Iconic Australian comedy 'The Castle' to be adapted for the stage

The cherished Australian comedy 'The Castle' is set to become a stage play, written and co-produced by the team behind the original film: Working Dog's Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro and Jane Kennedy.

The theatrical production will once again tell the story of the Kerrigan family and their fight against the Australian government to save their home from demolition for an airport expansion. The 1997 film is regarded as one of Australia's greatest, shaping the local vernacular with iconic lines like "This is going straight to the pool room" and "Tell him he's dreamin'."

The play will premiere in Melbourne at Her Majesty's Theatre in March 2027, marking the 30th anniversary of the film. In a joint statement, the creators said they had wanted to turn 'The Castle' into a stage show for "the best part of 25 years" and emphasised it would not be "just a retelling of the story but a quarter of a century of funny updates."

"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," they said. "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."

Producer Michael Cassel said: "When the team at Working Dog first approached me about bringing 'The Castle' to the stage, I knew we had to do this. 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. It makes you laugh, and then, before you know it, it makes you cry. That is exactly what live theatre does at its best and why 'The Castle' was always destined for the stage."

Casting for the production has yet to be announced.