Domain Review Stonnington & Boroondara - March 23, 2022 by Domain Magazines

PEOPLE & PROPERTY OF MELBOURNE

MARCH 23-29, 2022

JASON ARROW

SPOTLIGHT ON THE H A MILTON STA R

BOBBY FOX HITTING A NEW HIGH

REAL ESTATE AUTUMN BEAUTIES

STONNINGTON & BOROONDARA

Luxury Spacious Apartments for Over-55s “We take pride in creating gardens that are timeless and enduring, contemporary in nature but classic in their intent.” Paul Bangay — Director, Paul Bangay Garden Design

Welcome to The George, a boutique community of 29 luxury residences coming soon to leafy Glen Iris. Look forward to tranquil yet connected living in a quiet tree-lined street, close to the famous shopping and dining precincts of Malvern and Glenferrie Roads.

Superb lifestyle amenity for you and the family H OME

· SH ARED SPACES

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· S E RVICES

· LO CAT I ON

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· NEWS

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The Life you’d Love to Live Positioned just 100 meters from the new Gardiner railway station and Monash freeway entrance, and enjoying direct tram access, The George Glen Iris is ideally located in leafy Scott Grove. Your apartment will be one of only 29 spacious luxury residences. Featuring European branded appliances and a wide variety of amenities and services, it will surely be the envy of your family and friends. Making your move to The George can help release equity from your family home, allowing you to live a better lifestyle. Making the move has never been so easy, you’ll be asking yourself:

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A F U R N I T U R E FA M I LY

C o mp i l e d b y

HAILEY COULES

The editor’s desk

When Melbourne bounced back after rolling lockdowns, a pastime we longed to get back to was an evening at the theatre. A COVID-induced curtain had fallen on shows that would never reopen, but as vocal cords were flexed and dancing shoes polished for a return to the stage, there was one show in particular we were hungry to see – and the time has come. Hamilton, the hit Broadway musical that became a cultural phenomenon, is finally opening in Melbourne. In this issue you can meet the star, Jason Arrow, who scored the role of a lifetime when the future seemed uncertain. ●

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THE EDIT Things we love about Melbourne

OUR COVER \ Hamilton star Jason Arrow. Photographed by James Geer.

MORE TO LOVE ONLINE Go to domain.com.au/domain-review General inquiries \ 1300 799 109 \ editorial@domain.com.au Acting editor \ Emily Power

Senior designer \ Colleen Chin Quan Graphic designer \ Nicole Gauci National managing editor \ Alice Stolz Chief marketing officer \ Rebecca Darley Chief executive officer Domain Group \ Jason Pellegrino Real estate sales director \ Ray van Veenendaal \ 0438 279 870 ray.vanv@domain.com.au Retail sales \ retailsales@sales.domain.com.au

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REVIEW Domain Review is published by Domain Holdings Australia Limited and is printed by IVE, 25-33 Fourth Avenue, Sunshine VIC 3020. All material is copyright.

JAKE RODEN

Group picture editor \ Kylie Thomson

STONNINGTON & BOROONDARA

Editorial producer \ Hailey Coules

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Arrow goes to the heart of Hamilton THEATRE Getting the lead role was a lifeline

for Jason Arrow during the lows of lockdown.

or Jason Arrow, finding out he had won the lead role as Alexander Hamilton in the musical Hamilton came exactly at the right time. It was August 2020, right in the middle of Melbourne’s second and longest COVID-19 lockdown, when the world seemed like a different place. Musical theatre and other arts performers suffered more than most when it came to the lockdowns as shows shut up shop, some never to open again. “I was in between gigs at that point,” Arrow, 32, says of the moment he found out he had won the role. “I was auditioning for a role in a musical called Waitress at the time, that didn’t end up happening because of COVID, and I assumed the same would happen with Hamilton. “When I got the call I was beside myself but, to be quite honest, it was a weird experience because of the lockdown. You usually go out and celebrate with friends, but I couldn’t do that. “However, it really gave me something to look forward to in what was a tough time; I latched on to that, and it was a beautiful thing.” Hamilton opened its Australian run in Sydney last March, just as Australia thought it had beaten COVID, only to close again for four months when Sydney’s Delta wave struck in the second half of the year. It could have been a demoralising time for the cast and crew, but they soldiered on with some high-profile support.

