Stage Whispers December 2021/January & February 2022 edition

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 1

In this issue 10

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A Rock Musical Reckoning ................................................................................ 4 Jagged Little Pill to rock our stages with the music of Alanis Morissette Times Are A-Changin’ For McCune And Dylan................................................... 8 Lisa McCune on her role in Bob Dylan musical Girl From The North Country Sydney’s Theatre Royal Glitters Again .............................................................. 12 Take a trip through Sydney’s refurbished Theatre Royal and its past From Bust To Boom ........................................................................................ 18 David Spicer on the impact of the Federal Government’s RISE program

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Indigenous Sunshine ...................................................................................... 22 First Nations theatre across our national stages in 2022 Musicals In 2022 ............................................................................................ 28 Blockbusters and intimate musicals in the year ahead

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Vale Moonface ............................................................................................... 36 Our Facebook followers share treasured memories of Bert Newton Community Theatre In 2022 ........................................................................... 46 Plays and musicals on local stages across Australia and New Zealand

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36 68

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Post Pandemic Blues ....................................................................................... 52 Behind the scenes with Debora Krizak

Regular Features Script Excerpt: Much Revue About Nothing

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Book Extract: Home Truths

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Stage On Page

42

Stage Sounds

44

Choosing A Show

56

Broadway Buzz

58

London Calling

59

What’s On

60

Reviews

68

Musical Spice

76

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THE NEXT ISSUE OF STAGE WHISPERS IS OUR SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS RESOURCE GUIDE

74 2 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

PLACE YOUR AD BY FEBRUARY 11 CONTACT (03) 9758 4522 OR stagews@stagewhispers.com.au

Editorial Dear theatre-goers and theatre-doers, Thankfully we can all enjoy live performances again.

Having always taken The Arts for granted, along with so many other aspects of life which have short-circuited over the last two years, now Sydney’s lockdown is at an end it was a joy to once again be soaking up the atmosphere of the Capitol Theatre, enjoying the coronavirus-paused Australian production of Come From Away.

My social media assures me that I am far from alone, Facebook overflowing with selfies of friends on nights out at the theatre. It’s an experience I know that many of you are sharing.

The camaraderie and creativity of being part of a community theatre production is something else I’ve missed terribly. Twice in the last two years I’ve been all set to play the type of cameo roles I enjoy, only for lockdowns to shut down both shows early in rehearsal.

Researching 2022 Community Theatre seasons for this edition, it seems that’s another cultural drought that is ending. While many companies remain tentative, considerable planning, and yes, rehearsals, are underway, even in the worst hit states NSW and Victoria.

Yet it has been far worse for those who earn their living either on stage or behind the scenes. So, I am pleased to hear that a number of my actor friends have finally been busy auditioning.

With stalled productions and national tours resuming, a slew of theatre seasons announced and shows again being allowed to perform to full capacity houses, I really look forward to the “new normal” of theatre-making and theatre-going.

Whimsically I wonder, will we still be wearing masks to the theatre when The Phantom of the Opera sails into Sydney Harbour in March.

Will “Masquerade” become yet another immersive theatre event?

Yours in Theatre,

Neil Litchfield Editor

Online extras!

Join us at the Capitol Theatre for the reopening of Come From Away. youtu.be/uAdAinlzNtM

CONNECT

GIVE THE GIFT OF STAGE WHISPERS THIS CHRISTMAS 1 year / 6 issues $34.95 2 years / 12 issues $65.00 stagewhispers.com.au/subscribe Cover image: Liam Head, Emily Nkomo, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Tim Draxl lead the Australian cast of Jagged Little Pill.

Photo: Stuart Miller.

Inset: Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope in the West End’s An American In Paris (2017).

Photo: Tristram Kenton.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 3

Audiences - catch your breath as Jagged Little Pill sweeps you up in its pulsating family drama. Maggie McKenna and Tim Draxl tell David Spicer why they relish being cast in a musical of our times.

Described as the most ambitious jukebox musical ever, Jagged Little Pill is a family drama traversing drug addiction, rape, sexual identity, relationship stress and more - set to the pulsing music of Alanis Morissette’s seminal 1995 album.

Opening with the central character - Mary Jane (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) - writing the family’s cheery annual Christmas letter, all appears to be in order in the upper middle-class family. Husband Steve has had a job promotion, daughter Frankie is a promising artist, and son Nick has received early admission to Harvard. Mary Jane is recovering from car accident injuries, which she writes are being managed with natural remedies.

Cracks in this vision of middle-class order appear almost immediately. Whilst Mary Jane is reading the letter, her daughter is upstairs making out with Jo, played by Maggie McKenna.

“It is not The Sound of Music. It is exciting, fresh and raw and very cool,” Maggie McKenna told me. “When I saw it on Broadway, I was so blown away by how many topics it covers and how powerful and how impactful it is. I knew I had to be part of it in some way.”

Tim Draxl plays the father Steve, whose character is addicted to pornography. Goodness, how do they show that on stage?

“It is spoken about at a therapy session,” Tim tells me, without blushing as far as I can tell. “Stephen and his wife MJ have a problematic marriage. You can see there is tension there and there is no physical relationship. She is keeping tabs on him and his pornography. More importantly, he is a workaholic.”

Tim described the contemporary story as powerful and interesting.

“I have loved musical theatre all my life. But at the end of the day a lot of musical theatre shows in different eras have the same storyline. The boy meets girl, or the boy loses girl. The stories are a little thin. But Jagged Little Pill holds a mirror to our society.

“The story is set, for all intents and purposes, in 2021. It is not about Alanis Morissette but does feature every song

4 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

from the album. This project was seven years in the making. She was adamant that it not be about her life.”

Maggie McKenna said, “The original album dealt with so many of these dark topics when it was released, and it was so raw and ground-breaking in what Alanis did, so that when they came to write a story separate to her life, it had to be dark and touch people because the album did.

“A big part of the show is an assault which happens to a young girl; how the community deals with it. I think we need a story like this to show the implications of what sexual assault does to a community; it affects everybody not just the victim.”

Maggie said the musical is informed by debate arising out of the #MeToo movement, but is not about harassment in the workplace.

“It is a story of a small town where one person is assaulted publicly. It is important for audiences in wake of #MeToo to see what untold stories there are. (In this case) what happens to young people at parties.

“So many people I know have their own stories. It is an epidemic. It has always been around.

“It is hard for people to come forward. Trauma takes time. Sometimes people are not ready to come forward.

That’s why it is important for people see their own stories told on stage.”

Maggie is keen to point out that there are moments of fun amidst the intense drama.

“Yes, we are dealing with dark topics, but there is always humour where there is darkness. I think this show has an amazing balance of both.”

In one scene, Maggie’s character has to go on a family trip to church.

“It is quite traumatic when the priest tells them they can pray away the gays. It is funny, but it’s always dark.”

The music of Alanis Morisette is known for its heartache, angst and guttural qualities.

Maggie’s character gets to sing Morisette’s best known hit song, “You Oughta Know”.

(Continued on page 6)

Cover Story

Online extras!

Meet the incredible Australian cast of Jagged Little Pill. Scan or visit youtu.be/wfSwD9BsUis

Grace Miell, Liam Head, Tim Draxl, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Emily Nkomo, AYDAN and Maggie McKenna star in Jagged Little Pill.

Photo: Stuart Miller.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 5

“A lot of racism is embedded in white privileged society.

Sometimes people don’t realise they are being racist,” Tim said.

And I’m here, to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away Thrown into the mix is drug addiction, which is It’s not fair, to deny me manifested in the central character MJ’s dependence on pain killers. Tim describes it as an “entry level addiction, Of the cross I bear that you gave to me something a bit more relatable than hard core street You, you, you oughta know. drugs.”

The chaos behind the scenes contrasts with the family’s It was written by the artist after a messy breakup with efforts to present a 1950s model of family perfection to the her boyfriend. Maggie agreed that singing this song is a highlight, like singing “Music of the Night” in The Phantom world.

“It is the story of a family coming to terms with their of the Opera. demons. They are struggling but what keeps them together “There was a standing ovation (in New York). I know Australian audiences don’t stand up as much, but it is such is that they love each other.”

Adding to the tension is the creative way the ensemble a cathartic moment for everyone.” members are utilised in the musical.

Without giving too much away about the story, the “They are the characters’ conscience, as in Greek song is also used in the context of heartbreak. theatre. Sometimes the (chorus) morphs in and out of Tim Draxl is impressed at what he describes as the characters to manipulate us. They are our inner ingenious way the songs are used in the story. monologue. It is so beautifully constructed.”

“It actually feels like the music was written for the Tim also relishes the approach to singing and show. One of the reasons they chose the album to make a choreography in the piece, commenting that “it’s not all show, is because each song tells its own story,” Tim said.

And as a result, there are lots of issues raised during the about getting the steps right and singing the song perfectly; it is about intention, which is such a refreshing musical.

“Jagged Little Pill holds up a mirror to see if people can way to come at it.”

His moment of light comedy comes during the song be a little more open minded,” Tim continued.

“Not The Doctor” at a therapy session, when MJ and Steve Amongst the hot bed of topics are gender diversity, attempt to self-diagnose. sexual orientation and racism.

Tim is excited about his two solos because “I love a good ballad.”

(Continued from page 4)

6 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Online extras!

Get a taste of Jagged Little Pill with these Broadway production highlights youtu.be/q1JmG8gTF6o

Cover Story

Lauren Patten and the original Broadway cast of Jagged Little Pill.

Photo: Matthew Murphy.

One of the songs, “So Unsexy”, might be seen as ironic, “Then I got to tour Dear Evan Hansen [in the regional delivered by an actor who is not shy about displaying his United States] - also a dark story - to 25 cities. Meeting all sculptured torso on Instagram. those fans was just epic. It was such a wild crazy time.

“Then Fun Home [with the Sydney Theatre Company] I can feel so unsexy for someone so beautiful was staged just before lockdown - that timing was So unloved and for someone so fine perfect.”

I can feel so boring for someone so interesting Maggie has made the most of the unexpected So ignorant for someone of sound mind downtime due to the pandemic by writing and workshopping an original musical, and admits that having Kath and Kim co-creator Gina Riley as a parent means there “It is not Steve saying he is unsexy - it is more that his relationship with his wife makes him feel unsexy, because is a good genetic pool to draw upon.

What is Maggie’s musical about? No comment just yet, they do not have an intimate relationship,” explains Tim. “As much as he tries to light the flame again, she is but it is safe to assume the subject matter is contemporary. pushing him away.”

Tim Draxl has not been so lucky with the timing of the Both actors are delighted to be back on stage and at a pandemic. He snuck in shooting for the ABC mini-series theatre which (as of mid-November) is allowed to have 100 The Newsreader, but sadly his two shots at appearing as percent capacity. the Director in the musical A Chorus Line were cruelled by Jagged Little Pill continues the purple patch for Maggie the different waves of the coronavirus.

McKenna, who has scored brilliant roles since graduating To get over his disappointments, he draws on the from university in the United States, and all in musical’s ultimate positive message which he describes “as accepting what is happening in life and learning and contemporary musicals.

Plucked from nowhere, Maggie originated the lead role improving from it.” in Muriel’s Wedding the Musical.

You live, you learn “I had just finished drama school, had no idea what I was going to do and booked this workshop,” said Maggie.

You love, you learn “It was insane to be able to develop a piece from the You cry, you learn ground up. I got to sing new songs and be the first person You lose, you learn to publicly perform them. Everything about that process You bleed, you learn was just magical.

You scream, you learn stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 7

Lisa McCune.

Times Are A-Changin’ For McCune And Dylan Lisa McCune talks to Coral Drouyn about her upcoming role in Girl From The North Country, life and theatre at 25 and 50, and plans for the future.

Our home grown darling of stage and screen was not even born when the iconic Bob Dylan became part of the human psyche through his folk and protest songs. She was barely aware of his name when he went electric, shocking some stalwart fans. And by 1987, when 16-year -old Lisa was accepted into what is now WAAPA - their youngest student ever to study musical theatre - Dylan had been forgotten by all but his most avid supporters, and the rest of the world didn’t care that much.

‘He was never really on my radar, to be honest,’ Lisa tells me candidly. ‘It’s not that I thought he was good or bad; he didn’t even warrant an opinion I’m ashamed to say. I was totally besotted with Musical Theatre. Stephen Sondheim was my idol and every song of his was a revelation that I wanted to sing. Besides, I wasn’t old enough to have anything to protest,’ she adds with a chuckle.

The truth is that Lisa’s incandescent star was rising just as Dylan’s nebulous talent was seemingly burning out, 8 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

and the fairy story of the Stage Princess and the White Dwarf with the folk guitar was still years away from being written. In the ensuing twenty years, Lisa became a Superstar in Australia. Along with Blue Heelers, which brought her four Gold Logies, there was a slew of other TV series in which she starred, plus some of best-known female roles in Musical Theatre. Maggie Doyle may have died, but Lisa breathed new life into Maria in The Sound of Music, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Nellie in South Pacific and Mrs Anna in The King and I. Then she returned to television and turned her hand to comedy. She’s driven by the work. She loves it, and it loves her in return. That’s how Superstars are born. But in Dylan’s case the opposite was true. 20+ years of endless touring without hits only served to make him over-familiar to the fans who loved him, and irrelevant to those who didn’t care. The work was driving him into becoming a footnote in the history of music.

Two very different talents, who never crossed paths. I am reminded of one of my favourite lyrics from the fifties, when Tommy Edwards sang, “She lived on the morning side of the mountain, and he lived on the twilight side of the hill.” Lisa and Bob - so far apart. It takes a third character to bring them together.

Enter Conor McPherson, a brilliantly talented Irish playwright, who like Lisa (both were born in the same year) found stardom early. His play The Weir was a highly praised success and, like Lisa, he wasn’t content to stay in one medium - writing became integrated with directing.

But McPherson was surprised when he was asked if he could write a play and integrate it with Dylan’s music, which is hardly the stuff of Musical Theatre. But once the seed had been planted, McPherson had to at least check to see how it might grow. He discovered that Dylan (always a great songwriter) had created a portfolio of great story songs and, almost against his will, the cogs started to turn in his mind.

It wouldn’t be true to say that Conor McPherson’s play with music would inevitably bring Dylan and McCune into the same orbit. The truth is that all three artists are consummate storytellers, and storytellers gravitate towards each other. From Dylan’s songs McPherson was inspired to create a play about the depression and a group of struggling ordinary people trying to deal with life. Almost every line from a Dylan song could inspire a scene, and almost every character could find relevance in the same Dylan song. After all, all the best stories are

universal. And so, Girl from The North Country, a deceptively simple song from Dylan’s early years became a musical in the loosest sense of the word. McPherson tapped the emotional gold in Dylan’s emotional mine and directed his “musical” with truth and poignancy that leaves audiences uplifted and inspired, and that’s not an easy thing to do. COVID-19 brought the Broadway production to its knees before it barely had time to stand on its feet, but everyone who saw it was touched by the magic. Dylan himself saw it and was moved almost to tears. So absorbed was he by the drama that he says he completely forgot they were his songs.

Once it was confirmed that GWB Entertainment had secured the musical for Australia, its Managing Director Rob Brookman (of Adelaide Festival fame) contacted Lisa to say she had to see the show as there was a part in it that was perfect for her. Lisa and Rob had worked together many times before and they were friends, so she didn’t need much coaxing. Lisa saw the show and fell in love with it. I was surprised to learn that she auditioned long distance for the writer/director, but Lisa insisted on it.

‘After all, he didn’t know my work at all. I would never ask anyone to take a chance like that. I’d much rather audition than let my CV ‘sell’ me,’ Lisa explained. ‘And it’s also important to me to know if we share the same vision - want and expect the same things from a show. That’s (Continued on page 10) stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 9

The West End cast of Girl From The North Country.

Photo: Cylla Von Tiedemann.

Online extras!

Girl From The North Country is an uplifting story of life in 1934 Minnesota. youtu.be/dT1hAiDEed8

Girl From The North Country opens at Sydney’s Theatre Royal as part of the Sydney Festival on January 5, then moves on to the Adelaide Festival, followed by Melbourne. Other states are waiting with bated breath. girlfromthenorthcountry.com.au (Continued from page 9)

always been a big part of my work connecting all the pieces and knowing that the end-result will produce the same vision we all shared.’

Lisa and Conor spent two hours online and a deep connection was made between them.

‘He was just lovely,’ Lisa tells me.

‘He kept saying, “she is YOUR Elizabeth, not mine. You will find a different truth to her.” That alone made me want to work with him, and suddenly, after a few years away from the stage, I knew I had to get back to my roots and I truly wanted the part.’

I ask Lisa if stage is her main love and if it’s easier to build a performance chronologically from beginning to end rather than piecemeal for the camera.

‘You know what,’ Lisa says, ‘I honestly love them both equally. I have an emotional filing system for on -screen which keeps me on track when shooting out of sequence. I’m able to switch back and forth from stage to screen without much stress, even though they require such different techniques. That’s why I love this job, career, art, whatever, so much. There is so much variety. In another life I want to be Hugo Weaving.’

I laugh at the image, but Lisa is serious. ‘Look at his body of work. It is astounding,’ she says earnestly. ‘There isn’t anything he doesn’t do brilliantly.

All of it. Comedy, tragedy, even comic book characters. He elevates every role he plays, and you just can’t pigeon-hole his work, ever. So, I want to be Hugo Weaving!’ she ends decisively.

I point out that Hugo Weaving couldn’t take his bra off, like Lisa did in Rake, but she’s not convinced. ‘Ah, but he’d make you believe that he could, and that’s the essence of great acting - finding the truth that the audience can believe. I think, I hope, that I can do that some of the time, though I strive for it every time,’ she explains. ‘I’m certainly better at it than I was 25 years ago. I’m a grown up now. Well, mostly. Let’s face it, I’m old enough to play a grandmother.

Actually I’m old enough to BE a grandmother, but I still call them “the kids” and there’s more time to enjoy them now as young adults.’

Since Lisa gets to sing the anthem “Like a Rolling Stone” in Girl from the North Country, I can’t resist asking her “How does it feel, to be on your own...?”

‘It feels wonderful,’ she replies without hesitation. ‘And I actually feel in many ways much freer than I did when “stardom” - however you define it - struck at 22. I can be more spontaneous; I don’t have to hold back anything because of expectations. It’s marvellous to have that freedom, especially coming out of this long lockdown of The Arts.

10 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Hopefully we can build a new and better world of entertainment.’

And what would that world look like for her, I ask?

‘Hmmm...probably it would mean me alternating projects, and mediums,’ she responds. ‘So, a stage show, followed by a series, or a film, then another show. That would be perfect, because I’m so much more interested now in how everything works - each tiny little piece of action.

I’ve always been that way with scripts but now it’s the technical side as well.

But even now, with this wonderful script of Conor’s, I find myself thinking - “what lyric of Dylan’s inspired that line” and I just have to explore that. It just makes the whole experience so much richer.’ She pauses for a moment, thoughtfully.

‘When you’re a young actor you absorb everything. You’re like a sponge. Usually, mid-career, you tend to outgrow your sponge-like phase.

Somehow, I never did and now I want to absorb every aspect more than ever. I want it all.’

Does that mean moving to directing, I ask?

‘Maybe...probably,” she concedes, “but not before I get to do one big epic on screen and wear stunning gowns and wigs - like Tilda Swinton in Narnia. I haven’t given up wanting ultimate glamour...just to see what it feels like.’

And, knowing Lisa, it will feel amazing - for her and for us.

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Sydney’s Theatre Royal Glitters Again As the curtain rises at Sydney’s rejuvenated Theatre Royal, Tim McFarlane, Executive Chairman of Trafalgar Entertainment, the venue’s new operators, speaks to Neil Litchfield.

Penelope Seidler AM in the foyer of the Theatre Royal (designed by her husband and professional partner Harry Seidler) in front of the Charles O. Perry sculpture the ‘Mercator’.

12 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Once again, Sydney’s CBD risked losing the last active link to its once thriving theatre heartland.

Once again?

In the late 1960s and 1970s, Sydney’s developers and their cronies wrought greater havoc on Sydney’s historic theatres than Hitler’s Luftwaffe ever inflicted on London’s West End, with wreckers’ balls bringing the curtain down on nearly every remaining commercial live theatre built in the city during the previous century.

The original 19th century Royal was demolished in 1971, hot on the heels of the 1969 destruction of the Tivoli (1911), with the Palace Theatre (1896) sacrificed for the Sydney Hilton, then the 1971 loss of the St James Theatre, which opened in 1926 with the Australian Premiere of the musical No, No, Nanette.

Meanwhile Melburnians still enjoy shows in their beloved Princess, Her Majesty’s and Comedy theatres.

Dating to 1976, the newly restored Theatre Royal - designed by Harry Seidler - was built as a concession by the developers of the MLC Centre, after the protests and union activism aimed at preserving the historic theatre had failed.

Yet recently the modern Royal has sat dark for years, permanent closure a real possibility. The new owners of the

complex felt no obligation to honour that agreement.

Imminent conversion to a food court, or retail space, was rumoured.

Only intervention by NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin eventually saw the theatre’s future secured by a long-term NSW Government lease, with Trafalgar Entertainment stepping in to rejuvenate and operate the venue.

Fittingly, Trafalgar’s Executive Chairman Tim McFarlane has a long association with the Theatre Royal, dating back to his time at the Adelaide Festival Centre, which built the sets for the 1980s mega musicals which found their Sydney home at the Royal.

“The Adelaide Festival Centre had long association with commercial producers, particularly Cameron Mackintosh, which was my route into musical theatre, and from there I joined Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company, The Really Useful Group, for 18 years, which was all about producing his shows and opening up new markets, particularly in Asia,” Tim explains.

Tim subsequently moved on to the Ambassador Theatre Group, and then to Trafalgar Entertainment, with the Royal becoming part Trafalgar’s global vision.

“This is Trafalgar’s first theatre in this part of the world - the others are all (Continued on page 14)

Online extras!

Tim McFarlane discusses the features of the newly refurbished Theatre Royal. youtu.be/Ii1lH6OFYFQ

Tim McFarlane.

Photo: Pierre Toussaint.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 13

(Continued from page 13)

in the UK, but there’s certainly an interest in Europe, America and the Asia -Pacific generally.”

Tim’s reminiscences of the Royal stretch back to his days at the Adelaide Festival Centre, when it built the sets for Cats, Les Mis and Phantom, and provided the original general management of Cats in Australia.

“My first memories of the Theatre Royal were sitting inside the auditorium while Trevor Nunn was directing the Australian production of Cats,” Tim recalls.

“From having come into theatre with no background in it, to suddenly being in the same room as people like Trevor Nunn and Cameron Mackintosh was pretty amazing.

“It was such a new experience to be involved in such a prominent commercial production. I was a bit incredulous to be there at that time, watching all these amazing people working in the theatre. That production went on to be incredibly successful in the cities which it went to, involving people like Debra Byrne, the original Grizabella.

“The other amazing thing was looking at that set, and knowing it was built in Adelaide. Little marks of the people who had built the set were built into it, though not visible to the audience. That was a little bit of fun.

Those original productions of Cats turned the entire auditorium into a rubbish dump, so it wasn’t just a set on stage.

Projection on the exterior of Theatre Royal.

Photo: David Boon.

“For that production, the ribbed ceiling, which was all gold-edged, saw the gold covered up with black felt to get that dark, rubbish dump feel. That felt has remained there until our current refurbishment. It’s been taken off, and it’s required a bit of touching up in places, but it’s largely the original gold, and it looks spectacular.”

For another production which Tim was involved in, The Phantom of the Opera, the appearance of the theatre was also changed substantially, including the addition of boxes at each side of the proscenium.

“There were a lot of things done for Phantom which were not kind to the theatre,” Tim acknowledges, “but the current refurbishment has taken it back to its original bones, I’m pleased to say.”

14 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

During Tim’s association with the Royal, it has also had its share of offstage drama.

“The opening night of Cats and all the drama, not only on the stage, but the bomb scare, with Prime Minister Hawke and everybody else having to be tipped out into the retail space of the MLC Centre,” he recalls. “That was quite a moment.”

