You might remember The Prince of Egypt as the plucky, earnest underdog of ’90s animated movies. With a celeb-heavy cast, a surprisingly stacked creative team and a soundtrack of certified bangers, it was the first traditionally animated film from DreamWorks. With it, they proved that Disney weren’t the only animation titans that could turn out something exceptional in the animated canon.
What you may or may not know is that it was developed into a stage musical, which went gangbusters on the West End from 2017 to 2022. We don’t have any indication of the show ever touring Down Under, but Aussie audiences now finally have their chance to see it. A specially filmed recording of The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is being released in selected cinemas for the first time in October 2023.
Filmed live at London’s Dominion Theatre, the show features a cast and orchestra of 60 performers, making it one of the biggest musicals ever staged. This is a must-see for musical theatre maniacs, fans of event cinema, and everyone who’s nostalgic for the cult flick.
To celebrate the cinema release, Universal has sneakily dropped a first-look clip featuring a live performance of The Prince of Egypt's break-out song 'When You Believe'. Watch it below:
It’s really a no-brainer that this epic tale (inspired by the biblical story of Moses) would make for a grand musical. The movie’s music was created by Stephen Schwartz (the Broadway legend behind Wicked) and Oscar and Grammy-winning heavyweight Hans Zimmer. Some of the songs were sung by the film’s voice actors, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Ofra Haza, and the legendary soundtrack released for the film included additional songs and covers by big names like Boyz II Men, and the Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston duet ‘When You Believe’.
Directed by Scott Schwartz with “miraculous music” (Time Out London) and breathtaking dance numbers, this “massive new stage show” (Time Out London) journeys through the wonders of Ancient Egypt as two young men, raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, the other must rise up and free his true people.
New South Wales screenings are taking place between October 19 and November 2 (most screenings happen on Oct 19 and 22) at Dendy Newtown, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, Ritz Cinema Randwick, Palace Norton Street, Palace Central, Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, Glenbrook Cinema in the lower Blue Mountains, Avoca Beach Theatre on the Central Coast, and Palace Byron Bay.
You can check out all Australian screenings and book your tickets at theprinceofegyptmusicalfilm.com.