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At the beginning of the shutdown, Arrow remembers being inspired by a Zoom chat the cast and crew had with Hamilton’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. “The last time we chatted he was just sitting there in his little Zoom square eating his cereal and listening to what everyone was saying,” he says. “He is such a nice person and a beautiful soul.” The cast eventually finished the season in Sydney and are relieved to be staging it in Melbourne at Her Majesty’s Theatre. The industry is as back to normal as is possible, Arrow says. “The only difference now is we wear masks and people have to be vaccinated,” he says. ”Other than that, audiences are really full, and people are coming back to see shows. “There are a number of new shows coming to Melbourne this year and it is starting to look promising again. “There is a real buzz in the industry in Melbourne.” Born in South Africa, Arrow arrived in Australia when he was six to settle with his family in Perth. In his early school life, he always showed an interest in the arts and studied ballet before getting into sport, including football. He discovered musical theatre in year 8 at his school in the Perth suburb of Rockingham. “The school had a great arts program, and still does, and they used to do musicals and plays, and I thought that looked like fun,” Arrow says. “I played lots of different sports and liked being active, and musical theatre is exactly that.

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LU K E D E N N E H Y ●

Ph o t o

JA M E S G E E R

“The diversity was such a celebrated thing at the time when the cast was announced, and everyone was so happy. But now, moving forward I think it will become a normal thing.”

“The first show I did was Little Shop of Horrors, and I knew I had found my passion. “My parents were fine with it, and it went from there.” Arrow ended up studying musical theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), which has become a rite of passage for many actors and musical theatre performers. While at WAAPA he noticed something that was a bit off about the industry – a lack of diversity. “I’m lighter skin in terms of my look, but I noticed that I was hiding away from my ethnicity a lot to try to blend in, which I think is a terrible thing to think you have to do,” he says. ”It took me a while to own that part of me. “I felt like in our industry there was a stereotypical look for a man or a woman to look like, and I didn’t quite fit into that.” Arrow believes the diverse cast of Hamilton has changed the musical theatre industry in Australia. “I think the timing of Hamilton in Australia couldn’t have been better in terms of how it shifted how the industry viewed things,” he says. “The diversity was such a celebrated thing at the time when the cast was announced, and everyone was so happy. “But now, moving forward I think it will become a normal thing and it will feel strange to celebrate something like diversity. “We are now seeing casts in shows that represent what Australia looks like on the streets

of Sydney or Melbourne or Perth or wherever, which is great.” Hamilton premiered on New York City’s Broadway in 2015, with Lin-Manuel Miranda starring in the lead role in the musical he created. With the unique score and a stirring story of American history – Alexander Hamilton was one of the country’s founding fathers – it soon became a smash hit. Arrow remembers the chills down his spine when he came out on stage a year ago, in Sydney, for that very first show, following Miranda’s impressive stint in the leading role. He soon settled into the role and has impressed everyone in the massive musical machine that is Hamilton. “Jason’s understanding and interpretation of the musicality of the show are remarkable,” says Hamilton associate and supervising director Patrick Vassel. “He wields the rhythms, rhymes and lyrics as the weapons, emotions and bricks that Alexander Hamilton forges as he fights a war, falls in love and begins to build a nation. “The fire and intensity Jason generates drives the story forward and ignites the tremendous energy every person brings, every moment on stage.” And Arrow, in turn, is enjoying every moment on the stage. ● HAMILTON \ Now playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre ● hamiltonmusical.com.au

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ENTERTAINMENT

Hits and memories Jersey Boys star Bobby Fox is back and itching to perform.

ntertainer Bobby Fox loves his job but refuses to be defined by it. However, he does accept people mostly recognise him as the original Frankie Valli in the Australian production of Jersey Boys, in which his exceptional voice and stage presence won him a legion of fans. “That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he says. “I’m lucky to have that and it’s the biggest thing I’ve done by far.”

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Paradoxically, when the pandemic decimated the arts, Fox was relieved. He realised he was burnt out, under constant pressure to land the next gig. “The first year of COVID was disastrous. We all know what happened to the arts,” he says. “But I had a sense of relief when it all stopped. “In the second year, I decided to take accountability for everything that was going on in my life. I had a diminished sense of self-worth and my lifestyle choices were because of that.” After deep self-ref lection and altering his priorities, Fox has a fresh approach. His passion for gigs remains but he no longer cares too much about what other people think. “For the first time ever, I feel curious and excited about the potential of the future,” he says. “As a professional dreamer, you need to be inspired by what your possibilities are, and you can’t be if you don’t have self-respect.”