The current Theatre Royal was built as a condition of demolishing the original 19th century Theatre Royal to make way for the MLC Centre, but the latest owners, Dexus, didn’t necessarily feel bound by that 1970s agreement.

Just how close did it come to becoming a food court?

“There certainly seemed to be considerable doubt as to whether the theatre would be retained, and a lot of people in the industry became very vocal about the need to retain the Theatre Royal. Sydney has too few theatres as it is, and to have lost a theatre of that capacity would have been a huge void in Sydney. Obviously huge credit must be paid to Don Harwin, the minister, for the government’s role in making sure the theatre got retained.”

I asked Tim to talk me through the experience of visiting the new Theatre Royal, and I must say he whetted my appetite for my first visit there, to see the opening production, Jagged Little Pill.

“When you went to the theatre previously, coming off King Street it was quite a forbidding structure - just like a silo,” Tim reminds me. “The entrance

and the foyers are all contained within a circular drum, on three levels, but the entrance used to be through a relatively small set of glass doors. About 120 degrees of that concrete façade has now been replaced with glass.

“Now, as you approach the theatre along King Street, you look into the foyers that you were never able to see from the street before. You see all the amazing design elements that Harry Seidler put into that drum - the sweeping stairs, the fabulous Nervi ceiling (designed by Italian engineer Pier Luigi Nervi) and hanging from it the Charles O. Perry sculpture, with the whole drum back to the colours that Harry envisaged - the drum is gold, the stairs are white, the floors are Travertine Marble. It is a beautiful approach to the theatre, with lots of artistic and architectural aspects to it which make it so spectacular.

“You might recall that when you went into the foyer, for Phantom, the whole box office was put inside the drum, which reduced the amount of public space. All of that has been ripped out, and it’s back to how it was originally constructed. So there’s a new position for the box office, and on that entrance level there’s a new bar.

“You go down the stairs to the stalls level, and all the facilities are different the bars, the merchandise counter. All the toilets have been moved down a level and they’ve been more than doubled. So, it’s going to be so much easier to get a drink, and to go to the bathroom. There is now a lift connecting all the levels of the theatre, so it’s so much more accessible. And all the time with these dramatic colours, which were the colours that Harry Seidler wanted - red carpets, gold walls - then very modern facilities in the bars and the toilets.

“Going up the stairs to the Dress Circle, again there’s a totally new bar, with the same gold theme going up there and Travertine Marble in that little foyer area.

“The connecting of all those areas is just so much more dramatic than it’s ever been in the past.

“Then you go into the auditorium re-carpeted, re-seated, the ceiling with its gold ribs now all exposed and restored. Looking down onto the stage you realise the incredible intimacy of this theatre. From the front of the stage

to the rear of the dress circle is just 23 metres. That’s incredibly intimate and connected for a theatre.

“And the seats are so much more comfortable than they have been in the past.

“We’ve added another row to the front of the Dress Circle, and you really feel you can touch the stage from there.

“The whole feeling is one of intimacy, comfort and beauty, then on to this great stage. The Theatre Royal has always had a fabulous stage - a stage big enough to fit Cats, Les Mis, Phantom. It can take good sized productions, while smaller, more intimate shows still have an incredible connection to the audience.”

Castlereagh Street, Sydney showing Theatre Royal and Hotel Australia.

A key question running through my mind, and probably the minds of many a past audience member was, has the sound of trains running underneath the theatre, always so noticeable during performances, been dealt with.

“Without going into the details, I would challenge you to see whether you can hear the trains at all, or anything more than a very low rumble,” Tim assures me.

Whenever you renovate any building, from an old home to a theatre, there’s bound to be little surprises pop up in the process, as you peel back the layers. The Theatre Royal was no exception.

“In a theatrical sense, the thing that was pleasing and amusing to everybody came when all the ceilings in front of the proscenium were being replaced and ripped open. Attached to the structure of the roof was the steel structure from which the chandelier for The Phantom of the Opera was suspended,” Tim revealed. “It had remained hidden there for so long, along with other decorative plaster work that was put in above the proscenium to make it look more like the Paris Opera House. It was a bit of fun finding all that stuff that had been hidden away for all those years.”

Given the lengthy history of theatre on the site, stretching well back into the 19th century, I was interested to know if that heritage would be recognised in the current restoration.

“Given that the theatre, and the whole MLC Centre, dates from the mid 1970s, it’s a totally different. There is a wall at the rear of the theatre where it fronts onto Rowe Street (the remnant of the laneway which once ran all the way between Pitt and Castlereagh streets). A series of historic photos are going to be mounted onto that wall.

“My understanding is that the present location of the theatre’s stage is very similar to where the stage of the original Theatre Royal was, except turned through 90 degrees.”

Outside the theatre’s front entrance, there’s a brand-new bookend to this Rowe Street heritage feature.

“Out on the King Street frontage, there will be three cylindrical digital signs promoting shows in the theatre or coming to the theatre - to my knowledge there aren’t any other cylindrical signs in Sydney.

“In front of the glass entry will be these three totems, as they’re described, which will be visible down to the Pitt Street Mall, and they will look fantastic.”

Post-script: If you’re keen for a glimpse Sydney’s 19th century theatre heartland, one heritage building remains, strikingly restored and repurposed. A block and a half away from the Royal, on Pitt Street, you can share a drink with theatre ghosts in the main bar of the Art House Hotel, formerly the auditorium of the Sydney School of Arts. stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 15

Princess Returns To Brisbane Beth Keehn reports on the official reopening of Brisbane’s newest (and oldest) iconic performance venue.

The drive to form and forge must run deep in the DNA of the Sleswick family. Brothers Steve and Dave took over and transformed Brisbane’s Tivoli Theatre in Fortitude Valley in 2016 and, four years later, they decided to give the Tiv a sister venue by purchasing the Princess Theatre in Woolloongabba.

At 133 years old, the Princess is Queensland’s oldest theatre. She has faced fire, destruction and demolition.

Now on her fifth refurb, the venue is looking fab-u-lous, and is finally taking her place as the jewel in Brisbane’s crown of iconic venues.

State Heritage listed, since its establishment in 1888 the Princess has gone through through several guises and name changes. It has been a community hall, a roller-skating rink (1880s), a Salvation Army hall (1890s), a clothing factory and store (1900s), and a cinema (1910-20s and 1940s). Theatre productions took hold again in the 1930s, including satirical productions by the Queensland University students’ Unity Theatre, amateur theatrics and charity productions, while it became a base for the Stars and Stripes US Special Services variety shows during WW2.

Post war, the space was used as a paper factory and printer, then in the 1970s it became a second-hand furniture mart, before being saved by investors in 1986 to become the Twelfth Night Theatre, newly renovated, with seats and equipment from other closed Brisbane theatres.

The original architecture by John Beauchamp Nicholson includes classic Ionic and Doric features that acknowledge the Greek and Roman history and culture that helped establish our modern theatrical traditions.

In his opening night welcome speech, co-owner Dave Sleswick credited the former owners, Lifecity Church, for insisting that the venue be sold to someone who would maintain

its function as a performance venue.

He reminded us that Brisbane has an unfortunate history of knocking buildings down, and admitted he was overwhelmed by the “sheer beauty and stature of the space” but also challenged and confronted by his feelings about the building’s history.

“Aesthetically the space resembled an old kind of British Town Hall,” he said. “We redesigned the space to bring it out of an old history and into a new one - and all of our design choices throughout the building were focused on creating a space that’s otherworldly - to pay our respects to a history but to create a new, welcoming, inclusive space for everybody.”

The new owners aim to make this Princess part of a creative hub at its corner of the ‘Gabba. The theatre holds 920 people (standing) and 520 (seated). It includes a new cafe, four

Princess Theatre.

16 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

bars, co-working office, workshop space and the Clarence Courtyard outdoor alleyway and courtyard. It features a collaboration with Brisbane Street Arts Festival, and street art by Indigenous artist and gallery owner Birrunga. The old shoe factory next door is home to Dead Puppets Society.

“What we aim to do is populate this space with artists and art, and to hand the space over to music and creativity and try and flip the tables a little bit so that artists run the world,” said Dave Sleswick To see the year out, the venue will host bands, candlelight concerts, debates and cabaret. The new year will see performances by iconic Brisbane bands of the 80s and 90s, and also The Wider Earth, by neighbours Dead Puppet Society.

Find out more at theprincesstheatre.com.au

New Sydney Theatres

3D render of new 1550-seat theatre.

Foundation Theatres and The Star plan to transform the 4000 seat Event Centre at The Star, Sydney into a new two-theatre complex, helping to solve the city’s shortage of large venues, which has sometimes seen it lose big shows to Melbourne.

The new privately funded complex will feature a 1550 seat Broadway style theatre on two levels 3D render of new 1000-seat capable of hosting large scale musicals, dance, drama, theatre in ‘concert mode’. concerts, ballet and opera, with a full fly system and orchestra pit - and a 1000 seat comedy and live entertainment theatre - capable of hosting comedy, live music, cabaret, plays and small-scale productions.

It is anticipated that the new complex will open in 2023.

Foundation Theatres says the 1550 seat theatre will have a stage and facilities that are capable of hosting complex productions, in a similar way to the existing Capitol Theatre and Sydney Lyric, which the company owns and operates.

The larger theatre will also have a more intimate configuration that can change to accommodate smaller audiences.

The Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Theatres Graeme Kearns told Stage Whispers that “instead of doing one, two, three or four productions a year, we will be doing 100 shows a year including comedy, cabaret, plays and small musicals”, which will be staged in the 1000 seat venue.

A major push is also underway to restore the 1000 seat Minerva Theatre in Kings Cross, home of the original Australian production of Hair.

La Mama Reborn

Smoking ceremony at the rebuilt La Mama theatre.

Photo: Darren Gill.

On the morning of May 19, 2018, La Mama Melbourne’s iconic little theatre just off the main street of Carlton - was devastated by fire.

On that day the company resolved to rebuild. More than two years of planning later, and after a fundraising campaign which raised over $3.2 million from more than 600 backers, work began on the rebuild.

The old building has now been restored to honour its original, intimate self, but with new 21st century facilities and technology. The size of the performance space has not changed but a new second building has been constructed to allow for more undercover comfort for members of the audience and space for cast to rehearse.

To celebrate the reopening, a festival is taking place over the weekend of December 9 to 12. Over 400 artists will take part in the War-Rak/Banksia Festival, named after a flower which comes back more beautiful and stronger after a fire. stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 17

With the worst of COVID-19 behind us (hopefully), a raft of commercial theatre producers are hoping for a bumper few years. Helping many will be the Federal Government’s RISE program, showering $200 million on projects ranging from a Guns N’ Roses tour to new musicals. Is all the money being well spent? David Spicer reports.

18 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Queensland Theatre’s Return To The Dirt is being broadcast by Australian Theatre Live.

Photo: David Kelly.

The timing of the pandemic could not have been worse for the producer of Rolling Thunder Vietnam, the concert drama which was poised for a national tour in 2020.

“It was up and running when all theatres across Australia were abruptly closed, and I had to scramble to survive,” said producer Rebecca Blake, who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“To make matters worse, there was no insurance - and there still isn’t [except in Victoria] - available to live entertainment producers.

She was upset and further demoralised when she missed out on the first round of funding under the clunkily named Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand program.

When news came through that she had secured almost half a million dollars in a later round, she was hugely relieved.

“The RISE grant will enable Rolling Thunder Vietnam to return to the stage for a national tour in early 2023. Without the grant, it is unlikely the acclaimed production would ever be seen by audiences again.

“The funding is for a genuine restart of an all-Australian production that has provided opportunities for young and emerging talent.”

Blake Entertainment is one of the deserving winners from the RISE program, which was launched by the Prime Minister last year, alongside Guy Sebastian. The singer later expressed regret at being used “as a prop” and complained that the money wasn’t flowing through fast enough.

The decisions are not being made by the Australia Council, which has traditionally doled out the cash to the not-for-profit arts sector, but the office of Arts Minister Paul Fletcher.

Politicians choosing which projects are winners - instead of industry appointees or bureaucrats - is

Online extras!

Playwright Steve Pirie discusses the genesis of Return To The Dirt. youtu.be/v4o4D1PQjhk

frowned upon by many in the arts establishment.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the arts sector was ‘delighted’ in 2017 when the Turnbull Government returned money to the Australia Council, which former Arts Minister George Brandis had shifted to a fund he could use for handpicked favourites.

Author Tom Keneally, in his new book A Bloody Good Rant, wrote that the politicians “assume the air of satraps, of Habsburg emperors, distributing beneficence, a method that compared to arm’s-length endowment that is gratuitous and subjective.”

The Shadow Arts Minister Tony Kelly told the ABC’s Insiders Program that the “additional money is for the companies that the minister has decided are significant. Which sends a message to the rest of the sector.”

One of the significant companies which secured funding was TEG Dainty, which is a selfdescribed global entertainment company.

It secured $750,000 for a tour of the US band Guns N’ Roses and $450,000 for its arena tour of the musical Bat Out of Hell.

A spokesman for Arts Minister Paul Fletcher told Stage Whispers that “a grant of $750,000 was awarded in the batch four of RISE funding for a stadium tour of Guns N’ Roses, who will perform in six cities across Australia.

“This project is creating over 16,000 employment opportunities for Australian artists and support staff, it is anticipated to reach an audience of over 233,000 and the event will also drive demand for hospitality, travel and accommodation with corresponding flow-on economic benefits.”

The question this raises is if a Guns N’ Roses concert is going to sell 233,000 tickets and rake in $40 million plus, did it really need taxpayers to toss in anything? The seven members of Gun N’ Roses (Continued on page 20) stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 19

Online extras!

David Campbell introduces the return to the stage of North By Northwest. youtu.be/J8SZkyizUxA

(Continued from page 19)

hadn’t even arrived in Australia prior to the lockdown.

Other major Australian producers are on the winners’ list. The Michael Cassel Group, John Frost Crossroads Live and New Theatricals each secured around a million dollars for their respective productions of Hamilton, 9 to 5 the musical and Come From Away. Unlike TEG Dainty, these organisations did suffer catastrophic shutdowns of large productions, which were on stage when the pandemic struck.

At the other end of the spectrum some smaller producers have been big winners from RISE. Some of these might look like very good investments of taxpayers’ money down the track if they produce hits, just as the Canadian Government was well pleased with its initial investment in a what was once a new organisation called Cirque du Soleil.

In July the independent Music Theatre company Squabbalogic trumpeted on its Facebook page that it was “gobsmascked” to have secured $850,000 to develop three top secret musicals.

Roddy Peters, Nicholas Bell and Amber McMahon in the Australian touring cast of North By North West (2018).

Photo: Darren Thomas.

Artistic Director Jay James-Moody revealed some of the secrets to Stage Whispers.

“We have a new major musical commission with myself, Xavier Coy and Lloyd Allison-Young - a sports satire centring on the Australian cricket cheating scandal; workshops for our experiential theatre adaptation of John Wyndham’s sci-fi dystopia Day of the Triffids; and workshops for a bold reimagining of a classic that we hope to tour in 2023.

“Additionally, we have partial funding set aside to contribute to the eventual staging of The Dismissal, as well as the cast recording of that show. Lots of very exciting stuff which we hope to bring to audiences in 2022-23, along with a few other yet to be announced surprises.”

The Michael Cassel Group secured $400,000 for largescale musical workshops. One is for a musical from the songs of John Farnham, set to a book by Tommy Murphy. The other is a musical that uses the songs of INXS. Another new work that has secured significant funding is Midnight: Cinderella.

The production, with music and lyrics by John Foreman and Anthony Costanzo, is described as “featuring a

20 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

funny, intelligent and strong-willed Cinderella, who is determined to make her mark. Enchanted by this feisty and alluring stranger, the Prince wades into uncharted territory and quickly learns ‘Ella’ is like no one he has met before.”

Garry McQuinn, the producer behind Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical, secured funding to produce a musical adaptation of the Australian TV series Round the Twist, under the direction of Simon Phillips.

The cult classic was famous for its “deliciously macabre” plot lines.

Episodes included children being attacked by a deluge of birds-do, a strange cabbage patch family emerging out of a giant cabbage to reclaim their baby, a water spirit helping a child pee over a wall in a pissing competition, and a ghost dog that curses a child to end every sentence with the phrase ‘without my pants’.

Dancing Giant Productions picked up a small grant for a new work called Dog Man The Musical - a humorous new Australian production for ages six and up, based on the international bestselling series by Dav Pilkey, with song, dance, puppetry, and hijinks.

Critical Stages Touring is using a RISE grant to produce Alphabetical Sydney: All Aboard. The new touring musical for young audiences is adapted from the popular and acclaimed children’s book by Hilary Bell and Antonia Pesenti.

Neil Gooding Productions secured funding for two new works. The first, Drummer Queens - a percussive concert, got to the stage in 2021 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Next in line for production is LEAP, described as “an innovative, new theatrical experience which fuses remarkable choreography, classical and rock music, and spectacular lighting, created by leading young Australian creatives.”

Another intriguing new work to get support was the Australasian Dance Collective Limited’s Lucie in the Sky: Emotionally Coded Drone Project.

It is described as “a drone and dance show choreographed with human movement patterns, challenging our perceptions of Artificial Intelligence.”

Producer David Venn secured two grants. One of them was to re-stage his cancelled tour of The Wedding Singer.

“The RISE grant will offer much needed support to cover sunk costs

and remount the production,” he said.

“We also received funding for Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical.

This production will embark on a national tour across Australia in 2022 and create much needed employment opportunities for more Australian artists and creative workers.”

A RISE grant was also secured to produce North by Northwest, starring David Campbell, at the Sydney Lyric.

Adapted for the stage by Carolyn Burns and directed by Simon Phillips, North by Northwest is described as “having every twist, every thrill and every hairbreadth escape from Hitchcock’s original genius work.”

And if you can’t see the productions live - then Australian Theatre Live has secured more than a million dollars in funding to rebroadcast performances.

Not so long ago the Creative Director of ATL, Grant Dodwell, was downcast about lack of support for his venture but the pandemic has prompted a rush of theatre companies wanting to add digital broadcasts.

“We captured Queensland Theatre’s Return to the Dirt virtually.

We streamed “live” with six cameras from the Bille Brown Theatre to our

office in Sydney and directed the camera crew,” he said.

“Return to the Dirt will be available to stream on the QT website from December 1 and after 4 months ATLive will distribute.

“Mitchell Butel’s Pinchgut Opera production of Apollo & Dafne has been very well received, is available online and will soon have short term seasons at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Digital Concert Hall.

“January will be a hectic time for ATLive, capturing four performances, and in March / April 2022 we will tour The Best of The Sydney Festival to cinemas and arts centres nationwide.

“Keating - The Gospel According to Paul & the STC’s final Wharf Revue - Goodbye & Good Luck - will be released in cinemas in February / March.

“The two-year support from the Federal Government RISE initiative is a springboard to future enterprises.”

Not surprisingly the winners are grinners, and the Federal Arts Minister says the 387 RISE funded projects will generate almost 170,000 job opportunities for artists, performers and associated support industries.

Audiences can make their own judgement about whether it all has been money well spent.

Online extras!

Theatrical concert experience Rolling Thunder Vietnam will tour again. youtu.be/yDbKG792tzU Rolling Thunder Vietnam.

Photo: Jeff Busby.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 21

Indigenous Sunshine

Indigenous plays look set to provide many of the highlights of our 2022 mainstage seasons.

David Spicer reports.

22 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Ensemble Theatre’s Black Cockatoo.

Photo: Prudence Upton.

Bangarra’s Wudjang: Not The Past.

Photo: Daniel Boud.

A heady mix of comedy, musical theatre, dance and inyour-face drama will be included in a remarkable year of productions. Artists range from leading creators of the last 20 years like Wesley Enoch and Stephen Page, to newer voices including Meyne Wyatt and Nakkiah Lui. Sunshine Supergirl by Andrea James.

State Theatre Company of South Australia (September) and Melbourne Theatre Company (November).

I was lucky enough to be a ‘spectator’ for this magical night in the theatre at the premiere inside the Sydney Town Hall. It fuses the extraordinary Australian story of Wiradjuri Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley with beautiful stagecraft.

At its core is the transformation of a seven-year-old Aboriginal girl, peering longingly onto a tennis court, with not enough money for a racquet or sandshoes, into a world champion.

The set (what an apt word) for the production is (naturally) a tennis court. Members of the audience are on either side in the grandstands.

Onto the court are projected videos (designed by Mic Grunchy) of various surfaces - from the lush green of Wimbledon, to the red clay of Roland Garros, fluorescent sidelines of the US indoor circuit, disco floors of London and even an outback fishing spot.

The tennis action is elegantly and crisply portrayed through dance. For me it unlocked a distant memory of staying up late to watch Evonne win Wimbledon in 1980.

The emergence of Evonne’s kindred spirit in Ash Barty makes this even more special. performinglines.org.au (Continued on page 24) stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 23

Queensland Theatre’s The Sunshine Club (1999).

Photo: Rob Maccoll.

Tuuli Narkle in Sunshine Super Girl.

Photo courtesy: STCSA.

(Continued from page 23)

Black Cockatoo by Geoffrey Atherden National Tour The theme of sport and indigenous Australia is central to Black Cockatoo, which premiered at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre.

The play is about Jardwadjali man Johnny Muller, who made history in 1868 when he led the first team to play cricket against the English on their home turf.

Stage Whispers reviewer Frank Hatherley lauded the brilliant vision for the play.

“The setting is the back room of a museum, a storage unit with many itemised boxes and a large, rolling ladder.

“Into this storeroom Geoffrey Atherden brings a friendly curator with five precious items, including a boomerang and a watch, which he leaves with various audience members. The curator primes us all how to cheer, boo or groan when the results of the cricketers are revealed - 14 wins (hooray!), 14 losses (boo!) and 19 draws.

“Crashing into the storeroom come five Indigenous members of a group intent on adding truth to the narrative, and from then on we go back and forth from a story of yesterday’s cricketers to today’s black issues.

“Johnny Mullagh - by far the most accomplished cricketer - regularly top scores, meets Lady Lydia Bardwell and learns to read and write. The Indigenous cast play all the white characters.” artsontour.com.au The Sunshine Club by Wesley Enoch and John Rodgers.

Queensland Theatre Company (July).

This musical, with its post-World War Two setting and a rich jazz score, first staged in 1999, is being revived under the direction of the writer - Noonuccal Nuugi man Wesley Enoch.

24 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Indigenous Sunshine

Online extras!

Sunshine Supergirl tells the story of the sportswoman who inspired a nation. youtu.be/9dlA2sRqB6E

It is about a returned Aboriginal solider who finds attitudes are just as racist in late 1940s Brisbane as they were before the war, so he defiantly creates an Aboriginal dance club where he can dance with his white girlfriend.

Wesley Enoch told Beth Keehn, “I was 29 when I wrote that piece, so you start to think ‘Who is that 29-year-old? And what does my current self think about that 29-year-old? And what lessons have I learnt in the intervening years? And what can I bring to the work now as a director, as a writer?’ So, I’m interested in looking at the script and what it has to say about today.

“I think it’s about storytelling around dancing together, about being together and not to feel frightened about that - and as we talk about treaties and sovereignty, the next evolution of our relationship with First Nations Australians, this is a moment to say ‘It’s a very long history, it’s not a short one and there are lots of role models in our history that we can go back to and look at’.” queenslandtheatre.com.au City Of Gold by Meyne Wyatt Black Swan Theatre (March) and Sydney Theatre Company (TBC).

Wongutha-Yamatji man Meyne Wyatt penned his semi-autobiographical play City of Gold for Sydney’s Griffin Theatre. Audrey Journal reviewer Jason Blake described it as a play with “piss-take humour, feisty family drama and scalding diatribe.”

City of Gold burst onto national consciousness when Wyatt performed a monologue from it on the ABC’s Q and A. Here is a taste of it.

“Security guard following me around the store, asking to search my bag.

“Walking up to the counter first being served, second or third or last kind of shit.

“Or hailing down a cab and watching it slow down to look at my face and then drive off. More than once. More than twice. More than once-twice on any one occasion - yeah, that shit, I’ll get weekly.

“Sometimes I’ll get days in a row if I’m really lucky.

“And that’s the kind of shit I let them think they’re getting away with.”

