Tag: HayesTheatre

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“Barbra: The Greatest Star”

I had a blast photographing the dress rehearsal for Barbra: The Greatest Star at the Hayes Theatre in Sydney — and even during rehearsals, prior to it’s opening in January, this show was already dazzling.

Starring Tana Laga’aia, Laura Murphy, Stellar Perry and Brittanie Shipway, this joyous tribute to Barbra Streisand is a high-voltage celebration of one of the great careers in music and performance. Each performer brings their own voice, personality and theatrical flair to this extraordinary songbook.

The staging is gloriously over the top — big gestures, bold design moments and exuberant performances perfectly match the larger-than-life spirit of the production.

And what a repertoire it is: an incredible parade of Streisand’s classics, from soaring ballads to brassy anthems and more intimate musical moments, all delivered with wit, precision and serious vocal firepower.

The energy in the room was electric — as these images show.

Barbra: The Greatest Star runs at Hayes Theatre Co from 21 January to 14 February 2026. (Click on this link for tickets:)

Cast and crew – Barbra: The Greatest Star
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes – Dress Rehearsal

It was a real pleasure to shoot the Sydney dress rehearsal of director Richard Carroll’s new production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the Hayes Theatre.

The two leads, Emily Havea and Georgina Hopson, are fabulous in the roles of Dorothy and Lorelei and the rest of the cast are equally brilliant. When you are producing a theatrical shoot, it can be very difficult to appreciate the bigger picture of what is happening on stage. Your attention as photographer is focused on multiple things while you apply your craft, including technical considerations and stylistic decisions. However, in this case, it was impossible for me to ignore the magic of what was happening on stage, even though it was only the dress rehearsal.

See my previous blog post announcing the season, production details and my photography for the poster:  https://www.johnmcrae.com/gentlemen-prefer-blonds-apparently/

If you see this post before the production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes finishes at the Hayes Theatre on March 18, 2023, make sure you book tickets to see this wonderful piece of musical theatre. Book here

Director: Richard Carroll | Featuring: Octavia Barron-Martin, Thomas Campbell, Ruby Clark, Adam Di Martino, Emily Havea, Georgina Hopson, Tomáš Kantor, Leah Lim, Tomas Parrish, Matthew Predny, Monica Sayers | Musical Director: Victoria Falconer | Band: Nathan Barraclough, Amanda Jenkins, Abi McCunn, Jarrad Payne | Choreographer: Sally Dashwood | Set Designer: Dan Potra | Costume Designer: Angela White | Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman | Associate Musical Director: Abi McCunn | Stage Manager: Bronte Schuftan | Assistant Stage Manager: Anastasia Mowen | Dialect Coach: Benjamin Purser | Intimacy Coordinator: Caroline Kaspar