“I was burnt out. I couldn’t stand going for auditions. But now, I love performing. I’m great at it but I’m not defined by it.” Rehearsals are underway for his next show, Two Hits and a Ms: Morning Melodies at the Arts Centre, in which he’ll be performing with his mate, tap dancer extraordinaire Christopher Horsey – of Hot Shoe Shuffle and Tap Dogs fame – and musical theatre star Nicole Melloy, whose CV includes 42nd Street, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Me, Damn Yankees, Anything Goes and The Producers. Fox was introduced to tap dancing at the ED5International performing arts college in Sydney after landing in Australia from Ireland, aged 18. He’d won the Irish Dancing World Championships four times as a boy and, at 15, toured North America in Riverdance. But he was yet to discover his voice and explore other dance styles, such as jazz, tap and contemporary.

The arts college convinced him to remain in Australia to pursue a showbiz career. Within weeks of securing Australian residency, he was booked for Mamma Mia! – his first major show. In addition to performing in Jersey Boys more than 850 times, his other productions include Blood Brothers, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, We Will Rock You, Spamalot and Ladies in Black. Then there’s his duet, You’re the Boss, with supermodel Miranda Kerr. The pair put down the track in a hotel room in Auckland, then filmed the video in a penthouse in New York. Fox recalls helpful tips he gave the first-time recording artist after he noted she lacked a little confidence. “The thing about singing is, it’s half ability and half confidence,” he says. “She was wearing the hotel robe and bare feet, which doesn’t inspire confidence.

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DONNA DEMAIO ●

Ph o t o

She ran off and put on a leopard-print outfit, heels and lipstick and then it took off.” After being on the verge of leaving showbiz altogether, Fox is now raring to go. “I was burnt out. I couldn’t stand going for auditions. But now, I love performing. I’m great at it but I’m not defined by it,” he says. “And there’s nothing I respect more than having the opportunity to perform for someone who’s paid money for it. “My job is to be fantastic [so] they walk out of the theatre and don’t remember how much they spent on the ticket.” ● TWO HITS AND A MS: MORNING MELODIES \ Two shows only at Arts Centre Melbourne, April 11 ● artscentremelbourne.com.au

SEAN HIGGINS

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Designed for All

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At CGGS, we are committed to promoting the wellbeing of our entire school community. We actively create an environment of inclusion where we value our diversity, embrace our differences and empower our students to pursue their passions. We know when wellbeing is at its optimum, students thrive.

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A DV ER T IS IN G F E AT UR E

EDUCATION & INNOVATION

The thought that counts

CAMB ERWELL GIRL S GRAMMAR SCHOOL

he world needs people who think differently, and at Camberwell Girls Grammar School the students are being encouraged to think outside the box Camberwell Girls Grammar School has a clear vision to help students to be lifelong learners, productive global citizens, compassionate leaders and catalysts for change. Integral to this is helping students develop their ability to think creatively and to see potential in whatever challenges and situations they face. The Performing Arts curriculum and the Art and Design curriculum play a critical role in fostering creativity and creative thinking. With a focus on inclusivity, engaging students in activities that are relevant to their lives today, and equipping them with skills for the future, the creative arts are an important part of life at the school. “Since the pandemic, I think more people have realised that creative education is a high currency and that it looks different to when [their] parents were at school,” says Rachael Miller, the head of Art and Design. “We still have traditional options in Art and Design, like painting and drawing, but we are broadening options and tailoring our curriculum to suit every one of our students, so they can each develop their creative and critical thinking skills.” An example of this is in Visual Communication Design, where senior students can study a new Designer Toy unit. Similarly, year 7 students completing a Still Life unit extend their skills beyond painting and drawing to incorporate digital techniques, apps and every medium in between. “Designer Toys is a very specific niche art area and the girls who take part in that journey start by developing a prototype toy and then create and develop that toy just as an artist would in real life,” Miller says. “The Still Life unit similarly encourages students to pursue individual projects that challenge and engage them.” The Performing Arts program at Camberwell Girls Grammar School is also evolving to provide students with opportunities to explore, stretch and challenge their creative thinking skills. “Performing Arts is much more than being on a stage. During the earlier years, it’s about students

