Nostradamus – The Musical Theatre Version

The musical theatre version of Nostradamus is a full-scale work intended for a lengthy season in a theatrical environment.

It was developed after the premiere of the symphonic version and was workshopped in Melbourne in 2006. The reworked script and score were subject to intense scrutiny within a professionally mounted workshop under the leadership of two of Australia’s leading creative talents Roger Hodgman (director) and David Stanhope (musical director). This resulted in two presentations made before selected audiences of industry professionals at the Melbourne Theatre Company in September 2006, the results of which were extremely encouraging.

Since the completion of the workshop, the authors have continued to work on the musical theatre version, which has resulted in a post workshop script (draft VII).

Nostradamus – The Symphonic Concert Version

The symphonic concert version is intended for a concert hall, and utilizes large-scale choruses and a full-size symphony orchestra and a narrator to link the musical scenes. The symphonic concert can be assembled more quickly than the musical, and is particularly suitable for opera and orchestra companies looking for a grand event.

The world premiere of the symphonic concert version took place on 29th June 2002 and consisted of an in-concert performance in Western Australia’s principal concert venue, the Perth Concert Hall. The event was produced by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Eastman Group, and featured several key opera soloists in the principle and sub-principle roles, a 72-voice chorus and the Western Australia Opera Company conducted by David Stanhope.

The symphonic concert performance was enthusiastically received by the audience and was subsequently broadcast nationally by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) through its radio network, ABC Classic FM.

Potential concerts of the work are currently being pursued in New York by Thomas Z. Shepard, former Vice President of RCA Classical Records, a twelve-time Grammy winner and renowned record producer of many outstanding original Broadway cast albums, including several of the works of Stephen Sondheim.