Muriel's Wedding The Musical is the show to beat in this year's Helpmann Awards, with the homegrown musical having picked up an astonishing 11 nominations, including for Best Musical and Best New Australian Work. That's a pretty big change from last year, when several industry leaders spoke out against the near total lack of Australian creatives recognised in the musical theatre categories.
Following behind Muriel is Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which has six nominations, equalling another homegrown show, Dream Lover (nominated this year despite having its premiere in late 2016). The three shows are up against Mamma Mia! The Musical for Best Musical.
When it comes to plays, Sydney Theatre Company's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is leading the field, with six nominations including Best Male Actor in a Play for its star, Hugo Weaving. It's competing for Best Play against Melbourne Theatre Company's The Children (which has four nominations), STC's Black is the New White, Malthouse's The Real and Imagined History of Elephant Man, La Boite's Laser Beak Man and The Last Great Hunt's The Irresistible.
Thanks largely to Muriel and Arturo Ui, Sydney Theatre Company is the most nominated company, with 27 noms. Opera Australia, usually the leader, this year has just seven nominations.
Bangarra's Bennelong is the leading dance show, with eight nominations, and Adelaide Festival's Hamlet and Malthouse and Victorian Opera's Black Rider are the most nominated operas, with seven each.
And while there are more Australian creatives recognised than last year, male creatives dominate, with just one woman director nominated against 11 men. But women are killing it in comedy this year, with five of the seven nominations for Best Comedy Performer going to a woman.
The Helpmann Awards are being presented across two ceremonies in Sydney this year, on July 15 and 16.
While most of the nominated shows have now closed, there are still a few weeks left to catch Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in Melbourne. Muriel's Wedding is returning to Sydney next year, with a Melbourne season expected soon.
Looking for something to see this month? See the best theatre and musicals in Melbourne this June.
Helpmann Award nominations 2018
BEST MALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA
JUD ARTHUR Hamlet
KANEN BREEN Coronation of Poppea
KIM BEGLEY Hamlet
WARWICK FYFE Don Quichotte
BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA
ANTOINETTE HALLORAN Cunning Little Vixen
LORINA GORE Hamlet
MEOW MEOW Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
NATALIE CHRISTIE PELUSO Coronation of Poppea
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY
COLIN MOODY The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
HARRY GREENWOOD Cloud Nine
MITCHELL BUTEL Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play
PETER CARROLL The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY
ANITA HEGH The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
ELAINE CROMBIE An Octoroon
JANE MONTGOMERY-GRIFFITHS Macbeth
KATE BOX Top Girls
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
BOBBY FOX Assassins
MARTIN CREWES Dream Lover
MAT VEREVIS Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
ROBERT GRUBB Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
AMY LEHPAMER Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
CHRISTIE WHELAN BROWNE Muriel's Wedding The Musical
JEMMA RIX The Wizard of Oz
MADELEINE JONES Muriel's Wedding The Musical
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
GABRIELA TYLESOVA Muriel's Wedding The Musical
JENNIFER IRWIN Bennelong
JONATHON OXLADE Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play
ZOË ATKINSON Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
BOB CROWLEY Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
BUNNY CHRISTIE The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
DAVID MORTON, JONATHON OXLADE AND JUSTIN HARRISON Laser Beak Man
JACOB NASH Bennelong
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
DAMIEN COOPER You Animal, You
GEOFF COBHAM Emil and the Detectives
NICK SCHLIEPER Bennelong
PAULE CONSTABLE The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
BEST SOUND DESIGN
BYRON J. SCULLIN, TOM SUPPLE AND HANNAH FOX Siren Song
