Set on the fictional island of Avalon, which according to this play is located somewhere in the Great Barrier Reef, the musical combines Shakespeare's tale with 1960s California surf film culture.

[2] Billed as "the surf rock musical to make Shakespeare turn in his grave", New Moon's original production of Beach Blanket Tempest opened at Cairns' Civic Theatre on 25 July 1984.

[7] Beach Blanket Tempest has also been performed by various schools and amateur theatre companies in Australia.

Canada's Muskoka Festival presented it in their 1992 season, directed by Ron Ulrich, and starring Frank McKay, Lindsay Richardson, Carol McCartney, Shane MacPherson, Joann Kirwin-Clark, George Masswohl, and Tim Koetting.

The Sun-Herald described Beach Blanket Tempest as "a high-energy, wild and whacky rock spectacular" that "satisfies all the requirements of rock opera, plus loud, raunchy rock'n'roll numbers which induce foot-tapping and hand-clapping".