“To be honest, I can’t be bothered. I can’t be bothered teaching their ignorant arses on a daily basis. I don’t have the energy or the enthusiasm. It’s exhausting, and I like living my life.” bsstc.com.au (Continued on page 26) stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 25

A Letter For Molly.

Photo: Richard Hedger.

(Continued from page 25)

New Work Wudjang: Not The Past Bangara Dance Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company. Sydney Festival (January) and Adelaide Festival (March).

The largest work ever staged by the Bangarra Dance Theatre, Wudjang is described as a contemporary corroboree that “combines poetry, spoken storytelling and live music with our unique dance language.”

The production will feature 17 dancers, four musicians and five actors under the direction of Stephen Page, in a production co-written by award winning playwright Alana Valentine.

It commences in deep darkness just before dawn, when workmen find bones while excavating for a dam.

Among them is a Yugambeh man Bilin, who convinces his colleagues to let him keep the ancestral bones. This ancestor is Wudjang, who longs to be reburied the proper way. With her young companion spirit Gurai, she dances and teaches and sings of the past, of the earth, of songlines. bangarra.com.au A Letter For Molly by Brittanie Shipway Ensemble Theatre (May).

Gumbaynggir actor Brittanie Shipway is best known for her music theatre panache, first being introduced to Australia on The Voice in 2014. During the long lockdown she’s been busy developing a family drama which she will appear in.

26 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Online extras!

Brittanie Shipway sings a song from her play A Letter For Molly. Scan or visit youtu.be/27oP5cFia0A A Letter for Molly is about a free-spirited artist, Renee, who has a sobering revelation at a New Year’s Eve party.

She faces a life-changing decision which causes her to reflect on the tumultuous relationships between her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Brittanie is helping foster other writers, leading the inaugural First Voices Festival for five selected indigenous writers in March.

Blaque Showgirls by Nakkiah Lui Griffin Theatre (November-December).

Prepare for plumage, puns, and political incorrectness gone mad in the unique style of the writer who penned the hit comedy Black is the New White.

At What Cost?

Photo: Daniel Boud.

The central character of Gamiliaroi/ Torres Strait Islander woman Nakkiah Lui’s new play is a lonely kid in rural Australia.

Fair-skinned Sarah Jane Jones knows she is the best dancer in the whole town of Chithole and she’s a proud Aboriginal woman. As it stands, there’s very little proof of either of these things.

So, when a long-lost photograph offers hope of her Indigenous ancestry, Sarah Jane hightails it to the glitziest casino in Queensland. Her mission? To land a role in the First Nations burlesque spectacular: ‘Blaque Showgirls’.

Indigenous Sunshine

plate between keeping a young family together and his responsibilities to land and people.

But every year more and more folk are claiming to be Palawa too. Folk no-one’s heard of until now, who haven’t been ‘round before. Are they legit? Or are they ‘tick-a-box’? Who decides? And how? A trip for old mob and new back into a knotty past. belvoir.com.au

Don’t Ask What The Bird Look Like by Hannah Belanszky Queensland Theatre Company (May).

Don’t Ask What The Bird Look Like by Yuwaalaraay Tiddas by Anita Heiss woman Hannah Belanszky is described as “a gently funny La Boite Theatre in association with QPAC and Brisbane almost gothic tale about land, family and reconnection”.

Festival (September).

A young woman, Joan, searches for her father, who This page-to-stage adaptation of Anita Heiss’s bestshe has not seen since she was a child. She travels a long selling novel, set in Brisbane, is about five best friends way into country where she finds Mick - a man who Izzy, Veronica, Xanthe, Nadine and Ellen - who meet once doesn’t speak much, and bears little resemblance to the a month to discuss books, life, love and the jagged bits in- man who taught her to play Scrabble all those years ago. between.

Amid the flies, the heat, the dust and the stillness of They love dissecting each other’s lives and think they this small river town, lurk many ghosts and mysteries. know everything about their friends, but one weekend queenslandtheatre.com.au brutal secrets emerge as everything comes unstuck.

In a review of the book, Lynette Washington wrote Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg that Tiddas “strikes a nice balance between typical chick lit Griffin Theatre Company (August). subject matter (friendship, careers, romance and Just when you thought every conceivable angle of shopping) and race relations.” indigenous culture has been covered on stage, wait, laboite.com.au there’s one more - a gay romance.

Sydney’s Griffin is staging a passionate love story At What Cost? by Nathan Maynard between two teenage boys who meet under a lemon tree Belvoir Street Theatre (February). in the early 19th century. Throw into the mix two different Tackling the thorny issue of identity is Palawa writer tribes, Australia declaring itself a nation and white man’s Nathan Maynard. His play is set in contemporary religion, Whitefella Yella Tree just might be the most Tasmania. The lead character Boyd has got enough on his dramatic indigenous play ever written. stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 27

Musicals In 2022 After two years of disruptions, 2022 promises blockbuster new musicals, classics staged in spectacular new ways and many intimate shows making their way to stages across Australia.

David Spicer reports.

With a smorgasbord of new musicals to sample, Melbourne and Sydney audiences are venturing back into their CBDs. Despite masks being compulsory for the foreseeable future, there are plenty of treats in store to tempt audiences back into theatres.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical But of course, you can’t see only one musical a year.

Australian produced by Global Creatures, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is another must see, finally arriving in Melbourne fresh from scooping up ten Tony Awards including Best Musical.

The Regent Theatre has been transformed into the Nationwide famed French nightclub, complete with the iconic red windmill and towering blue elephant.

An American In Paris The musical is more entertaining than the Baz If you see just one musical in 2022, make it this one.

Luhrmann movie, which it is based on.

An American In Paris is a sumptuous combination of Moulin Rouge! takes the genre of jukebox to the next gorgeous music, swoon-worthy sets inspired by works of level, blending 75 pop songs in a montage that is as art, old style romance and sublime dancing. pleasing as the kaleidoscope of colourful sets and Inspired by the MGM movie, the musical tells the story costumes. of a young American soldier and a beautiful French girl bit.ly/30oJAKB set to the songs of George and Ira Gershwin including “I Got Rhythm”, “But Not For Me” and “They Can’t Take 9 To 5 The Musical That Away From Me”.

Another musical based on a movie is making its Broadway and West End leads Robert Fairchild and Australian professional premiere.

Leanne Cope will reprise their roles as the American GI The original premise of the 1980 film 9 To 5 - women Jerry Mulligan and the young Parisian dancer Lise Dassin, pushing back against a male chauvinist boss - has become alternating with two of the country’s leading lights, more topical in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Cameron Holmes and Dimity Azoury.

The tone, however, is comedic, with the three leading The Australian premiere season, produced by the ladies described as ‘hilariously defiant’ in their scheme to Australian Ballet and GWB Entertainment, opens at QPAC kidnap their boss, played here by Eddie Perfect. in January, followed by Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide Dolly Parton composed fresh songs for the musical and Crown Theatre, Perth in February, Arts Centre when it debuted on Broadway, to complement the Melbourne in March and Theatre Royal, Sydney in April. famous anthem. bit.ly/3kD89KT

28 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Seasons 2022 Stage veteran Caroline O’Connor will give the sweet tunes a workout in the role of busy-body Roz Keith.

9 To 5 opens at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre in February, followed by a season at Brisbane from May 22 with Melbourne’s postponed run likely to follow soon after. bit.ly/30iU9P9 The Phantom Of The Opera(s) Why see one production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical when you can see two?

Opera Australia is staging Phantom outdoors, as its HANDA Opera on Sydney Harbour, under the direction of Simon Phillips and designer Gabriela Tylesova.

Chandeliers suspended from a crane is a certainty - but the question is when will the fireworks go off? Surely it will be at the end of “Music of the Night”!

If that is not enough to get Lord Lloyd Webber on a plane down under, then the prospect of also seeing The Phantom of the Opera inside the Sydney Opera House might be the clincher.

The postponed season, starring Josh Piterman as the Phantom, will kick off in August, followed by a run in Josh’s adoring Melbourne hometown in October. bit.ly/3cfoBw8 Cinderella Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella will have its Australian Premiere in Melbourne in May, then play Sydney in October at the Capitol Theatre, presented by Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live.

It’s described in the media release as ‘a surprisingly contemporary take on the classic tale, featuring songs including “In My Own Little Corner”, “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago”.

‘She is a spirited young woman with savvy and soul who doesn’t let her rags or her gowns trip her up in her quest for kindness, compassion and making the world

a better place. She not only fights for her own dreams, but forces the prince to open his eyes to the world around him and realise his dreams too’.

The cast will be led by Shubshri Kandiah as Ella (Cinderella), Ainsley Melham as Prince Topher; Silvie Paladino as Marie, the Fairy Godmother, Tina Bursill as Madame, Ella’s stepmother, and Todd McKenney as the Lord Chancellor, Sebastian.

Mary Poppins As Stage Whispers went to press, the search was still underway for the new Mary Poppins who, once selected, will descend onto the chimney tops of theatres across Australia, starting with the Sydney Lyric in May. The new Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins won praise from West End critics, who described it as being an improvement on the original which toured Australia ten years ago.

According to the Guardian, new highlights include ‘the number “A Spoonful of Sugar”, where a partially destroyed kitchen is restored to pristine order. The polysyllabic song that starts with “super...” also becomes a word-spinning Cockney bacchanal. Best of all is “Step in Time”, where London’s chimney sweeps enjoy a night on the tiles led by the amiable Bert.’

Jagged Little Pill The musical featuring songs from Alanis Morissette’s seminal 1995 album of the same name is reopening Sydney’s Theatre Royal, before moving to Melbourne.

The songs are woven into a contemporary drama led

by Natalie Bassingthwaighte in the lead role of the “achingly fragile” Mary Jane Healy. ‘(She is) full of heart, courage, determination, and a vulnerability which I am looking forward to bringing to the role of MJ,’ says Bassingthwaighte.

(Continued on page 30)

Haydn Oakley and the West End cast of An American In Paris (2017).

Photo: Tristram Kenton.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 29

Seasons 2022

Online extras!

The Melbourne cast of Come From Away (2019).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

(Continued from page 29)

‘I was a huge Alanis fan and of the album as a young adult, where I was discovering what sort of person I wanted to become.’ bit.ly/3nbqznO Girl From The North Country Twenty songs by Bob Dylan have been woven around a story by Conor McPherson, but the Australian producer Richelle Brookman insists ‘this is definitely not a jukebox musical’.

She waxes lyrical about the enriching story which moves audiences like a rolling stone or a hurricane, depending on your favourite.

The story is set in 1934 Minnesota, where the local guesthouse owner, Nick, owes more money than he can ever repay, his wife Elizabeth’s mind is slowly deteriorating, and their daughter Marianne is carrying a child no-one will account for.

Starring music theatre royalty Lisa McCune and Helen Dallimore - alongside veteran Peter Carroll - this production headlines the Sydney Festival in January before touring to Adelaide in March.

Six Another high octane take on history is Six, the pop fuelled remix of the history of the six wives of Henry VIII. The women transform from Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses as they tell their rebellious tales.

30 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Come From Away continues its tour of Australia, landing in Canberra next. youtu.be/uVA_ugCyRI8 Stage Whispers’ Neil Litchfield describes the show as having ‘a ripper of a pop-style score, inspired by the hits, concerts and video clips of modern female music stars, enhanced by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s slick, attitude-laden choreography and Gabriella Slade’s stunning costumes, which combine to provide the show’s voice, far removed from the crusty, dusty pages of history. It’s very funny, occasionally bitchy, yet essentially, it’s about sisterhood.’

Six reopens at the Sydney Opera House in December before touring to Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand.

Hamilton The revolutionary musical which fuses hip hop and musical theatre styles, based on the real-life story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, continues its interrupted Sydney season until February before marching on to Melbourne.

It is high art and high entertainment, featuring a dynamic young cast with many first-timers in lead roles.

Be warned though, it moves at a cracking pace, so a little homework before you arrive by listening to the album or watching the streamed version on Disney will make the experience more satisfying. bit.ly/3ngk6Il Come From Away Come From Away continues at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney until the end of January before landing in Canberra in February. Seasons are also expected in Adelaide and Perth in 2022 or 2023.

Stage Whispers reviewer Michael Brindley wrote, ‘There are two clear and outstanding reasons to see (or to see again) Come From Away: the amazing “true story”, and the dazzling, funny, moving production.’

Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical opens at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre in May, followed by a season at Sydney’s State Theatre from 29 June, with more cities to follow.

The Wedding Singer David Venn Enterprises has announced new dates for the feel-good ‘80s musical The Wedding Singer at Sydney’s State Theatre from 5 January, followed by a return Melbourne season at Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre from 27 January, with more cities to follow.

NIDA graduate Christian Charisiou stars in the title role as nice guy Robbie Hart. bit.ly/3CgfNRx

Once Perth’s Black Swan State Theatre will stage Once at the Regal Theatre from May 28, followed by a return season at Sydney’s Darlinghurst Theatre The eight-time Tony Award-winning musical is a modern-day urban love story of a struggling Irish musician on the verge of giving up, and a piano-playing Czech immigrant who reminds him how to dream.

Featuring an ensemble of multi-talented performers playing instruments live on stage, Once reminds everyone of music’s power to connect us. bit.ly/3wO6zdZ

Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical David Venn’s next project is the Australian professional premiere of Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical, based on the 1999 cult film.

The movie was adapted from the classic 1782 French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

The soundtrack includes The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” and other throwback classics by Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, *NSYNC and Britney Spears.

(Continued on page 32)

The West End cast of Girl From The North Country (2018).

Photo: Tristram Kenton.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 31

Seasons 2022 The West End cast of 9 To 5 The Musical.

Photo: Simon Turtle.

(Continued from page 31)

Frozen Disney’s blockbuster winds up its Melbourne season in January before sweeping into Brisbane in February.

Reviewer Neil Litchfield wrote that ‘Dazzling scenic and special effects held me quite spellbound, going about as close as you could hope to emulating the magic of the film’s computer-generated animation for the stage.

‘But I wasn’t just humming the scenery as I left the theatre.

‘Olaf the Snowman and Sven the Reindeer translate to the stage by far more traditional, yet totally delightful theatrical means (including puppetry).

‘Heading this fine Australian cast, Jemma Rix (Elsa) and Courtney Monsma (Anna) deliver heartstring-tugging performances, emotionally and vocally delivering on a score which calls for a range from introspection, to letting rip with the show’s multi award-winning hit “Let It Go”.’

Melbourne Fun Home Based on Alison Bechdel’s bestselling graphic novel about growing up and coming out, this ground-breaking multi-Tony Award-winning musical arrives in Melbourne in February, following its acclaimed Sydney season.

32 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Come Rain or Come Shine The Helpmann Award-winning team behind Ladies in Black - Carolyn Burns, Tim Finn and Simon Phillips - return with a new boutique musical Come Rain or Come Shine, opening at the Melbourne Theatre Company in June. An adaptation of Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s comic short story about music, memory and lifelong friendship, this MTC NEXT STAGE Original will feature Simon Gleeson (An Ideal Husband) and Chris Ryan (Shakespeare in Love), and will be directed by Simon Phillips.

Into The Woods Sondheim repertory company Watch This presents Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s epic fairy-tale musical about wishes, family and the choices we make, Into The Woods, from January 15 to 23, at Meat Market, North Melbourne.

The Who’s Tommy The Victorian Opera’s postponed season is set to rock the Palais Theatre in February.

The Who’s 1969 rock opera album Tommy sold over 20 million copies. The musical traces the life of a deaf, dumb and blind boy from his troubled childhood to achieving cult status playing pinball.

Brisbane The Sunshine Club Wesley Enoch will direct a revival of his musical The Sunshine Club (music by John Rodgers) for Queensland Theatre, in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre, from July 9 to 30.

The Last Five Years This emotionally powerful and intimate musical by Jason Robert Brown, about two New Yorkers in their 20s who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, plays at La Boite from May 30 to June 18.

Sydney A Chorus Line The Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s new production of the Tony Award-winning musical is set to kick off at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta on January 6 as part of the Sydney Festival.

‘Amy Campbell’s gritty restaging of A Chorus Line is gutsy, street-smart and speaks to our times,’ says Sydney Festival Director Olivia Ansell.

The production will transfer to the Sydney Opera House in February.

Conceived and originally directed by Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line tells of the struggles Broadway performers go through to be seen, heard, recognised and respected. bit.ly/30ryepq The Lovers The Bell Shakespeare Company is presenting the world premiere of Laura Murphy’s The Lovers, described as a ‘fresh and magical pop infused adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’

The company says the musical centres on the lovers, but with a new modern perspective focused on self-love and empowerment. bit.ly/3Clu5jW Heathers The Mitchell Old Company presents Heathers The Musical, a high-energy immersive theatre experience based on the cult classic film of the same name, for a limited season at ARA Darling Quarter Theatre from 8 February to 5 March.

(Continued on page 34)

Samantha Dodemaide as Nini with the Melbourne cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 33

Seasons 2022

Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s A Chorus Line.

Photo: Robert Catto.

The Australian cast of Six (2021).

Photo: James D. Morgan.

Online extras!

The queens of Six are back and ready to reclaim their crowns. Scan or visit youtu.be/yxz8Hw95lHM Head Over Heels Set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, this musical comedy features songs Hayes Theatre, Sydney “We Got the Beat”, “Our Lips Are Sealed” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth”.

Lizzie The Musical Through a plot containing usurped kingship, unlikely The Hayes Theatre Company’s 2022 season opens in lovers, and gender-fluid disguises, Head Over Heels January with the Australian Premiere of Lizzie the Musical, preaches unconditional love and acceptance of yourself based on a notorious 19th century axe murderer in the and everyone you know, no matter their gender or sexual United States. It’s described as ‘relentless, identity. uncompromising, and brazenly camp, with a powerhouse cast of four and a sensational 6-piece band.’

Dubbo Championship Wresting (Continued from page 33)

Bonnie and Clyde See how the Hayes Theatre’s production wizards squeeze this Broadway musical into the tiny space in June.

The musical, from Frank Wildhorn, is set at the height of the Great Depression, when Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow go from two small-town nobodies from West Texas to America’s most renowned folk heroes.

34 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

The World Premiere of this musical comedy, set in the Dubbo Dome where Ozzy the Aussie Battler flicks his cape and steps into the ring, and the crowd go troppo, is expected at the Hayes in March.

Written by rising stars Daniel and James Cullen, the new Aussie rock musical promises to change everything you thought you knew about professional wrestling, regional Australia, and musical theatre itself.

Christmas gift ideas from Book Nook

Nellie $32.99

A Star On Her Door: The life And Career Of June Bronhill $34.95

This Much Is True $49.99

Home Truths $49.99

Musicals - The Definitive Illustrated Story $49.99

Hamilton: The Revolution $75.00

Theatre In A Box - The Musical Theatre Board Game $55.00

In The Heights $65.00

booknook.com.au

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 35

Vale Moonface

Australia is mourning the late, great Bert Newton (23 July 1938 - 30 October 2021).

A versatile star across Australian radio, TV and theatre through six decades, Bert began his career on radio as a schoolboy in 1952, became a pioneer of Australian TV from its outset, hosting numerous shows in his own right, as well as being fondly remembered for his partnerships with both Graham Kennedy and Don Lane in their long-running variety shows.

A quadruple Gold Logie winner, Bert hosted the Logie Awards ceremony 19 times.

Bert’s stage credits included the musicals Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, The Producers, The Rocky Horror Show and Annie. Often he would double up, hosting TV’s The Morning Show then backing up at night on stage.

Albert Watson Newton, AM, MBE is survived by wife Patti and their children Lauren and Matthew.

For more on Bert Newton, we’ll share some of Stage Whispers’ Facebook followers’ favourite memories of the star.

Online extras!

Geoffrey Williams shares memories of two meetings with Bert. Scan or visit bit.ly/3qQfLh3 36 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Bert Newton as Vince Fontaine in Grease (2013).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

Bert Newton as The Wizard with Jemma Rix as Elphaba in Wicked (2008).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

Bert Newton as Franz Liebkind with the cast of The Producers (2004).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

My standout memory is when I performance. Truly, “the show must appeared on New Faces. We had a go on!” great on-air chat after my song, but Ria Koppen he was just as nice off camera as well.

- RIP Bert.

Bert was there on stage the night I Cherie Landamore-Harper fell in love with the theatre. He was playing Cogsworth in Disney’s Beauty “Bert Newton could possibly be and the Beast. I was given tickets for the best Franz Liebkind we’ve ever my 12th birthday and the next week had.” Mel Brooks. had mum sign me up to a local Alessio Torrelli theatre company. I saw him in The Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, The Lucky to enjoy his performance in Rocky Horror Show and others.

The Producers, many years ago at School holiday and sick days were Sydney Lyric. always a treat, watching his cheeky Caryl Wiggins banter on Good Morning Australia.

Five generations of my family His performance as Hanz Liebkind watched him on TV and stage and in The Producers - FUNNIEST listened to his charismatic voice on performance!!!! the radio, and the two generations Phillipa Searle left will dearly miss his energy and the smile that he bought to the stages of The Haigh’s Turkish Delight Melbourne and screens of Australia! chocolates he handed out every night.

Thank you Patti, Lauren and Worked with him on a couple of Matthew for sharing Bert with shows and I always put on weight. On Australia. the last show I did with him I was on Alisa McDonald-Krygger the rail, and he never had any left by the time he got over to us.

I was proud to take care of Bert on Mark Chandler numerous musicals over 15 years as a dresser. He was amazingly generous I went to see Wicked in Sydney the and went as far as booking me a table night his good friend Don Lane had for two at a prestigious restaurant to died. When he came on stage, the encourage me in my personal audience gave him a standing relationship. ovation. He stood there, accepting the Domenic Perri moment, then continued the

Bert Newton, replacing Alan Jones as President Roosevelt in Annie (2012).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

Meeting him at the stage door of Wicked.

Roslyn Briggs Met him with our Cabaret Act many moons ago. He had us in stitches with his jokes.

Rosanna Salle Met Bert out the front of the theatre after a performance. He signed my program and we had a lovely chat. An amazing person and performer.

Bev Cutting Seeing him as Oz in The Wizard of Oz with Nikki Webster. I would have been five and obsessed with that stage show at the time.

Deborah Louise Collins Saw him as Cogsworth. As always, fabulous. RIP Bert, a truly talented witty clever man who used those talents in many areas.

Phillipa Bowe Nursed his mother-in-law in Melbourne, and met him when he used to come in to visit her. Very nice man.

Tess Clarke Wizard in Wicked.

David Sowdon stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 37

Much Revue About Nothing Writers and performers Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott, from the Wharf Revue, have released a new book with 40 of their funniest and most timeless sketches. Much Revue About Nothing includes photo highlights from their 20 years of performances with The Sydney Theatre Company and is available as a performance text for community theatres or schools. Published by David Spicer Press, it can be purchased from Stage Whispers Books and from booknook.com.au.

ANH’S BRUSH WITH PETER DUTTON Based on the ABC program “Anh’s Brush With Fame”. An easel, facing away from the audience, a table with large containers of paint. During the dialogue, ANH paints with a palette knife.

ANH: Hi. I’m Anh Do: the Happiest Refugee. Not that there’s much competition. And tonight my guest is a man whose political career has influenced tens of people. The Federal Member for Dickson, Minister for Immigration and Border Rejection, Peter Dutton.

I really want to capture the inner man under the tough façade, the “soul” of Peter Dutton. I’ll be starting with a completely blank canvas, and this time - I might just end up with one! Peter, welcome.

[DUTTON enters with a stocking over his head.]

DUTTON: What’s your name again?

ANH: Anh Do. DUTTON: Arabic, is it?

ANH: Vietnamese.

DUTTON: Not far off.

ANH: The show’s called Anh’s Brush With Fame. Bit of a stretch tonight!

DUTTON: Everyone’s a comedian.

ANH: I am, actually. Oh, you can take the stocking off.

DUTTON: What stocking?

ANH: Right. So. You’re a bit of a comic yourself, Peter.

DUTTON: How do you figure that?

ANH: You know, your joke about climate change flooding Pacific Islands?

DUTTON: That was on open mike night.

ANH: I’m interested in your background. You started off as a cop.

