Cost-of-living crisis 'hits from two directions' as major musicals close

Rob Mills and Natalie Bassingthwaighte are the lead stars in the local production of the musical Waitress, a recent casualty of the crisis affecting Australian theatre. (Jeff Busby)

Beetlejuice, Waitress, Back to the Future, Dear Evan Hansen — the list of recent major musical cancellations in Australia is growing, to the concern of many in the sector.

In June, the Michael Cassel Group announced the cancellation of Beetlejuice the Musical's national tour, cutting short the show's Brisbane run.

The musical, which features music written by Eddie Perfect, premiered in Melbourne in May 2025 and was booked to also tour Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.

According to a spokesperson, "the current logistical realities of touring across vast distances between Australian cities have created increasing cost pressures that ultimately made continuing the run unsustainable".

Based on the 1988 film of the same name, Beetlejuice premiered on Broadway in 2019. (Supplied: Michael Cassel Group/Michelle Grace Hunder)

Cost-of-living pressures are also to blame for the axing of Australian stage production Waitress's Sydney run, which was due to start on August 1.

The musical, starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Rob Mills, is currently playing in Melbourne.

"Attendance levels and box office have not been sufficient to support the cost of the production," Crossroads Live Australia chief executive John Frost said.

A $20 million production of the opera Aida, part of Adelaide Festival's 2027 program, has also been pulled, while Back to the Future and Dear Evan Hansen cut short planned national tours in 2025.

Live Performance Australia (LPA) CEO Eric Lassen describes the number of recent cancellations as unprecedented.

"We haven't seen anything like it in recent years," he tells ABC Radio National's Life Matters.

Lassen says the closure of major shows has a "spillover effect in the economy", affecting not only the shows' cast and crew but also surrounding businesses.

However, he says the demand for musical theatre among Australian audiences is still strong.

"Musical theatre saw 4.4 million ticketed attendances in 2024 and over half a billion dollars in ticket revenue, so it's a huge component of our sector."

Lassen is one of many who are calling on the government to offer the sector a lifeline.

LPA has put forward a proposal for a Live Performance Production Incentive, a tax offset designed to deliver economic stimulus to the live entertainment industry.

Composer and performer Tim Minchin, who attended the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Live Performance group in