Page 8 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 4, 2013
www.MelbourneObserver.com.au
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Music Play returns to Melb.
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I love my job!
■ The Melbourne Recital Centre has some wonderful activities for the children over the festive holiday break in January. Music Play, the successful children’s event, is back next year for its fourth year. Play, discover, engage and learn at Music Play. It is an exciting summer holiday musical festival for children and families. The festival encourages young music lovers and their families to immerse themselves in a world of music through an exciting mix of interactive concerts, workshops and musical activities. The Centre’s foyers also come alive with a range of free, fun and interactive experiences from January 16-18.16 – 18 January 2014. Among the wonderful acts that are on for children is Bear With Me, warm, fuzzy and playful An intimate concert especially for younger bears, children (and their grown-ups), Bear With Me is playful, ukele-ful and made to join in. Presented by Tyrone and Lesley, this interactive concert is about looking after loved ones, and being looked after. Sometimes it’s no picnic being a teddy bear but being cherished makes the rougher moments bearable. Bear With Me plays with the warm and fuzzy, exploring music and performance as well as the joy and turmoil of everyday life. Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre for ages 3 to 6 and their families. Thursday, January 16. Salon 9.30am, 12.30pm and 2pm Duration: 45 mins (including interval) Tickets: $23 Bookings: melbournerecital.com.au or phone 9699 3333
For MAKING MEMORIES OF US
● Suzanne Vega: see story at right
Christmas at Crown ■ I am one of those painful people who put my Christmas tree up mid-November and have all my Christmas cards ready to be posted. With nearly all my Christmas presents wrapped and ready to go either into post or under people’s trees, I am always really happy to see all the decorations go up around the city, Melbourne really embraces Christmas and the festive season in such a big way. The decorations at Myer and David Jones are stunning as usual and certainly some of the shopping centres look great, Como Shopping Centre looks particularly good this year; one venue that never fails each year is Crown. I always find it a must to go in and look at the decorations and it certainly spurs on the festival cheer if I am slow on the mark. This year is no exception; a world of festive celebrations has certainly come to Crown. It will transform into a Christmas wonderland this festive season with dazzling décor, enticing entertainment, festive dining offerings and glamorous gift options. To spread the holiday cheer, Crown will have 26 Christmas trees around the complex, giant red baubles within the Crown Metropol lobby, a decadently decorated three metre tall Christmas tree at Crown Towers as well as roving entertainment from December 12 to 24 with elves, the Christmas Belles performers and even visits from Santa himself. It really is worth visiting. I always take friends and family visiting Melbourne there for a festive glass of something cold and bubbly and look at all the decorations each year. There are also the wonderful restaurants at Crown; my favourite is Silks, on Level 1, Crown Towers. It’s my choice of place for special occasions. They really have the best Chinese food in Melbourne; they currently have a wonderful $50 two-course lunch including a glass of wine. Christmas Eve sees their splendid A la carte menu. It is such a treat. Christmas Day Luncheon is still $180 for an elegant Chinese banquet menu with a glass of champagne. It’s really worth a visit.
■ I first met Keith Urban when he came on to Tonight Live with Steve Vizard way back. He was a stunner; gentle, kind and a talented Aussie singer. He was home grown and now of course he is all those things and more ... and a superstar. He is coming back to tour Australia and not before time. His Light The Fuse Tour will hit Australia in June next year. When it comes to an all-energy show with a world class production, the Grammy and ARIA Award winner certainly delivers, and this is exactly what Australian audiences can expect when Urban hits our shores. Chugg Entertainment is bringing him home for the tour which will take in Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney, Narrabri, Perth and Melbourne. The all-new show
with leading Melbourne publicist DI ROLLE
Big year for MRC
will not only feature first time performances of new music from nis No 1 album Fuse but will boast a production size and scope that has become synonymous with Urban’s electrifying concert experiences. He is stunning live in concert. Once seen never forgotten and once been. want to go
● Keith Urban back … a lot! If Urban’s previous tour of Australia, the 2013 The Story So Far is any indication, as it was completely sold out, then fans shouldn’t wait to buy tickets for the The Light The Fuse Tour Australia! Keith Urban will perform in Melbourne on Wednesday, June 25 at Rod
Laver Arena. Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Monday (Dec. 9), from www. ticketek.com For all official Keith Urban news and ticket information, go to www.keith urban. net Yhis is once concert for which I would almost be tempted to camp out. Thank you Michael Chugg!
