Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - Page 47
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Observer Showbiz Every Week in the Melbourne Observer
Radio Confidential: Industry Survivors .......... Page 51 Star Bursts: Expanded role for Chrissie, Jane ... Page 53 The Spoiler: Home And Away movie length ep ...... Page 53 Jim and Aaron: Best movies and DVDs ..................... Page 54 Cheryl Threadgold: Local theatre round-up .................. Page 55 PLUS THE LOVATT”S MEGA CROSSWORD
MUSIC THEATRE GUILD NOMINEES Rob Guest night at Her Majesty’s
● Bert Newton File Photo ■ Melbourne’s showbiz fraternity gathered at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Monday night (Nov. 19) for the Rob Guest Endowment Gala Concert. Hosted by Bert Newton, Lucy Durack and Rob Mills the night featured performances by some of Australia’s musical theatre stars, including the casts of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and South Pacific. Under the musical direction of Kellie Dickerson, these stars performed alongside the six talented young finalists all vying to become the fourth recipient of the Rob Guest Endowment. Special performances were given by Chloe Dallimore, David Harris, Christie Whelan, Michael Snell, Christopher Horset, Blake Bowden, Daniel Koek and Marika Aubrey. Blake Bowden performed Ragtime’s Wheels Of A Dream. Chloe Dallimore took to the stage with Seesaw’s Nobody Does It Like Me; David Harris sang Guys and Dolls favourite Luck Be A Lady; Michael Snell offered I Am What I Am from La Cage aux Folles; Daniel Koek and Marika Aubrey presented the duet Remember Me; and Rob Mills and David Harris offered The Secret Garden’s Lily’s Eyes; Christie Whelan presented Buddy Beware from Anything Goes; Christopher Horsey entertained with Me And My Shadow; the Wicked ensemble brought Be Good to the stage; and Silvie Paladino sang I Will Always Love You. “This is the fourth year that we have presented a concert to showcase the new wonderful musical theatre performers that we have in Australia,” said John Frost. “It is a unique night, with performances from current musicals and many musical theatre stars performing together in some cases for the very first time.”
Di Rolle’s column ● From Page 12 ■ It was the first album released by the newly formed Virgin Records in 1973. Despite many people in the music industry considering the work ‘unmarketable’ the album reached No.1 in charts around the world, selling in excess of 25 million copies. It received even more recognition when used as the soundtrack of The Exorcist. The critics love them. “Two man orchestra bring soundtrack of 70s back to life … an intensely focused race around every twist and turn of Oldfield’s quirky masterwork,” said The Times. “The musical equivalent of the triathlon – with bells commented The Scotsman “Clever, witty and totally engaging , Tubular Bells has never been more raw or vital - this is Oldfield’s music as it should be heard, rocking out live and loud. Don’t miss it,” said the Edinburgh Evening News. Melbourne Recital Centre, Friday, February 15th – 7pm. 60 minutes, no interval. Tickets from $49.90 – concessions. Tickets on sale now. Bookings www.melbournerecital.com.au or phone 9699 3333 and www.ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 723 038. Visit www.kayandmcleanproductions.com.au - Di Rolle
■ The Music Theatre Guild of Victoria has just announced nominations for 2012 Open and Junior Sections in Victoria’s non-professional musical theatre sector. Winners will be announced at an Awards Night on Saturday, December 8 at Costa Hall, Deakin University, Geelong. Tickets are $45 and can be booked on 0438 711378. Open Section Production of the Year Cats, Footlight Productions Godspell, Horsham Arts Council Avenue Q, JYM Theatre Co. Sunset Boulevard, CLOC Musical Theatre Into the Woods, SPX Waterdale Players Hairspray, PLOS Musical Productions All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Next to Normal, Williamstown Musical Theatre Company Direction Elaine Mitchell, Cats, Footlight Productions Simon Dandy, Godspell, Horsham Arts Council Pip Mushin, Avenue Q, JYM Theatre Co. Chris Bradtke, Sunset Boulevard, CLOC Musical Theatre Shane Sanfilippo, Into the Woods, SPX Waterdale Players Danny Ginsberg, Hairspray, PLOS Musical Productions Rhylee Nowell, Rent, BuSTCo (Burwood Student Theatre Company) Craig Wiltshire, All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Shaun Kingma, Next to Normal, Williamstown Musical Theatre Company Musical Direction John Shawcross, Cats, Footlight Productions Andrew McCalman, Sunset Boulevard, CLOC Musical Theatre Kirk Skinner, Anything Goes, Wonthaggi Theatrical Group Sue Fletcher, Hairspray, PLOS Musical Productions Andy McCalman, Hairspray, Ballarat