DUTTON: One of Queensland’s finest.

ANH: You were in the Drug Squad?

DUTTON: Yes. We had a simple motto: Guilty until proven innocent.

ANH: Isn’t that backward?

DUTTON: Well, it was Queensland.

ANH: You were Health Minister for ages. When was it? Uh, 2013 to 2014. And I believe the bowel

38 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

cancer screening kits started under you.

DUTTON: Cops don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

[ANH paints a bit.]

ANH: Look, I might just change the angle a bit. Can you turn and face me?

DUTTON: I am.

ANH: Oh. Right. You know, Peter, you’re not an easy subject to paint.

DUTTON: No need to lay it on with a trowel.

ANH: And so, then you became the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Must have been a tough job.

DUTTON: Not really. Guilty until proven innocent still works for me.

ANH: But what I don’t understand, if a family is fleeing their home to get away from terrorists, how can they be terrorists too?

DUTTON: Well, imagine you’re a boat person.

ANH: I was!

DUTTON: You on a 457 visa?

ANH: No, I’m a citizen.

Script Excerpt DUTTON: Yeah. We’re working on that particular scam. Happy Michaelmas.

ANH: What?

DUTTON: I see you don’t speak English to a University level. Are you contributing to the economy?

ANH: I work for the ABC. DUTTON: You won’t by the time I’m finished with it.

ANH: But come on, refugees as terrorists? Seriously?

DUTTON: Look, you arrive on a boat, you’re detained, demonised and seriously mistreated. If that doesn’t radicalise you, you’re an idiot.

Either way, we don’t want people like that in Australia.

ANH: So, you protect all our borders, right?

DUTTON: That’s my job, and I do it.

ANH: Even the one between Albury and Wodonga?

DUTTON: That is a classified inland water matter.

ANH: Wouldn’t want any radicalised fruit getting through, would you!

DUTTON: Watch it, sunshine.

ANH: OK, I’ve just about finished. Can you wait outside for 15 minutes while I add a few finishing touches?

DUTTON: I’m a busy man.

ANH: It’s OK. That’s just something I say so the viewers think the painting happens in real time. You actually come back in two weeks.

DUTTON: I can’t.

ANH: OK, well, I’ve got a potato in the kitchen. I’ll work off that. Thanks so much, Peter.

DUTTON: If this doesn’t make the Archibald, I’ll deport you.

[DUTTON leaves.]

ANH: Next week, I’m going to take a big step forward and paint something three dimensional. But I think I’ve caught Peter Dutton pretty well...

[ANH turns the easel around to reveal Mr Potato Head in style of Anh Do.]

Buy Much Revue About Nothing from Stage Whispers Books bit.ly/3x7eao8

Phillip Scott in STC’s The Wharf Revue, 2017, The Patriotic Rag. Photo: Brett Boardman.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 39

Home Truths Australia’s most successful playwright has released a searching memoir. In this extract he recounts the 1971 world premiere of The Removalists at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne, which opened on the same night as his play Don’s Party. Williamson was in the original cast of The Removalists, alongside his future wife Kristin.

I was nervous when rehearsals started but soon found myself loving being part of the process. I wasn’t just shifting sets backstage this time, I was part of the front-line team. Of course, I vastly overestimated my acting skills and had to be cranked up to speed by Bruce (director and actor Bruce Spence) and the experienced actors around me. But I loved being onstage and the intricate working out of stage choreography to ensure we were all at the right place at the right time to make the drama work. I started to realise just how precise the timing needed to be. A good production flows seamlessly to its dramatic climaxes like a ballet or a symphony.

Bruce was a good and patient director and gradually coaxed me to an acceptable performance level. One unexpected difficulty I had was learning my own lines. Words that had flowed onto the page when I was writing them stubbornly refused to lodge themselves in my memory. The other actors explained that they were difficult lines to learn because, while they seemed to echo the way real people spoke, they were in fact highly structured, and the rhythms had to be got right before the lines could readily be recalled.

It was strange to learn from others what I’d been intuitively doing, but it was an observation made time and time again by actors in my plays. My supposedly naturalistic lines had rhythms akin to music, which had to be conquered to get their full effect.

Actors found throughout my career that if they paraphrased my lines they didn’t work. In retrospect this is probably why I was a dramatist.

Realistic television drama thrives on words as they are actually spoken, augmented by visuals and atmospherics and close-ups. The stage has always needed some music

in its dialogue to lift it above the quotidian and capture the audience’s attention.

As my relationship with Kristin developed, she became my mentor.

She helped me get up to speed on the latest ways of thinking about drama, introduced me to cutting-edge drama magazines, gave me a crash course in the work of Bertolt Brecht, the God figure of drama in Carlton, and fed me the plays of all the significant new Off-Broadway playwrights. I needed her tutoring, as although I knew a lot about the roots of social behaviour I knew very little about the current theories of what drama should be and should achieve.

She accompanied me round the corner to get a sneak look at how the rehearsals for Don’s Party were going, and comforted me when I was shocked to overhear some of the cast expressing disgust that they were being forced to stoop to kitchen-sink naturalism when they’d joined the group to create art. She said matterof-factly that the actors who complained were ‘posers with far less talent than they thought they had’.

When the group at La Mama told me that the women’s parts were thin and that I should rewrite them, I started reluctantly to oblige. Kristin defended the writing, saying, correctly, that The Removalists was centred on the males and male competitiveness, and finally very little was changed.

Both plays opened on 22 July 1971. I was excited but tense. The final judgment rested with the live audience, the vital ingredient of theatre. If both plays were duds my pretensions to be a playwright would be more or less over.

Performing in The Removalists, I

was too absorbed in being in the right place at the right time and remembering my lines to focus on the audience reaction. I did register loud laughter at the moments of dark humour and was relieved the audience were reading it as black comedy. I did start to get the buzz actors talk about when the attention of the audience was on me, and I was hugely relieved to get through my role without any major stuff-ups.

Kristin and I crept up to the loft above, from where we could look down on the end action of the play as Bruce and Peter Cummins brutally bashed each other, leaving enough bruises to claim that Kenny had attacked them and that they had been forced to defend themselves.

The lights went down on this savage and absurd ritual to signal the end of the play and for a few seconds there was dead silence. I looked at Kristin in panic, but she knew better than I did and was watching the audience’s faces. Suddenly thunderous applause erupted. I had taken my audience on a journey and they’d just thanked me for it. It was the most profoundly satisfying moment, I had ever known.

I was instantly addicted, knowing right away I’d be pursuing these exhilarating moments for the rest of my life.

Jack Hibberd and John Romeril, the gun playwrights of Carlton, bounded up the stairs to the loft above and shook my hand. I had been trying to convince myself that I was every bit their equal, and the reality of them actually treating me that way was emotionally overwhelming. It was like being touched by the gods from Mount Olympus. Betty Burstall admitted later that she hated the

Buy your copy of Home Truths for just $49.99 at booknook.com.au

40 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

David Williamson with Gareth Evans.

violence, but knew it was a groundbreaking play. This was confirmed when word of mouth soon had audiences queuing for tickets.

The news from round the corner at the Pram Factory was also good.

Audiences had laughed their heads off at the opening of Don’s Party. I couldn’t get to see the production as it ran in parallel to The Removalists, but Graeme reported that even the more critical cast members were now enjoying the warm audiences in what was destined to be a hit. I used to arrive every night of my performances full of excitement, eager to hear my creation connecting with the audiences and to stride onstage in my new role as an actor. I did get one stern note from Bruce. I found I couldn’t stop laughing along with the audience at my own jokes while onstage, an unforgivable lapse. I conquered that, but towards the end of the run Bruce and Peter took me aside and told me that while my acting was more or less serviceable, it might be best to stick to writing.

I wasn’t totally convinced that this was the end of my exciting new acting career but when Kristin tactfully confirmed that my talent was for the page and not the stage, I believed her. Sure, I could go to classes and get better, but although I was clearly a towering actor I’d never be a towering talent, whereas, she said, I had just shown I could be a top playwright.

Book Extract

Kristin and David Williamson at Torquay.

Don Crosby as Simmonds and Martin Harris as Kenny in The Removalists (1971).

Photo: Robert Walker.

The Club.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 41

Stage On Page

By Peter Pinne Pick A Pocket Or Two - A History of British Musical Theatre by Ethan Mordden (Oxford US$29.95) Back in Broadway’s ‘Golden Age’, whenever I was asked what my favorite musicals were, I would always reply The Boy Friend and Oliver! They both had good books, literate and amusing lyrics, and tunes you could hum, and these are the two musicals that are given more space than any others in US author Ethen Mordden’s history of British Musical Theatre.

The Boy Friend broke an almost twenty-year drought of British musicals on Broadway, becoming the first West End musical to appear there since Noël Coward’s Conversation Piece in 1934, while nine years later Oliver! would take out the Tony for Best Score. These and other facts are wonderfully elucidated in Mordden’s well-known perceptive and waspish tone, which has become standard for his Broadway volumes. This is the first time, though, that he’s dipped across the pond to England.

Starting with John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, which he classifies as the first ‘musical’, he follows with a chapter on Gilbert and Sullivan, and essays on Noël Coward, Ivor Novello,

Sandy Wilson, Julian Slade and Lionel Bart, until reaching the pop opera period and everything after, which takes in Lloyd Webber, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, Elton John and Tim Minchin.

It’s a vast canvas and the last thirty years are squeezed into the same number of pages as he devotes to G&S. Some shows get a lengthy analysis, while others barely rate two lines. Throughout the book he introduces a ‘chart of shows’ for all the important composers, which is a useful guide to their oeuvre.

Mordden’s admiration for the work of Coward is unbounded, with good things to say even about Sail Away - questioning why it took so long for the amateur rights to be released when the work has obvious appeal for the world’s Operatic Societies.

On Coward, he says, ‘The best of Coward’s writing is fast and smart, essential gay qualities, and while we can’t penetrate the mystery of chromosomes, the gay ID in art, is, like jazz, indefinable yet unmistakable.’ On Novello he asserts, his ‘seven Big Sing musicals from 1935 to 1949 stand among the British Theatre’s most imposing body of work.’ On Bart, ‘Oliver!’s glory remains its score, a unique creation

42 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

This title is available in paperback for $50.95 from Book Nook. bit.ly/2Z6izLt that doesn’t sound like Bart’s other titles, much less anyone else’s.’

His accolades continue for Wilson’s The Boy Friend, ‘easy to stage and easy to enjoy, because the text is amusing and the next number is never more than minutes away’, and Slade, ‘all along, those simple songs that are easy to sing kept Salad Days joyous’.

On Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera he says, ‘Maybe the

Get your copy of On Streisand for just $41.95 from Book Nook. bit.ly/3nDFgA0 biggest surprise is how guiltlessly romantic the music is with the gala, long-lined melodies that Lloyd Webber keeps pulling out like a magician producing his rabbit’.

Broadway tunesmiths tried their luck in London in the twenties, Jerome Kern with The Cabaret Girl, and Rodgers and Hart with the Cicely Courtneidge vehicle Lido Lady, while operetta shone in all its glory in The Maid of the Mountains and Chu Chin Chow, the longest runner in London at 2,235 performances, during the First World War, until Salad Days knocked it off its pedestal in the fifties with 2,283 performances.

Vivian Ellis makes an appearance in the twenties and continues through the next three decades, producing a winner in Bless the Bride - ‘The Bride’s score is not only melodious but ingenious, as Ellis devised two completely different soundscapes for it - stately and diatonic for the Britons, and lush and chromatic for the French’.

Mordden lauds the Soho musicals of the fifties - Expresso Bongo, Make Me An Offer, and especially The Crooked Mile - and finds much to admire in The Hired Man’s (1984) ‘powerful male choruses, Irish in tone

but bearing a Welsh solidarity in the harmony’.

Australian composer Charles Zwar makes it into the pages with Arthur Askey’s Bet Your Life (1952), and coming under the justification of ‘colonial’, Peter Stannard and Peter Benjamin’s Lola Montez (1958) gets a guernsey (‘marvellous score’) even though it was never produced in London.

Like all of Mordden’s efforts it’s a good read, not a research tome as its documentation is thin (look to Kurt Ganzl’s The British Musical Theatre for that, or even Adrian Wright’s A Tanner’s Worth of Tune or Must Close Saturday) but above all it’s entertaining. It comes with a very good and detailed discography, an index, and 14 pages of B&W and colour plates.

On Streisand - An Opinionated Guide by Ethen Mordden (Oxford US$21.95) Based on a concept he created in 2015 for a similar book on composer Stephen Sondheim, Ethan Mordden (my, he’s been a very busy boy) looks at the career of Barbra Streisand in four-parts.

If anyone deserves the accolade ‘Star’, Streisand has certainly earned her spot in the firmament, and this book only endorses the diva’s brilliant career. Mordden opens with a quote from her, when she said, ‘I became a singer because I couldn’t get a job as an actor’ and then proceeds to document her time on Broadway, her movie work (which co-existed alongside her recording work), adding her excursions into television. He says whilst none of her movies are thought to ‘stand in the top class of American cinema’, she is arguably ‘the greatest popular singer America has ever produced.’

Right on both counts. She is a phenomenon - still producing milliondollar selling recordings after six decades.

Streisand got her start when she interned in summer stock at fifteen, and then three years later played Hortense, the French maid, in Sandy

Wilson’s The Boy Friend. There’s also an unconfirmed anecdote of her appearing as Babe in her school production of Good News.

She met her first muse and lover Barry Dennen when they appeared Off -Broadway in The Insect Comedy (1960), and he introduced her to the recordings of Libby Holman, Ethel Waters and Billie Holiday.

Dressing in thrift shop clothes, she began making appearances on latenight TV, most memorably captured in her duet with Judy Garland of ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ (available on YouTube).

Her stint in I Can Get It For You Wholesale produced the kooky “Miss Marmelstein”, but it was Funny Girl that set her on the road to stardom, with the subsequent movie version bringing her box-office gold and an Oscar. “People” became one of her classics, although Bob Fosse originally wanted to cut it.

Was she too young at 27 to play Dolly Levi in the movie of Hello, Dolly!? Mordden doesn’t think so, believing there was no one else who would have done it better.

The best of her cinema career is linked to performances with a series of Hollywood golden-boy hunks Robert Redford (The Way We Were), Ryan O’Neil (What’s Up Doc?), Nick Nolte (The Prince of Tides) and Jeff Bridges (The Mirror Has Two Faces).

They’re all given multiple page space, as is Yentl, the story of a ‘young Jewish woman in the old country who cross-dresses in order to study rather than keep house.’ She only got the project off the ground because she agreed to make it a musical.

What made her early TV specials My Name Is Barbra and Color Me Barbra - ‘special’ is discussed at length, as is the only flop in the series, The Belle of 14th Street, an excursion into vaudeville at the turn-of-thecentury.

On Streisand is astute, informative, and totally absorbing in its dissection and explanation of this legendary ‘diva’s’ talent. It comes with a bibliography, index, and a 14 page color and B&W picture essay. stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 43

Stage Sounds

By Peter Pinne Cinderella (Andrew Lloyd Webber/David Zippell) (Polydor B0033415-02) A leading lady with Goth tendencies, a town where the residents are ‘buff’ (‘every one a chiseled god, with a ripped and rockin’ bod’), and a geeky Prince Sebastian Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new take on Cinderella (via book writer Emerald Fennell) is far from traditional.

This two-album set is a mixture of tracks by original cast members, plus a guest performance by Adam Lambert of a rock god Prince Charming. It’s a good mix all are at the top of their games, as they perform what is one of Lloyd Webber’s best scores in years.

From the opening, with Carrie Hope Fletcher singing “Bad Cinderella”, to the finale when Ivano Turco as Prince Sebastian sings ‘Only you can rescue lonely me’, when the two lovers finally get together, it’s a musical theatre ride that’s witty, melodic and memorable. Turco sings the heart out of “Only You, Lonely You”, a beautiful ballad, whilst Fletcher nails the score’s big hit “I Know I Have a Heart”.

Helen George (Queen) has fun with “A Man’s Man”, Gloria Onitiri (Godmother) and Fletcher do likewise with “Beauty Has a Price” and Adam Lambert blisters on “The Vanquishing of the ThreeHeaded Sea Witch”.

Fletcher’s “Far Too Late (To

Online extras!

Stream Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella on your favourite service cinderella.lnk.to/AlbumWE

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Sing a Love Song)” is etched with emotion, as is “Cinderella’s Soliloquy”.

Lloyd Webber finds something new to say musically with his “Cinderella Waltz” and “Wedding March”, and still in ¾ (like a lot of the score) the theme “Marry For Love”, sung at the finale by the chorus, is destined to be played at weddings around the globe. There’s even a ‘lump in the throat’ moment at the finale, which is always a good sign the authors have got it right.

Apart from the full album, which is also available on vinyl or MP3 download, there is a highlights album, available on CD, vinyl and download, and an ALW signed exclusive CD.  Barbra Streisand - Release Me 2 (Columbia 19439863402) Barbra Streisand is the only recording artist with No. 1 albums in six consecutive decades. That’s a remarkable feat and she celebrates it with this new release of ‘old’ tracks, recorded throughout her career, that for some reason or another were never released at the time. It’s a follow-up to her first Release Me album in 2012.

The vocals are as she originally recorded them, but the tracks have been re-mixed to Streisand’s exacting tastes, and sometimes re-orchestrated to change certain chord structures.

There are three duets - one with Willie Nelson on the country-fied “I’d Want it to be You”, written for the 2014 Partners album, another where she teams with The Muppets’ Kermit the Frog on “Rainbow Connection” (originally a solo track), and “If Only You Were Mine”, a great playful swinging track with Barry Gibb, originally recorded for their second album together, Guilty Pleasures.

Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Be Aware” gets superb treatment, with stunningly pristine vocals that were originally recorded for a 1971 TV Burt Bacharach Special. Likewise, she vocally caresses Carole King’s “You Light Up My Life”, a 1970 take intended for Stoney End that was discarded.

But the most interesting vocal is the earliest on the disc - Harold Arlen’s “Right as the Rain” from the musical Bloomer Girl - recorded in 1962 before she even released her debut album, which contained the same song.

The voice is simply magic, floating on a bed of strings, with flutes and a full orchestral sound.

The Target version of the album contains a bonus track - “When the Lovin’

Online extras!

Get your hands on Streisand - Release Me 2 from Amazon. amzn.to/31QLfsT

Goes out of the Lovin’” from the Emotion sessions of 1984. It’s been rejigged from the bootleg version, with the electronic keyboards removed and the back-up singers minimised. One of the best tracks on the album.  Destry Rides Again (Harold Rome) (Stage Door STAGE 9086) Digging deep into the vaults again, Stage Door have come up with a studio cast recording of Harold Rome’s 1959 musical Destry Rides Again, based on the classic Western movie of the same name.

The original show, which starred Andy Griffith and Dolores Gray, received 4 Tony nominations with a win for Michael Kidd’s choreography - similar in style to his frontier moves for MGM’s Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Jack Haskell sings the Griffith role (probably better than Griffith), and Louise O’Brien is a fine substitute for Gray.

Accompaniment is by the Norman Leyden Orchestra. No hits emerged from the score, but there were lots of pop covers as the 14 bonus tracks testify. Lisa Kirk does well on the bouncy “Ring on the Finger”, whilst The Four Aces croon “Anyone Would Love You” in 50s closeharmony. 

Rating  Only for the enthusiast  Borderline  Worth buying  Must have  Kill for it include Davis Gaines with a powerful “For a Moment of Your Love” (Carnival in Flanders), Marla Schaffel and Karen Ziemba’s fun duet of “You Can Have Him” (despite its dated sexism), from Irving Berlin’s Miss Liberty, and Brent Barrett’s gorgeous tenor warbling Meredith Willson’s “I’ll Never Say No To You” (The Unsinkable Molly Brown).

The second’s highlights include George Dvorsky’s open -throated “Gonna Be Another Hot Day” (110 in the Shade), Noah Racey and Sara Brians’ sparkling song-anddance, “When I’m In Love” (Sophie), and Eddie Korbich and Christiane Noll’s take on parenthood with “When the Children Are Asleep” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. 

Show Time (The Little Show/Girl Crazy/Porgy and Bess/ Kiss Me, Kate/Anything Goes) (Stage Door Stage 9087) This release is the third and final volume of the Show Time Series EP Collection, originally released across 16 EPs and 3 albums by RCA Victor in 1953. The series featured a host of Broadway performers who had sung their roles on Broadway.

Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz’s The Little Show finds Carol Bruce (Pal Joey/Miss Liberty) putting her stamp on the standards “Can’t We Be Friends” and “Moanin’ Low”, and Hiram Sherman in 1940s Latin-mode with the lyrically clever “When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Online extras!

Tuba”. From the Gershwins’ Girl Crazy, Li’l Abner’s Edie Destry Rides Again from Stage Door Adams finds romance on “Embraceable You”, whilst Records includes bonus tracks Helen Gallagher out-belts Merman on “I Got Rhythm”. bit.ly/30t1BaV Porgy and Bess brings us two of the principals who played the show on Broadway in 1953, Leslie Scott with a Broadway By The Year - Lost on 43rd Street: 1949, terrific “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ ” and Cab Calloway’s 1953, 1960 and Broadway By The Year - Lost on 43rd definitive “It Ain’t Necessarily So”, whilst Kiss Me, Kate Street: 1945, 1955, 1960, 1963 (Footlight) finds Lisa Kirk giving “Always True To You In My Fashion” Footlight Records have now released two albums of even a little more raunch than she did on the Original cut-songs from the New York Town Hall series that began Broadway Cast album. back in 2001. Because a disc’s running time was only 80 Finally, Helen Gallagher minutes, the complete two-hour concerts didn’t fit on the and Jack Cassidy are a delight album and with Cole Porter’s witty several tracks wordsmithery on “You’re the had to be Top” from Anything Goes. dropped. These The entire Show Time new albums Series is highly rescue them. recommended and a Highlights welcome addition to any on the first collection. 

Online extras!

Pick up these two titles from Footlight.

Scan the QR code or visit footlight.com

Online extras!

Grab your copy of Show Time Volume Three from Stage Door Records. bit.ly/30vjB4u stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 45

Community Theatre In 2022 Blackout Theatre Company’s Beautiful The Carol King Musical.

Local theatres are preparing to sing, dance and act up a storm in the year ahead.

North Shore Theatre Company: Heathers (May).

The Regals: Moana Jr (Mar).

EUCMS: Little Women (Feb), Princess Ida (May/Jun).

Following two stop-start years of uncertainty, Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society: Golden Community Theatre companies are busily preparing their Anniversary Gala (May).

2022 seasons, announcing either complete seasons, Rockdale Musical Society: Annie (Jan). opening productions or new dates for shows held over Guild Theatre, Rockdale: Beyond Reasonable Doubt. from last year. We’re pleased to share news of some of Hills Musical Theatre Company: The Sound of Music the plays and musicals which will burst onto local stages (Nov). across Australia and New Zealand in the new year.

Blackout Theatre Company (Castle Hill): The Boy From Oz So get ready to mask up for your comedies, musicals (Jan), Chicago (May). or dramas of choice to dance their way out of lockdown Sydney Youth Musical Theatre: The Addams Family (Jan). and back onto the boards.

Campbelltown Theatre Group: The Addams Family (Mar), But wait, there’s certain to be much more.

When The Rain Stops Falling (Jun), The Boy From Oz (Oct).

Keep up-to-date with 2022 community theatre Castle Hill Players: Entertaining Angels (Jan /Feb), The productions and seasons at the online update of this Mystery of Irma Vep (A Penny Dreadful) (Mar /Apr), Earth feature in January - visit bit.ly/3r7xnFx & Sky (May/Jun), All My Sons (Jul/Aug), The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race (Sep/Oct), Picasso at the Lapin Agile A.C.T. (Nov/Dec).

Free-Rain Theatre Company: A Chorus Line (2023).

The Theatre On Chester (Epping): Blithe Spirit (Apr/May), Queanbeyan Players: Keating (Feb), Oklahoma! (Jun).

Things I Know to be True (Jul/Aug), Glorious (Nov).

Canberra Rep: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Hunters Hill Theatre: 84 Charing Cross Road (Feb), Hotel Sorrento, Sense and Sensibility.