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
■ Talking about fabulous people not to miss, John Cleese is coming back to our shores. Brilliant, funny, and certainly one of the most influential and important comedians in entertainment history, Cleese is a founding member of Monty Python and responsible for some of the most iconic films and television comedies ever made, including The Life of Brian, Meaning Of Life and Fawlty Towers. John also starred in major Hollywood hits A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures. John Cleese will be back with an encore tour by public demand He will be in Melbourne at the Comedy Theatre on March 18-19, a perfect venue for him, Tickets are available from Ticketmaster 1300 111 011 www.ticketmaster.com.au John will regale fans with stories and exclusive clips from
● John Cleese
his illustrious 40 year career. It’s an opportunity to get up close with a true living legend. A force behind some of the most ground-breaking comedy of the 20th Century, Cleese’s last national tour in 2012 was a total sell out and this encore tour will be prior the recently announced Monty Python reunion in London in July. Few comedy troupes have reached the same fame as Monty Python, and a large part of that success was due to John Cleese and impeccable timing and sense of humour. Cleese has mastered everything from dry wit to slapstick humour, making this type of humour one that everyone can enjoy. He is the master comedian and admired and respected by everyone. Cleese is looking forward to returning to Australia to soak up our summer sun.
■ Melbourne Recital Centre will be closed for maintenance during January apart from the Music Play Children’s Festival. 2014 will see more fabulous artists at Melbourne Recital Centre and celebrations will be in full swing for the fifth birthday. One of the fabulous singer-songwriters coming to perform next year at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is Suzanne Vega. One of my favourite songs ever is Marlene On The Wall. This song, sung by this leading lady of the 1980s, was one of the great pop songs of my youth. I always loved the song but didn’t really know what it was about. I have been listening to it a lot lately and have discovered that it was about a picture of Marlene Dietrich - who Vega long admired - that was given to her by friends. She said the very first time she ever saw Marlene Dietrich in a movie. She was watching television in her apartment in the East Village in New York City. She saw the beautiful close up of Marlene Dietrich on her television set and from that moment on she was hooked on Marlene. She wrote the song in her twenties and had a photograph of Marlene Dietrich in her bedroom for years. Suzanne Vega became the vanguard of a new generation of female singer-songwriters in the 1980s. Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, her contemporary folk music has inspired a generation of female singer-songwriters such as KT Tunstall, Tracey Chapman and Alanis Morissette. A masterful storyteller, her distinctive, clear vibrato-less voice finds poetry in the everyday. Notably understated, often cerebral but also streetwise, her lyrics invite multiple interpretations. Suzanne Vega’s work is immediately recognisable as utterly distinct and thoughtful, and as creative and musical now as it was when her voice was first heard on the radio over 20 years ago. Vega is an artist that continues to surprise. In 2006, she became the first major recording artist to perform live in avatar form within the virtual world Second Life. She has also dedicated much of her time and energy to charitable causes, notably Amnesty International, Casa Aliauza (supporting homeless, trafficked and exploited youth) and the Save Darfur Coalition. See Suzanne Vega on Saturday, April 29, at 7.30pm. Tickets from $50 book www.melbournerecital.com.au 9699 3333. Trust me, this is a must see. ■ Thank you to Alan Howe who wrote me the most wonderful email about Bill Bryson who I mentioned in my last column. I have since started to read Bill Bryson again and have gained a whole new love of his writing. Wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Bryson’s mate Alan Howe.