The Deb

The Deb is a musical by Hannah Reilly with music by Megan Washington and lyrics by Washington & Reilly.

Premise
The Deb concerns high school outcast Taylah, her feminist inner-city cousin Maeve and the annual debutante ball in the fictional drought-stricken country town of Dunburn, Australia. Reilly describes it as "a love letter to awkward teenage adolescence and learning how to celebrate what makes you unique”.

Production
The original Australian Theatre for Young People production was staged from 8 April to 22 May 2022 at ATYP's The Rebel Theatre in Sydney's Walsh Bay Wharves Precinct. It was co-directed by Reilly and Fraser Corfield with choreographer Sally Dashwood and music director Zara Stanton. The cast included Katelin Koprivec (Taylah), Charlotte MacInnes (Maeve), Jay Laga’aia and Tara Morice.

Reception
The Deb was positively received. The Guardian called it "an embrace and expansion of new trends in Australian musical comedy" and "a celebration of a new joyful onstage movement of women-centred, lovingly local stories with big laughs and big pop choruses". The Sydney Morning Herald noted "fine original music – from ballads, hip hop, country, and rap – with witty lyrics".

It received the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production for Young People in 2023.

Film adaptation
The musical was adapted as a feature film with Rebel Wilson’s company Camp Sugar Productions. The film is slated to premiere as the closing film of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.