Australia Day (Sep).

Canberra Philharmonic Society (Philo): Grease (Mar).

Arts Theatre Cronulla: Life Without Me (Feb/Mar), Exit Laughing (May/Jun), The Book of Everything (Jul-Sep), Dial New South Wales M For Murder (Oct/Nov).

Willoughby Theatre Company: Mamma Mia! (Oct).

Lane Cove Theatre Company: In a Nutshell (Feb), Cat on a Packemin Productions: Mamma Mia! (Feb).

Hot Tin Roof (May), Violet (Aug), Hercules - The Panto Miranda Musical Society: Beautiful: The Carol King (Nov).

Musical (Jan).

Glenbrook Players Inc: Cloudstreet (May).

Engadine Musical Society: Freaky Friday (May), Jersey Boys Blackheath Theatre Company: The Peach Season (May).

(Oct).

Richmond Players: The Addams Family (Mar).

Noteable Theatre Company: Miss Saigon (Feb).

Cumberland Gang Show (Scouts and Guides): Next Level Hornsby Musical Society: Holiday Inn (Apr).

(Jul).

46 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Seasons 2022 Newcastle and Hunter Region Knock&Run Theatre: Trevor (Jan), The Tin Woman (Apr), Ideation (Jul), Airness (Sep/Oct), Playdate 2022: Modern Mythology.

Metropolitan Players: Keeping Up Appearances (Apr), Shrek The Musical (Aug).

Newcastle Theatre Company: 84 Charing Cross Road (Jan), Wyrd Sisters (Feb), Barefoot in the Park (Mar/Apr), The Fine Art of Deception (May), The Les Darcy Show (Jun/Jul), Tons of Money (Aug), The Rest is Silence (Oct), The Watsons (Nov/Dec).

The Very Popular Theatre Company: Hir (Mar), Puffs (May), What the Butler Saw (Aug), Jersey Boys (Oct).

Hunter Drama: Disney’s Alice In Wonderland Jr (Jan), Oliver! (Mar), Bring It On: The Musical (Apr), Kid Frankenstien (Apr), Normal (Jun), Seussical (Jul), She Kills Monsters (Aug), Elf Jr (Oct), Walls (Nov).

NSW North Coast Ballina Players: Clue On Stage (Mar), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Jun), Mamma Mia! (Nov).

Coffs Harbour Musical Comedy Company: The Wizard of Oz. Murwillumbah Theatre Company: The Old People are Revolting (Mar), Macbeth (May), Pantomime - TBA (Oct/ Nov).

Players Theatre, Port Macquarie: Oliver! (Feb/Mar).

NSW South Coast and Southern Highlands So Popera (Wollongong): Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Aug).

Roo Theatre Co (Shellharbour): Oklahoma! (Mar).

Arcadians Theatre Group (Corrimal, Wollongong): When The Rain Stops Falling (Mar), Be More Chill (Jun).

Spectrum Theatre Group (Merimbula): The Witches of Eastwick.

Highlands Theatre Group, Mittagong: The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race (Apr).

Albatross Musical Theatre, Nowra: Annie (May).

NSW Central Coast Wyong Drama Group: Birthrights (Feb), Nunsense II (Apr), Theatrefest - One-Act Plays (Jun), The Full Monty (Aug), The Sentimental Bloke (Nov).

Gosford Musical Society: 42nd Street (Mar), School of Rock (Jul/Aug), Aladdin Jr (Jul), Priscila Queen of the Desert (Oct/Nov).

Regional NSW Orange Theatre Company: Mamma Mia! (Jan).

Tamworth Musical Society: Sweeney Todd (May).

Tamworth Dramatic Society: The Full Monty (Mar).

Albury Wodonga Theatre Company: The Wizard of Oz.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 47

Victoria CLOC: Jersey Boys (May).

BATS Theatre Company: Get Smart (Apr), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Jun), The Addams Family (Sep).

Babirra Music Theatre: Mamma Mia! (Jun), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Oct).

Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria: The Gondoliers (Feb), The Yeomen of the Guard, Thespis (Nov).

Williamstown Musical Theatre Company: Mamma Mia! Fab Nobs Theatre: Alice in Wanderland (Jan), Sweeney Todd (Apr).

Diamond Valley Singers: Shrek Jr (Apr), Beauty and the Beast (Jul).

Windmill Theatre Company: 12 Angry Men (Feb), Jersey Boys (Jun).

CPAC Musical Theatre: A Chorus Line (Aug), Jersey Boys (Feb 2023).

The Mount Players: Love Song (Feb/Mar).

Brighton Theatre Company: Chancers (Feb/Mar), Torch Song (May/Jun), Bakersfield Mist (Aug/Sep), Round and Round the Garden (Nov).

Mordialloc Theatre Company Inc: The Kitchen Sink (Feb), 4,000 Miles (Apr), Ladies in Retirement (Jun), Visitors (Sep), Daisy Pulls it Off (Nov).

Frankston Theatre Group: Blithe Spirit (Mar/Apr).

Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group (STAG): The Merchant of Venice (Feb), Towards Zero.

Peridot Theatre Inc: Hypnosis (Jan), I Ought to be in Pictures (Mar/Apr), One Act Play Season (Apr/May).

48 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Encore Theatre Company Inc: Tribes (Mar/Apr), Danny The Champion of the World (Jul), The Last Quiz Night on Earth (Oct).

The 1812 Theatre: Dracula - The Bloody Truth (Feb/Mar), The Shoe-Horn Sonata.

Powderkeg Players: Yours Truly (Mar/Apr), Charlotte’s Web (Aug), The Pillowman (Oct).

Regional Victoria Geelong Repertory Theatre Company: Summer of the Aliens (Jan), The Weekend (Mar).

Ballarat Lyric Theatre: We Will Rock You (Feb).

Footlight Productions (Geelong): Chicago (Mar).

CenterStage Geelong: Priscilla Queen of the Desert (2023).

Wonthaggi Theatrical Group: Peter Pan (Jan), Legally Blonde (May).

Benalla Theatre Company: Mamma Mia! (May).

Leongatha Lyric Theatre: The Wind in the Willows (Jan), Kinky Boots (Jul), Ladies in Black (Nov).

Warrandyte Theatre Company: Calendar Girls (Sep).

Queensland Savoyards: Little Shop of Horrors (Mar).

Centenary Theatre Group: The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race (Feb/Mar), Unnecessary Farce (May/Jun), Ghost Writer (July/Aug), Broadway Bound (Sep/Oct), Now and Then (Nov).

Empire Theatre, Toowoomba: We Will Rock You (Mar).

Ipswich Little Theatre: Games People Play - A Season One Act Plays (Mar), Once In a Blue Moon (May), Deliver Us From Mama (Sept), Breaker Morant (Nov).

Phoenix Ensemble, Beenleigh: Sweeney Todd (May), The Spongebob Musical (Aug), Cinderella.

Redcliffe Musical Theatre: Into The Woods (Feb), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Mar).

Spotlight Theatrical Company, Benowa: Puffs (Jan), Calendar Girls (Mar), Hot Shoe Shuffle (May), Little Shop

of Horrors (Jul), Grease (Oct), Spotlight on Christmas (Dec).

Tweed Heads Theatre Co: Fabulous 40s and 50s (Mar) St Luke’s Theatre Group: Much Ado About Nothing (Mar), Out of the Crocodile (Jun), The Unexpected Guest (Aug/ Sep), Jake’s Women (Nov).

Brisbane Arts Theatre: Charlotte’s Web (Jan).

Villanova Players: Snapshots from Home (Mar), The Real Inspector Hound (Apr), School for Scandal (Jun/Jul), Letters for Lindy (Aug/Sep), Hidden in the Picture / A Separate Peace (Oct), The Venetian Twins (Nov).

Mousetrap Theatre Company: The Wizard of Oz - A Pantomime (Jan).

Coolum Theatre Players: Calendar Girls (Mar), Avenue Q (Jul).

Tugun Theatre Company: Twist (Feb), Crimes of the Heart (May).

Gold Coast Little Theatre: The Cake (Feb), Sweet Charity (Apr - May), Charitable Intent (Jul), Jekyll & Hyde The Musical (Sep/Oct), Pride and Prejudice (Nov/Dec).

Javeenbah Theatre: James and the Giant Peach (Jan/Feb), The Boys in the Band (Mar), Cinderella (May), One Act Wonders (Jul), Next to Normal (Sep/Oct), Clue (Nov/Dec).

Burdekin Singers and Theatre Company: Mamma Mia! North Queensland Opera & Music Theatre: School of Rock (Mar).

Cairns Little Theatre / Rondo Theatre: Life Without Me (Mar).

Noosa Arts Theatre: The Emperor’s New Clothes (Jan).

Sunnybank Theatre Group: Xanadu (Feb), The Sum of Us (Apr), First Things First (Jun), Sunflowers (Jul/Aug), Eventide (Sep/Oct), Red Riding Hood to the Rescue (Nov).

Centenary Theatre Group: The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race (Feb/Mar), Unnecessary Farce (May/Jun), Ghost Writer (July/Aug), Broadway Bound (Sep/Oct), Now and Then (Nov).

Toowoomba Choral Society: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Sep).

Seasons 2022 Arts Theatre Cronulla’s The Game’s Afoot.

Photo: Port Hacking Camera Club.

Tasmania Devonport Choral Society Inc: Freaky Friday (May).

Burnie Musical Society: Mamma Mia!.

Launceston Players: Bums of Seats (Apr), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Sep).

The Old Nick Company: Guys and Dolls (Feb), Uni Review.

Encore Theatre Company: Chicago (Mar).

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 49

South Australia Adelaide Repertory Theatre: Loot (Apr), The Madness of George III (Jun), Sweet Road (Sep), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Nov).

Adelaide Youth Theatre: The Lion King Jr (Jan), West Side Story (Jan), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Mar), Into The Woods (Apr), Madagascar Jr (Apr).

Blue Sky Theatre: Present Laughter (Jan).

Northern Light Theatre Company: Les Misérables (Mar/ Apr).

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA: Tarantara! Tarantara!

(Apr), Sunset Boulevard (Sep/Oct).

Therry Dramatic Society: Whisky Galore (Apr), Betty Blue Eyes (Jun).

Hills Musical Company: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May), Shrek the Musical (Nov).

The Stirling Players: Amy’s View (Mar), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (Sep).

The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company of SA: Hello, Dolly! (May).

Marie Clark Musical Theatre: The Producers (Jul).

University of Adelaide Theatre Guild: Tiny Beautiful Things (Mar), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (May), Arcadia (Aug), Western Australia Hand to God (Nov).

Alexandra Theatre: My Fair Lady (Jun), The SpongeBob Tea Tree Players: Rumours (Mar), I’ll Be Back Before Musical (Oct).

Midnight (Apr).

Primadonna Productions: Curse of the Mummy (Feb), The Marvelous Wondrettes (Jun), GTK Oklahoma! (Jul), Lucky Stiff (Oct).

50 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Seasons 2022 Ipswich Little Theatre’s Time Flies.

Photo: Robyn Harm.

Castle Hill Players’ Always A Bridesmaid.

Photo: Chris Lundie.

Stirling Players: Fabulous Family Felonies (Feb), Freaky Friday (Apr/May), French Without Tears (Jul), Anne of Green Gables (Sep/Oct), Rose and Walsh (Nov/Dec).

Melville Theatre: The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race (Feb), Firebringer (May), Ghosts (Aug), Things I Know to Be True (Oct/Nov).

Garrick Theatre: Debutante Directors - One Act Season (Feb), When Dad Married Fury (Mar), Three Tall Women (May), Dracula (Jun/Jul), The Golden Pathway Annual (Sep), Bernie’s Old Time Music Hall (Nov/Dec).

KADS: Murder on the 518 (Jan), House Guest (Mar/Apr), Here on the Flight Path (Jun/Jul), Radio Suspense Theatre: The First Episode (Aug/Sep), In Bed With the Bishops (Nov/ Dec).

Koorliny Arts Centre: School of Rock (Mar), Songs For Nobodies (Jun), Two Weeks With the Queen (Aug), Curtains (Nov).

Roleystone Theatre: Un Cabaret de Comedies Musicales de L’age D’or (Apr), One Act Season (May), The Boy Friend (Jun/Jul), Shakespeare in the Park - The Tempest (Nov).

Darlington Theatre Players at the Marloo Theatre: Heroes (Feb), Chicago (Apr/May), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Jul), One Act Season (Aug), Hills Fest (Sep), There Goes the Bride (Nov/Dec).

Harbour Theatre: Spaghetti From Graceland (Mar), The Ladykillers (Aug/Sep).

Gilbert and Sullivan Society: Iolanthe (June), The Grand Duke (Oct).

New Zealand Taieri Musical (Dunedin): Chicago (Oct).

Act Three Productions: We Will Rock You (Feb).

Showbiz Christchurch: Matilda - The Musical (Apr).

Manukau Performing Arts: Singin’ in the Rain Jr (Apr).

Rotorua Musical Theatre: Song Contest: The Almost Eurovision Experience (Apr), Streakin’ Thru the 70s (Jul).

Centrestage Theatre Company, Orewa: A Streetcar Named Desire (Apr), Les Misérables (May/Jun).

New Plymouth Operatic Society: Matilda: The Musical (Jul).

North Shore Music Theatre: Wicked (Feb).

Variety Theatre Ashburton: Jesus Christ Superstar (Mar).

North Canterbury Musicals: Annie.

Musical Theatre Dunedin: We Will Rock You (May).

Whangarei Theatre Company: Footloose (Mar/Apr), Legally Blonde (Jun/Jul), Moana Jr (Oct), Chess (Nov/Dec).

Harlequin Musical Theatre: Mamma Mia!, Ghost The Musical.

Tauranga Musical Theatre Inc: Peter Pan Jr (Jan), Les Misérables (Feb), That Bloody Woman (Apr/May), We Will Rock You (Sep).

Hamilton Operatic Society: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Jul).

Napier Operatic: The Boy Friend (Feb).

Blenheim Musical Theatre: Les Misérables (May).

Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Feb).

Ellerslie Theatrical Society: Our Man in Havana (Mar), Festival of One Act Plays (Jun).

Elmwood Players: Bugsy Malone (Jan).

Hawera Repertory Society: Mamma Mia! (Jun).

Howick Little Theatre: My Cousin Rachel (Feb/Mar), Howick Little Plays (Oct), Hilda’s Yard (Nov/Dec).

Papakura Theatre Company: Steel Magnolias (Feb), Dusty (Apr).

Stagecraft Theatre (Wellington): The Woman in Black (Nov).

Company Theatre (Auckland): God of Carnage (May).

Titirangi Theatre: Jack and the Giant Kauri Tree (Mar/Apr).

Shoreside Theatre (Auckland): The Merchant of Venice / Two Gentlemen of Verona (Jan/Feb). stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 51

Post Pandemic Blues How have performers coped with the crushing disappointment of cancellations during the pandemic - when lights went out on stages all across the country - and now going from ‘zero to one hundred’ with the return of live theatre?

Can they just bounce back?

If you’re anything like me, the last five months of lockdown already feel like a distant memory. At the time it felt like my worst nightmare revisited.

Home schooling, countless hours of extracurricular activities on Zoom as well as auditions and self-tapes in my garage again, trying to make a living out of, well...nothing.

My new “normal” became daily Zoom gym classes, 10-kilometre walks around my neighbourhood and “it’s 12 o’clock somewhere” champagnes in my backyard. This lockdown was the real deal. March 2020 was just the dress rehearsal. As the saying goes - “F U Delta”.

To make matters worse, I happened to turn 50 in lockdown.

There weren’t any speeches, nor was there a fabulous party (where I didn’t have to stare at people on a screen) and certainly no ‘drunken Barbie’ calorie-laden cake that I had envisioned.

Some days it was bearable and some days it was almost fun (wine was involved). But then there were days when it was hard to breathe.

Everything I had worked towards was gone. Gigs were cancelled indefinitely, and my husband’s business disintegrated for the second time in a year.

Fast forward 4½ months and life is back to “normal” again. Overnight, the door swings open and after disengaging the autopilot, we attempt to pick up where we left off.

Shows scramble to get rescheduled, competition for theatre space is real and suddenly we find ourselves thrust from zero to one hundred in a matter of days. As performers, we wear resilience like a badge, but do we ever bounce back? And not once - but twice. We’ve already lost so many talented and creative people to other industries over the past two years, but we will never know the cumulative toll it’s taken.

After emerging from this black hole, one thing I have become aware of are the survivors - the productions, the producers, the artists, and the venues who were literally on their knees but are now fighting back.

Reigniting the flame and focusing the spotlight so we can all be inspired again.

When it comes to the spotlight, Trevor Ashley knows how to entertain.

He’s an actor, singer, cabaret performer, producer, director, and allround social scene ‘queen’. If there’s an opening night, Trevor will be there - that’s if he’s not in it or producing it himself. Trevor has run the full gamut of emotions, having endured the loss of so much work, and he is now having to find the energy and confidence again to put himself back out there. He was writing Carlotta: The Musical, as well as rewrites for his latest project The Lyin’ Queen, when COVID-19 hit, which inevitably led to the cancellation of the entire season.

52 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

“I think the anxiety of it all was the hardest thing to cope with. I happened to be in Queensland for a job in July, so I decided to stay up there,” Trevor told me. “I had quite a bit of survivor’s guilt for not having to do lock down. Instead, I tried to plan but soon found that people had lost their nerve and their appetite for risk.

So, I guess I just stopped. I actually coped better by not trying to think too far ahead.”

Once lockdown was lifted in Sydney, Trevor made his way back to NSW and launched himself straight back into producing The Lyin’ Queen.

Going from zero to one hundred was most certainly a gear change that he wasn’t quite ready for. Trevor admits that his show fitness had taken a beating and that the thought of enduring a two-week run at the velocity he had previously been used to was quite daunting.

“Fortunately, there is a lot of positivity around and that really drives me. I’m chatting to people again and they seem brighter and more confident. I think, as an industry, we’re wary but excited. If it wasn’t for people’s generosity with their money and time, I wouldn’t have found a reason to keep going. I’m loving starting up again with The Lyin’ Queen. I know we could all do with a laugh!”

At the other end of the spectrum, there are other colleagues who have waited their entire lives to score a

career defining role, only to have it ripped away from them. I first met Rob McDougall when my daughter was cast alongside him in Packemin’s Les Misérables. A formidable talent and a much-loved company member, it was during his stint in Les Mis when he found out he had won the coveted role of Dr. Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, playing opposite Anthony Warlow. Rob was already busy with publicity and promotion for the show and had even recorded a duet with Mr. Warlow himself.

“Anthony had always been my inspiration to become a singer,” Rob said. “This was an enormous deal for me. There’s a distinct amount of luck and chance required for success in our industry. Knowing how lucky I was to get the role I did, playing against Anthony Warlow, it genuinely felt to me that I would never be that lucky ever again.”

The Secret Garden was one of the first shows to be cancelled in 2020.

That was a devastating blow for Rob. He was immediately forced onto Jobseeker as he had already financially

Behind The Scenes With Debora Krizak Debora Krizak as Tanya in Packemin Productions’ Mamma Mia! on stage in February 2022.

(Continued on page 54) Todd McKenney and Trevor Ashley in The Lyin’ Queen.

Photo: John McRae.

Online extras!

The Lyin’ Queen is a send-up of every movie ever made on (or near) an island. youtu.be/Wk65Lxfl90c stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 53

(Continued from page 53)

organised himself and his usual financial fallback - which is conducting and musically directing for the Department of Education - also dried up.

“The first six weeks of lockdown was spent in a crippling depression. I was drinking too much and living off a government subsidy. As with everyone else I knew, there was little contact with people and I began to put on weight because of diet and lack of exercise. I realised after several weeks of this, I would not survive the pandemic mentally or physically if I didn’t give myself something to focus on and work towards.”

Having always been a goal orientated person, this was the first time in Rob’s life that he found himself without a purpose. To get some control back in his life, he enrolled in an online Masters of Teaching (Secondary), which he has now completed. Planning as a performer/artist, however, has taken a back seat. The leading men roles are now on hold while Rob teaches full time to try and salvage some financial security. At the height of the pandemic, Rob even considered leaving the industry.

“I’m still not one hundred percent sure I have the fortitude to come back to the industry properly. It takes a lot of self-belief to be a performer and COVID-19 took much of that away from me.”

Now that the entertainment industry is starting to re-open - again - I wondered if it might reignite the passion and motivate artists to start ‘putting themselves out there again’.

Auditions are back in full swing and I’ve even commenced in-room rehearsals for Mamma Mia! (February 2022). But the anxiety is still prevalent. Will we be closed again in three months once a new strain hits our shores? Is there enough consumer confidence to keep filling theatres when shows can be cancelled at a moment’s notice? How do we keep moving forward while acknowledging the trauma that the past two years has caused?

Rob McDougall.

Online extras!

Get caught up in Rob McDougall’s rendition of “I’ll Be Seeing You.” youtu.be/AY-KwuMpdCY

Trevor Ashley’s upcoming show: The Lyin’ Queen.

November 30 to December 12. Sydney Opera House. sydneyoperahouse.com Rob McDougall’s upcoming show: I’ll Be Seeing You. With Bev Kennedy. December 21. Claire’s Kitchen. claireskitchen.com.au “To be honest, I’ve found it difficult because of how uneven it has been,” Rob says. “Some states are open, others are not. Some preCOVID-19 shows have come back, some have not. Some companies are doing well financially, others have folded completely. I find it hard when people say things like ‘theatre is back’ or ‘the industry is back’, because for a lot of people I know, including myself, it mostly isn’t. I don’t think we

54 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

actually know what the final emotional, artistic and financial cost of the pandemic is, and I don’t think we will for a long time.”

One thing I do know is that it takes incredible strength and endurance to get this far, regardless of what lies ahead.

One foot in front of the other.

Literally.

The Art Of Three Lady Magicians

Stage Heritage

Unable to have physical exhibitions during the lockdown, the Australian Performing Arts Collection in Melbourne has conjured up a virtual display that is magical. Peter Pinne reports.

In conjunction with a new online exhibition - Rare Flowers and Golden Butterflies: Stories of Women and Magic from the Australian Performing Arts Collection - Cathy Pryor has launched a podcast titled The Illusory Life of Magician Esme Levante (in partnership with Radio National’s The History Listen podcast series).

The exhibition tells the stories of three female magicians who began their careers in the 1930s - Esme Levante, Myrtle Roberts and Moi-Yo Miller.

Esme Levante, the daughter of The Great Levante, began working in his act in England in the thirties and worked her way up to become his assistant in a series of stunts including the padlocked trunk trick, and having swords thrust through her in an illusion called Pillars of Fear.

Myrtle Roberts worked under the name of Myrtella, doing rope and cylinder tricks and releasing birds from a dish of fire. She had a long career in vaudeville and variety, played principals boys in panto, and

appeared on radio in the ABCs Village Glee Club. She played Lady Boxington in the original Australian production of My Fair Lady and came out of retirement to work at Tikki and John’s

famous Melbourne theatre restaurant.

Moi-Yo Miller, real name Loretta Miller, was famed magician Dante’s (Harry Jansen) assistant and claimed she had been sawn in half 11,800 times during her career.

The fascinating lives of these women are superbly told in this online exhibition curated by Cathy Pryor.

ACM Research Centre Coordinator Claudia Funder said, “The depth of research and creativity around the story that blossomed out of that hard work is just wonderful. Scraping together scant evidence of hidden lives is very difficult indeed and Cathy has done just the most terrific job.”

Les Levante (The Great Levante) with wife, Gladys and daughter, Esme (1937).

Images courtesy: Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne.

Rare Flowers and Golden Butterflies online exhibition stories.artscentremelbourne.com.au The Illusory Life of Magician Esme Levante podcast abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-history-listen

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 55

Choosing A Show

Melba The Musical

Book and lyrics by Nicholas Christo, score by Johannes Luebbers. Based on the biography I Am Melba by Ann Blainey.

