Little Eggs Collective in association with Hayes Theatre Co this week announced the World Premiere of a new Australian musical, Metropolis, at the Hayes Theatre Co from 21 April.

Fritz Lang’s iconic 1927 science fiction film Metropolis was based on the novel his wife, Thea Von Harbou, wrote two years earlier, with essential parts of the story lost on the cutting-room floor. Little Eggs Collective has adapted one of the most influential science fiction tales of all time into an unforgettable live theatre experience.

Writer and director of Metropolis, Julia Robertson, said, “Sometimes being shown the extremes of society can expose that those extremes are not as far away as we think. A city run by an oppressive tech giant? That doesn’t feel too far off to me.

Set in a technologically advanced city sustained by the existence of an exploited class of labourers living underground far away from the gleaming surface world, the world of Metropolis offers complex examinations of faith, progress, capitalism, mass production and the ever growing class divide, with a love story at its centre.

The talented cast bringing this creation to life includes Joshua Robson (Phantom of the Opera) as the imperious Joh Fredersen and recent NIDA graduate Tom Dawson as his revolutionary son, Freder. Shannen Alyce Quan (SIX) will show their range playing both the magnetic and inspirational Maria and the evil robotic counterpart, Robot Maria. Tony Cogin (A Broadcast Coup) will be stealing audiences’ hearts and minds as the eccentric genius, Rotwang. Grot will be played by Jim Williams (Bonnie and Clyde). Georgi will be played by Tomas Parrish (When The Light Leaves), while the life-size robot, Futura, will be puppeteered in the safe hands of Amanda McGregor (Pomona), AJ Pate (The Normal Heart) and newcomer Anusha Thomas. Rounding out the cast are Dominic Lui (HMS Pinafore) as a Worker and newcomers Sam Harmon and Selin Idris as Swings.

“We’re hoping to blow the walls out of the Hayes, and show the audience an entire world,” says Robertson. “Von Harbou’s novel is rich and operatic in style, lending itself perfectly to sumptuous visuals, transcendent choral music and hyper-physical ensemble work. It’s a colossal undertaking, but with the team that we’ve gathered, I think we have the ingredients for magic here.”

Purchase your ticket to Metropolis here.