Keala Settle to star in SUNSET BOULEVARD at Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall

Photo credit: Giada Frasetto

One of musical theatre’s most arresting and celebrated shows, SUNSET BOULEVARD, will take centre stage at the newly restored Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall in April 2027, with WITCH Music Theatre presenting Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece as part of the venue’s grand reopening programme for a strictly limited engagement.

The production, designed specifically with the Town Hall's refurbished auditorium and 120 year-old Edwardian era concert pipe organ in mind, will run from 9-11 April 2027, marking the New Zealand professional premiere of Sunset Boulevard and starring internationally acclaimed, Tony Award-nominated performer Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman).

For Keala, the production marks a deeply personal return to Aotearoa, and her first headline musical engagement in New Zealand since appearing alongside Hugh Jackman in The Man. The Music. The Show. in 2019. Following a career spanning Broadway, Hollywood and the West End, she returns home to lead a landmark production in one of Wellington’s most significant cultural venues.

WITCH Music Theatre Creative Director, Ben Tucker-Emerson, said: “Getting to work with Keala on this show in Aotearoa, the Town Hall’s historic reopening, and WITCH hitting its tenth year... It’s a pretty extraordinary convergence, and that’s exactly why it feels so... well, kismet.

“Josh and I have spent a decade saying ‘why not?’ and taking some fairly decent swings as independent music theatre producers. Look, we’re not a Broadway machine. We proudly make music theatre our own way, on our own terms, with our own kaupapa woven into everything we do, and now we’re collaborating with Keala Settle on one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most accomplished musicals, in what will be a world-class performance venue here in Pōneke. Is that terrifying? Of course it is. But I can’t wait to throw open the doors and invite Wellington into this rare and monumental moment for music theatre in Aotearoa.”

Joining Keala Settle in the cast are three leading actors from the Aotearoa musical scene: Nick Lerew (Les Miserables) as Joe Gillis, Chris Crowe (Phantom of the Opera) as Max Von Mayerling, and Bailea Twomey (Lizzie) as Betty Schaefer.

Further casting announcements will follow, with auditions for additional roles opening this month.

Tickets for Sunset Boulevard go on sale from 11 September, with further info here.