In great news for Aussie film fans, The Castle will be reimagined as a theatrical stage production. Michael Cassel Group and Working Dog announced on July 28, that it will premiere March 2027 at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre.
Just 24 hours after tickets went on sale, a statement from Michael Cassel Group confirmed that the production has broken the record for highest first day ticket sales for a play in Her Majesty’s Theatre history.
The Castle was first released on April 10, 1977 and has remained an Aussie cult classic since. Paramount
“To break a longstanding Her Majesty’s Theatre record on our very first day of on-sale tells us just how deeply The Castle lives in the heart of Australian audiences,” Cassel said in the statement.
The demand for the play is at record levels with the Melbourne premiere run “strictly limited”.
The premiere of the production will mark 30 years since the film’s original release, with original creators Rob Stitch, Tom Gleisner, Santa Cilauro and Jane Kennedy on board as writers and co-producers.
Award-winning director Paige Rattray also joins the crew, best known for her work on seasons two and three of Netflix hit Heartbreak High, and the acclaimed musical Fangirls.
The production is said to stay true to the story of the Kerrigan family, featuring all the fan-favourite scenes and characters from the film, plus new laughs and modern references in hopes of pleasing fans both old and new.
In a statement shared the morning of the announcement, producer Michael Cassel said that as soon as he was approached about the idea of adapting The Castle for the stage, he knew it had to be done.
“The film miraculously captures the specificities of Australian life and yet feels so universally true; family love, the challenges change presents, and the warmth and humour and dignity of ordinary people standing up for what matters,” he said.
“It makes you laugh, and then, before you know it, it makes you cry.”
In 2025, nine.com.au chatted with Michael Caton, Stephen Curry and Anthony Simcoe from the cast of The Castle as they reunited for the first time in 25 years. Uber Green
The Castle’s creators, Stitch, Gleisner, Cilauro and Kennedy said that over the years the group has always had an interest in turning the film into a stage production for Aussie audiences.
“Not just a retelling of the story but a quarter of a century of funny updates! A celebration of all we love about the Kerrigan family,” they said.
“We wrote this new, fully updated show in the same way that we wrote the film screenplay all those years ago – the four of us in a room trying to make each other laugh.
“Our goal was to capture the warmth and humour (dare we say, “the vibe”?) of the original story in a way that will hopefully resonate with new and long-term fans alike.”
The Castle’s creators said there has always been interest in turning the film into a stage production. Working Dog
The announcement comes at a difficult time for Australian theatre, with shows such as Waitress, Beetlejuice and Back to the Future having their tours cut short.
Cassel said that The Castle is exactly what Aussie theatre needs, giving audiences the opportunity to sit together and “feel the laughter, tears and pride in real time”.
Kicking off in March 2027 at Melbourne’s Her Majesty theatre, it is currently unclear if The Castle stage production will be a melbourne exclusive or an Australia-wide tour.