It’s not very often that a musical arrives with the kind of certainty that makes you feel, in real time, that you are witnessing something truly special. For me, those lightning-bolt moments are rare — Once in 2011, Come From Away in 2017, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2025 — and now My Brilliant Career at the Roslyn Packer Theatre as part of Sydney Theatre Company’s 2026 season joins that extraordinary list. This is the kind of musical that doesn’t just succeed; it announces itself as a future Australian classic.
Based on Miles Franklin’s My Brilliant Career, the story follows the fiercely intelligent and fiercely independent Sybylla Melvyn, a young woman growing up in rural Australia who dreams of a life beyond the rigid expectations placed upon her. Faced with the pressures of class, family duty and romance, Sybylla refuses to let marriage define her future, determined instead to carve out a brilliant life on her own terms. It remains one of the great Australian coming-of-age stories, and in this adaptation, it becomes something luminous, witty and emotionally overwhelming.
The writing team of Sheridan Harbridge, Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank has achieved something close to miraculous. They bottle the Australian spirit in all its contradictions: serious yet larrikin, poetic yet dryly funny, cheeky while never sacrificing emotional truth. Every lyric and every line feels steeped in the rhythms of this country. It’s witty, yearning, rebellious and unmistakably ours.
Anne-Louise Sarks directs with a beautifully restrained confidence, allowing the work’s emotional and cultural specificity to shine. The simplicity of the staging reflects the practical poetry of Australian life, never overcomplicating what should feel honest and immediate. Amy Campbell’s choreography is simply glorious — joyful, deeply expressive and always story-driven. The ensemble work has that rare sense of movement that feels both spontaneous and exquisitely crafted. Victoria Falconer once again proves herself a musical whisperer, guiding the actor-musicians and vocals with sublime balance and clarity. When musicians are also performers, it can so easily become messy, but under Falconer’s hand, it feels effortless.
The design team captures the era and the landscape without ever spoon-feeding us. As someone who grew up in the country, the sun-scorched tones of the drought grass and the dry palette of the world felt viscerally familiar. It’s an Australia you can almost smell.
And then there is this astonishing cast of ten, who play multiple roles with breathtaking dexterity. Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward is a constant delight as Frank, bringing an impish humour and beautifully observed comic timing that keeps the audience leaning forward. Lincoln Elliott makes Jimmy almost unbearably charming, infusing him with a sweetness and awkward sincerity that makes every scene land. Raj Labade gives Harry an alluring magnetism, balancing romantic charisma with the sense of privilege and possibility the character represents.
Drew Livingston is extraordinary in the way he pivots between father figures, moving from the menace and volatility of an abusive drunk to the warmth and comfort of a beloved uncle with astonishing emotional precision. For this performance, Meg McKibbin performed the roles of both Gertie and Blanche, creating sharply distinct women who still feel rooted in the same social world. Ana Mitsikas as Grannie embodies upper-class expectation and social rigidity with perfect conviction, making every scene crackle with judgement and status.
Christina O’Neill is remarkable in her shifts between the crushing negativity of Sybylla’s mother and the buoyant encouragement of Helen, revealing the push-and-pull of womanhood that shapes Sybylla’s journey. Jarrad Payne doesn’t just underscore the action with percussion; he becomes part of the storytelling engine itself, his rhythms pumping life and momentum into the world of the show.
But all of these remarkable performances create the perfect launchpad for the incandescent Melanie Bird as Sybylla. Covering the role for this performance, this is a star turn in every sense. With a twinkle in her eye, steel in her spine and a spark that seems to ignite the entire stage, Bird commands every second. Her performance burns with intelligence, humour, vulnerability and fierce ambition. She captures Sybylla’s contradictions so beautifully: romantic yet defiant, hopeful yet uncompromising, vulnerable yet blazing with determination.
I know it’s only March, but I am calling it now: My Brilliant Career is the musical of 2026. Do not miss it.
– The other Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig is an international performer and has established himself as a trusted theatre specialist on the Sydney Arts Scene. While he understands the technical side of theatre, Dan writes for the everyday theatregoer (unlike some of those more prominent publications). When not in the audience, he loves to travel the world and try new gins.
My Brilliant Career runs for 2 hours 30 minutes (with a 20-min interval) and plays at Roslyn Packer Theatre through 3 May 2026. Tickets are available through Sydney Theatre Company.
Disclosure: The Plus Ones were guests of Sydney Theatre Company.
Image credit: Pia Johnson
