Jason King will fulfil a long awaited goal when he brings The Boy from Oz to the Singleton Civic Centre stage next month.
It has been a show he has wanted to direct for many years but the timing was never right so when he put the idea to Singleton Theatrical Society (SATS) at their planning meeting for the 2026 show last year, it was accepted and Jason hasn’t stopped pushing the boundaries to ensure it gives its audience everything he knows the music and story can deliver.
It is a show that has it all and for the first time in SATS history, the band will join cast members on the stage with guitar solos and saxophone riffs adding to the experience.
The Boy from Oz tells about the life of the great Australian entertainer, Peter Allen. The show starts in the 1950s with his humble beginnings growing up in an Australian bush town. He then experiences a meteoric rise to fame as an international star opening for Judy Garland and selling out week-long engagements at Radio City Music Hall.
Later, Allen marries Judy’s daughter, Liza Minnelli but within a few years, Allen and Minnelli split due to Allen’s homosexuality. Eventually, Allen dies from AIDS – but before he dies, he is able to give one final concert back in his homeland.
Jason said he could not have chosen better than to have William Spalding play the lead of an adult Peter Allen.
“Peter Allen’s music is interesting and while it is not that difficult technically, it is really difficult emotionally to sing the words and the way Will plays the role is as good as it gets,” Jason said.
“Songs like Tenterfield Saddler, you have to be emotionally strong to sing it,” Jason said.
While you will see familiar faces on stage with Kate Flannery playing the role of Judy Garland, Cass Griffin playing Liza Minnelli and Jon Doughty playing the role of Dee Anthony who was Peter’s prominent American manager, there is also plenty of new faces with some of the dance ensemble travelling from Newcastle to be in the show.
The Boy from Oz by SATS is coming to Singleton Civic Centre with opening night on Friday, June 5, at 7:30pm. Tickets available via the SATS website or at Hunter Floral Boutique.
