Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - Page 37
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POP ROYALTY AT CROWN Party musical ‘Grease’ is fun
● Gretel Scarlett stars in Grease The Musical ■ Grease The Musical is a fun party musical, playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre until March 30. It is not Shakespeare, doesn’t pretend to be, but has plenty of laughs and toe-tapping enjoyment. I first saw Grease in 1972 - that’s 42 years ago with Natalie Mosco in the lead role. At the time, it all seemed a bit grubby. Fast forward to 2014, and the show made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, hits the Her Maj boards with fast dancing and tight ensemble performances. Kate Herbert, Herald Sun reviewer, in giving 3½stars to the latest production, criticises the show as being sluggish, "dialogue clumsy and physical comic business awkward". The opening night performance that I attended had Todd McKenney milking it for laughs, using every theatrical trick in the book, for his 3:52 appearance as ‘Teen Angel’. Much loved Aussie TV icons Bert Newton and Val Lehman did exactly what they were asked to do: pull in the crowds, and play the link roles. Ms Herbert incorrectly submits that Bert has been “miscast”. The Herald Sun reviewer also asks readers to believe that “there is no chemistry” between lead actors Rob Mills and Gretel Scarlett. Wrong! The pair play the Rydell High School young lovers well. They are well supported by Anthony Callea (Johnny Casino), Stephen Mahy (Kenickie) and Lucy Maunder (Rizzo). Allison Hillbig of TheatrePeople.com.au says: “The Grease Mega-Mix Finale ensures you'll leave the theatre smiling and singing along.” Congratulations to producer John Frost on bringing back the tale of Danny, Sandy, Rizzo, T-Birds, the pink ladies, Rydell High, Vince Fontaine, Miss Lynch and Greased Lightning. Grease is still the word. - Ash Long www.greaseistheword.com.au
B y JULIE HOUGHT ON HOUGHTO
● Normie Rowe, Colleen Hewett, Johnny Young ■ For anyone who was a teenager before 1980, the names Normie Rowe, Colleen Hewett and Johnny Young are pop music royalty. And these three Australian icons are joining forces and coming together or two special concerts on Fridayand Saturday, February 14-15. People over 50 will agree that the 1960s produced some legendary Australian talent who were trailblazers for the local music industry. What is unusual is the longevity of Normie, Colleen and Johnny. Johnny Young was in our lounge rooms every Saturday night in the 1970s as host of the original Young Talent Time, that produced stars like Tina Arena, Debra Byrne, Philip Gould and Jamie Redfern, but he was already an established pop artist in his own right, with number one hits, Step Back and Cara-lyn, and in 1967 he recorded All My Lovin' which became his signature song. He won the Logie for Best Teenage Personality in 1967 for his work on the Go!! Show. Normie was one of the first 'long hair' Melbourne entertainers influenced by the Beatles era and was followed by screaming girls and crowned King of Pop and achieved number one hits, and was heading for international stardom before the government decided they needed him in the army for the controversial Vietnam War. Colleen Hewett's career took off when she was cast in the musical Godspell in the 1970s, and she recorded the hit song from that show, Day By Day, and later Dreaming My Dreams With You and Wind Beneath My Wings. She was crowned Queen of Pop two years running. In recent years she has been known for her stage work, including playing Peter Allen's mother Marion Woolnough in The Boy From Oz, Johnny O'Keefe's mother in the musical Shout, and Pat Oliver, the mother of jockeys Jason and Damian in the movie The Cup. In the two special concerts that have brought them together, audiences will hear the hits Que Sera Sera, It's Not Easy, It Ain't Necessarily So, Day By Day, Superstar, Wind Beneath My Wings, Step Back, All My Loving and many more. Producer Dennis Smith promises that there will be a surprise guest, so if you fancy a trip back to your glorious teenage days, be at The Palms at Crown at 8pm on Friday or Saturday, February 14-15. Tickets: 1300 795 012 or www.ticketek.com.au
Showbiz Briefs ■ Mike Munro, 61, is to become the national weekend anchor for Ten Eyewitness News. “Joining Ten is like coming home,” said Munro, sounding like Derryn Hinch, whenever he re-joins a radio or TV station from which he has been previously sacked. ■ The first night of My Kitchen Rules attracted 1.67 million viewers across the five major metro-city markets. Melbourne was the biggest audience base for the Seven Network program with 486,000 viewers. ■ Radio ratings have started be surveyed under a new company. The first survey results are due to be announced on Tuesday, March 11. There will be eight radio ratings results announced during the year.
$100,000 prize for literature
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● Heidi Victoria, Patricia Cornelius with State Premier Denis Napthine ■ Premier Dr Denis Napthine last week announced poet Jennifer Maiden as the winner of Australia’s richest single literary prize – the Victorian Prize for Literature. Ms Maiden won the prize for Liquid Nitrogen, a collection of poetry that weaves political events of the times with tributes to friends, family and melody. In Liquid Nitrogen, Ms Maiden ventures into the minds of public figures including Hillary Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt, and imagines conversations that explore both the personal and political. Dr Napthine congratulated Ms Maiden on the award, and commended her imaginative collection. “Jennifer Maiden’s work has been singled out as a remarkable piece of brilliant imagination and craft,” Dr Napthine said. More than 300 members of the literary community gathered at Government House for the announcement of the winners of the awards, which include five main award categories. As well as winning the $100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature, Ms Maiden is also the recipient of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry, for which she won a further $25,000. Ms Maiden’s work was chosen from a strong group of category winners who each received $25,000: Alex Miller for Coal Creek (fiction); Henry Reynolds for Forgotten War (non-fiction); Patricia Cornelius for Savages (drama); and Barry Jonsberg for My Life As An Alphabet (writing for young adults). These five writers were chosen from a shortlist of 22 writers from around Australia and a record number of entries. “Congratulations to the category winners for their works, which take us through incredibly diverse territory from white settlement to post-World War II Queensland, from the dark side of mateship to the life of a 12- year-old girl who sets out on a mission to make everyone happy,” Dr Napthine said. First-time novelist Hannah Kent is the winner of the People’s Choice Award for Burial Rites. The People’s Choice Award gives readers an opportunity to vote online for their favourite work. This is the fourth year that the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards have been administered by the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas on behalf of the Premier of Victoria. - Tamara Zimet