Musical cancellations spur calls for tax reform to save Australian theatre

Two major touring musicals and a $20m opera have been cancelled within a week, plunging parts of Australia’s live theatre sector into crisis. Waitress will end in Melbourne on 19 July and will not tour to Sydney in August, while Beetlejuice ended its Brisbane run three weeks early and abandoned plans for Perth, Adelaide and Sydney.

The Italian opera Aida also pulled its Adelaide season for February 2027 despite selling 17,000 tickets. Producers cited soaring production and touring costs, cost-of-living pressures such as higher interest rates, and softer box office sales as the reasons. Producers warned the economics no longer add up.

John Frost said “whilst audience enthusiasm for our work remained strong, attendance levels and box office have not been sufficient to support the cost of the production”. Michael Cassel Group described the logistical realities of touring Australia as creating “increasing cost pressures that ultimately made continuing the run unsustainable”.

Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth

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