Stage Briefs

SIBLING REVELRY: Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway

Cabaret and Broadway stars Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway are set to bring their acclaimed cabaret show, Sibling Revelry to Sydney and Melbourne this June. The dynamic sisters first performed Sibling Revelry at New York’s Rainbow and Stars in 1995 and have been performing it ever since. 2014 sees Sibling Revelry spread to Sydney on June 23 at The Basement and to Melbourne Recital Centre on June 25 after their appearance at The Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Hayes Theatre Co. Cabaret Season

For six weeks this winter, from June 2 to July 13, 2014, Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Co is turning into an exclusively cabaret venue.

Experienced cabaret artists including Mark Nadler, David Campbell and John Bucchino, Rhonda Burchmore and Donna Lee will share the Hayes with up-and-coming stars like Tom Sharah, Gillian Cosgriff, Brendan Hay, Matt Gilbertson, and Hilary Cole; and even a show where the two worlds meet – Phil Scott’s collaboration with Blake Bowden, Mario.

Australian Musical (Off) Broadway Bound

It’s a long way to go from the suburbs of Melbourne to Broadway, but the two Australian creators of The Mapmaker’s Opera hope to do just that after securing a spot as an Official Selection of the 2014 New York Musical Theatre Festival’s Next Link Project.

Composer and Musical Director, Kevin Purcell 54, and Bookwriter/Lyricist, Victor Kazan 66, both based in Melbourne, are the creative partnership behind this new stage musical, which is a love story set against the backdrop of the Mexican revolution.

The Magic Chicken

Without doubt, there’ll be some fantastic school holiday fun in April when the Adelaide Festival Centre presents the culinary chaos of The Magic Chicken, produced by New Zealand’s Theatre Beating.

Potted Potter Returns

Potted Potter - The Unauthorized Harry Experience - which toured Australia in 2012 returns in 2014. Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into a seventy minute parody. This show features all the favourite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic!

Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You: Cast Announced

The cast has been announced for the premiere production of Tim Freedman and Alex Broun’s new Australian musical Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You, playing at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Co from Friday, May 9 to June 1, 2014.

Directed by Neil Gooding, Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You stars Ian Stenlake, Erica Lovell, Justin Smith, Toby Francis and Ross Chisari.

Hello My Name Is: No Two Shows Alike

Adelaide audiences with post-festival blues who are yearning for yet more unusual, innovative and fun performance experiences need look no further than Port Adelaide independent theatre company Vitalstatistix and its six-show season of Hello My Name Is.

Granted the Creative Australia Fellowship last year and described by The Age as an “entertainer at the top of her game”, Director/Creator Nicola Gunn’s award-winning performance in Hello My Name Is becomes one that ensures no show is exactly alike.

Lake: Fluid and Challenging Dance Event for SA

South Australia’s South-East and Riverland audiences are in for a completely new experience in contemporary dance when maverick choreographer Lisa Wilson brings her production Lake to Mount Gambier’s Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre and Renmark’s Chaffey Theatre.

Country Arts SA says Lake is dance like you’ve never seen it before. The stage will become an intriguing and beautiful aquatic world as it is flooded with 2,800 litres of water.

David Harris in Time is a Traveller

David Harris will appear in Time is a Traveller, presented by Working Management and Hayes Theatre Co, as part of the A Month of Sundays Cabaret in Residence at the Hayes Theatre Co on every Sunday from April 13 – May 4.

The son of a coal mining dad and a secretary mum, this is the story of an Aussie country kid and what lead him to tread the boards in some of Australia’s biggest musicals.

New Zealand Opera Appoints Stuart Maunder As General Director

Australian-born international opera and music theatre director and arts manager Stuart Maunder has been appointed General Director of New Zealand Opera.