News

Vale John Sumner

Melbourne Theatre Company is deeply saddened to announce that its founder and longest-serving Artistic Director, John Sumner AO CBE passed away on Friday 24 May, 2013, after a brief illness, aged 88 years.

Idina Menzel: Flying High

Original Broadway Wicked star Idina Menzel is Defying Gravity and heading for a concert tour of Australia. She took time out to chat to Coral Drouyn about the joys of being in love with what she’s doing.

Dame Julie Drops In

Like Mary Poppins with her magical umbrella, the great Julie Andrews is dropping in for a series of one-night stands round Australia and New Zealand. And she’s bringing one of Captain Von Trapp’s sons with her. Ahead of he tour, Frank Hatherley spoke to Nicholas Hammond, the American born Aussie who learnt his most important show business lesson from Julie Andrews, whilst playing Frederich in the movie of The Sound of Music.

Aussie Youth Theatre Companies Take on the World

Adelaide-based theatre companies Patch Theatre Company, Slingsby and Windmill Theatre are the flavour of the month in the USA. All recently secured international bookings, including a season on Broadway. Robert Dunstan reports.

It could be something in the water? But regardless what the secret recipe is – Adelaide is producing youth theatre that the world wants to see.

The Addams Family Down Under

Director Jerry Zaks and several cast members of the macabre family’s musical spoke to Neil Litchfield prior to its Australian Premiere in March 2013.

The invention of American cartoonist Charles Addams (1912 – 1988), The Addams Family was originally created as a series of 150 single panel cartoons, first published by The New Yorker in 1938.

Two Australian Premiere Musicals for Squabbalogic Season

Sydney based boutique music theatre company Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre has announced its first ever official annual season for 2013, featuring two Australian premieres - Broadway’s 2010 political punk rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and arguably the most infamous musical of all time, Carrie The Musical, in a revised and reimagined version.

Dame Julie Andrews Shares her Memoirs with Australian Audiences.

Stage Whispers’ reporter Sally Alrich-Smythe attended Julie Andrews’ press conference, at the start of her Australian tour, and shares the highlights.

Magnormos: Taking flowerchildren to the Comedy

Melbourne production company Magnormos is entering its second decade in style, stepping up to stage a season of flowerchildren at the Comedy Theatre. Lucy Graham speaks to Producer Margaret Fisk.

Listening to her voice, it’s clear Margaret Fisk is an enthusiast. And why wouldn’t she be? As producer at Magnormos she has been with flowerchildren since its workshop phase, and for its world premiere season at Theatre Works in August 2011. Now the show is set to reopen in Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre.

Aussie Play Clocks up 5000 Performances

It's not just the West End or Broadway that can boast long running plays. Just as The Mousetrap has run forever, so too Australia has its own play that is still going decades after it opened. On Saturday 15th December 2012 there was a landmark event in Strahan, on Tasmania's west coast: the 5000th performance of Australia's longest running play, The Ship That Never Was.

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