Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - Page 45
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Radio Confidential: SBS radio expands ....... Page 48 Veritas: Latest Melbourne TV, radio news ......... Page 49 Butterfly Club: Efforts to save venue ................... Page 49 Movies and DVDs: Jim Sherlock, Aron Rourke .......... Page 50 Cheryl Threadgold: Local theatre shows, auditions ........ Page 51 PLUS THE LOVATT”S MEGA CROSSWORD
MORE MANNERS PLEASE, WE’RE CIVIL What the public said ...
By Observer Editor ASH LONG
■ “Disappointing given the calibre of the cast and the writer. It was a bit amateurish but may appeal to its target audience which is obviously seniors.” - Timmy, Ticketmaster site
When is a musical comedy not a musical comedy? ■ “It is the first Australian musical to be written especially and very respectfully for and about seniors.” - Malcolm Cooke, producer
■ “Certainly overpriced. Very amateurish and not a lot of laughs. The actors were great and did a good job with a poor script. Some of the lines were rather crass and pretty sexist.” - ‘Oggie’
■ “I was drawn to John-Michael Howson’s musical comedy for the quality of his writing, its instantly recognisable characters and touching home truths.” - Rebecca Blake, producer
■ “My husband and I are regular theatre goers - particularly musicals. We invited friends to come and I have never been so embarrassed. It was appalling . The actors tried hard but the script was cringe material. The theatre would have been quarter full - if that, so no atmosphere. I felt sorry for the actors it was so bad Their voices were not strong and diction poor.” - ‘Courageous’
■ “You are invited to meet the cast and creative team of a brand new Australian musical comedy.” - Launch invitation, earlier this year
Finer points of television trivia
■ “Sadly I think this was written for people who are now in the late seventiess and eighties and there weren't too many of them in the audience. I'm in my late 60s and references to 'June Allison' and 'Cary Grant' were not really for my age group. We would also have liked to see terrible versions of 'rock n roll' instead of vaudeville because that's our generation! Maybe we're not seniors!” - Anonymous ■ “Too many fart and incontinence references. Not enough good stuff ... you can only take so much self degradation.” - ‘Betsy’ ● See the full range of comments, many of them complimentary at ticketmaster.com.au
Third time lucky for Amy Harris ■ Two dancers hailing from regional Australia have reigned triumphant at the Ballet Dancer Award announcement at the Sydney Opera House. Senior Artist Amy Harris from Ararat was crowned the 2012 winner. Amy’s win is a case of third time lucky, with previous nominations for the esteemed Award in 2008 and 2010. In both of those years she took home the publicvoted People’s Choice ● Amy Harris Award, but this is the first time she has won the main accolade. The 29-year old will receive a $20,000 cash prize. The 2012 People’s Choice trophy and $5000 cash prize was won by 21 year-old Jake Mangakahia, from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Jake’s natural star quality and stage presence garnered him many fans, despite it being only his second year in the company. The result was announced by Deena Shiff, in front of a sold-out audience at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, following Friday’s premiere of Stephen Baynes’ Swan Lake. “Amy and Jake are both shining examples of how hard work can pay off and aspiring young dancers all over the country should be inspired by the example set by these two outstanding individuals.” The Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David McAllister, also congratulated Amy and Jake on their accomplishments.
● John-Michael Howson ■ John-Michael Howson’s play, More Sex Please ... We’re Seniors, will close at The Comedy Theatre with a 1.30pm matinee performance this Sunday (Dec. 9). Like its Exhibition St neighbour, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, final tickets have been discounted, and the season shorter than hoped. In the case of More Sex, patrons have been able to purchase two tickets for $69. Producers Malcolm Cooke and Rebecca Blake had hoped that More Sex would continue until the end of January, but ticket demand has been weak. Hopes remain to take the show on a regional tour next year. The Comedy has 997 seats, but boasts were made to Lawrence Money of The Age that some audiences had been as high as 300. John-Michael Howson was not at the opening night, instead obliged to host a tour of north-east United States. The production was savaged by the Melbourne critics at its ‘world premiere’ on October 31. As soon as he arrived back in Australia, Howson returned fire on the critics. He said most were too young to understand show business and sketch revue traditions. He claimed the young critics were being “self-important”. I am 56. The Stage Whispers critic Coral Drouyn is a little older than me; the daughter of Time For Terry star Terry O’Neill. Respected critic Simon Parris is no teenager either. The show also copped criticism in the Herald Sun, The Age, Crikey, Theatre People and Aussie Theatre. Howson told the Melbourne Observer that we were “unfair” to make reference to the criticisms in other media. Sadly, Howson has turned to acid tongue, obviously hurt by the same sort of criticism that he has handed out as a critic over the decades. He accused one Melbourne journalist of “intrepid nit-picking”. Howson has obviously taken the criticism personally. He says the “negativity” of the reviews is part of the ‘tall poppy syndrome’. John-Michael could perhaps do with a reality check: appearing as a panellist on a Sunday morning radio chat session is hardly ‘major league’ on the world media stage. His Hollywood achievements are possibly unknown to the younger critics whose opinions he is rubbishing. Their views are as valid as his. His appearances on early Australian TV are generations ago. MSPWS was rightly judged on its own merits. For some reason, Howson is repeatedly making the point that More Sex is not a “musical”. The show’s publicity calls it so. The producers term it so in the program. It may also come as a surprise to the show’s Musical Director, Peter Sullivan. Perhaps the argument should be more about the definition of “comedy”.
● Professor Nitwitty (Denzil Howson) discusses an invention with Gerry Gee and Ron Blaskett ■ Former Channel 9 personality Philip Brady was halfright when he told a 3AW listener that the late Denzil Howson was the first ‘Professor Ratbaggy’on Nine’s childrens show, The Happy Show, followed by The Tarax Show. Howson’s, the station’s Assistant Production Manager, played the character of Professor Nitwitty, an eccentric inventor of gadgets on the afternoon show. Ernie Carroll, and Denzil, later shared the character of Professor Ratbaggy. Carroll went on to be the creator and operator of Ossie Ostrich, who featured on children’s programs, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, and with Graham Kennedy on In Melbourne Tonight. Having studied radio engineering early in his career, and with his own home workshop adorned with a pot pourri of old electrical bits and pieces, Denzil would sometimes turn his hand to fashioning props for these sketches.
● Professor Ratbaggy (Ernie Carroll) presents viewer Judith Telfer with a free flight in the ‘How It Works’ segment of The Tarax Show, with Susan Gaye Anderson