Lesley Reed previews Butterfly Theatre’s January 2020 production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? If you miss this one, you’ll be out for the count!
Imagine being eleven or twelve years old and playing the most intense lead role imaginable, in a musical that is touring the country. Four boys playing Billy Elliot (pictured left - Jamie Rogers, River Mardesic, Omar Abiad & Wade Neilsen- phptograher James Morgan) carry the weight on their slight shoulders. The role is compared to Hamlet, such is in intensity of the time on stage and physical demands. With Billy Elliot the Musical open in Adelaide and soon in Melbourne David Spicer speaks with members of the cast.
As of March 2020, most current productions have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID19,
Shrek the Musical
Based on the much-loved DreamWorks movie, Shrek the Musical opened on Broadway complete with a dragon portrayed by a large animatronic head.
This production has less technology and more old-fashioned show business schtick. Instead of a robot, Australian audiences will have the star power of Marcia Hines as the dragon.
As Queensland Theatre prepares for its milestone 50 years of operation in 2020, it ends 2019 by celebrating the tenure of artistic director, Sam Strong, who leaves the company after four years.
Nominations have been announced for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2019, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday 20 January 2020 at 7pm at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre.
Fresh from a prestigious Olivier Award nomination in London, Bernadette Robinson is returning to Australia for a new tour of her one woman show Songs for Nobodies, written by Joanna Murray-Smith, in which she portrays five ordinary women, the “Nobodies” of the title, and the iconic vocalists (Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Patsy Cline, Billie Holliday and Maria Callas) who inspired them. Bill Stephens reports.
The 60th anniversary of Adelaide Fringe takes place in 2020, from February 14 to March 15, featuring 1210 events, with more than 7000 artists and 361 venues set to take part.
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said the substantial growth this festival has seen in the last 60 years has solidified its place as the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
