Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - Page 41
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Radio Confidential: Geelong DJ sacked ....... Page 42 Veritas: Simon Owens answers critic ............... Page 43 The Spoiler: Next week’s ‘soaps’ plotlines ............ Page 43 Jim and Aaron: Best DVD-film selections ................. Page 44 Cheryl Threadgold: Community Theatre - it’s a wrap ...... Page 45 PLUS THE LOVATT”S MEGA CROSSWORD
AUSTRALIA’S NEXT BIG NAME Theatre laughs in ‘His Girl Friday’
● Philip Quast ■ Across Australia there are many middle-aged parents like me for whom the name Philip Quast conjures fond memories of gazing at this handsome young singer-actor as he entertained our children on Play School in the 1980s. Quast went on to be a West End star in London as the evil Javert in the smash hit music Les Miserables, and in more recent times graced the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre Melbourne as the uptight Dad, Mr Banks, in Mary Poppins. Philip will soon be back in Melbourne, this time at the Arts Centre's Playhouse in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of the screwball comedy His Girl Friday. The play is John Guare's stage adaptation of the film The Front Page, a cynical satire on tabloid journalism. Joining Quast is another outstanding actor with a fine talent for comedy, Pamela Rabe, so to see these two major talents together will be a treat for Melbourne audiences. It's a large cast for a comedy, with 14 actors joining Quast and Rabe on stage. Among them are some actors I consider to be first rate legends of our Australian stage - names like Grant Piro, Deidre Rubinstein and Tyler Coppin - actors who regular Melbourne theatergoers have seen and loved over the past few years. Directed by Aidan Fennessy, His Girl Friday boasts an excellent cast and should provide a great night out with lots of laughs, which is a much-needed experience in the midst of a chilly Melbourne winter. His Girl Friday runs at the Playhouse from August 11 to September 15. www.mtc.com.au or www.artscentremelbourne.com.au or 8688 0800 - Julie Houghton
● Pamela Rabe
Lotte wears RMP crown
● Siobhan Stagg ■ Melbourne's Siobhan Stagg is a 24-year-old going places. As she won the major art song competition, the biennial Mietta Song competition, she now has $9000 to take with her overseas. Siobhan won the $5000 Mietta Prize, as well as the O'Donnell Family Prize of $4000 to study Italian language and culture, the Tait Memorial Trust Prize and the audience prize. It wasn't only judges singers Suzanne Johnston and John Heuzenroder , pianist Elyane Laussade and arts administrator Mel Waters who decided Siobhan was the winner - the audience obviously agreed. Siobhan's associate artist, accompanist Amir Farid won the Hugh D.T. Williamson first prize for a pianist, so Amir walked away with $5000. Siobhan said that the Mietta Song Competition is an important award for Australian singers, pianists and audiences because it promotes the exploration of the beautiful but sometimes neglected genre of art song, and she was particularly thrilled that her accompanist Amir was also successful. "It was a huge privilege to work with Amir Farid as my associate artist - he's not only a brilliant pianist, but a all-round great guy - no surprise that he won the prize for best pianist for the second time." Siobhan is a young Australian artist on the brink of international classical stardom. Modest about her achievements, she admitted that “thankfully things are starting to fall into place as I take the first steps towards and international performance career". The next step in the road for Siobhan, who grew up in Mildura before her university days with the acclaimed Trinity College Choir at Melbourne University under choral maestro Michael Leighton Jones, is to spend the next 12 months studying in Wales at Cardiff on my Australian International Opera Award . She will then be in Italy on the Italian Opera Foundation award, before taking up an exciting contract at Deutsche Oper Berlin for a year from September 2013. - Julie Houghton
● Amir Farid
● Lotte Betts-Dean, Andrew Wailes and Nathan Lay at Sunday night’s RMP presentations ■ Melbourne's Lotte Betts-Dean beatsix of Australia's finest oratorio singers to claim the crown of winner of the 2012 RMPAria at BMW Edge on Sunday night. The Berlin-born 22-year-old mezzo-soprano won the title, ahead of 24-year-old baritone Nathan Lay as runner up, and 21-year-old bass-baritone Jeremy Kleeman, in third place. Lotte won a cash prize of $1650, a future professional engagement and recording with the RMP, language coaching and a photographic package valued at over $500. Also impressing the judges was second placegetter, Nathan Lay, who won $850, and an optional offer of a professional future engagement with the RMP as well as a photographic package. Nathan also won the audience favourite prize of $250 cash. Third place getter Jeremy Kleeman was awarded $500 plus an optional future RMP engagement. All the finalists were accompanied by RMP principal accompanist, Stefan Cassomenos. The judging panel comprised ABC Classic FM's Graham Abbott, Victorian Opera's Roxane Hislop, RMP principal accompanist Stefan Cassomenos, with RMP Music Director Andrew Wailes as chair of the panel. Wailes said he was delighted that a large and enthusiastic audience was at BMW Edge to hear such splendid oratorio singing. "This is the sixth RMP Aria Final, and the competition has grown from strength to strength, now attracting the best young classical singers from Australia, New Zealand and Asia. “It's a major competition that emerging and established professional singers want to enter, because it celebrates the art of oratorio arias," Wailes said. Other finalists were Kate Amos, Barbara Zavros, Timothy Reynolds and Alexandra Flood, who was unable to sing due to the singer's curse, bronchitis and laryngitis but watched from the audience. A packed BMW Edge was testament to the prestige of the competition, and the evening was rounded off with a performance of Faure's Requiem, featuring past RMPAria runners-up Greta Bradman and Nicholas Dinopoulos as soloists with the RMP Choir and Orchestra and the RMP Festival Singers, and a champagne supper. Past winners and runners up of the RMP Aria are now high profile classical singers - names like Sony recording artist Greta Bradman;Tasmanian bass-baritone Christopher Richardson who is making a splash on the mainland; soprano Suzanne Shakespeare currently carving out a successful concert career in England; bass-baritone Adrian Tamburini, now a permanent member of Opera Australia's professional chorus; and young soprano Jessica Aszodi, who is in demand in America for her amazing vocal talents. What they all have in common is that their success in the RMP Aria was a huge springboard for their professional careers. More photos on P34 - Julie Houghton