Genesians End With A Song
The Genesian Theatre in Sydney's CBD will end their 75 years performing in their Kent Street HQ this month with a song.
Isn’t It Romantic? A tribute to the memory of Lorenz Hart, featuring songs by Rodgers & Hart, will star Robert Green with Alexander Sussman from Nov 28 - 30 as the final performance in the venue.
First built in 1868 as the St John's Church but later used as a poor house and a Matthew Talbot hostel, the building was sold by the Catholic Church to a property developer in 2018 - which allowed the company to keep using the premises in recent years, whilst the Genesians found and renovated a new home in the nearby suburb of Rozelle.
To toast the old theatre, patrons attending the cabaret will be able to stay and enjoy a drink on the stage.
Robert Green says, "Lorenz Hart is one of the great lyricists, writing in the first half of the 20th century. Hugely prolific, many of his songs endure because they continue to speak to the human condition, which despite the fact that we now live in the age of AI and chatGPT, hasn’t really changed much in 5,000 years.
"We continue to fall in love, out of love, yearn and pine for it. Hart’s often bittersweet lyrics, perhaps borne of his own experience, continue to strike a chord, and his humour and ingenious rhymes still make us laugh. While his work endures, the story of his life is not so well known, and it is that along with the songs including 'My Funny Valentine', 'Blue Moon' and 'The Lady is a Tramp' that we explore in the show, " Green said.
"My young nephews and nieces couldn’t believe how topical the songs still are despite being written in the 1920s, 30s and 40s."
"These three performances are fund raisers with all proceeds going to help finance the construction of Genesian Theatre Company’s new venue at Rozelle, which is going to be an extraordinary new and exciting theatre space, opening in January 2025."
"It will be the very last opportunity to see a show in this revered venue in Kent Street, which has been the home to Genesian Theatre Company for 75 years. After many false finishes, this really is it."
The company has an illustrious alumni that includes John Bell, Bryan Brown and Baz Luhrmann.
Tickets are $40 each and available here.
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