Producer Carmen Pavlovic says she felt a “great weight of responsibility” to the cast and crew of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and to the wider Melbourne CBD hospitality and retail sector, who are relying on the blockbuster musical to open at the Regent Theatre this year. We need to know how soon we can open at 50% and when we can move through from 75 to 100%.” The latest roadmap gives us nothing – not even rules around rehearsals. “At 150 people, you might get the odd show opening but nothing on a commercial scale. Victoria is taking a very slow and conservative approach. “NSW is taking a very aggressive approach to reopening with 75% capacity. “As far as we’re concerned, in Victoria right now, there is no roadmap to reopening,” says Evelyn Richardson, the Melbourne-based CEO of Live Performance Australia. This means major Melbourne productions – which include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Disney’s Frozen and Moulin Rouge! The Musical – will remain mothballed for some weeks to come. In Melbourne, however, theatres will only be permitted to reopen when 80% of the 16-plus population is fully vaccinated, and only to a maximum audience of 150 people – an unprofitably small crowd for large productions, which typically budget for a minimum house in excess of 85%.