Very few productions have attracted such a consistently incandescent level of praise as Tim Minchin’s global smash-hit Matilda The Musical, so it should come as little surprise that the show has earned a colossal 13 nominations for the 2016 Helpmann Awards. In addition to the inevitable Best Musical gong, it is also in the running to take out Best Director of a Musical, Best Male Actor in a Musical, Best Female Actor in a Music, Best Original Score and a number of technical nods including Best Lighting Design, Best Musical Direction, Best Scenic Design and Best Sound Design. Dean Bryant’s wildly successful production of Little Shop of Horrors was also strongly recognised securing five nods including Best Director of a Musical. Tim Finn’s musical theatre debut, Ladies in Black, also boasts a healthy crop of six nods, including Best New Australian Work and Best Original Score.

In the opera awards, Brisbane Baroque repeated last year’s stellar result, earning seven nods for Agrippina, including Best Director, Best Opera, and five artist nods. For many involved this will be a bitter-sweet victory given last week’s revelations of financial strife for the Festival, which...