C O M M U N I CATI O N T H R O U G H PE R F O R M A N C E

understanding who they are, what their current capabilities are and how they can push those a bit further,” says Keira Lyons, head of Drama and Performing Arts. “We recently introduced an elective called Escape Room where students learn how to create an entertaining experience [and] how humans respond to narrative and story, and they learn the impact of design and how a narrative unfolds through a series of puzzles. “Education is working towards releasing students into their lives with transferable skills, like strong communication, collaboration, problem-solving and presentation skills. They will support students across any future workplace, and Escape Room builds those key skills.” Lyons says the ability of the arts to hone creative thinking was showcased last year when a 15-minute short play written and produced by the House Drama captains at the school each year was disrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns. “They’d written the scripts and knew how it was

CAMBERWELL GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL \ 2 Torrington Street, Canterbury ● 9813 1166 ● cggs.vic.edu.au

going to function on the stage and then lockdown arrived and that stage play had to be transformed into a short film, which is a vastly different medium to live stage performance,” she says. “Suddenly the students were having to write shot lists, decide what camera angles would be used, give tutorials to cast members about how to film with a smartphone and get the sound to work. “They had to work out how students who were filming in their homes could be made to look like they were in the same place. “Everything they knew was stripped away but their level of problem-solving and the way in which they transformed their creative thinking was remarkable.” Miller says we need people who think differently. Disrupters are important in our society. “What boss doesn’t want someone sitting at their boardroom table who thinks differently? Creativity is all about how you process and manage your thoughts. This is beneficial, no matter what you do.” ● SARAH MARINOS

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

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HOUSE OF THE WEEK HAWTHORN \ 3 YARRA STREET 4

Asked to revive a classic Hawthorn residence, the architects didn’t have far to walk. Smith + Tracey, at 1 Yarra Street, are right next door to this house. They saw what it could be – a life-enhancing melange of Edwardian and contemporary style, set in a Balinese-style palm grove with a pool. The job was almost too easy for this firm, which is known for public-facing projects such as schools, aged-care facilities and the new Olinda Tea House. But their neighbour, looking so sweet in its slate roof and yellow tulip leadlight, was irresistible. The owners since 1993 have basked in west Hawthorn’s leafy goodness. St James’ Park is 100 metres away, and the address is zoned for Melbourne Girls’ College. But, it’s the private paradise that lifts this place into the rare and intriguing. The modern living room opens east to a winter garden with a decked floor and awnings that fold back to reveal the luxuriance below. The north-easterly garden, with its heated pool and spa, barbecue kitchen and boardwalk through the trees, is warm, fragrant and secluded. The original house, built about 1910, has a return verandah with timber lace. The leadlight entry leads to a Baltic pine hall and into the box-bay front lounge, looking chic with a black marble fireplace. The study adjoins. The main bedroom has two wardrobes plus a dressing room. The black and white en suite has a glass-door mudroom to the hall. A second original bedroom is next door to a stone bathroom with bath and shower. Noisy chefs will be pleased by the neat separation in the new split-level wing. The kitchen has its own room, smart and spacious in white stone with Miele appliances and a walk-in pantry plus towering cabinets. Tasmanian oak gives a glow to the living-dining area, where a white sideboard offers crockery storage. Sliders lead to the winter garden above the pool. On the mezzanine are two more double bedrooms and a stone bathroom. The lower ground floor has a carpeted rumpus room, laundry, powder room and double garage with gated driveway access. ● ALISON BARCLAY property@domainreview.com.au

Agent: Marshall White, Davide Lettieri 0414 018 707 Price: $5.9 million-$6.49 million Expressions of interest: close 5pm, April 5

Hover your camera over the code to see Domain listings in Hawthorn

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TOP CHOICE \ YOU MAY ALSO LIKE …

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HAWTHORN \ 86 ROBINSON ROAD Agent: Marshall White, Fiona Counsel 0409 516 916; Abby Innes 0423 210 790; Davide Lettieri 0414 018 707 Price: $5.7 million-$6.3 million Expressions of interest: close 5pm, March 22

