As part of the Working Dog team, Tom Gleisner has created comedy gold in films and TV shows such as The Castle, The Dish, Utopia and Have You Been Paying Attention?

So, news that he had written his first stage musical with composer Katie Weston drew plenty of attention and the show, Bloom, played to sold-out audiences when Melbourne Theatre Company premiered it in 2023.

Christina O’Neill, John O’May, Evelyn Krape, Maria Mercedes, Christie Whelan Browne, Jackie Rees and Slone Sudiro in Bloom, 2025. Photo © Daniel Boud

Sydney Theatre Company is now presenting the MTC production (with a few cast changes), directed by Dean Bryant.

Bloom in set in Pine Grove Aged Care Facility, where the owner, Mrs MacIntyre, is slashing costs by cutting programs and outings. Her latest plan sees her offering free board to university students in exchange for assistance as carers.

The musical comedy opens with the arrival of two people – the spirited Rose, a reluctant new resident who is being forced into aged care after setting her bed on fire, and Finn, a struggling uni student looking for somewhere to live.

Finn has no qualifications as...