Australian Musical Theatre: Never Been Better? is the first sustained scholarly analysis of the Australian musical in the twenty-first century. In the past, the Australian musical has been much maligned: plagued by the sceptre of ‘The Great Australian Musical’ and dogged by recurring concerns about the content and quality of the genre. In this book, Mara Davis Johnson assesses these concerns and argues that they are unfounded.
Through detailed analysis of six musicals, she showcases the breadth and diversity of contemporary Australian musical theatre productions. The book demonstrates how these performances stage a repertory of tropes, characters, places, stories, fixations, and myths that produce a national imaginary for Australia. Methodologically, the book takes a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach that honours the hybrid nature of the musical and its broad cultural appeal.
This makes for an accessible, wide-ranging discussion that will appeal to scholars in diverse fields. The book will be an essential resource for scholars and students of musical theatre, theatre and performance studies, and Australian cultural studies and history.
By:
Mara Davis Johnson (University of Wollongong Australia)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781032965956
ISBN 10: 1032965959
Pages: 214
Publication Date: 04 December 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction: Beyond Quest, Crisis, and The Great Australian Musical 1. Broadway as Transnational Brand in Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical 2. Sport, Masculinity, and Nation in Shane Warne: The Musical 3. Suburbia and the Beach in Songs from the Middle 4. Feeling Bad, Feeling Good: Reconciliation, Apology, and White Witnessing in The Rabbits 5. Artistic Agency, Anger, and Pub Rock in Barbara and the Camp Dogs 6. Climate Change and Soft-Close Drawers: The Local Meets the Global in Vivid White Conclusion: The Australian Musical Arrives
Mara Davis Johnson is Lecturer in Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She is a musician, composer, vocal coach, and dramaturg whose research centres on musical theatre in all its forms.
