Muriel's Wedding the Musical Finds Its Star & Sets Additional Casting for World Premiere

Newcomer Maggie McKenna will take on the title role in Muriel's Wedding the Musical, the new stage adaptation of PJ Hogan’s hit 1994 film. The previously announced show will begin previews at Sydney, Austrailia's Roslyn Packer Theatre on November 6 with an opening night set for November 18. The musical will now run through January 27, 2018.

Twenty-year-old Melbourne-born actress McKenna will make her professional stage debut in Muriel’s Wedding, updated to today by Hogan himself, with original music by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall alongside beloved ABBA numbers. The film starred Toni Collette as Muriel in a Golden Globe-nominated performance.

“When I made the film, Muriel was a difficult part to cast. So my smile was huge when I met Toni Collette," said Hogan. "Almost twenty-five years later I smiled that same smile when I met Maggie McKenna.”

The story focuses on Muriel Heslop, who is stuck in a dead-end life in Porpoise Spit. Muriel is obsessed with the music of ABBA and dreaming of a fairytale wedding—the white dress, the church, the attention. Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing: a groom. Leaving small-town life, her long-suffering mother and bullying father behind, she follows her dreams to Sydney with new best friend Rhonda. There she ends up with everything she ever wanted—a man, a fortune and a gazillion Twitter followers. That’s when things start to go really wrong.

Joining McKenna onstage will be Justine Clarke as Betty, with Briallen Clarke as Joanie, Michael Whalley as Perry, Connor Sweeney as Malcolm, Helen Dallimore as Deidre Chambers, Aaron Tsindos as Chook, Christie Whelan Browne as Tania Degano, Ben Bennett as Brice Nobes, Stephen Madsen as Alexander Shkuratov, Josh Quong Tart as Ken, with Manon Gunderson Briggs, Laura Murphy, Sheridan Harbridge, Mark Hill, Annie Aitken, Kaeng Chan, Tony Cogin, Adrian Li Donni and Kenneth Moraleda. Full casting, including the role of Rhonda, played on-screen by Rachel Griffiths, will be announced at a later date.

We're keeping fingers crossed that Muriel will renew her vows on the Great White Way.