Sydney Premiere 18-28 June 2026, Bondi Pavilion Theatre, presented by The Bondi Theatre Company
Sydney gets UKED!
“A joyous new musical.” – What’s the Show
Sydney has fallen in love with Uked! – Australia’s most interactive, heartwarming musical.
From the opening night standing ovation to the rave reviews, the Sydney premiere of Uked!, featuring JOSEPHINE BIRCH as Karla, and IAN STENLAKE as (almost) everyone else, was an absolute hit.
Stenlake and Birch charmed their way into the audience’s hearts in a story that is poignant, uplifting and relevant. As Linda Nathaniel from What’s the Show said: ‘It brings our reliance on the internet into complete focus.’
Uked! is the story of Karla, who is dumped on her 50th birthday by her violin-playing boyfriend Brian. Desperate to belong and to prove her musical worth, she buys a ukulele, learning on YouTube, and joins a dating site – learning that love and the ukulele have a lot in common.
It’s also about the power of the humble ukulele to connect communities.
What makes Uked! unique is that the audience can sing and play along with Karla as she learns the ukulele, as a screen displays all the chords and lyrics.
Passionate players can also register to play Karla’s fellow ukulele players in the show.
It was an absolute delight to welcome passionate members of the Sydney ukulele community to the show.
In the intimate Bondi Pavilion Theatre the performance of Uked! is a production that brings together music, comedy and a storyline the invokes compassion and genuine empathy from the audience.‘ – Theatre Travels
On-stage musicians KRISTIN HARRIS and JAMIE BURGESS, led the audience in the play-along songs, ensuring that even the shiest audience member sang along.
Harris and Burgess also made delightful cameo appearances, while Stage Manager and Assistant Director Roslyn Hicks, who also understudied Karla, grooved her way through scene transitions as she reset the stage.
As the director Ali Bendall, said: ‘At its heart, Uked! is a story about connection. It’s about finding community in unexpected places, discovering new passions, and having the courage to start again when life hasn’t quite gone to plan.’
Uked! is guaranteed to leave you with a song in your heart with a smile on your face.
Uked! is ideal for local theatre companies and ukulele groups to team up to produce in small, intimate settings. Produce it in your local theatre or hall, or for your local festival. Contact David Spicer Productions david@davidspicer.com
Here’s what critics and audience members are saying about the Sydney premiere of UKED!
5 stars A joyous new musical…. Uked! is a show you could see again and again. It’s that charming. …‘Uked! draws parallels with Muriel’s Wedding, Once and Mamma Mia.. – Linda Nathanial, What’s the Show.
We were genuinely blown away…Hand on heart, I promise you’ll leave with a smile on your face. – Janet Raine, Northern Beaches Ukulele Club.
4 stars…a delightful and inventive production that brings together music, comedy, and heartfelt storytelling in a way that feels both fresh and accessible… charming, uplifting, and thoroughly entertaining. – Janet Raine, Northern Beaches Ukulele Club.
4 stars …a two hander with Josephine Birch, a very natural and warm performer playing the main character Karla and Ian Stenlake, a well-known stage and screen actor, and a clear drawcard, playing all the characters she meets. Stenlake does so well, moving, with a lightness of touch from one character to the next… Well directed by Ali Bendall, this show was a pleasure. – David Kary, Sydney Arts Guide.
4 stars Uked! strikes all the right chords. Warm, wonderfully zany and bursting with infectious energy, it is the kind of production that has audiences tapping their feet, laughing out loud and wondering whether it’s finally time to learn the ukulele. – Stage Whispers Magazine.
4 stars Uked!builds from Karla’s pithy sofa storytelling to a joyous musical jamboree, with a finale befitting this life-affirming fable. – Richard Cotter, Australian Stage.
Ali Bendall has directed this production with a sense of collaboration. All the performers have a wonderful ease with each other. – Linda Nathanial, What’s the Show.