KEW \ 2 TARA AVENUE Agent: Marshall White, Davide Lettieri 0414 018 707; Jesse Matthews 0413 197 905 Price: $3.63 million-$4.48 million Private sale

FINAL WORD “AN EDWARDIAN VILLA RE-IMAGINED AS A TROPICAL OASIS, THIS HOME OPENS TO A POOLSIDE SANCTUARY. HAWTHORN IS A PREMIUM ADDRESS FOR PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS.” DAVIDE LETTIERI – AGENT

HAWTHORN \ 66 HAWTHORN GROVE Agent: Marshall White, Nick Ptak 0413 370 442; Kathy Malcolm 0416 279 966 Price: $3.2 million-$3.5 million Auction: 12.30pm, March 26 DOM A IN REV IEW

TOORAK \ 5/105 MATHOURA ROAD 2

Toorak village is the address, yet there’s something quite ’70s San Francisco via Tales of the City about this garden apartment. Deep in the shrubbery of Swintons on Mathoura is a gate with a brass plate that proclaims “Tilley’s Place”, and it leads to a secure, ground-floor abode where creativity can go wild. Open-plan living and dining, a study and two double bedrooms look out to a Japanese-style garden with high hedges. Oak floors and a marble bathroom ensure elegance, mullioned french doors keep it breezy and there’s warmth in all seasons thanks to the north-westerly aspect. The granite kitchen has Bosch appliances and white cabinetry. There’s a concealed laundry. Side-by-side car spaces offer easy parking in the basement. ● ALISON BARCLAY

Agent: Rodney Morley Real Estate, Rodney Morley 0418 321 222 Price: $1 million-$1.1 million Auction: 11am, March 26

MALVERN EAST \ 52 BRUNEL STREET 4

Reminiscent of the horizontal lines of Frank Lloyd Wright, this generously proportioned contemporary residence has space for a home cinema, separate fitted office, upstairs children’s retreat with fitted desk plus a workshop with powder room as part of the five car garage. Interior features, such as marble floors and en suites, underfloor heating, gas pebble fire and Smeg equipped kitchen, add to the luxury. With a solar-heated pool in a central garden, plus a covered al fresco dining deck complete with woodburning fireplace and premium barbecue kitchen to the rear, surrounded by lush foliage and a water feature, the landscaped garden will feel more like your own private resort. The home also has an alarm, CCTV, solar panels and 10,000 litre water tank. ● JOANNE BROOKFIELD

Agent: Marshall White, Dave Oster 0418 800 120 Price: $4.5 million-$4.95 million

Auction: 10.30am, March 26 DOM A IN REV IEW

ST KILDA WEST \ 15 LOCH STREET 5

Behind this double-fronted 1890s Victorian facade is a private sanctuary. The 446-square-metre block is bookended by a home office with vaulted ceiling, above the double garage with rear access, and the house itself, with a fabulous renovation by Tom Robertson Architects. In between, a heated pool, which is framed like a work of art by the floor-to-ceiling window in the kitchen, is accessed via the stacking glass sliders in the meals area, which open to a curved, covered deck. Three of the five bedrooms have en suites and two of the four upstairs have a balcony; plus, there’s a formal dining and living rooms. The ideal location is only a couple of blocks from beach, Albert Park Reserve and Fitzroy Street. ● JOANNE BROOKFIELD

Agent: Marshall White, Oliver Bruce 0409 856 599 Price: $5.8 million-$6.3 million Auction: 11.30am, March 26

TOORAK \ 2/62 MATHOURA ROAD 2

A private north-facing courtyard, with climbing plants along the wall, not only creates a leafy outlook from the separate study, kitchen and spacious living-dining but floods those rooms with light, with a mirrored wall strategically placed in the meals area enhancing that feeling of natural light and space. High-end finishes, such as the double-sided gas fireplace set in solid calacatta marble, French oak parquetry and travertine en suites with heated floors, add to the elegance of this ground level apartment in a boutique block of five that is conveniently located between Toorak and Hawksburn villages, with trams at both ends of the street. Other features include a powder room, laundry, storage, video intercom and two secure basement car spaces. ● JOANNE BROOKFIELD

Agent: Kay & Burton, Damon Krongold 0418 850 757 Price: $2.3 million-$2.5 million Expressions of interest: close 5pm, March 29 DOM A IN REV IEW

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