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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Sian Cain

The show must go on: musical theatre cancellations lead to industry calls for urgent government help

Rob Mills and Natalie Bassingthwaighte in Waitress
Rob Mills and Natalie Bassingthwaighte in Waitress. Just days after Waitress was cancelled, Beetlejuice announced it would end its Brisbane run three weeks early and cancel its tour to Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. Photograph: Jeff Busby

Australia’s theatre industry is in desperate need of tax reform to keep it alive, experts have warned the federal government, after two major touring musicals and a $20m opera cancelled shows in the space of a week, citing skyrocketing costs and soft box office sales.

Broadway musical Waitress, starring Rob Mills and Natalie Bassingthwaighte, announced on Sunday that it would end in Melbourne on 19 July and will not tour to Sydney in August as planned.

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