Melbourne may be the world’s number one sports city, but it’s also one of the foremost festival cities in the world. There are 39 Arts Festivals in any given year and first and foremost is the Melbourne Festival (October 11 – 27, 2012), which launched on Monday Evening (July 30) at The Sofitel Hotel, a great supporter of the Arts.
This was our favourite moment from the opening ceremony, when the Queen's stunt double Gary Connery jumped out of the helicopter prompted by the cool hand of James Bond.
Here they are, just about to take the plunge.
Imagine the fun in setting up the whole event. They must have had a big whiteboard. OK, we'll get the Queen to jump out of plane, Rowan Atkinson can play Chariots of Fire, David Beckham can come in a on speed boat!
The National Theatre of Great Britain’s hit production of One Man, Two Guvnors will tour Australia in 2013.
It will premiere at the Adelaide Festival between 28 February to 9 March 2013, then at Sydney Theatre Company from 30 March to 11 May 2013, before a Melbourne season from 17 May to 22 June 2013 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse as part of the 2013 MTC season.
Joseph Ting is fed up with the “glow worms” of modern theatre - people texting and tweeting on the phone from the audience. But when Stage Whispers asked our Facebook friends for their audience horror stories…the responses were hilarious.
The argument was persuasively made by my theatre-auteur companion. A season of delightful cultural immersion in London would be well worth the disorientating stresses of a long-haul flight from the Antipodes.
Musical Theatre legend Elaine Paige will be returning to Australia in October 2012, following the success of her 2009 tour.
Elaine Paige is a bona fide legend of musical theatre. Making her West End debut in 1968 she was thrust into stardom when she originated the role of Evita Perón in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1978 production of Evita, winning the Laurence Oliver Award for Performer of the Year. Paige followed up by creating the role of Grizabella in the record-breaking production Cats, recording the Top 10 hit song “Memory”.
Belvoir’s sold-out production of Death of a Salesman will transfer to the Theatre Royal for two weeks from 23 October 2012.
‘We have been overwhelmed by the audience’s response to Death of a Salesman. People are queuing from 7am to buy day seats and standing room and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to meet the demand,’ said Belvoir’s General Manager Brenna Hobson.
The National Theatre of Great Britain and Global Creatures announced today (June 16) that the multiple Tony and Olivier Award-winning War Horse will extend its’ Australian production to include seasons in Sydney and Brisbane in 2013, following its previously announced Melbourne season.
It’s a sad but familiar story. The young rock star whose flame burns out due to living life in the fast lane. In the case of legendary musician Gram Parsons he literally did end up in flames, albeit after he died. His life is being portrayed in Melbourne in a new show performed by Jodie Lane. Lucy Graham reports.
Jordie Lane, the 27 year-old Australian singer-songwriter, has put his writing life in Los Angeles on hold to prepare to play legendary musician Gram Parsons in Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons.
