Love Actually? The Musical Parody Is Bringing Christmas Chaos To Sydney
Image: Photos: Supplied
If any film has woven itself into the fabric of modern Christmas tradition, it’s Love Actually. Some earnestly love their annual December rewatch, others have made hate-watching it their annual tradition, laughing and slinging back eggnog with loved ones as they poke fun at that iconic stack of handwritten cue cards.
But regardless, so many of us press play on this Christmas classic every year — and with the film coming out in 2003, we’ve been doing so for more than twenty years.
This year, Sydney audiences will get the chance to experience the film anew — bigger, cheekier, and bursting with Christmas spirit — when Love Actually? The Musical Parody opens at Darling Quarter Theatre this month.
Arriving as part of a national roll-out, with different local casts in Melbourne and Brisbane, the Sydney season promises a joyful, slightly unhinged spin on the classic: a festive fever dream that honours everything people adore about the movie, while gleefully poking fun at its quirks.
The production follows nine couples as they stumble through all the familiar tropes we know and love — grand gestures, awkward confessions, ill-fated crushes and heartbreaking betrayals. But here, everything is dialled way, way up.
“This show is like Christmas dinner after a few too many champagnes — loud, ridiculous, and way too much fun,” says Associate Producer Ashley Tickell.
Complete with original numbers — including He’s The Prime Minister of Rom Coms and Keira Knightley Actually — the musical dives head-first into every iconic moment, celebrating the film’s legacy while letting the audience laugh at the things we’ve all quietly side-eyed.
A Sydney cast overflowing with talent
The Sydney ensemble features a brilliant mix of established musical theatre performers and rising comedic voices.
Ellis Dolan takes on the role of Liam Neeson’s Daniel, bringing heartfelt charm with a comic twist. Tommy James Green steps into Hugh Grant’s famously floppy-haired Prime Minister, balancing charisma with delightful awkwardness.
Hamish Pickering plays Colin Firth’s shy writer Jamie, and Gracie Rowland shines as Keira Knightley’s doe-eyed newlywed Juliet.
Brittany Morton plays Emma Thompson’s Karen — a character who has become one of the film’s most emotionally memorable (and heartbreaking) roles.
One of the production’s standout local performers is Bash Nelson, a queer musical theatre talent beloved across Sydney’s independent theatre scene.
“I play Peter, Keira Knightley’s husband, and many other characters,” Nelson tells City Hub. “We all play multiple characters but my specific role has many tongue in cheek moments that poke fun at the lack of diversity in the film industry, especially back in the early 2000s. It’s all in good fun and I’m having an absolute ball with it!”
“[The show] is everything we love about ridiculous, feel-good romcoms on top of standout performances from a stellar cast,” Nelson continues. “The crazy impressions of the characters from the film are insane and it’s hard to keep a straight face through most of the show.”
A new Christmas tradition
The musical also opens in Melbourne from 5 December and in Brisbane from 11 December, but the Darling Quarter season filled with local talent is primed to be a particularly joyful slice of Sydney’s silly season.
So, for anyone who considers Love Actually an annual ritual — or who simply wants to dive headfirst into some Christmas chaos — this is the show that captures the season’s heart.
Love Actually? The Musical Parody is on from 27 November – 23 December at Darling Quarter Theatre.
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