Dies director Simon Phillips will head a creative team that also features set designer Brian Thomson, choreographer Andrew Hallsworth, and actor Mitchell Butel, who will pen the libretto. The soundtrack for the film, featuring artists from Michael Gudinski's Mushroom Records, will be enhanced onstage by additional songs from the Mushroom catalog.
Jo Kennedy, Ross O'Donovan, and Margo Lee starred in the original movie, which featured a screenplay by Stephen MacLean.