IAN DICKINSON FOR AUTOGRAPH The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
MICHAEL WATERS Dream Lover
MICHAEL WATERS Muriel's Wedding The Musical
BEST MUSIC DIRECTION
BRIAN RITCHIE The Spirit of Churaki
ISAAC HAYWARD Muriel's Wedding The Musical
NICOLETTE FRAILLON Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
PHOEBE BRIGGS Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
KATE MILLER-HEIDKE & KEIR NUTTAL Muriel's Wedding The Musical
MAX RICHTER Woolf Works
SAM CROMACK Laser Beak Man
STEVE FRANCIS Bennelong
BEST SPECIAL EVENT
TAYLOR MAC: A 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC Melbourne International Arts Festival
BEST PRESENTATION FOR CHILDREN
EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES Slingsby
JUNK Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne
TETRIS DreamBIG Children’s Festival 2017 at Adelaide Festival Centre
THE SECRET LIFE OF SUITCASES Arts Centre Melbourne, Ailie Cohen Puppet Maker and The Unicorn Theatre London
BEST REGIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION
HELLO, GOODBYE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY Roslyn Oades and Performing Lines
ODDYSEA Sensorium Theatre and Performing Lines WA
OUR LAND PEOPLE STORIES Bangarra Dance Theatre
SALTBUSH Insite Arts, Compagnia TPO and Performing Lines/Blak Lines
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A BALLET, DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
PHILLIP ADAMS EVER
STEPHEN PAGE Bennelong
WAYNE MCGREGOR Woolf Works
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL
ANDREW HALLSWORTH Muriel's Wedding The Musical
JOSH PRINCE Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
KAREN BRUCE The Bodyguard
TOM HODGSON MAMMA MIA! The Musical
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
KIP WILLIAMS Cloud Nine
KIP WILLIAMS The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
MATTHEW LUTTON The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man
SARAH GOODES The Children
BEST DIRECTION OF AN OPERA
BARRIE KOSKY The Nose
MATTHEW LUTTON Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
NEIL ARMFIELD Hamlet
STUART MAUNDER AM Cunning Little Vixen
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
DEAN BRYANT Assassins
MARC BRUNI Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
SIMON PHILLIPS Dream Lover
SIMON PHILLIPS Muriel's Wedding The Musical
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
DAVID CAMPBELL Assassins
DAVID CAMPBELL Dream Lover
DAVID HARRIS Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical
EUAN DOIDGE Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical
IAN STENLAKE MAMMA MIA! The Musical
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
ESTHER HANNAFORD Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
MAGGIE MCKENNA Muriel's Wedding The Musical
MARINA PRIOR Dream Lover
NATALIE O’DONNELL MAMMA MIA! The Musical
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
DANIEL MONKS The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man
HUGO WEAVING The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
JOHN BELL The Father
TOBY SCHMITZ Thyestes
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
HELEN MORSE Memorial
MIRANDA DAUGHTRY A Doll's House
PAMELA RABE The Children
SARAH PEIRSE The Children
BEST COMEDY PERFORMER
ANNE EDMONDS Helen Bidou - Enter the Spinnaker Lounge
CELIA PACQUOLA All Talk
COLIN LANE & FRANK WOODLEY Lano & Woodley - Fly
JULIA MORRIS Lift and Separate Golden Jubilee
RHYS NICHOLSON Seminal
URZILA CARLSON Studies Have Shown
ZOE COOMBS MARR Bossy Bottom
BEST CABARET PERFORMER
BRIEFS ENSEMBLE Briefs: Close Encounters
QUEENIE VAN DE ZANDT BLUE: The Songs of Joni Mitchell
REUBEN KAYE Journey to the Centre of Attention
TAYLOR MAC 24-Decade History of Popular Music
BEST MALE DANCER IN A BALLET, DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
BEAU DEAN RILEY SMITH Bennelong
JOSHUA THOMSON TIDE
KEVIN JACKSON Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
NELSON EARL Ocho
BEST FEMALE DANCER IN A BALLET, DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
AKO KONDO Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
ELISE MAY Behind Closed Doors
MELISSA BONIFACE The Great Gatsby
VIVIENNE WONG Infra
BEST VISUAL OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
CARRION Justin Shoulder
LIMBO UNHINGED Strut & Fret Production House
TIDE BLEACH* Festival & The Farm