Lyric Theatre Kevin Nguyen, Rent, BuSTCo (Burwood Student Theatre Company) Kent Ross, Monty Python’s Spamalot, OXAGEN Productions Danny Forward, All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Tyson Legg, Next to Normal, Williamstown Musical Theatre Company Choreography Jordan Punsalang, Cats, Footlight Productions Amy Anselmi, Godspell, Horsham Arts Council Cameron O’Reilly / Lisa-Maree David, Oliver!, Babirra Music Theatre Steven Rostron, Hairspray, PLOS Musical Productions Craig Wiltshire, All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Settings Andrew Bellchambers, Cats, Footlight Productions Brenton Staples, Sunset Boulevard, CLOC Musical Theatre Damian Muller, Oklahoma!, BLOC Music Theatre Andrew Plant, Oliver!, Babirra Music Theatre Tad Hendry, Anything Goes, Wonthaggi Theatrical Group Richard Perdriau, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Mountain District Musical Society John Shelbourn, All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Shaun Kingma, Next to Normal, Williamstown Musical Theatre Company Wardrobe Ferri Bond, Cats, Footlight Productions Christine Skicko, Disney My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto’s Musical Tale, Latrobe Theatre Company Nerissa Saville, Sunset Boulevard, CLOC Musical Theatre Lynne Muller, Oklahoma!, BLOC Music Theatre Isaac Lummis / Sophie Cuttriss, Anything Goes, Wonthaggi Theatrical Group Tyler Hess, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Mountain District Musical Society Wendy Braid / Simone Braid, Into the Woods, SPX Waterdale Players Brett Wingfield, Hairspray, PLOS Musical Productions Victoria Horne, All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Lighting Scott Allan, Cats, Footlight Productions Brad Alcock, Oliver!, Babirra Music Theatre Jason Bovaird, Jekyll and Hyde, ARC (Amateur Repertory Company) Brad Alcock, Hairspray, PLOS Musical Productions Yossi Torbiner, Rent, BuSTCo (Burwood Student Theatre Company) Brad Alcock, All Shook Up, CLOC Musical Theatre Jason Bovaird / Deryk Hartwick, Next to Normal, Williamstown ● Turn To Page 53 Musical Theatre Company
Opera returns to the Music Bowl
● James Egglestone as Pinkerton and Hiromi Omura as Cio-Cio-San. Photo:Jeff Busby ■ Opera Australia is back in town for its Melbourne Spring season, with three famous operas - Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Richard Strauss's Salome. All three operas have fabulous leading roles for women, but none of them have particularly happy outcomes for their protagonists. That's par for the course in dramatic opera. Currently at the State Theatre is Madama Butterfly which has the unusual but especially appropriate casting of Japanese soprano Hiromi Omura, as in the title role of the Japanese teenager Cio-Cio-San, whose heart is stolen by a dastardly but attractive American sailor, Pinkerton, played by tenor James Eggleston. Hiromi Omura studied at Tokyo's National University of Fine Arts and Music before beginning a career that has taken her all over the world. She has sung the role of Madama Butterfly at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, in Tel Aviv, Montreal, Lausanne, Warsaw and several other places. On Saturday December 1, Mazda Opera at the Bowl returns to the Myer Music Bowl for the first time in two years. Accompanied by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the evening will feature famous choruses and solos sung by the Opera Australia Chorus and principal singers Nicole Car, Warwick Fyfe, Dominica Matthews, Giorgio Caoduro and Martin Buckingham. Young Melbourne soprano Nicole Car, the youngest ever winner of the Herald Sun Aria, is now a Young Artist with Opera Australia and living in Sydney. It starts at 8pm and is a free event. www.opera-australia.org.au - Julie Houghton
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Expect an onsalught of Derryn Hinch publicity ... the Human Headline is releasing his Human Deadline book this week ... and his 3AW career finishes on Friday next week (Nov. 30).
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The 3AW Rumour File report was correct about Channel 10 newsreader Mal Walden clearing his office after colleague Helen Kapalos was sacked. Walden made a Sunday night visit to the South Yarra studios to collect his belongings, even ‘nuking’ his work computer and putting his personal files onto a memory stick. News Director Dermot O’Brien, a colleague of Walden over 35 years, made an urgent visit to Walden’s home to plead with the news veteran not to quit his news anchor job at Ten.
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Meanwhile, Helen Kapalos is due to meet with a CBS News executive in New York this week. There are also to be offers of corporate positions in Victoria.