A young mother, with a will of iron and voice of gold, sails from the cane fields of Queensland with an unshakable dream of becoming a world class soprano. Arriving in Europe, Nellie Armstrong is soon accepted into one of the most prestigious vocal academies in Paris - L’cole Marchesi. An uneasy bargain must, therefore, be struck with Nellie’s controlling husband, Charlie, over the custody of their son. Working as a single mother, the self-crowned ‘Nellie Melba’ performs tirelessly to rise as opera’s greatest star.

The show blends new music with a stunning selection of arias from La Traviata, Carmen, Tosca, La Traviata, and Marriage of Figaro.

First staged at the Hayes Theatre in 2017, rights are now available from David Spicer Productions. davidspicer.com

Spotlight On Kate Hamill Wall Street Journal’s Playwright of the Year, 2017, Kate Hamill is a celebrated actor and playwright and is one of the top 20 most-produced playwrights in the United States.

Little Women Adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Four dreamers are destined to be imperfect little women during the civil war.

“Ms. Hamill’s feminist-friendly spin on the classics never fail to sound an engagingly original note.” Wall Street Journal. (3M, 6F) Pride and Prejudice Based on the novel by Jane Austen This isn’t your grandmother’s Austen! Bold, surprising, boisterous, and timely, this P&P for a new era explores the absurdities and thrills of finding your perfect (or imperfect) match in life. (2M, 3F, 3N/S) Sense and Sensibility Based on the novel by Jane Austen A playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters. (3-8M, 4-9F) Vanity Fair Based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray Two women - one born into privilege, another straight from the streets - attempt to navigate a society that punishes them for every misstep. (5M, 2F)

Kate Hamill’s plays are available From Music Theatre International Australasia representing Dramatists Play Services. mtishows.com.au 56 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Short Plays From Maverick Musicals And Plays Birth Mother by Mark Wheeller Based on a true story, this drama follows Linda, who has a secret daughter she was forced to adopt out. When her child, now an adult, comes into her life it turns her world upside down. (2M, 4F and ensemble.)

Circus by Mark Langham Welcome to The Lion Tamers, Magician’s Assistants and Human Cannonball Lighters Retirement Village.

Geoffrey, a retired Lion Tamer, finds settling into his new life hasn’t been as smooth as he’d hoped. (2M, 2F).

One Starry Night by Kevin Nemeth Set towards the end of World War II, the play is an almost-love-story of two people whose connection is undeniably strong, but is it strong enough to last after war? (1M, 1F).

The Pram by Hugh O’Brien Can a determined woman and a DNA test solve the 100-year-old mystery of a missing baby? A modern mystery interwoven with events from the past such as Gallipoli, the 1919 Spanish Flu, and the Vietnam War. (1M, 5F).

These shows and many more are available to licence from Maverick Musicals. maverickmusicals.com

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 57

can get her out of the bathroom.

Performances begin at the Hudson Theatre from 25 February 2022. It’s the first time they have appeared together on Broadway.

Emmy Award-winning Will and Grace star Debra Messing makes a return to the Broadway stage in the New York premiere of Birthday Candles, written by Noah Haidle and directed by Vivienne Benesch. She plays Ernestine Ashworth during a lifetime of birthdays - from her 17th to her 101st - and poses the question: what makes a lifetime into a life?

Previews begin 18 March 2022, ahead of an opening night 10 April 2022 at the American Airlines Theatre.

Hypocrisy, greed and ambition are all present in Tracy Letts’ The Minutes, which looks at the inner workings of a city council meeting in the small regional town of Big Cherry. It returns to Studio 54, 19 March, having Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice. previously opened at the Cort Theatre Photo: Matthew Murphy. before COVID-19 struck. The new

By Peter Pinne the Savoy Theatre before touring, and opening night is 7 April 2022. Amid was later filmed for theatre and video various sexual assault allegations, Armie Hammer, the original star, has release. The score features the Beanie Feldstein steps into bigshoes when she takes on the role of standards ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’, been replaced by Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek). The cast also includes Jessie Fanny Brice in the first-ever Broadway ‘I’m the Greatest Star’ and ‘People’.

Mueller, Blair Brown and author Letts. revival of Funny Girl, the classic 1964 Feldstein, whose elder brother is It marks a reunion of Letts and musical which made a star of Barbra Jonah Hill, and who’s been ‘besties’ Streisand. Feldstein - most recently with Ben Platt ever since they were in director Anna D. Shapiro, who have seen on Broadway as Minnie Fay in high school, has been signed to play not worked together since August Osage County (2007). the Bette Midler Hello, Dolly! - also Mary Flynn in Richard Linklater’s NBC Live is back this year with a movie version of Stephen Sondheim’s has credits for the movies Neighbors new version of Charles Strouse and Merrily We Roll Along, alongside 2: Sorority Rising (2016), with Zac Martin Charnin’s Annie, which will be Efron and Seth Rogan, and Lady Bird Platt’s Charley Kringus. It will be telecast Thursday December 2. It stars (2017), which won her a Best Actress filmed over a twenty-year period.

Funny Girl begins performances at 12-year-old Celina Smith as the redGolden Globe Award. headed moppet, Harry Connick Jr. as Joining Feldstein in Funny Girl are the August Wilson Theatre on 26 Oliver Warbucks, Taraji P. Henson Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, Jane March with an opening date set for (Cookie in Empire) as Miss Hannagan, Lynch as Rose Brice and Jared Grimes 24 April 2022.

Nicole Scherzinger as Grace, Tituss Sarah Jessica Parker makes a as Eddie Ryan. Direction is by Michael Burgess as Rooster, and Megan Hilty Mayer, with choreography by Ellenore welcome return to the Great White Way with husband Matthew Broderick (Smash) as Lily. Choreography is by Scott, tap choreography by Ayodele in Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, a series of Sergio Trujillo, costumes by Paul Casel, and scenic design by David Tazewell, and orchestrations by Zinn. three one-act plays which premiered Stephen Oremus. This is the fourth The score is by Jule Styne and Bob in 1968. Karen and Sam are a longfilmed iteration of the show, Merrill, with a new book by Harvey married pair whose relationship may following the original 1982 movie be headed for an early checkout; Fierstein (original book by Isobel starring Carol Burnett and Albert Lennart). Fierstein’s script and Mayer’s Muriel and Jesse are former highFinney, the 1999 TV film with Kathy staging debuted at London’s Menier school sweethearts who seem destined for an extended stay, whilst Bates and Victor Garber, and the Chocolate Factory in 2015, with 2014 movie remake with Jamie Foxx Norma and Roy are the mother and British star Sheridan Smith as Fanny Brice, but this is not a direct transfer. father of the bride, ready to celebrate and Cameron Diaz. their daughter’s nuptials - if only they A huge hit in 2015, it transferred to

Broadway Buzz

58 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

Online extras!

The cast of Get Up, Stand Up go on a musical discovery of Marley’s London. youtu.be/ThrJBUHt1TE

By Peter Pinne Opening in October after an eightmonth delay due to COVID-19, the Bob Marley musical Get Up, Stand Up! is going gangbusters and has already announced an extension through to at least September 18, 2022. The musical tells the story of the reggae legend’s life from his early years in Jamaica to his move to London in the late 60s and worldwide success. The book is by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), with direction by Clint Dyer, while Arinzé Kene plays Bob Marley.

Critics have been critical of Lee’s book (‘weakest when it follows the jukebox bio-musical model’) but were overwhelmed with Kene, calling him ‘magnetic’ and saying that his performance ‘soars and tingles’.

Choreography is by Shelley Maxwell, with musical supervision and arrangements by Phil Bateman, set design by Chloe Lamford and costumes by Lisa Duncan. Similar to the musical Six, in that the staging has the spirit of a staged concert, with walls of speakers, concert-like lighting, and a thick, deep bass that penetrates to the gut, the emotional weight of the story is carried through Marley’s celebrated music. London shaped Marley as an artist, who went on to sell over 75 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone ranked him No.11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, a hit for Griffin and Queensland Theatre, is to

play a London season 15 April until 18 June 2022 at the Harold Pinter Theatre, directed by Justin Martin. It will star Jodie Comer as Tessa, a barrister who has worked her way to the top of her career, but when she’s forced to deal with an unexpected event, she must work in line with the patriarchal power of the law, a decision she doesn’t take lightly. The play, which premiered in Australia in 2019, won the Australian Writers’ Guild Award for Drama. It is Comer’s West End debut. She’s previously been seen as Villanelle in Killing Eve and starring opposite Stephen Graham in Help. Miller, a qualified lawyer and NIDA graduate, moved to London in 2010 and now spends her time working between London and Sydney. Prima Facie has scenic and costume design by Miriam Buether, and lighting by Natasha Chivers.

The National Theatre has revealed the cast of Hex, their new musical based on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, where a fairy tries to undo the hex placed on the princess. Tamsin Carroll is Queenie, Rosalie Craig is Fairy, Michael Elcock is Bert and Kat Rooney is Rose. Rufus Norris directs and provides lyrics for the piece, with music by Jim Fortune, book by Tanya Ronder, design by Katrina Lindsay and choreography by Jade Hackett. It begins previews in-the-round at the Olivier Theatre on 4 December and plays until 22 January 2022.

The Prince of Egypt, at the Dominion Theatre, has posted a

London Calling Arinzé Kene as Bob Marley with the company of Get Up, Stand Up. Photo: Craig Sugden.

closing date of 8 January for its final performance. The musical, by Stephen Schwartz, is based on the biblical story of the Book of Exodus and centres on Moses and Ramases, two brothers who are raised together but have different pasts. Luke Brady plays Moses and Liam Tamne plays Ramses, with Christine Allado as Zipporah. The score features the Oscar-winning song ‘When You Believe’. Three additional matinees have been added during the Christmas period.

New cast members are being welcomed in two of London’s long running hits. The Global smash Six said hello to a new cast 16 November 2021. Amy Di Bartolomeo now plays Catherine of Aragon, with Amanda Lindgren as Anne Boleyn, Claudia Kariuki as Jane Seymour, Dionne Ward -Anderson as Anne of Cleves, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe as Katherine Howard and Meesha Turner as Katherine Parr. The Play That Goes Wrong introduced its new cast on 30 November. Oliver Clayton and Elena Valentine took over as Jonathan and Sandra, whilst Tom Bulpett stepped into the role of Chris, and Damien James joined the cast.

Opening at the Duchess Theatre in 2014, the Olivier Award-winning comedy is the longest-running production to play at the theatre.

Produced by Mischief Theatre, it is one of two productions the company has playing in the West End. The other is Magic Goes Wrong, which is now running at the Apollo Theatre until February 2022. stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 59

On Stage A.C.T. Two Twenty Somethings Decide Never To Get Stressed About Anything Ever Again.

Canberra Youth Theatre. Dec 9 - 14. The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au The Ten Tenors. Dec 8.

Canberra Theatre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au Circus of Illusion. Jan 16.

Canberra Theatre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au Magic Beach by Finegan Kruckemeyer, based on the book by Alison Lester. Jan 22 23. Canberra Theatre. canberratheatrecentre.com.au

A.C.T. & New South Wales

COVID-19 Update The unpredictable nature of COVID-19 still has the potential to affect performances. Readers are advised to monitor the prevailing restrictions and public health advice in their jurisdiction.

Check with the relevant theatre group, venue or ticket outlet for specific performance impacts, cancellation or rescheduling information.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Until Dec 18. New Theatre, Newtown. newtheatre.org.au Can of Worms by Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott. The Wharf Revue.

Until Dec 23. York Theatre, Seymour Centre. seymourcentre.com

La Bohème by Puccini. Opera Australia. Dec 30 - Feb 4. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. sydneyoperahouse.com

The Wedding Singer. Music: Matthew Sklar. Lyrics: Chad Beguelin. Book: Chad Beguelin & Tim Herlihy. David Venn Enterprises. Jan 5 - 23. State Come From Away. Book, music Theatre, Sydney. & lyrics by Irene Sankoff and The Boomkak Panto by Virginia weddingsingermusical.com.au David Hein. Rodney Rigby and Gay. Belvoir, Upstairs Theatre.

Junkyard Dog Productions. Feb Until Dec 23. belvoir.com.au Girl from the North Country.

3 - 20. Canberra Theatre.

Book by Conor McPherson. canberratheatrecentre.com.au Death of a Salesman by Arthur Music and lyrics by Bob Dylan.

Miller. Sydney Theatre GWB Entertainment and MONO: A Three-Person OneCompany. Dec 3 - 23. Roslyn Damien Hewitt. From Jan 5.

Man Show by Angus Packer Theatre.

Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Fitzsimmons. Noeline Brown, sydneytheatre.com.au northcountry.com.au John Wood and Max Gillies.

Feb 12. The Playhouse, Jagged Little Pill. Music and Wind in the Willows by Canberra Theatre Centre. lyrics by Alanis Morissette.

Kenneth Grahame. Jan 5 - 23. canberratheatrecentre.com.au Book by Diablo Cody. Vivek J. Royal Botanical Gardens Tiwary, Arvind Ethan David, Eva Sydney. (02) 9011 7704.

New South Wales Price, Trafalgar Entertainment willowslive.com.au and GWB Entertainment. Dec 2 Hamilton. Book, Music and - 19. Theatre Royal, Sydney.

Sydney Festival. January 6 - 30.

Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. jaggedmusical.com sydneyfestival.org.au Inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

Discover The Magic. Dec 19.

A Chorus Line. Music: Marvin Produced by Michael Cassel.

Hamlisch. Lyrics: Edward ARA Darling Quarter Theatre.

Ongoing. Sydney Lyric Theatre. seasonalwarriors.com.au Kleban. Book: James Kirkwood hamiltonmusical.com.au & Nicholas Dante. Darlinghurst Six The Musical by Toby Theatre Company / Sydney Come From Away. Book, music Marlow and Lucy Moss. Louise Festival. Jan 6 - 16. Riverside & lyrics by Irene Sankoff and Withers, Michael Coppel & Theatres, Parramatta.

David Hein. Rodney Rigby and Linda Bewick. From Dec 19. riversideparramatta.com.au Junkyard Dog Productions.

Sydney Opera House Studio.

Until Jan 28. Capitol Theatre, sydneyoperahouse.com Black Brass by Mararo Wangai.

Sydney.

Performing Lines WA. Jan 6 comefromaway.com.au Great Opera Hits. Opera 23. Belvoir Street, Upstairs Australia. Dec 26 - Mar 20.

Theatre. belvoir.com.au Julius Caesar by William Joan Sutherland Theatre, Shakespeare. Sydney Theatre Sydney Opera House.

Set Piece by Nat Randall and Company. Wharf 1 Theatre. sydneyoperahouse.com Anna Breckon. Sydney Festival.

Until Dec 24.

Jan 6 - 9. Carriageworks. sydneytheatre.com.au sydneyfestival.org.au 60 Stage Whispers

Mirage by Martin del Amo. Jan 7 - 15. Sydney Festival.

Campbelltown Arts Centre. c-a-c.com.au Triple X by Glace Chase. Sydney Theatre Company. Wharf 1 Theatre. Jan 7 - Feb 26. sydneytheatre.com.au Qween Lear. Sydney Festival.

Jan 7 - 16. Hordern Pavilion. sydneyfestival.org.au Erth’s Prehistoric Picnic. Sydney Festival. Jan 8 - 14 at Parramatta Park and Jan 15 30 at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. sydneyfestival.org.au Killing Katie: Confessions Of A Book Club by Tracey Trinder.

Jan 9 - Feb 22. Ensemble Theatre. ensemble.com.au Annie. Book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin. Rockdale Musical Society. Jan 12 - 16. Zenith Theatre, Chatswood. rockdalemusicalsociety.com Turandot by Puccini. Opera Australia. Jan 12 - Mar 14.

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. sydneyoperahouse.com 44 Sex Acts in One Week by David Finigan. Sydney Festival / Club House Productions. Jan 12 - 16. Seymour Centre. sydneyfestival.org.au Lost in Shanghai by Jane Hutcheon. Sydney Festival / Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP). Jan 12 -

Just $50 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage

New South Wales With a script crafted from steamy 1950s pulp fiction, snatches of real-life dinner party conversations and improv, Set Piece is a powerfully intimate theatre-film experiment. Starring Nat Randall and Anna Breckon, you can catch Set Piece as part of the Sydney Festival with performances at Carriageworks from January 6 - 9. sydneyfestival.org.au Photo: Robert Catto.

16. Seymour Centre. sydneyfestival.org.au Perahu-Perahu by Jumaadi and Michael Toisuta. Sydney Festival / Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP).

Jan 13 - 16. Carriageworks. sydneyfestival.org.au Lizzie by Steven CheslikdeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner. Sydney Festival / Hayes Theatre. Jan 13 - Feb 5. Hayes Theatre. sydneyfestival.org.au Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee.

Sydney Festival / State Theatre Company South Australia. Jan 13 - 23. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. sydneyfestival.org.au Seven Methods Of Killing Kylie Jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones.

Darlinghurst Theatre Company / Green Door

Theatre Company / Sydney Festival. Jan 13 - Feb 20.

Eternity Playhouse. darlinghursttheatre.com

17 - Feb 12. Roslyn Packer Theatre. sydneytheatre.com.au

Zooom. Sydney Festival / Patch Theatre. Jan 18 - 22. Riverside Slow Burn by Deborah Pollard. Theatres, Parramatta.

Sydney Festival / Q Theatre. Jan sydneyfestival.org.au 13 - 22. The Joan, Penrith.

Green Park by Elias Jamieson sydneyfestival.org.au Brown. Sydney Festival / Griffin The Boy From Oz. Book by Nick Theatre Company. Jan 19 - 30.

Enright. Music and lyrics by Green Park, Darlinghurst.

Peter Allen. Blackout Theatre sydneyfestival.org.au Company. Jan 13 - 16. The Jali by Oliver Smith. Sydney Pioneer Theatre Castle Hill.

Festival / Jubilee Street blackouttheatre.com.au Management. Jan 19 - 23.

Chewing Gum Dreams by Seymour Centre.

Michaela Coel. Sydney Festival / sydneyfestival.org.au Green Door Theatre Company / Red Line Productions. Jan 15 - Small Metal Objects. Back to Back Theatre / Sydney Festival.

Feb 13. Old Fitz Theatre.

Jan 20 - 23. Customs House sydneyfestival.org.au Forecourt. sydneyfestival.org.au Wudjang: Not The Past by Disney’s Alice In Wonderland Stephen Page and Alana Jr. By Lewis Carroll. Book Valentine. Bangarra and adapted and extra lyrics by Sydney Theatre Company. Jan David Simpatico. Music

Advertise your show on the front page of stagewhispers.com.au

adapted, arranged, and extra lyrics by Brian Louiselle. Based on the Disney Film. Hunter Drama. Jan 21-22. Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, Cessnock. hunterdrama.com.au The Addams Family by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice and Andrew Lippa. Sydney Youth Musical Theatre. Jan 21 - 29.

Hornsby RSL. symt.com.au Entertaining Angels by Richard Everett. Castle Hill Players. Jan 21 - Feb 12. Pavilion Theatre. paviliontheatre.org.au The Museum of Modern Love

by Tom Holloway, based on the Stella Prize-winning novel

by Heather Rose, inspired by Marina Abramović. Sydney Festival. Jan 22 - 30. Seymour Centre. sydneyfestival.org.au Beautiful. Book by Douglas McGrath. Words & Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Stage Whispers 61

On Stage Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil.

Miranda Musical Society. Jan 26 - 30. Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul. mirandamusicalsociety.com.au The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. Opera Australia. Jan 27 - Feb 18. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. sydneyoperahouse.com

New South Wales & Queensland

Riverside Theatre, Parramatta. riversideparramatta.com.au 9 to 5 The Musical. Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. Book by Patricia Resnick, based on the screenplay by Resnick and Colin Higgins. From Feb 16. Capitol Theatre, Sydney.

9to5themusical.com.au

Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl.

At What Cost? by Nathan Sydney Theatre Company. Feb Maynard. Jan 29 - Feb 20.

17 - Mar 5. Roslyn Packer Belvoir Street, Upstairs Theatre. Theatre. sydneytheatre.com.au belvoir.com.au Head Over Heels. Songs by The Miss Saigon by Claude-Michel Go-Go’s. Adapted by James Magruder, based upon The Schönberg, Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jnr. Noteable Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney, Theatre Company. Feb 10 - 20. conceived & original book by Jeff Whitty. BB-Arts and Two Concourse Theatre, Chatswood.

Doors Productions. From Feb noteabletheatrecompany.com 18. Hayes Theatre Co. hayestheatre.com.au Mamma Mia! Music and Lyrics

by Benny Andersson and Björn The Great Gatsby. By Aaron Ulvaeus. Book by Catherine Robuck, inspired by the F. Scott Johnson. Packemin Fitzgerald novel. Viral Ventures Productions. Feb 11 - 26. and Immersive Theatre. From

62 Stage Whispers

Feb 18. Wonderland Bar (formerly The World Bar), Potts Point. explorehidden.com Birthrights by David Williamson. Wyong Drama Group. Feb 18 - 26. Red Tree Theatre, Tuggerah. 1300 665 600. wyongdramagroup.com.au Otello by Verdi. Opera Australia. Feb 19 - Mar 19.

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. sydneyoperahouse.com

Queensland Ballet, Sydney Dance Company and Australian Rock Collective. Feb 24 - Mar 27. The Barracks at North Head, Manly. nightatthebarracks.com.au Queensland One O’Clock From The House

by Frank Vickery. Gold Coast Little Theatre. Until Dec 11.

(07) 5532 3224. gclt.com.au Rock Of Ages. Book by Chris D’Arienzo. Songs by various writers. Beenleigh Theatre Group, Beenleigh. Until Dec 11. (07) 3807 3822. beenleightheatregroup.com

Opening Night. Based on the screenplay by John Casavetes, adapted by by Carissa Licciardello. Feb 26 - Mar 27.

Belvoir Street, Upstairs Theatre. Puffs by Matt Cox. Brisbane Arts Theatre. Until Dec 18. (07) belvoir.com.au 3369 2344. artstheatre.com.au Night At The Barracks.

Charlotte’s Web. Based on the Performers include Jessica book by E.B. White, adapted by Mauboy, David Campbell, James Morrison, David Hobson, Joseph Robinette. Brisbane Arts Theatre. Until Jan 22. (07) Lucy Durack, John Foreman and the Aussie Pops Orchestra, 3369 2344. artstheatre.com.au

Just $50 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage Ten Tenors. Moncrief Entertainment Centre, Bundaberg, Dec 1, (07) 4130 4100; Empire Theatre, Toowoomba, Dec 5, 1300 655 299; Concert Hall, QPAC, Dec 12, 136 246. thetentenors.com A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Shake & Stir.

Playhouse, QPAC. Dec 2 - 24.

136 246. qpac.com.au Cirque Bon Bon. Brisbane Powerhouse. Dec 2 - 4. (07) 3358 8622. brisbanepowerhouse.org

Gold Coast. Dec 17 - 19. (07) 5539 4255. spotlighttheatre.com.au Hotel California - The Eagles Experience. Empire Theatre, Toowoomba. Dec 18. 1300 655 299. empiretheatre.com.au Carole King’s Tapestry 50th Anniversary Concert. Concert Hall, QPAC. Dec 20. 136 246. qpac.com.au Eddie Perfect - Introspective.

Concert Hall, QPAC. Dec 21.

136 246. qpac.com.au

Commitments We Make: Aftermath by Kylie Rackham / The Devil’s Due by Jean H. Klein. Cairns Little Theatre. Dec 2 - 4.1300 855 835. therondo.com.au

The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky.

Toowoomba Ballet Theatre.

Empire Theatre, Toowoomba.

Dec 21 - 22. 1300 655 299. empiretheatre.com.au

Celebrating Nina Simone.

Featuring Lisa Simone. Concert Hall, QPAC. Dec 8. 136 246. qpac.com.au

Queensland Pops New Year’s Eve Masquerade Gala. Concert Hall, QPAC. Dec 31. 136 246. qpac.com.au

The Best Of Broadway. Quid Pro Co. Hayward Street Theatre, Stafford. Dec 10 - 12. haywardstreet.com.au

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. Created by Jonathan Rockefeller. CDP Kids. Gardens Theatre. Jan 3 - 6. 136 246. cdp.com.au

Bjorn Again Mamma Mia: We Are Back Again Tour. Empire Theatre, Toowoomba. Dec 11.

