Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - Page 37
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Radio: Jane promotes book on Triple M, 3AW . Page 38 Theatre: Queen: it’s a kinda magic ............................... Page 39 Country Music: Rob Foenander’s column returns ..... Page 38 Jim and Aar on: Top 10 list. best DVDs, movies .............. Page 42 Aaron: Cheryl Threadgold: Local theatre shows, auditions ........... Page 43 PL US THE LLO OVATT”S MEGA CRO PLUS CROSS SWORD
BURLESQUE BEAUTY Barry meets Barry
Opera in Autumn
● Nicole Car as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin Photo: Lisa Tomasetti ■ Opera Australia's autumn season is about to take off at the State Theatre. One is a favourite Verdi opera, Rigoletto - the story of the cursed hunchback Jester trying to protect his innocent daughter Gilda from the lascivious Duke of Mantua. Directed by one of Australia's finest theatre directors, Roger Hodgman, it takes a different tack from most of the Rigolettos seen in recent years. "We decided to return to a very simple, stylised and fluid representation of the 16th century Mantua of the original libretto, with the aim of throwing the focus directly on the powerful story and characters of this most emotionally power of operas. I love it as a drama," enthuses Hodgman. It stars Warwick Fyffe in the title role. He wasa huge success as Alberich in last year's sold-out Ring Cycle for Opera Australia. Joining him is Gianluca Terranova as the Duke, Irina Dubrovskaya as Gilda, and the impressive Daniel Sumegi in the chilling role of Sparafucile, the assassin. It runs from April 12 to May 10, and is conducted by Renato Palumbo and Antony Legge. Then from Italy to Russia, with Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, which is likely be of great interest to Melbourne opera goers because it features one of the brightest young operatic stars, young Nicole Car in the leading role of Tatyana, before she makes her US debut later this year in Dallas. Eugene Onegin has a score described as beautiful, and is an exploration of what might have been, and follows what happens when Onegin thoughtlessly rejects a young admirer, and how life starts to unravel. The central role of Prince Gremin features Daniel Sumegi, with Paulo Szot in the title role and James Egglestone as Lensky. It is conducted by Guillaume Tourniaire and directed by Danish-born Kasper Holten from The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. It runs from April 16 to May 9. After two dramatic operas, it is time for some comedy, with the Rossini opera The Turk In Italy, featuring Australia's soprano of the moment, Emma Matthews, with John Longmuir, Andrew Moran and Shane Lowrencev in a typically silly and fun Rossini plot line with bikinis and seaside scenes galore, along with double entendres, and all set in the 1950s. This new production is directed by Simon Phillips and conducted by Andrea Molino with costumes by Gabriela Tylesova. Final offering in the autumn season is the very popular Carmen by Bizet. This production will see a stage full of people and horses, following the story of Carmen the cigarette girl with a warm heart and a brash manner. The title role will be shared by Serbian-born but now young Australian wife and mother, Milijana Nikolic, and Spain's Nancy Fabiola Herrera, with Carmen's lover Don Jose being shared by Jose Diego Torre and Bradley Daley, and the swashbuckling toreador role going to Michael Honeyman and Shane Lowrencev. It starts on May 14 and runs until May 25. Bookings: Opera Australia box office on 9685 3700 - Julie Houghton
● ‘Baby Bombshell’ Ginger Meadows will perform in the Australian Burlesque Festival. ■ The Australian Burlesque Festival will once again be touring nationwide June 5-28. Now in its fifth year, the Australian Burlesque Festival is the biggest celebration of tease in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing together the best of home-grown seasoned performers along with renowned international icons never before seen on Australian stages. Newbies, also known as ‘Baby Bombshells’, also make their debuts and there is even a bit of male performer ‘boylesque’ thrown in for equal measure. Burlesque literally means to “to mock” or “to parody” and was a form of entertainment popularised in the 1880s. From the 1840s to the 1940s, clubs and theatres often had “raunchy” variety shows. In the 1920s and 1930s golden age of Hollywood, filmmakers tried to recreate burlesque in film with elements of vaudeville, comedy, dance and the art of the tease. During the 1940s-1950s, striptease performers such as Gypsy Rose Lee, Jennie Lee and Dixie Evans embodied the true Burlesque starlet with their striptease acts (not to be confused with contemporary stripping). The art of striptease is an enticing removal of clothing with no full frontal nudity on the reveal. Fast forward to the 90s and a resurgence of Burlesque continues to be popular the world over. The Australian Burlesque Festival was founded in 2010 by Melbourne Burlesque icons Dolores Daiquiri and Rosy Rabbit. ABF Burlesque workshops will also be available throughout the tour for anyone wanting to learn how to strut their own stuff. Adult women and men of all ages welcome. Melbourne tour dates: June 5-8. www.australianburlesquefest.com - Cheryl Threadgold
● Barry Ryan with Barry Ryan ■ Do you remember the famous pop song of the 1960s, Eloise, sung by rock singer Barry Ryan? There is another musical Barry Ryan - Opera Australia baritone Barry Ryan, who has been seen at Melbourne's State Theatre for many years in some great performances, especially as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. A few years ago Opera Barry started receiving some nice royalty cheques in Euros from overseas, for the continued success of his song Eloise. It was the wrong Barry Ryan. Opera Barry just put the cheques in the drawer to deal with later, and eventually the AQustralian Taxation Office knocked on his door, asking why he hadn't paid tax on these unbanked cheques. So Rock Barry and Opera Barry got in touch and the cheques went to the right Barry. And the two Barrys became firm friends and came up with the idea of doing a duet of Rock Barry's hit song Eloise, combining the best of pop with the best of opera. The result is the newly released Eloise 2, which is doing great business on iTunes, and has been warmly received by both the pop and opera peers of the respective Barrys. Eloise 2 is available on iTunes for ($2.19) itunes.apple.com/au/album/eloise-2-single/ id834372411 - Julie Houghton
Showbiz Briefs ■ The Ten Network last week posted its lowest-ever ratings for So You Think You Can Dance with 278,000 metro viewers. ■ 89.9 Light FM has appointed Andy Wells to the newly created role of Production Manager. ■ Sian Gard has been appointed as the new breakfast host and Content Manager for ABC Gippsland. She replaces Jo Printz on breakfast, reports Jocks Journal. ■ Neil Pagett, Nova 100 Melbourne audio producer, is heading to Perth and joins Mix 94.5. ■ Ellen Fanning is to return to the ABC for a short stint to present Raqdio National Breakfast. Reporter James Carleton will take over from June 9. ■ David Letterman has announced his retirement in 2015 after 31 years of late-night television. ■ The Logie Awards will be staged at Crown Melbourne on Sunday, May 4. ■ Celtic Thunder has announced they will be dedicating their upcoming Mythology Australian tour in May-June to the late member George Donaldson.