The Broadway and West End sensation is coming to Geelong with its only regional Victorian show in September.
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation will finally make its Australian debut after critically acclaimed runs in New York, London and Chicago.
The show, created by acclaimed Australian-American creative Jonathan Rockefeller, will debut in Brisbane this July before hitting the road for a national tour including Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Melbourne – featuring an all-Australian cast.
While hitting all the capital cities, the musical will also head to Geelong Arts Centre’s Playhouse in Geelong on September 27 and 28 in 2023.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
Disney’s iconic Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robinson and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl (oh… and don’t forget Tigger too!) have come to life in a beautifully crafted stage musical adaptation featuring stunning life-size puppetry for audiences of all ages.
Inspired by the beloved books by A.A. Milne and the classic Disney featurettes, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation has garnered glittering reviews while being called “Enchanting” (Time Out) and “A whimsical delight with brilliant puppetry” (Entertainment Weekly). The London premiere smashed U.K. box office records, being deemed “a show that truly spans the generations” (WhatsOnStage).
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“The music, the spectacular life-size puppets, and the charming performances are the perfect way to introduce (or re-introduce) audiences to live theatre, and this is a must-see show for Winnie the Pooh fans,” said Jonathan Rockefeller.
“We are excited to bring the Hundred Acre Wood to Australia so that audiences of all ages can join us for this heartwarming production.”
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation made its world premiere in 2021 at Theatre Row in New York City, garnering rave reviews and box office records and has since received both Drama Desk and OBA nominations. The show has played in Chicago, toured the United States, before debuting in London earlier this year.
Winnie the Pooh has been enjoyed by millions of readers and viewers ever since English author A.A. Milne first chronicled the adventures of Christopher Robin’s friends in the Hundred Acre Wood in 1926. The books, featuring illustrations by English illustrator E.H. Shephard, have sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
The theatrical rights to the Pooh stories were acquired by Disney in 1961, with an original intent to produce a feature film, but after production began, Walt Disney decided to make short featurettes instead. The three featurettes were subsequently incorporated into the feature The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – this was the last film in the Disney canon in which Walt Disney had personal involvement.
Winnie the Pooh: The New Stage Adaptation is produced by Life Like Touring, in partnership with Rockefeller Productions, and in association with Disney Theatrical Group.
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation kicks off an Australian tour in July. Tickets go on sale Thursday 15 June for the Geelong show here.