1300 655 299. bjornagain.com.au

The Kaye Hole. Reuben Kaye.

Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. Jan 6. 136 246. qpac.com.au

Christmas Actually. Naomi Price. La Boite. Dec 15 - 23.

(07) 3007 8600. laboite.com.au The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky.

Queensland Ballet. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. Dec 16 - 23.

136 246. qpac.com.au Circus In A Tea Cup. Vulcana Circus. Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. Dec 16 - 18. 136 246. qpac.com.au

The Wizard of Oz. A pantomime by John Morley.

Mousetrap Theatre, Redcliffe.

Jan 7 - 16. (07) 3888 3493. mousetraptheatre.asn.au An American in Paris. Songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Book

by Craig Lucas. The Australian Ballet and GWB Entertainment.

Lyric Theatre, QPAC. Jan 8 - 30.

136 246. americaninparis.com.au

Defying Gravity. Caroline O’Connor, Amy Lehpamer and Spirit of Christmas. Queensland Naomi Price, with Luke Symphony Orchestra. Concert Kennedy. Concert Hall, QPAC. Jan 8. 136 246. qpac.com.au Hall, QPAC. Dec 17 - 18. 136 246. qpac.com.au Shrek The Musical Jr by Jeanine Spotlight On Christmas.

Tesori and David LindsaySpotlight Theatre, Benowa, Abaire. Harvest Rain Academy, Advertise your show on the front page of stagewhispers.com.au

Queensland & Victoria Hayward Street Theatre, Into The Woods by Stephen Stafford. Jan 10 - 15. (07) Sondheim and James Lapine.

3103 7438. harvestrain.com.au Beenleigh Theatre Group. Feb 11 - 26. (07) 3807 3922.

Russell Morris - The Real Thing. beenleightheatregroup.com Concert Hall, QPAC. Jan 15.

136 246. qpac.com.au Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? By Edward Albee.

Monsters Academy. Workshop. Queensland Theatre.

Harvest Rain. Hayward Street Playhouse, QPAC. Feb 12 - 26.

Theatre, Stafford. Jan 17 - 22. 136 246. qpac.com.au (07) 3103 7438. harvestrain.com.au The Beatles 50 Years On. Concert Hall, QPAC. Feb 17.

Coppélia. Ballet Theatre of 136 246. qpac.com.au Queensland. Playhouse, QPAC. Jan 19 - 22. 136 246.

Dial M For Murder by Frederick qpac.com.au Knott. Mousetrap Theatre, Redcliffe. Feb 23 - Mar 12. (07) Ballet International Gala.

3888 3493.

Playhouse, QPAC. Jan 26 - 30. mousetraptheatre.asn.au 136 246. qpac.com.au Four Seasons Reimagined.

Celtic Illusion Reimagined.

Queensland Chamber Concert Hall, QPAC, Jan 27, Orchestra. Concert Hall, QPAC, 136 246 & Empire Theatre, Feb 26, 136 246 and Empire Toowoomba, Feb 1, 1300 655 Theatre, Toowoomba, Feb 25, 299. celticillusion.com 1300 655 299. camerata.net.au An Evening with Anthony Warlow. Concert Hall, QPAC. Kitty Flanagan. Empire Theatre, Jan 28 - 29. 136 246.

Toowoomba. Feb 25 - 26. qpac.com.au 1300 655 299. empiretheatre.com.au Prada Clutch’s: All Drag Revue.

Empire Theatre, Toowoomba.

Post Modern Jukebox. Empire Jan 29. 1300 655 299.

Theatre, Toowoomba. Feb 28. empiretheatre.com.au 1300 655 299. empiretheatre.com.au Invincible - The Helen Reddy Story. Concert Hall, QPAC. Feb Victoria 2. 136 246. qpac.com.au Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Elvis - I Can Dream. Concert Book by John Logan, based on Hall, QPAC. Feb 2. 136 246. the Baz Luhrmann film. Global qpac.com.au Creatures. Ongoing. Regent Theatre, Melbourne.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down moulinrougemusical.com Under Live. Concert Hall, QPAC. Feb 3. 136 246.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and qpac.com.au the Cursed Child. By Jack Thorne. Based on an original Disney’s Frozen. Music & Lyrics new story by J.K. Rowling.

by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Ongoing. Princess Theatre, Robert Lopez. Book by Jennifer Melbourne.

Lee. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. From au.harrypottertheplay.com Feb 10. 136 246. qpac.com.au Disney’s Frozen The Musical.

Poems, Prayers & Promises of Music & Lyrics by Kristen John Denver. Empire Theatre, Anderson-Lopez and Robert Toowoomba. Feb 11. 1300 Lopez. Book by Jennifer Lee. 655 299.

Disney Theatricals. Until Jan 22. empiretheatre.com.au Her Majesty’s Theatre, Stage Whispers 63

On Stage

Victoria

Following months of COVID-19 lockdowns having delayed its premiere, audiences have finally been welcomed into the Regent Theatre in Melbourne to witness the spectacular Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Alinta Chidzey stars as Satine alongside Des Flanagan as Christian in performances through to April 2022. moulinrougemusical.com/australia Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder.

Melbourne. frozenthemusical.com.au As You Like It by William Shakespeare. Melbourne Theatre Company. Until Dec 18. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. mtc.com.au

four days of free art and performance. Dec 9 - 12. lamama.com.au

Online extras!

Watch a preview of the Australian cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. youtu.be/vmUoIjyaIS8

Company. Dec 18 - Jan 30.

Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. shakespeareaustralia.com.au

Poles: The Science of Magnetic Attraction. The Butterfly Club.

Dec 9 - 11. thebutterflyclub.com

Garry Starr: Greece Lightning.

The Butterfly Club. Dec 13 - 18. Tinkerbell and the Dream thebutterflyclub.com Fairies. The Australian Shakespeare Company. Dec 21 Puffs The Play by Matt Cox. - Jan 23. Ripponlea House and CentreStage. Dec 16 - 23.

Gardens.

Warehouse 26. shakespeareaustralia.com.au centrestage.org.au John Foreman’s Aussie Pops The Comedy of Errors by Orchestra presents New Year’s William Shakespeare. The Eve & The Night Before. With Australian Shakespeare Marina Prior, Josh Piterman Company. Dec 18 - Feb 5. and Lucy Durack. Dec 30 & 31.

Melbourne Royal Botanic Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Gardens.

Hall. apoconcerts.com shakespeareaustralia.com.au Jagged Little Pill. Music and Christmas with Silvie Paladino. lyrics by Alanis Morissette.

Athenaeum Theatre, Book by Diablo Cody. From Jan Melbourne. Dec 18.

3. Comedy Theatre, ticketek.com.au Melbourne. jaggedmusical.com

War-Rak Banksia Festival.

Commemorating the reopening of La Mama HQ -

The Wind in the Willows by William Shakespeare. The Australian Shakespeare

WellBless by Debra Thomas and Ella Roth Barton. Dec 1 11. Theatre Works, St Kilda.

(03) 9534 3388. theatreworks.org.au Let Bleeding Girls Lie by Olivia Satchell with Chanella Macri, Belinda McClory and Emily Tomlins. Dec 8 - 19. La Mama Courthouse. lamama.com.au

64 Stage Whispers

Death and the Discotheque by Jessi Lewis. The Butterfly Club.

Jan 5 - 8. thebutterflyclub.com

Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show. Circa, by special arrangement with Aardman.

Jan 5 - 9. Sidney Myer Music Bowl. artscentremelbourne.com.au Oracle. Bass Fam Creative. Jan 5 - 8. Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne. artscentremelbourne.com.au Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The Australian Shakespeare Company. Jan 6 22. Athenaeum Theatre 2. shakespeareaustralia.com.au Alice in Wanderland. Book by Kim Edwards. Music by Sally McKenzie. Fab Nobs Theatre.

Jan 7 - 16. fabnobstheatre.com.au Summer of the Aliens by Louis Nowra. Geelong Rep Theatre Inc. Jan 6 - 16. Woodbin Theatre. geelongrep.com

Just $50 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine.

Watch This. Jan 15 - 23. Meat Market, North Melbourne. intothewoods2022.eventbrite.c om Touching The Void. Adapted

by David Greig from the book

by Joe Simpson. Melbourne Theatre Company. Jan 17 - Feb 19. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. mtc.com.au He/r by Eva Rees. Fairly Lucid Productions. Jan 18 - 30. fortyfivedownstairs. fortyfivedownstairs.com Shakespeare’s Ghost and The Devil You Know by Ian Robinson with Peter Eddy.

Smile Theatre Co. Jan 21 - 30.

Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale. smiletheatre.org Midsumma Festival. Jan 23 Feb 13 - Various venues. midsumma.org.au The Wedding Singer. Music: Matthew Sklar. Lyrics: Chad Beguelin. Book: Chad Beguelin & Tim Herlihy. David Venn Enterprises. Jan 27 - Feb 6.

State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne. weddingsingermusical.com.au Hypnosis by David Tristram. Jan 28 - Feb 12. Peridot Theatre. peridot.com.au And She Would Stand Like This

by Harrison David Rivers.

Antipodes Theatre. Feb 3 - 12.

Meat Market Stables, North Melbourne. antipodestheatre.com Fun Home. Music by Jeanine Tesori. Book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.

Melbourne Theatre Company.

Feb 7 - Mar 5. Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse. mtc.com.au Die Walküre by Wagner.

Melbourne Opera. Feb 7 - 13.

Her Majesty’s Theatre,

Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia & W.A.

Melbourne. melbourneopera.com

Love Song by John Kolvenbach.

The Mount Players. Feb 18 Mar 6. Mountview Theatre.

Artemis: Utter Mess by Artemis themountplayers.com Munoz. Midsumma. Feb 8 13. La Mama HQ. The Who’s Tommy. Victorian midsumma.org.au Opera. Feb 22 - Mar 1. Palais Theatre, St Kilda.

From All Who Came Before. artscentremelbourne.com.au Devised and performed by Milly Cooper and Ben Dracula: The Bloody Truth by Jamieson. Midsumma. Feb 8 - John Nicolson. The 1812 13. La Mama HQ. Theatre, Upper Ferntree Gully. midsumma.org.au Feb 24 - Mar 19. (03) 9758 3964. 1812theatre.com.au The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Tasmania Williamstown Little Theatre Inc. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Feb 9 - 26. wlt.org.au Stevenson, adapted by Les Clue On Stage by Jonathan Winspear. Big Monkey Theatre.

Lynn. Bairnsdale Production Jan 4 - 23. Royal Tasmanian Line Theatre Co. Feb 11 - 20.

Botanical Gardens.

Forge Theatre and Arts Hub. theatreroyal.com.au bairnsdaleproductionline.org Bluey’s Big Play: The Stage Homophonic! Produced and Show. BBC Studios and MC’d by Miranda Hill.

Andrew Kay in association with Midsumma. Feb 11- 13. La QPAC and Windmill Theatre Mama Courthouse.

Co. Jan 6. Princess Theatre, Launceston. midsumma.org.au theatrenorth.com.au The Story Keepers by Em Chandler. La Mama for Kids / South Australia Midsumma. Feb 12 & 13. La Hamlet in the Other Room.

Mama HQ Rehearsal Hub. Lead Writers: Lucy Haasmidsumma.org.au Hennessy, Poppy Mee, William Shakespeare. Good Company A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robert Theatre. Until Dec 12. Rumpus.

Freedman. Lilydale Athenaeum rumpustheatre.org Theatre Co. Feb 17 - Mar 5.

The Gruffalo. Adapted from (03) 9735 1777. the picture book by Julia lilydaleatc.com Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells. CDP Kids & Adelaide Festival Centre. Dec 8 - 12. Dunstan Mordialloc Theatre Company.

Feb 18 - Mar 5. Shirley Burke Playhouse.

Theatre, Parkdale. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au mordialloctheatre.com Bumming with Jane. Hannan We Will Rock You by Ben Elton Catherine Productions. Dec 9 and Queen. Ballarat Lyric 11. Holden Street Theatres.

Theatre. Feb 18 - Mar 5. Her holdenstreettheatres.com Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat. (03) The 13-Storey Treehouse. By 5333 5888.

Richard Tulloch, adapted from ballaratlyrictheatre.com.au the book by Andy Griffiths and Chancers by Robert Massey.

Terry Denton. CDP Kids & Brighton Theatre Co. Feb 18 Adelaide Festival Centre. Dec Mar 5. Brighton Arts & Cultural 14 - 16. Dunstan Playhouse.

Centre. 0493 069 479. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au brightontheatre.com.au

Advertise your show on the front page of stagewhispers.com.au

Guess How Much I Love You.

By Richard Tulloch, adapted from the books by Sam McBratney. CDP Kids & Adelaide Festival Centre. Dec 19 - 21. Dunstan Playhouse. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au Womb. Choreographer Samuel Hall. Jan 28. inSPACE development. Drama Centre Rehearsal Room, Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au An American in Paris. Songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Book

by Craig Lucas. The Australian Ballet and GWB Entertainment.

Feb 5 - 19. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide. americaninparis.com.au Adelaide Fringe. Feb 18 - Mar 20. adelaidefringe.com.au Rumours by Neil Simon. Tea Tree Players. Feb 23 - Mar 5.

Tea Tree Players Theatre. teatreeplayers.com Adelaide Festival. Mar 3 - 20. adelaidefestival.com.au Western Australia Cinderella, the Slightly Deviated Version by Yvette Wall. Irish Theatre Players. Dec 15 - 19.

Irish Club of WA, Subiaco.

0406 906 553 or trybooking.com/BUSLF ‘Twas The Week Before Christmas. Bloom. Dec 19.

Astor Theatre Perth. ticketek.com.au Cinderella. Zealous Productions. Dec 22 - 29. Regal Theatre, Hay St, Subiaco. ticketek.com.au The Wizard of Oz. By L. Frank Baum, adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. HAMA Productions.

Dec 31 - Jan 16. Crown Theatre, Perth. ticketmaster.com.au Stage Whispers 65

On Stage A Midsummer Night’s Dream

by William Shakespeare.

Fremantle Theatre Company / BANKWEST Shakespeare in the Park. Dec 29 - 30 - Leeuwin Estate, Margaret River; Jan 4 5 - Bunbury SHS, Amphitheatre; Jan 7 - 8 Albany Historic Whaling Station; Jan 12 - 15 - Walyalap Koort, Fremantle & Jan 19 - 29 - Kings Park, Perth. fremantletheatrecompany.com Jack and the Beanstalk by Ben Crocker. Busselton Repertory Club. Jan 1 - 16. Busselton Repertory Theatre. busseltonrepertory.com.au Annie Jr by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. Prompt Corner. Jan 7 - 8. Kings Park Botanic Gardens. trybooking.com/BUEZZ Priscilla Queen of the Desert by Alan Scott and Stephan Elliot.

Platinum Entertainment. Jan 8 23. Regal Theatre, Subiaco. ticketek.com.au Murder on the 518 by Michelle Giles. KADS - Kalamunda Dramatic Society. Jan 12 - 22.

KADS Theatre, Kalamunda. kadstheatre.com.au Debutante Directors - One Act Season by various authors.

Don’t Fear the Reaper, Aunt Leaf and A Tale of Two Spectators. Garrick Theatre. Jan 13 - 22. Garrick Theatre, Guildford. 0406 231 145. garricktheatre.asn.au Dirt by Angus Cameron. Fringe World Festival. Jan 14 - 30.

Home Economics, Girls School. fringeworld.com.au Kevin Kopfstein - Smoke and Mirrors. Fringe World Festival.

Jan 14 - 23. Girls School - The Briefing Room. fringeworld.com.au The Robert Finley Awards.

Independent Theatre Association. Jan 15. Newman 66 Stage Whispers

Western Australia

College, Churchlands. ita.org.au

Wildcard by Henry Boles. Blue Room Summer Nights and Henry Boles. Jan 27 - Feb 5.

The Blue Room, Perth Cultural Centre. blueroom.org.au

The Greatest Magic Show.

Showmen Productions / Fringe World Festival. Jan 15 - Feb 13.

Aurora Spiegeltent, The In The Arms of Morpheus.

Pleasure Garden.

Fringe World Festival. Jan 28 fringeworld.com.au Feb 13. The Gold Digger at Girls School.

The Woman Who Cooked Her fringeworld.com.au Husband by Debbie Isitt.

Wanneroo Repertory. Jan 20 - You & Me by Dan Rebellato.

Feb 5. Limelight Theatre, Fringe World Festival. Jan 31 Wanneroo.

Feb 5. Ace’s Cabaret Dress limelighttheatre.com.au Circle Bar, His Majesty’s Theatre WA. fringeworld.com.au Spencer by Katy Warner. Serial Productions. Jan 21 - Feb 5.

The Window Outside by Old Mill Theatre, South Perth.

Belinda Lopez. Wise Owl trybooking.com/BVFNE Theatre. Fringe World Festival.

Feb 1 - 5. Subiaco Arts Centre.

Defiant Women - Voices of fringeworld.com.au Protest and Change by Fifi Mondello. Fringe World The Mother of Compost by Festival. Jan 25 - 30. Cookery Noémie Huttner-Kouros. Blue at Girls School.

Room Summer Nights and fringeworld.com.au Noémie Huttner-Kouros. Feb 4 - 12. The Blue Room, Perth Stillbirth by Tingshe Jakwa.

Cultural Centre.

Blue Room Summer Nights and blueroom.org.au APK Productions. Jan 27 - Feb 5. The Blue Room, Perth Takatàpui by Daley Rangi. Blue Cultural Centre.

Room Summer Nights and blueroom.org.au Daley Rangi. Feb 4 - 12. The Blue Room, Perth Cultural 107 by Michelle Gould. Blue Centre. blueroom.org.au Room Summer Nights and Michelle Gould. Jan 27 - Feb 5. Leo/Taurus/Taurus by Michelle The Blue Room, Perth Cultural Endersbee. Blue Room Summer Centre. blueroom.org.au Nights and Lady Great Theatre Company. Feb 8 - 12. The Blue Conversations With a Fish by Room, Perth Cultural Centre.

Helah Kristy Milroy. Blue Room blueroom.org.au Summer Nights and Helah Kristy Milroy. Jan 27 - Feb 3.

Utopia by Amir Musavi. Blue The Blue Room, Perth Cultural Room Summer Nights and Centre. blueroom.org.au Tamsilgran. Feb 8 - 12. The Blue Room, Perth Cultural She’s Terribly Greedy by Eliza Centre. blueroom.org.au Smith. Blue Room Summer Nights and Clea Purkis. Jan 27 - The Complete Show of Water Feb 3. The Blue Room, Perth Skiing by Medina Dizdarevic.

Cultural Centre.

Blue Room Summer Nights and blueroom.org.au Laura Liu. Feb 8 - 12. The Blue Room, Perth Cultural Centre.

Salome δ by Olivia Hendry and blueroom.org.au Andrew Sullivan. Blue Room Summer Nights and Squid The Ugly by Joe Paradise Lui Vicious. Jan 27 - Feb 5. The and Phoebe Sullivan. Blue Blue Room, Perth Cultural Room Summer Nights and Centre. blueroom.org.au Renegade Productions. Feb 8 -

12. The Blue Room, Perth Cultural Centre. blueroom.org.au Mary Stuart. Adapted by Kate Mulvaney after Friedrich Schiller. Perth Festival and Fremantle Theatre Company.

Feb 10 - 25. Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia. (08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au Panawathi Girl by David Milroy.

Perth Festival and Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. Feb 10 - 15.

His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth.

(08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au Famous Family Felonies. Short plays by various authors.

Stirling Players. Feb 10 - 19.

Stirling Theatre, Innaloo. stirlingplayers.com.au And The Earth Will Swallow Them Whole by Rachel Arianne Ogle. Perth Festival. Feb 10 14. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia. (08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait. Melville Theatre. Feb 11 - 26. Melville Theatre. meltheco.org.au Heroes by Eleanor Mallinson, Darlington Theatre Players. Feb 11 - 26. Youth Musical. Marloo Theatre, Greenmount. marlootheatre.com.au Curse of the Mummy by Simon Denver and Ian Dorricott.

Primadonna Productions. Feb 11 - 12. Pinjarra Civic Centre.

Music Force, Mandurah.

The Lighthouse. Perth Festival and Patch Theatre. Feb 15 - 20.

Octagon Theatre, University of WA. (08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au Jali by Oliver Twist. Perth Festival. Feb 16 - 20. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia.

Just $50 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage

Western Australia & New Zealand

Online extras!

Explore the endless wonders of light in Patch Theatre’s The Lighthouse. youtu.be/Uv0-IE0xKJA Through its innovative use of light, sound, perspective and reflection, Patch Theatre’s The Lighthouse encourages you to engage, experiment and explore.

Discover it at the Octagon Theatre from February 15 to 20 as part of the 2022 Perth Festival. perthfestival.com.au Photo: Mark Gambino.

(08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au Body of Knowledge by Samara Hersch. Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, WA Youth Theatre and Perth Festival. Feb 23 - 26. Perth institute of Contemporary Art, Perth Cultural Centre. (08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au The Smallest Stage by Kim Crotty. Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre and Perth Festival. Feb 23 - 27.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia. (08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au

Carmen by Bizet. West Australian Opera and Perth Festival. Feb 25 - 26. WACA Ground, East Perth. (08) 6488 5555. perthfestival.com.au New Zealand Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, based on the film by Roger Corman. The Court Theatre, Christchurch. Until Jan 15.

0800 333 100. courttheatre.org.nz Break Bread. Created by Alice Canton, Freya Finch and Leon Wadham, with Jarod Rawiri.

Online at Silo Theatre. Until Dec 19. silotheatre.co.nz

Circa Theatre, Wellington. 04 801 7992. circa.co.nz Peter Pan Jr. By J.M. Barrie.

Score by Morris “Moose” Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Tauranga Musical Theatre. Jan 14 - 21. Westside Theatre. iticket.co.nz We Will Rock You by Queen and Ben Elton. Act Three Productions. Feb 2 - 12. The Regent on Broadway, Palmerston North. premier.ticketek.co.nz

Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, based on An American in Paris. Songs by the novel by Gregory Maguire.

George and Ira Gershwin. Book Illegally Blind by Susan North Shore Music Theatre.

by Craig Lucas. The Australian Williams. BATS Theatre. Dec 7 - Feb 4 - 26. SkyCity Theatre, Ballet and GWB Entertainment. 11. 04 802 4175. bats.co.nz Auckland. iticket.co.nz Feb 25 - Mar 12. Crown The Little Mermaid - The Les Misérables by ClaudeTheatre, Perth.

Pantomime by Simon Leary and Michel Schönberg, Alain americaninparis.com.au Gavin Rutherford. Jan 2 - 15.

Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel and Advertise your show on the front page of stagewhispers.com.au

Herbert Kretzmer. Additional Material by James Fenton.

Tauranga Musical Theatre. Feb 4 - 19. Baycourt - Addison Theatre. premier.ticketek.co.nz The Boy Friend by Sandy Wilson. Napier Operatic Society. Feb 16 - 26. Tabard Theatre. napieroperatic.org.nz Winding Up by Roger Hall. Feb 16 & 17. ASB Theatre, Marlborough. 03 520 8558.

Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. Papakura Theatre Company. Feb 18 - 26. ptc.org.nz A Midsummer Night’s Dream

by William Shakespeare.

Butterfly Creek Theatre Troup.

Feb 23 - Mar 5. Muritai School Yard, Eastbourne. bctt.org.nz Hilda’s Yard by Norm Foster.

Howick Little Theatre. Feb 26 Mar 19. hlt.org.nz Stage Whispers 67

Reviews

Mamma Mia! Photo: Vin Trikeriotis.

Mamma Mia! Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, book by Catherine Johnson, original conceived by Judy Craymer. Serasi Entertainment. Directed by Chris Dodson.

The Regal Theatre, Subiaco, WA. Nov 3 - 13.

NEW company Serasi Entertainment has burst onto the Perth theatre scene with a high quality, beautifully polished production of Mamma Mia! at the Regal.

Attracting a top-notch cast, with a well-respected production team, at the top of its core values Serasi has “Generosity of Spirit”, and this warmth shows in this open -hearted, feel-good production, also expertly crafted and performed, with very high production values.

