Share an Evening with Stephen Sondheim in Melbourne

Share an Evening with Stephen Sondheim in Melbourne

One Evening with Stephen Sondheim is now One Afternoon with Stephen Sondheim

One Evening with Stephen Sondheimoriginally scheduled for October 22 at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne has been rescheduled and renamed, and will now take pllace at 2pm on Friday November 23 as One Afternoon with Stephen Sondheim.

Mr. Sondheim, who had intended to attend the opening night of the current Australian production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, fractured his right wrist and doctors recommended he delay his travel to Australia to allow his wrist to recover. He has now been cleared for travel

Tickets purchased for the existing date/s will not need to be exchanged. Ticket holders should simply present their existing ticket(s) at Her Majesty's Theatre on Friday 23 November at 2pm. If unable to attend, ticket holders are able to receive a full refund by contacting their original point of purchase.

Ticket holders for One Afternoon with Stephen Sondheim are also able to access a special offer for the evening performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum playing at Her Majesty's Theatre 8pm at on Friday 23 November. Call Ticketek on 1300 795 012 for more information.

Presented on the set of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,  the celebrated composer and lyricist will be in conversation with Mornings Presenter ABC CLASSIC FM Christopher Lawrence Musical direction will be by Kellie Dickerson and a stellar line-up of Australian talent will perform selections from Sondheim’s body-of-work.

The event had previously been rescheduled to November 5 2012, at 7.30pm.

SOFITEL PRESENTS

ONE AFTERNOON WITH STEPHEN SONDHEIM

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne

Friday November 23, 2012 at 2.00pm

$80* - $120*

Student tickets from $45*

*Transaction fees may apply

www.ticketek.com.au

Tel: 132 849

 

Our earlier coverage (amended).

Stephen Sondheim will appear in a special event, One Evening with Stephen Sondheim at 7.30pm on November 5, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne.

Sondheim will be in Melbourne to attend the highly anticipated Premiere of Frost’s new production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Geoffrey Rush and directed by Simon Phillips. A rare opportunity to be in the audience for an evening of music and conversation with the composer and lyricist hailed by The New York Times as the greatest artist in American musical theatre, One Evening with Stephen Sondheim will be presented on the set of ‘Forum’ and promises to be a not-to-be-missed event for musical theatre devotees.

For One Evening with Stephen Sondheim the celebrated composer and lyricist will be in conversation with Australia’s preeminent interviewer Ray Martin, who will host the event. Musical direction will be by Kellie Dickerson and a stellar line-up of Australian talent (to be announced at a later date) will perform selections from Sondheim’s body-of-work.

Producer John Frost, OAM, said, “It was with great delight and excitement that I was able to confirm that Stephen Sondheim would be attending our Premiere back when we announced this new production of ‘Forum’. Stephen has visited Australia three times but to date has never made it to Melbourne. I know he’s looking forward to being able to attend the Premiere and see Geoffrey Rush as in the ‘star turn’ role of Pseudolus and experience the rich cultural fabric of Melbourne.’

To now be able to announce this one night only evening with Sondheim is sure to make that one week in October a highlight on the national arts calendar for 2012 and I look forward to being able to unveil the lineup of Australian talent that will join Sondheim in conversation with Ray Martin just days before we open.’

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is the beloved Tony Award® winning musical with a name as long as its list of stars.

Academy, Emmy and Tony Award® winning Geoffrey Rush returns to his true home - on stage as Pseudolus with an all-star comedy cast in the brazenly retro Broadway musical which pays homage to vintage vaudeville in a celebration of theatrical comedy, bawdy stage highjinks and sensational slapstick.

The colossal comedy lineup includes Shane Bourne, Hugh Sheridan, Magda Szubanski, Gerry Connolly, Christie Whelan, Mitchell Butel, Adam Murphy and Bob Hornery. It is a musical farce played at breakneck pace. The plot revolves around Pseudolus, a cunning Roman slave who will do anything to win his freedom.

The Melbourne exclusive 12-week only season of Forum’ commences on October 20 in advance of the show’s Premiere on October 27.

Director Simon Phillips is currently in New York to discuss the show with Stephen Sondheim. ‘This is such an exciting project for me,’ he says. ‘A bullet proof cast in a musical comedy that is now a classic.’

‘The idea that John [Frost] and I had was to go to Geoffrey with a proposition: we’d put together a group of Australia’s great comic mischief-makers. Throw them together and see how much see how much mayhem ensues.’

One Evening with Stephen Sondheimwill be the first in what will become a regular initiative to be known as The Guest Series under the umbrella of the ANZ Trustees Foundation; Rob Guest Endowment. Proceeds from The Guest Series will be contributed towards the annual endowment.

In 2008, after the sudden death of Rob Guest, one of Australia’s most celebrated musical theatre performers, ANZ and ANZ Trustees established a memorial fund. The ANZ Trustees Foundation: Rob Guest Endowment is awarded each year to an emerging musical theatre performer selected by a panel of industry experts providing the performer with further knowledge and training in the industry to develop their potential.

The 2012 Rob Guest Endowment Concert presented by ANZ Trustees will be held on November 19 at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne.

Our earlier Forum Coverage

Forum - The Official Launch

Our initial coverage.

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.