WHITE SPIRIT Zaman Production & Galerie Itinerrance In Collaboration with the Musée Du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and Perth Festival
BEST MALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA
ALLAN CLAYTON Hamlet
BARRY RYAN Cunning Little Vixen
FERRUCCIO FURLANETTO Don Quichotte
KANEN BREEN Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA
DIMITY SHEPHERD Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
HELEN SHERMAN Coronation of Poppea
NICOLE CAR La Traviata
TARYN FIEBIG Triple Bill
BEST INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY CONCERT
CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT AND ADELAIDE FESTIVAL Cécile McLorin Salvant
ED SHEERAN & FRONTIER TOURING ÷ World Tour 2018
PAUL MCCARTNEY, FRONTIER TOURING, MPL & MARSHALL ARTS Paul McCartney – One On One World Tour 2017
UNDERWORLD AND SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS Underworld
BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL
CHUGG ENTERTAINMENT AND ROB POTTS ENTERTAINMENT EDGE CMC Rocks QLD 2018
LUNATIC ENTERTAINMENT & LANEWAY PRESENTS St. Jeromes Laneway Festival 2018
MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART (MONA) MONA FOMA
WOMADELAIDE FOUNDATION WOMADelaide 2018
BEST AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY CONCERT
ARMAND VAN HELDEN, MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, FRONTIER TOURING AND ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE Symphonica with Armand van Helden
GANG OF YOUTHS AND LIVE NATION Gang of Youths - Australia 2017
GOTYE PRESENTED BY SYDNEY FESTIVAL & MONA FOMA Gotye Presents a Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey
MIDNIGHT OIL & FRONTIER TOURING The Great Circle World Tour 2017
BEST INDIVIDUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE
EMANUEL AX A Mozart Celebration: Emanuel Ax with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
JONAS KAUFMANN Parsifal
KWANGCHUL YOUN Parsifal
PIETER WISPELWEY Pieter Wispelwey plays the Bach Cello Suites
BEST CHAMBER AND/OR INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE CONCERT
HUMAN REQUIEM
JORDI SAVALL WITH HESPERION XXI & TEMBEMBE ENSAMBLE CONTINUO
PIETER WISPELWEY: BEETHOVEN, BACH, BRAHMS WITH CAROLINE ALMONTE
TAKACS QUARTET
BEST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
BEETHOVEN AND BRUCKNER: SIMONE YOUNG CONDUCTS The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE: WITH BACH AND BRAHMS The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT WITH RACHEL PODGER Musica Viva Australia
WAGNER AND BEYOND: INSPIRING WAGNER West Australian Symphony Orchestra
BEST BALLET
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND The Australian Ballet
THE GREAT GATSBY West Australian Ballet
THE WINTER’S TALE The Royal Ballet & QPAC
WOOLF WORKS The Royal Ballet & QPAC
BEST DANCE PRODUCTION
BENNELONG Bangarra Dance Theatre
INTIMATE SPACE Restless Dance Theatre
MOZART AIRBORNE Expressions Dance Company, Opera Queensland and QPAC
ONE FLAT THING, REPRODUCED STRUT DANCE
BEST PLAY
BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE Sydney Theatre Company
LASER BEAK MAN Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Company and Dead Puppet Society
THE CHILDREN Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company
THE IRRESISTIBLE Side Pony Productions & The Last Great Hunt
THE REAL AND IMAGINED HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANT MAN Malthouse Theatre
THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI Sydney Theatre Company
BEST OPERA
BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS Malthouse Theatre and Victorian Opera
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN Victorian Opera
HAMLET Glyndebourne Festival, Adelaide Festival, State Opera Of South Australia and The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
THE NOSE Opera Australia
BEST MUSICAL
BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
DREAM LOVER
MAMMA MIA! THE MUSICAL
MURIEL’S WEDDING THE MUSICAL
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
BRETT DEAN AND MATTHEW JOCELYN Hamlet
COLIN LANE & FRANK WOODLEY Lano & Woodley - Fly
NAKKIAH LUI Black is the New White
NICHOLAS PAINE, DAVID MORTON, TIM SHARP AND SAM CROMACK Laser Beak Man
PJ HOGAN, KATE MILLER-HEIDKE & KEIR NUTTALL Muriel's Wedding The Musical
STEPHEN PAGE Bennelong