Best Direction of a Musical
Subcategory of Sydney Theatre Awards
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Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2024

Indexed selectively.
winner Zombie! The Musical Laura Murphy , Laura Murphy (composer), 2024 single work musical theatre

'It’s like 42nd Street… but with ZOMBIES 

'Sydney, Australia. It’s the turn of the 21st century, and a dedicated community theatre troupe are frantically rehearsing in the final hours before their big opening night. Little do they know that beyond the walls of the theatre, a highly infectious disease is rapidly spreading through the city – turning its victims into full-blown zombies. Will humanity take its final bow, or can the power of musical theatre save the friggin’ world? 

'From the creator of The Lovers, this brand-new Australian musical wields a genre-blending original score and a fast-paced, farcical script that combines two of the most subtle forms of storytelling: traditional musical theatre and cult-classic zombie films. 

'Zombie! The Musical follows an ambitious starlet, an optimistic understudy and an ol’ hoofer (who thought she’d seen it all) as they’re faced with an impossible dilemma – what role to play in humanity’s final act? They discover that impending doom has a funny way of revealing our true character. Grab your torch, your pitchforks, and your headshot. The apocalypse begins in 5, 6, 7, 8…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2017

winner Muriel's Wedding : The Musical P. J. Hogan , Kate Miller-Heidke (composer), Keir Nuttall (composer), 2017 single work musical theatre

'Muriel Heslop is back! In this highly-anticipated world premiere, the iconic Australian film is set to become an equally iconic laugh-out-loud musical.

'Stuck in a dead-end life in Porpoise Spit, Muriel dreams of the perfect wedding – the white dress, the church, the attention. Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing. A groom. Following her dreams to Sydney, Muriel ends up with everything she ever wanted – a man, a fortune and a million Twitter followers. That’s when things start to go really wrong.

'The film’s original writer-director PJ Hogan has updated his screenplay into a dazzling new stage show, bringing the story into the present but keeping all the irreverence and naughtiness of the film along with its dark edge.' (Production summary)

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