In May 1955 Helpmann returned to Australia, leading a tour of the country by the Old Vic company, with Hepburn as a guest artist. He played Petruchio in "The Taming of the Shrew", Angelo in "Measure for Measure" and Shylock. At the Old Vic in 1956 he directed John Neville and Claire Bloom in "Romeo and Juliet", a production later given on Broadway. He joined the company as an actor later in the year, playing Shylock, Launce in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona", Saturnius in "Titus Andronicus" and the title role in "Richard III".