Designer Wayne Herring’s stunning white and blue set beautifully evokes the Greek Island locale, and is moved by the cast to create multiple locations on the island. It is sensitively lit by Max Mackenzie - with particularly evocative use of colour. Remy Benn’s costume design mixes use of blue and white with strong colours and ABBA influenced design at key moments.

Mamma Mia! features two leading ladies, and both are outstanding. British émigré Holly Easterbrook makes an awesome Australian debut as Donna, with a stunningly sung, thoughtfully acted performance. She is wellmatched with Georgia Unsworth as Sophie, dynamic and loveable as the bride-to-be whose desire to meet her father sets the action in progress.

Great team-work and strong performances from the trio of potential fathers, Sam Rabbone, Alexander Circosta 68 Stage Whispers

and Ryan Dawson. Hayley Parker and Fifi Mondello bring energy and sass to Donna’s friends Rosie and Tanya.

Matthew Arnold gives a sensitive performance as Sky. Yoel Budianto is good fun as Eddie, while George O’Doherty is an audience favourite in a wonderfully comic performance as Pepper. Claudia Haines-Cappeau and Dakota Leak are lovely as Sophie’s best friends.

A tight and talented ensemble add pizazz and colour Great sounds from Musical Director / Conductor Liam House’s ten piece band, vocals under the guidance of vocal coach Becky May, and the sound design from Aaron Elliot.

A joy to watch, Mamma Mia! is a superb debut production from a company with excellent production values.

Kimberley Shaw Merrily We Roll Along Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by George Furth. Luckiest Productions and Hayes Theatre Co. Director: Dean Bryant. Choreographer: Andrew Hallsworth. Musical Director: Andrew Worboys. Oct 21 Dec 4.

FORCED to close after one preview, this cast and crew kept working during the long lockdown, re-opening the small theatre with a big-hearted production.

Famously flopping on Broadway in 1981, when it was cast mainly with teenagers, the musical has since been rewritten, gaining fans, enticed by a score many consider one of Sondheim’s most appealing.

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Merrily We Roll Along.

Photo: Phil Erbacher.

The importance of a few good tunes to a musical is playfully referenced, when a producer gives instructions about what sort of a melody is required on Broadway.

The narrative, based on a play by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart, could be described to a certain extent as naval gazing. It traverses the craft of writing musicals and producing films, with the action starting at the end and moving backwards in time.

But it is hard to imagine a better production of the piece. Andrew Worboys’ five-piece band impressively reproduce the full Broadway orchestra sound, whilst the set (Jeremy Allen) and costumes (Melanie Liertz) are deliciously in vogue for the 1970s and 60s.

Giving the production a further lift is the integration of video designed by Dave Bergman. At times the characters face cameras at the side of the stage with the images beamed up on a screen at the back. A highlight is an hilarious close-up of the central character, Franklin Shepard (Andrew Coshan), when he is put under a blowtorch on live television.

There are a number of show-stopping performances.

In the first scene, Elise McCann - as Mary Flynn - is a sublime drunk, as her wise cracking washed-up novelist character takes no prisoners at a disastrous party in 1975.

Ainsley Melham as Charlie is spectacular in his performance of a furious, bitchy musical rant. Tiarne Sue Yek (as Beth) brought goosebumps with her “Not A Day Goes By” and Georgina Hopson (as Gussie) sparkled with 1960’s glamour.

David Spicer

The Laramie Project.

The Laramie Project

By Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project. Red Phoenix Theatre Company (SA). Holden Street Theatres. Oct 21 - 30.

THE Laramie Project is a 2000 play about a senseless 1998 hate crime; the murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. Verbatim theatre, it is based on news reports, journals, diaries and interviews conducted and powerfully documented to create this three-act play.

Told through the eyes of sixty characters, it is presented by a 10-person Red Phoenix Theatre ensemble who set the bar very high for seamless and brilliantly timed ensemble performance. Tightly directed by Brandt Eustice (assisted by Tracey Walker), each scene and interaction segues and flows, harnessing the uniqueness of these talented performers.

Each actor makes personal impact, and the vignettes are memorable. Sharon Malujlo is ‘salty’ and witty as an elderly woman who ‘tells life as she sees it’. Nadia Talotta commands the stage with intensity and believability, whilst Anita Zamberlan Canala brings years of honed theatre experience to creating unique, differently performed characters. Jasmine Leech’s performance shows skill and versatility and Cheryl Douglas is mesmerising, particularly with her single-handed two person conversation.

Samuel Creighton does excellent work and Nick Kennet’s portrayal of seven characters is finely drawn.

Matt Houston turns his talent to creating a multitude of

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Stage Whispers 69

Online extras!

Discover a night of laughs and audience interaction at Fourthcoming. youtu.be/SVbSjIfZncY

Fourthcoming.

Photo: David Fell.

gentle, but also harsh, unforgiving characters. Tom Tassone brings great gravitas, and Chris Gun’s animation gives energy to seven totally different Laramie identities.

Set design by Kate Prescott uses simple drama blocks, and a few well-placed chairs. Richard Parkhill lights this show, literally allowing each actor to shine.

This is meaningful theatre that confronts audiences, reminding us that addressing and revisiting issues affecting the diversity of our communities is a must for our future.

Jude Hines

imbibes, never lead to a second. She’s determined to right the wrongs of the past and sets out to have four first dates with a succession of guys and finally get to that all important second date. Sebastian is a bookish guy who reads the classics, Franco a conspiracy theorist, Sandy, a mini-golf enthusiast, and Aaron a virgin and nerd.

The delight of the piece is that all the guys are played

by Married at First Sight’s Balbuziente. Cece Peters is fabulous as insecure Gwen, who keeps making these monumental dating mistakes, by getting pissed at the drop-of-a-hat when things aren’t going well. She’s likeable, believable, and could be any out-there, lonely 30Fourthcoming something chick.

Writer/Co-Director: Nelle Lee. Co-Director: Nick Skubij.

Having a genuine reality TV star in the cast is a big Shake & Stir and QPAC. Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. Oct 23 plus, and the buffed Balbuziente comes through with four - Nov 7. perceptive mini-portraits of a range of guys, with their SEX, liquid courage and finding Mr. Right are age old pluses and insecurities. Extremely likeable, he and Peters themes in the dating game, but they’ve been given an up- work wonders as a team, producing laugh after laugh. to-the-minute contemporary and interactive twist in Nelle Kudos to Nelle Lee’s script and to her co-direction with Lee’s Fourthcoming, a riotous rom-com from the Shake & Nick Skubi, which have produced this comic gem.

Peter Pinne Stir team. This is one show where you are encouraged to use your phone, checking in with an app, and participating in the action and end-result.

That One Time I Joined The Illuminati Opening with a near-naked Johnny Balbuziente and Created & performed by Lou Wall. Music by Lou Wall & Cece Peters in bed sets the scene for a raunchy night of James Gales. Melbourne Fringe Festival - Digital Fringe. theatre. But then reality strikes and we discover this is not Oct 13 - 17. reality, but thirty-something Gwen’s wet dream. She then THIS show is award-winning Lou Wall’s second foray tells us it is her fourteenth this week and asks Siri on her into digital theatre - and it’s slick, accomplished, fast and iPhone how many wet-dreams a week is normal? crazy. There are original songs of course, as we’d expect Gwen is in a rut. Too many first dates, where she over- from a composer/songwriter. Complicated exposition is 70 Stage Whispers

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Boy Swallows Universe.

Photo: David Kelly.

Online extras!

See how the stage adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe truly shines. youtu.be/uG_gHTKYsmg

delivered at head-spinning speed. Mind-boggling, dizzying, weird and wonderful digital effects are not just for the hell of it, or gimmicky. They are completely in keeping with the subject matter, which is the five and a half months attempt to find - and join - The Illuminati.

In the second lockdown, Wall, bored and lonely, goes down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, searching for the Illuminati. Do they really have a plan for world domination? If you could join, that would be really cool.

But it turned into an obsession.

The on-screen image of Lou Wall frequently splits or divides and becomes two...or three...or five images of Lou Wall because that’s what it felt like. Wall joined eight Facebook pages, but those turn out to be dead ends. Is a triangle the sacred symbol? Wait, that’s sort of the Freemasons’ symbol. No luck there. Eventually, a breakthrough - of sorts. Lou Wall contacts a woman called Debbie, who appears to live in Milwaukee. Debbie ain’t too literate. She asks for trust. She asks for money.

(Wall sends it. Uh-oh.) But they keep talking (electronically) for days and days - and when Debbie turns out to be a fake and a scam, Wall misses her.

Wall makes us believe it. Under the craziness and the comedy, there’s a poignancy too - but that maybe could only happen in a lockdown when what’s online becomes more real than, well, what’s real. That One Time I Joined the Illuminati is fast, inventive, sneakily profound, funny, and sad too - a knockout. The best show I saw in this 2021 Digital Festival.

Michael Brindley

Boy Swallows Universe

By Tim McGarry, based on the Trent Dalton novel.

Queensland Theatre. Directed by Sam Strong. Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane. World Premiere - Sept 3.

I MUST admit I prefer the psychedelic world of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe on the stage, rather than the novel. As readers of the best-seller know, it’s part Boy’s Own coming-of-age saga, part true crime, part Sunday tabloid sensationalist suburban horror story. But what has captured readers’ hearts is the unconditional love at the core of the Bell family, and the brotherly bond between Eli and August Bell. This is where the stage adaptation truly shines.

As well as accurately capturing the spirit of Dalton’s novel, the production showcases the collaboration involved in bringing this play to the stage after more than a year’s nervous wait. Playwright Tim McGarry and director Sam Strong worked on the script (with involvement from Dalton) for three years. McGarry has achieved no mean feat in honing this saga to a succinct play. And Strong must feel like a conductor, assembling a hand-picked team of craftspeople to make this story sing, welcoming some of our best character performers back to the stage, with ensemble players of the calibre of Anthony Phelan, Andrew Buchanan and Joss McWilliam joining performers making their QT stage debuts: Ashlee Lollback, Hsin-Ju Ely, Charles Ball, Anthony Gooley (whose empathetic Lyle is a pivotal portrayal) and Ngoc Phan as suburban underworld and Karaoke Queen, Bich Dang.

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Stage Whispers 71

Away.

Photo: Morgan Roberts.

Online extras!

Take a nostalgic journey with the Australian classic Away. Scan or visit youtu.be/6zU8hPUOjWc

This is a true ensemble piece, but as central character, Eli Bell, Joe Klocek is on stage for the whole play pressure equivalent to Shakespeare’s Richard III - and he delivers on all fronts, capturing all facets of Eli’s innocence, humour, frustrations, aspirations, heart and soul. There are strong scenes with Tom Yaxley (as a steady and wise August) and Anthony Phelan (a superbly philosophical Slim Halliday, contrasting with evil Tytus Broz).

Sound designer Steve Francis has assembled an excellent soundtrack from the 1980s, while his original music is cinematic and adds tension and tenderness that is crucial to the story. Designer Renée Mulder’s costumes are 80s classic pieces and her set is a blank concrete block that allows Craig Wilkinson’s videography to let us travel across the play’s multiple settings and the story’s dreamscapes. I loved the projected writing and the inkblot blurs of Eli’s mind, memories and suburban starry skies.

An unexpected treat was the movement work by Nerida Matthaei (movement director) and Nigel Poulton (fight and intimacy director), who bring animation, humour and poetic emotion to some scenes that could have been very dark. The novel’s dreamlike sequences would not be as effective without this work, or the encompassing palette of lighting designer Ben Hughes.

The vibe at QPAC for the world premiere was thankful, anxious, excited and overwhelming joy at seeing this production finally come to fruition.

Beth Keehn 72 Stage Whispers

Away

By Michael Gow. La Boite Theatre (Qld). Directed by Daniel Evans. Roundhouse Theatre. Oct 23 - Nov 5.

LA BOITE Theatre is saying farewell to its 2021 season in style with the beloved Australian classic, Away by Michael Gow. The cast - under Daniel Evans’ direction have dialled the comedic risk taking up to 11. The acting is superb.

Christen O’Leary is transcendent as Coral. Bryan Probets delivers a masterclass in physical comedy as Roy. Emily Burton has perfect timing as Gwen. Kevin Spink as Harry as has great stage presence and energy. Reagan Mannix has outstanding physicality as Tom, particularly when scaling the walls of the Roundhouse as Puck.

The actors must also be commended for their dancing skills, which shine in Liesel Zink’s lively, imaginative choreography. Sarah Winter’s clever set design works so flexibly in the round. Winter has also delivered such a clear and wonderfully realised vision for the costume design. The colour of the clothing is so well considered.

Ben Hughes provides superbly evocative lighting. He nails the golden hues of summer, the crackling reds and yellows of a beach bonfire, and the glittering excitement of a 60s dancefloor. All these visual elements combine to make the production look like an old polaroid picture.

Director Daniel Evans has also done a great job getting the cast to let go of their inhibitions. This is creative work without delving into self-indulgent, histrionic, or overdirected territory. Away is hilarious and life affirming.

Kitty Goodall

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Ladies’ Day. Photo: Amanda Waschevski.

The Wharf Revue: Can of Worms

By Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott.

Canberra Theatre. Nov 9 - 20 then touring NSW, VIC, TAS and NT. THEY’RE back! An unpredictable on-stage mix of liveaction cartoon and comic vaudeville enriched by occasional pieces of high-definition video and terrific wigs, The Wharf Revue assures us that Australia is not alone in its loony politics - and that we audience members are not alone in perceiving the lunacy.

The Revue’s characters include old friends with new complaints (including Jacqui; Kevin; Donald and Ivanka; John Howard; Scomo; and Pauline, James, and their new pal Mark; Her Majesty QE II; Jacinda). Others receive a fresh tarnish (Michaelia Cash, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, Joe “which way” Biden). The Revue’s topics are right up to date, timing is impeccable, and expression and gesture make every ingenious line priceless.

The Revue’s highly infectious humour and virulent jabs at the most deserving would themselves be entertainment enough. But crowning it all are the songs adapted to express our own disbelief, frustrations, and outrage in the face of utter political insanity. Their skilfully adapted lyrics aside, the numbers consistently delight through their vocal arrangements and how tightly these seasoned comedians - Biggins, Forsythe, Scott, and Amanda Bishop - sing four-part vocals, offering even the discerning ear only pleasant surprises.

Better than ever and now paddling under its own steam, this year’s Revue will leave you equally scandalised and delighted.

John P. Harvey Ladies’ Day

By Amanda Wittington. Ipswich Little Theatre. Directors: Jane Sheppard & Di Johnston. Incinerator Theatre, Ipswich, Qld. Sep 23 - Oct 9.

WITH the Spring Racing Carnival imminent, Ipswich Little Theatre’s choice to program this trifle was sound, and with a strong cast, the laughs were plenty.

The plot finds four lasses from a fish processing plant throwing off their wellies, hairnets and dust-coats for a day out at Royal Ascot in their finery and fascinators. Pearl (Relle Scott) is celebrating early retirement and hoping to meet the bookie she’s been having an affair with. Linda (Shala Wilson) is a shy naïve girl with a Tony Christie complex and mummy troubles. Jan (Julie-Anne Wright) is an Aussie whose husband walked out on her when she got pregnant, whilst Shelley (Amelia Hassem) is a dollybird who wears tight-fitting clothes and seems to have jumped straight out of Coronation Street. Callum Campbell plays all the blokes - fish-factory supervisor, ticket-tout, broadcaster and jockey.

Hassem shines as the fame and man hungry Shelley with a spot-on North Country accent, a faux-leather curve -hugging lime-green dress, and some vulnerability. Wright finds humor in getting sloshed; Scott’s Pearl is an all-too recognisable everywoman whose secret is not so secret

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Stage Whispers 73

Forbidden Broadway.

Photo: Christian Ingram.

when it is revealed; Wilson’s friendly interlude with one of the jockeys nicely delineates the shy character, whilst Campbell brought warmth and charm to every one of his roles and was particularly good as the broadcaster, the jockey and Barry the Bookie.

Peter Pinne

and timing, and creating a wonderful conflicting partnership and believable long-term relationship.

Paul Cook is strong as Willy’s nephew Ben Silverman, long suffering and patient, and there is solid support from the remaining cast.

A well-produced show, that had its audience completely involved, The Sunshine Boys, is a comedy The Sunshine Boys with depth that thoroughly entertained.

By Neil Simon. Rockingham Theatre Company. Directed by Kimberley Shaw Sue Hasey. The Castle, Rockingham, WA. Nov 12 - 27.

ROCKINGHAM Theatre Company stepped outside their Forbidden Broadway - Greatest Hits Volume 1 usual fare for their latest offering, Neil Simon’s

By Gerard Alessandrini. Directed by Andrew Dobosz. quintessentially American The Sunshine Boys.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. Nov 16 Debut director Sue Hasey assembled an excellent cast - 20. and crafted a production that tells this story well.

Rarely do you see a cabaret production as rapturously Assistant director Rob Walker created a brilliant set, received as Forbidden Broadway. The audience adored this beautifully recreating a two-room apartment in a New slick, expertly performed production, giving it a very York hotel. Attention to detail and excellent use of wear enthusiastic standing ovation. and grime on this set was second to none. Decoration While some of the references in this “best of” version was superb, with appropriate props by Miranda are now dated, all the people and shows featured are Santalucia. It was nicely lit by Jackie Hiscox, and well familiar to a theatregoing Perth audience, and while costumed by Travis Adams. opening night certainly attracted a “theatre crowd”, this Noel O’Neil leads the cast as a “cantankerous old would still be great to watch if you don’t understand the cuss”, former vaudevillian Willie Clark, who for 43 years jokes. The performance values are absolutely superb, and had a performance partnership with Al Lewis. This this quartet certainly can sing. relationship has broken down completely, but they are Elethea Sartorelli, Peter Cumins, Rachel Monamy and offered a chance to reunite. Noel brings a terrific New Callan Kneale perform some sensational send-ups of our York gunfire delivery to the role, giving us a complex, favourite shows. Hilariously funny, but sung with complete character and showing great comic timing. excellence and expert comic delivery, they are Rex Grey is great as Al Lewis, matching Noel with fire accompanied by Sammy McSweeney on grand piano. We 74 Stage Whispers

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enjoy a grand opening number, before looks at a plethora of shows and stars.

Highlights include Elethea as Liza Minelli, Rachel’s washed-up orphan Annie, Callan’s frequently reappearing Phantom of the Opera and Peter’s wonderful ensemble member from Cats.

You would be hard-pressed to see a better show, even if you don’t know the difference between Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber. Funny, fabulous and thoroughly entertaining.

Kimberley Shaw Radium Girls

By D.W. Gregory. Centenary Theatre Group. Director: Jason Nash. Community Centre, Chelmer, Qld. Oct 2 - 30 RADIUM Girls is another in those stories of the ‘little man’ (although in this case a woman) and their fight for justice against corporate America. Set in the 1920s, it follows a group of girls who are employed by the U.S. Radium Corporation in New Jersey, painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. They repeatedly twirl the brushes between their lips, unaware of the fatal consequences. In due course they will all die of radium poisoning.

D. W. Gregory’s play focuses on the personal stories, and particularly on Grace Fryer, who began working at the factory as a 15-year-old. Amy Westman’s performance as Grace begins with innocence and vulnerability, slowly building to a powerful strength as her illness becomes worse and her fight becomes more determined.

Cameron Gaffney plays company president Arthur Roeder’s ambiguous character well. Coming from a religious background, he’s torn between his conscience and wanting to do the right thing, but aware of his business and how devastating a lawsuit will be for it, erring on the corporate side.

The young romance between Grace and Tom (Jayd Kafoa) was honest and believable, and in another of his roles, Kafoa was a bright light as a newspaper reporter.

Australia is not short of its corporate bullies and workrelated illnesses (asbestos and coal, etc.) so the tale is very relatable. Kudos to director Nash and the Centenary team for shining a light on this injustice.

Peter Pinne Radium Girls.

PERFORMING ARTS MAGAZINE DEC 2021 & JAN/FEB 2022. VOLUME 30, NUMBER 5 ABN 71 129 358 710 ISSN 1321 5965

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LIMITED BACK COPIES AVAILABLE. ADVERTISERS We accept no responsibility for material submitted that does not comply with the Trade Practices Act. CAST & CREW Editor: Neil Litchfield 0438 938 064 Sub-editor: David Spicer Advertising: Angela Thompson 03 9758 4522 Layout, design & production: Phillip Tyson 0414 781 008 Contributors: Cathy Bannister, Anne Blythe-Cooper, Mel Bobbermien, Michael Brindley, Rose Cooper, Kerry Cooper, Ken Cotterill, Bill Davies, Coral Drouyn, Jenny Fewster, Peter Gotting, Frank Hatherley, Jude Hines, John P. Harvey, Barry Hill, Tony Knight, Neil Litchfield, Ken Longworth, Kitty Goodall, Rachel McGrath-Kerr, Roger McKenzie, Peter Novakovich, Peter Pinne, Martin Portus, Sally Putnam, Suzanne Sandow, Kimberley Shaw, David Spicer, Carol Wimmer, Mark Wickett, Beth Keehn, Geoffrey Williams and Debora Krizak.

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Stage Whispers 75

Musical Spice

Broadcasting From ABC To DIY

Since the last edition of this magazine, Stage Whispers has acquired a new toy that I have enjoyed playing with.

It is software called Streamyard, which is a bit like Zoom but is tailored to broadcast interviews.

When I worked at the ABC in the good old days there would be a room full of people - camera operators, mixers, switchers, etc - for a live broadcast to go to air.

Now I can do the lot from my laptop, with talent in another state beamed live onto Facebook and YouTube.

Caroline O’Connor was one of my guests on Stage Whispers TV live (youtube.com/StageWhispersTV), chatting from her house in Queensland. On the shelf behind her were Helpmann Awards and other gongs.

We spoke about her being cast in 9 To 5 The Musical and reminisced about her career. At one point we were able to ‘look around’ Dolly Parton, as you can see from the image below.

Caroline was very excited at the prospect of getting back on stage after two years.

“Sadly 9 To 5 The Musical was cancelled [in 2020], two weeks before rehearsals began. It is thrilling that the producers have not given up and will be opening at the Capitol Theatre in February,” she said.

It has been a very tough time for performers.

“I haven’t coped. I was terribly sad. At first, I was hanging in there but as it went on longer, I got more depressed.

“Now I am scared to get excited in case someone says it is not going to happen. But I think it will. Fingers crossed.”

My other major Stage Whispers live broadcast took place on the 50th anniversary of Currency Press. The publishing house was founded in 1971 by theatre critic Katherine Brisbane and her husband, Drama academic Dr Philip Parsons. Today it has more than 400 plays and reference works in print.

76 Stage Whispers December 2021 - February 2022

The popularity of the works of David Williamson was a major factor in the company’s commercial viability. The publication of his play The Removalists was credited by Currency Press chairman Nick Parsons with keeping the company afloat in the early years.

So, it was a coup to have the big man on the program alongside playwrights Debra Oswald and Emily Sheehan.

“Currency Press has done an amazing job in recording our drama history,” David Williamson said.

“As I have said often to my Currency editors, I never quite believe that one of my plays has happened until I hold my Currency Press edition.”

Debra Oswald said, “I started going to the theatre when I was 11 or 12 and after that I fell in love with plays. I used to go to Parramatta Council and beg the librarian to buy more [Currency Press] publications. “[Reading them] made me believe that it was possible to be a playwright in Australia.”

The subjects covered in the Q and A included whether many people read plays for pleasure?

The consensus was that unlike novels, plays are not a popular literature, but (unsurprisingly) the playwrights believe they should be.

“I do read plays for pleasure. [I read them] to get better at my craft, but they are also a fun way to pass the time. They are short reads and it might only take an hour on the couch,” said Emily Sheehan.

David Williamson noted that plays work best when read aloud.

“I enjoy reading them. The feedback I get from classroom teachers is that my plays came alive when the class started acting them out - as soon as students got them into their own mouths.”

Mouths feeding playwrights has a ring to it!

David Spicer

Read scripts, listen to music and order free catalogue at: davidspicer.com.au david@davidspicer.com (02) 9371 8458

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