Jason Donovan stars in a new production of Dale Wasserman’s play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, adapted from Ken Kesey’s landmark 1962 novel. Donovan co-produces the drama and plays Randle P. McMurphy – a role made famous by Jack Nicholson in Miloš Foreman’s 1975 film. A charismatic troublemaker, McMurphy leads a rebellion against the formidable, authoritarian Nurse Ratched, who runs the psychiatric institution in which he is a patient, having faked mental health issues to get out of prison labour. Roger Hodgman directs the exclusive Melbourne season, with Nadine Garner as Nurse Ratched and Jeremy Proulx as Chief Bromden.

Get ready to witness a theatrical event of rare electricity:  the iconic star of stage and screen Jason Donovan stars as Randle P. McMurphy in a bold new stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Exclusive to Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre, from November 13, 2026, for a strictly limited season.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Adapted from the landmark novel by Ken Kesey, Dale Wasserman has written a play for the ages.  Regularly performed to packed out houses around the world, this gripping stage adaptation delivers a raw and unforgettable night in the theatre, filled with intensity, humanity, and searing drama.

Inside an institution ruled with ruthless control by the formidable Nurse Ratched the patients have learned one thing, always live by the rules. Into this suffocating system bursts the rebellious Randle P. McMurphy, a charismatic troublemaker who refuses to submit quietly. Through wit, defiance, and sheer force of personality, McMurphy inspires those around him to rediscover courage, dignity, and the fragile spark of freedom

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest remains one of the most seminal and provocative stories ever told and is a raw, thrilling and deeply human clash between individuality and authority. Funny, shocking, confronting and ultimately unforgettable, this bold new production is theatre at its best.