2017 Helpmann Awards nominations revealed
OPERA Australia's My Fair Lady leads this year's Helpmann Awards nominations.
The 60th anniversary production of Lerner and Loewe's musical about a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and the appealingly arrogant phoneticist, Professor Higgins, is up for nine gongs including Best Musical.
Live Performance Australia announced the nominees in the 42 categories of The Helpmann Awards at simultaneous events tonight in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The Helpmann Awards recognise distinguished achievement and excellence in Australia's live performance sectors including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, theatre, ballet, dance and physical theatre, presentation for children, regional touring and cabaret.
Disney's Aladdin and The Book of Mormon are both up for seven awards, closely followed by Kinky Boots.
The winners of the 2017 Helpmann Awards will be announced at a ceremony on July 24 at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, on the set of Kinky Boots.
Main 2017 Helpmann contenders
MY FAIR LADY - 9 nominations, including best musical
SAUL - 7 nominations, including best opera
DISNEY'S ALADDIN - 7 nominations, including best musical
THE BOOK OF MORMON - 7 nominations, including best musical
KINKY BOOTS - 6 nominations, including best musical
THE DROVER'S WIFE - 6 nominations, including best play and best new Australian work
BACKBONE - 3 nominations, including best new Australian work, lighting and choreography
THE DROVER'S WIFE by Belvoir - 6 nominations, including best play, Mark Cole Smith as best actor and Leach Purcell as best actress
FAITH HEALER by Belvoir - 4 nominations, including Colin Friels as best actor, Alison Whyte as best actress and Judy Davis as best director
J ASPER JONES by Melbourne Theatre Company - 4 nominations including best play and best new Australian work by Kate Mulvany
PAUL KELLY, CAMILLE O'SULLIVAN and FEARGAL MURRAY - Nominated for best original score with Ancient Rain which was at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival last week
SVEN RATZKE: STARMAN - Nominated for best cabaret performer from last year's Adelaide Cabaret Festival ... up against Jimmy Barnes for his Working Class Boy show
