A Gold Coast eight-year-old got a taste of stardom this month when he took on a lead role for QPAC’s production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Jayden McGinlay impressed the audience in his role of Jeremy Potts in the show that featured at the Lyric Theatre from November 19 to December 22.

Jayden said he had the time of his life performing 21 shows in just over five weeks.

“My favourite part was the flying car. It was like being in a very slow rollercoaster,” Jayden said.

Jayden said he had always loved performing and was excited to take part in such a big production.

Producers Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian, John Frost and the Really useful Group today announced the 18 children who have been cast in the world’s favourite musical, The Sound of Music.

“We have assembled an extraordinary cat of young stars to play the Von Trapp children,” said the producers. “We had over 800 children audition last month and we were absolutely blown away by the talent. It’s exciting that Australian audiences will see a production of this quality.”

It will be a right royal Easter and beyond in Brisbane as The King and I presented by Opera Australia and John Frost opens as a glittering national premiere at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) on Saturday 19 April 2014.

Final tickets have just been releases for The Australian premiere season of the Rogers and Hammerstein masterpiece, The King and I, which will play for a strictly limited seven week season in QPAc’s Lyric Theatre until Saturday 1 June 2014.

Australia’s favourite leading lady and four-time Gold Logie winner Lisa McCune plays English governess Anna Leonowens opposite internationally acclaimed baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the King in Brisbane and Sydney seasons, hot from their success performing together int he national tour of South Pacific, also presented by Opera Australia and John Frost.

Associate Producer for Opera Australia, Mr Adrian Storey said that the company is delighted with the children he has cast for the Brisbane season of The King and I.

This production had a specific brief in that we were looking for children to portray Thai Princes and Princesses who are children of the King of Siam. Therefore they needed to be of any Asian ethnicity, with the exception of the son of the English Governess, who needed to be of caucasian decent.

After playing seasons in other capital cities, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car finally flew into Brisbane. And what a gob-smacking arrival it was. The $I Million prop auto, which not only floated on water but flew around the stage, was the undoubted star of the show.