For One Night Only: ELEGIES by William Finn
Five of Australia's most diverse musical theatre talents will appear for one night only in William Finn's ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE on Monday 11th August, 2014 at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club in Melbourne.
ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE is a celebration of life and music written by multi Tony Award winning composer and lyricist William Finn (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Falsettos, Little Miss Sunshine). It commemorates the lives of people both real and fictional with rousing theatricality and unforgettable songs. From Finn’s friends, to his mother, to his dogs, to the victims of the World Trade Centre collapse, these characters and their stories will enchant and enrich your spiit in this stunning masterwork that celebrates the human experience and life’s infinite joys.
This one night only performance will feature five outstanding musical theatre performers. EDWARD GREY who is currently performing as Boq in the 10th anniversary tour of Wicked heads up the cast with his fellow Wicked castmate JOHN O’HARA. Joining them from the new production ofLes Misérables is NAOMI LIVINGSTON, along with well-established performers MARTIN CROFT (Jesus Christ Superstar, Miss Saigon) and ANNE WOOD (Mamma Mia!, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). The director will be STEPHEN WHEAT (Pippin) with VICKY JACOBS (Motherhood The Musical) providing musical direction. The producer is EDWARD GREY.
William Finn's ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE is a heartfelt, often moving celebration of life. In songs about people who have departed this world, Finn writes about what made them all special, and illustrates why, as one of his songs puts it, "life has infinite joys." Finn's lyrics have bite and wit, and always emphasize happiness, not mourning.
Producer Edward Grey states “This show is deceptively intricate for a song cycle. We are all playing real people from the composer’s life and it’s an honour to bring those people to life. I fell in love with the piece before I ever went to New York but then once I went there, I saw and heard so much of the piece in that city.”
ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE originally premiered at the Lincoln Centre in New York City in March 2003. Graciela Daniele directed it and the cast featured Christian Borle, Betty Buckley, Carolee Carmello, Keith Byron Kirk and Michael Rupert.
ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE
Date: Monday 11th August 2014 at 8.00pm
Venue: Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, 25 Bennetts Lane, Melbourne
Bookings: Phone (03) 9663 2856 or online at www.bennettslane.com
Tickets: $28 / $20 (Concession) + booking fee ($2.50) – Now on sale!
Image: l-R: John O’Hara, Naomi Livingston, Edward Grey, Anne Wood, Martin Croft
From the media release.