arts&entertainment
All in French and all for Brel By Helen Musa WHEN John Waters stepped on stage at the Canberra Theatre some years ago to perform the role of John Lennon in “Looking Though a Glass Onion”, you’d have sworn it WAS John Lennon, so perfectly was this role realised both from the outside and the inside. “I call it channelling,” Waters tells me, “but I’m not doing that this time.” Waters, will be here again on July 3 to perform in “Brel”, his tribute to one of the great singer-songwriters of the 20th century, Belgian-born Jacques Brel, and he’ll do it all in French. The English-born actor, who has been speaking fluent French since he backpacked around France in his rock ‘n’ rolling youth, has been a fan ever since he heard a Brel song performed by a street singer in the south of France. “I asked him what it was and I took it back to London with me,” he says. Waters says this production consists of “a few songs, not a narrative”. Mind you, when he thinks about it, apart from Brel’s most famous song “Ne me Quitte Pas” (“When You Go Away”), most of them are narratives. “Some are like stories, some like paintings with beautiful brushstrokes,” Waters says. A case in point is the song “La Valse a Mille Fois” (“Waltz in 1000-time”), which begins at normal pace and speeds up to conjure up what he calls “the swirling life of the city.”
John Waters... been speaking fluent French since he backpacked around France in his rock ‘n’ rolling youth.
While Waters knows he has a growing fan base among the French-speakers in Australia, he declares “this song is especially good for English speakers. They feel like they’ve been to Paris”. He is busy rehearsing for a tight tour after singer David Campbell, now director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, asked him to do the Brel songs he had made
famous throughout the ‘70s and ‘90s for that event. He’s also doing shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Canberra, Brisbane and some coastal towns before beginning work on “Offspring”, a new TV series for Channel 10 scripted by Debra Oswald. “Brel”, The Playhouse, July 3. Bookings to www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au or
Another bright burst of breakfast ‘Time Team’ winners
Congratulations to “CityNews” readers Roger Bush, of Kambah; Lily Troupe, Forde; Kirsty Brown, Kaleen; Jacqui Britton, Narrabundah, and Jessica Wilson, Bungendore, who have each won the “Time Team” DVD “Friars Wash and other digs”.
24 CityNews June 17-23
FOR years now, artespresso in Kingston had been closed for breakfast, but things have changed and it hasn’t taken long for word to get out that the restaurant has re-opened on Saturdays and Sundays for those who like to dine out for their first meal of the day. A group of us gals recently headed to artespresso, curious to see what the menu offered, and the restaurant was buzzing. Three breakfasts (one with an extra side of bacon), two large fresh juices and six coffees later, the bill came, averaging around $23 each. Excellent value, we agreed, for the quality of the food and friendly, efficient service – in a restaurant
The three-cheese omelet – grana padano, gruyere and fromage blanc – was accompanied with delicate chervil DINING ($14). It was absolutely delicious and the By Wendy Johnson side of quality bacon a generous portion. The croque monsieur – a fancy that has retained a lovely brasserie name for a hot ham-and-cheese grilled type atmosphere, with floor-to-ceiling sandwich – was packed with gruyere, windows and rotating art hanging on the parmesan and quality ham ($10.50) and walls. a great option for someone who doesn’t My strawberry and ricotta hotcakes want a huge breakfast. with genuine maple syrup and an elegant, After an early start artespresso moves sweetened whipped crème Chantilly was into a lovely brunch with lots of dishes to $14.50. The strawberries tasted as though enjoy. they had just been hand picked from the garden and the hotcakes were lovely and Artespresso, 31 Giles Street, Kingston. light. Call 6295 8055.