News

New King For Melbourne

Theatre producer John Frost and Opera Australia Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini have announced that Jason Scott Lee has had to withdraw from the Melbourne season of their production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I. Lee has torn a calf muscle, which will preclude him from performing for the rest of the season.

Suzie Howie Celebrated in Melbourne Arts Walk

Publicist Suzie Howie has been honoured on Melbourne’s version of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

International theatrical producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh today July 1, 2014) unveiled a Melbourne Arts Walk plaque he purchased to honour publicist Suzie Howie for her contribution to the Melbourne theatre scene.

Chunky Move: Keep Everything

“After watching this performance I think the future of contemporary dance is in safe hands,” wrote Dance Australia of Chunky Move’s fusion of dance, performance, light, sound and image, Keep Everything.  The show can boast of many reviews like that, making it clear Chunky Move has the right moves indeed.

Chunky Move describes Keep Everything as a joyous celebration of our desire to connect with one another. Now the genre-defying company is to connect with Adelaide audiences, when it stages the show at AC Arts in July.

Inside Strictly Ballroom The Musical

Audiences love it, but critics are luke-warm. David Spicer speaks to the writers of the musical, who confirm that changes are planned as it moves into new cities.

At the media call Baz Luhrmann was a little on edge. It was the day before the World Premiere and a vital ingredient was missing from the performance for the large media contingent.

SIREN SONG

Lesley Reed previews a cabaret Double Feature coming up in Adelaide, incorporating a Maury Yeston song cycle and a new local work.

Musicals: The Shocks Of The New

Bringing brand new Australian musicals to the stage is a thrilling, expensive, nail-biting ride. FRANK HATHERLEY talks to some brave theatre people who are currently taking the plunge. They are all discovering that musicals need to be re-written and re-written and then some.

Top producer John Frost had a warning for Jill Walsh and Karen Strahan as they prepared to stage their first professional, self-written musical. “If anything can go wrong,” he said, “it usually does go wrong.”

New Melbourne Production for Sondheim Musical PASSION

Life Like Company will present a new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award winning musical PASSION, playing four nights only at The Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne from 5-8 November, 2014.

The complex landscape of the human heart is the subject of PASSION, a haunting, intensely emotional musical by the creators of Into The Woods and Sunday In The Park With George.

The original Broadway production of PASSION received 10 TONY Awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.

Mike’s “Light On The Hill”

About to open with his brand new show Message to My Girls as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Mike McLeish talks to Coral Drouyn.

Lunch with Richard O’Brien

Time was fleeting at The Rocky Horror Show media call, so David Spicer asked instead if he could have lunch with the musical’s creator Richard O’Brien. The legendary writer and actor was in Australia (in fine form) for the premiere of the 40th anniversary production.

We sat down in the courtyard of a posh Brisbane hotel and ordered refreshments.

Sitting with the 71 year old was his third wife (German born) Sabrina Graf, who was introduced to The Rocky Horror Show as a girl, when her father showed her the movie.

John Paul Young Joins Grease

John Paul Young joins the cast of GREASE for its Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and return Melbourne seasons, replacing Anthony Callea in the role of Johnny Casino, but the 1970s pop icon is no stranger to musicals, as he explains to Neil Litchfield.