Australia Post has released a stamp issue for the 150th anniversary of the birth Australia’s first international “superstar,” soprano, Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931).
Griffin Theatre Company will throw open the Stables Theatre doors from Monday 6 June for a week-long festival celebrating all things new writing.
The festival will see industry, creatives, actors, playwrights and the general community flock to the Stables for a jam-packed week of events including the announcement of the winner of the 2011 Griffin Award for best new Australian play, Currency Press’s 40th Anniversary, and Griffin Studio’s interactive Heartbreak Hotel, as well as the 24-hour Play Offs and Griffringe performances.
The New York Times reports that the Broadway musicians’ union is waging a political-style campaign against the producers of Priscilla Queen of the Desert over the use of recorded music, based on the fact that Priscilla employs just nine live musicians, supplemented by taped music.
Morgan's Run, one of Colleen McCullough's great literary epics; the gritty and uplifting story of Richard Morgan, an 18th Century convict who survived the First Fleet voyage on the 'death ship' Alexander and found a new life on Norfolk Island, has been adapted to the stage by Sydney composer and singer, Gavin Lockley.
Given the book a few years ago, Gavin was so inspired by what he read that he wrote to McCullough's publisher to ask for permission to set her story to music.
Peter Kemp has been with Stage Whispers since the dawn of our magazine, attending up to eight productions a week. He reflects on the best and worst of 20 years of theatre.
Twenty years ago I was a theatre columnist for a local newspaper when Jeff Jones called me to ask if I’d be interested in writing for a new theatre magazine. My reply was yes, let’s get cracking, and I gave him all my contacts to help set it up.
I was the first previewer and reviewer. Most people thought I was Stage Whispers.
Tony Sheldon's first Broadway award has been announced, a 2011 Theatre World Award, for his performance in Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical.
Only six actresses and six actors are presented with a Theatre World Award for their debut performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production every year, and the award can only be received once.
The Theatre World Award annual ceremony on Tuesday, June 7 at 2:00pm at the August Wilson Theater will be attended by former winners and invited members of the theatre community.
After premiering in Sydney in 2008, then travelling to the New York Music Festival, Magnormos presents the Melbourne premiere of Australian musical The Hatpin on May 16, at Theatre Works, St Kilda.
Set in Redfern in 1892, The Hatpin is the true story of single mother Amber Murray, who in a desperate attempt to give her beloved baby a better life, finds herself embroiled in one of the most haunting and entrancing criminal trials in Australian history.
When you see the stage production of Mary Poppins at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, one of the things that really strikes you is the show’s stunning ensemble work. Neil Lichfield spoke to ensemble members Mitch Fistrovic, Ben Giraud, Natalie Alexopolous, Mark Hill, Kirsten King and Liam McIlwain.
At the Sydney media launch of Mary Poppins, a group of members of the fabulous Mary Poppins ensemble, obviously great mates, chatted with me as they hung out during their lunch break.
The multi-award winning smash hit musical WICKED marks yet another milestone on Saturday May 7 when it celebrated its 1000th performance in Australia. Recently opened at the Festival Centre in Adelaide, WICKED has had phenomenally successful seasons in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and moves to Perth’s Burswood Theatre in June.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert the Musical is set to hit the road in America. The show’s producers have announced that Priscillawill commence a US National Tour in Fall 2012, with the first city and date to be announced shortly.
The Australian musical has been the highest grossing new musical on Broadway, regularly taking well in excess of $900,000 at the box office each week at the Palace Theatre, breaking the magic $1 million once. The show’s Broadway cast recording, released in April, entered Billboard’s Top Cast Album Chart at number 1.
