Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - Page 77
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Observer Showbiz Every Week in the Melbourne Observer
Radio Confidential: Passing of radio legend ..... Page 78 Jim and Aaron: Movies, DVDs, Top 10................ Page 80 Veritas: Bruce Skeggs remembered .......................... Page 81 The Spoiler: Neighbours, Home and Away ..................... Page 81 Cheryl Threadgold: Local theatre shows, auditions ............ Page 84 PLUS THE LOVATT”S MEGA CROSSWORD
‘SEE YOU AT THE THEATRE’ By Observer Editor ASH LONG
● Chris Ryan, Alexandra Lidgerwood, John Lidgerwood
● Donna Demaio with Jim Lee
● John Sheridan with Brett Hayhoe
Success for Lexie
■ Jeanne Pratt launched The Production Company’s 2013 season at a gala event held at ‘Raheen’, Kew, on Thursday. The three shows to be presented this year are Gypsy, Singin’ In The Rain and The Pirates Of Penzance. Caroline O’Connor will star as Rose in Gypsy, wchich will be directed by Gale Edwards, with Andrew Hallsworth aas choreographer, and Guy Simpson as musical director. Songs include Everything’s Coming Up Roses, You Gotta Have A Gimmick, Let Me Entertain You, Some People and Rose’s Turn. Gpysy will play at the State Theatre from July 10-14. Singin’ In The Rain willfeature Rohan Browne, Matt Lee, Alinta Chidzey and Christie Whelan-Browne. It will be directed by Gary Young, choreographed by Kelley Abbey and feature John Foreman. The score includes Good Morning, Make ‘Em Laugh, All I Do Is Cream Of You and Singin’ In The Rain. The show will play at the State Theatre from August 21-25. Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates Of Penzance will star Gareth Keegan, Virginia Gay, Brent Hill, Wayne Scott Kermond and Adam Murphy. (The Production Company’s Artistic Director Ken Mackenzie Forbes produced Pirates in the then-new Hamer Hall, 30 years ago.) The show is returning to Hamer Hall from October 30-November 3. Creatives this time around include Dean Bryant and Andrew Hallsworth, with Matthew Frank conducting the score which includes Poor Wandering One!, When The Foreman Bears His Steel, With Cat-Like Tread and Away, Away! My Heart’s On Fire. This is the 15th year of shows to be presented by The Production Company, which was established by the late Richard Pratt, and his wife Jeanne. “My dream in 1999 was twofold,” Mrs Pratt told the gathering. “To provide opportunities for loacl artists and to entertain Melbourne audiences with the best shows from Broadway and beyond. Our success has been beyond my wildest dreams.” This year sees a 50 per cent discount on full-price individual tickets for anyone under the age of 18. Anyone under the age of 18 can pay as little as $23 per ticket. More than 100 patrons and 30 sponsors are participating in this year’s season. The Production Company is led by Executive Director Rachel D Taylor, company secretary Don Maloney, treasurer Keith Beecher, and directors Deborah Beale, Felicity Beale, Mark Gogoll, John Hay-Mackenzie, Garry Krauss and Ross Mollison. ● www.theproductioncompany.com.au
Laura, top choice on DVD
■ Rhonda Burchmore’s daughter Lexie was part of the Lauriston team that won their semifinal at the Sydney International Rowing Regatta at the weekend. The team went on to win the Australian title in Sunday’s racing in the NSW capital.
Aaron’s reviews ■ DVDs and Blu-Rays kindly supplied by Video Vision, 177-179 Carlisle St Balaclava. For information or bookings on these titles please call 9531 2544. A Prophet is available for hire, along with other highly recommended titles, at great weekly prices. See Page 80
● Dana Andrews, Vincent Price, the beautiful Gene Tierney as the mysterious Laura, and Clifton Webb in the thrilling landmark film noir masterpiece that became the benchmark for all that followed in the genre. Jim Sherlock has more details inside this week’s Observer Showbiz section.
● Kirby Burgess sings at the launch
It’s my party, says Jon Jackson
● Jon Jackson ■ Take a smooth cabaret performer with dulcet tones that span more than four octaves and sound good in any of them, and you have Jon Jackson. Readers with long memories may recall The Great Big Opera Company of the 1980s and 1990s, which was in fact a trio of two instrumentalists and vocalist Jon. Fast forward to 2013 and Jon is reuniting with one of the trio, keyboard wizard Greg Riddell, who is providing some lush orchestrations and toe tapping beats to Jon's unique vocals. The new show on Saturday (Mar. 30) at 8.30 pm is appropriately called It's My Party and it will cover the best of Bacharach, Bassey and Dusty Springfield, plus a bit of Tammy Wynette and the odd foray into grand opera. In fact, something for everyone. Jon is an operatically-trained counter tenor with a penchant for pop, and he mixes the genres with ease. If location, location, location are the buzz words of real estate, Jon has taken them to heart when looking for a performance venue, as this show will take place in Brighton's newest live entertainment venue, House Of Pan. It's situated inside the original Middle Brighton Railway Station at 121 Church St, with its high ceilings and grand atmosphere of past glories. Combine this rather magical setting with the kind of stage magic Jon Jackson produces and a good night will be had by all. Bookings: events.ticketbooth.com.au/event/ JonJackson - Julie Houghton