Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - Page 35
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Radio: 3MBS nominated for awards ...................... Page 36 Thea tr e: Akmost Face To Face ..................................... Page 3377 heatr tre: Country Music: Gena’s second prize .............................. Page 36 Jim and Aar on: Top 10 lists, movies and DVDs .............. Page 38 Aaron: Cheryl Threadgold: Local theatre shows, auditions ........... Page 39 PL US THE LLO OVATT”S MEGA CRO PLUS CROSS SWORD
Avenue Q at Doncaster ‘Dead Set’ returns
● Meet the cast of Avenue Q. Ryland Sack (left) , Merryn Degnan,, Steven Walker, Claire de Freitas, Giulian De Vincentis, Guada Banez, Ryan Purdy and Kelly Wild.r ■ The Phoenix Theatre Company presents Avenue Q from October 24 -November 1 at the Doncaster Playhouse, 679 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster. This quirky, laugh-out-loud musical tells the timeless story of a recent college graduate named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. There, he meets Kate, the girl next door; Rod the republican; Trekkie the internet sexpert; Lucy the slut and other colourful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life. Avenue Q is directed by Brenton Van Vliet and Katie Packer, musically directed by Katie Packer and Phill Scanlon and choreographed by Renee Maloney. Bookings: 9012 5897 www.phoenixtheatrecompany.org - Cheryl Threadgold
The Last Torch
Showbiz Briefs
● John Davidson is Murrough ‘One Eye’ MacSweeney, in The Last Torch. More details on Page 37
■ What a televisual delight to watch the subtle intelligence (dare we say flirting?) of Jennifer Byrne with author Thomas Kenneally on ABC’s Book Club interview series. ■ English language pedants will be interested in Byrne’s use of the word ‘aborginals’ as a noun, rather than aborigines. ■ And full marks to Brilliant Creatures (ABC-TV) with its first instalment concentrating on Clive James, Robert Hughes, Barry Humphries and Germaine Greer. It is presented by novelist Howard Jacobson. ■ Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton will present their final At The Movies episode on ABC-TV on December 9. The pair have fronted the show for 28 years. ■ Trademark lingering looks in The Bold And The Beautiful have been trimmed by Network 10, by as much as 1:22 in each 30-minute episode ... so there is more time to air commercials. ■ Former Melbourne radio man Tony MacManus is returning to 3AW sister station 6PR to host their Saturday night program. ■ Steve Woods is now hosting a weekly show called Musical Notes on Vision Australia Radio (1179 AM), reports Greg Newman of Jocks Journal.
● Ian Pidd and Sue Giles in Dead Set ■ Dead Set was first performed at La Mama some 20 years ago and yet this quirky, well-crafted musical, feels fresh, funny and original. Written, composed and performed by established theatre directors, Sue Giles and Ian Pidd, the play tells the story of Lionel Tonks (Pidd), a maths teacher complete with Rubiks cube who dreams of being a successful songwriter, and Verity Charity (Giles), English teacher, gifted lyricist and compulsive liar. Recognising how bad he is at metaphors (an introductory song comprehensively and wittily illustrates the point) Lionel advertises for a lyricist. Enter Verity Charity. There are plenty of hilarious moments as the two create a world of their own – “a double life”, to write the great Australian musical, Humping The Swag. There is so much to like about this play. The performances are exceptional – Giles’s over exuberant and uber confident Verity Charity is contrasted by the prickly and insecure Janice Black. Pidd plays the boring maths teacher with consummate awkwardness – only finding his true self when he is the “songwriter”. I particularly enjoyed the classroom scene where he attempted to solicit answers to his unanswerable questions from the audience (enthusiastically assuming the role of students). Music features strongly in the play and Giles and Pidd prove to be talented musicians – it’s amazing how good one guitar and two voices can sound. They created some wonderful melodies with catchy, humorous and sometimes rather odd lyric s. This is clever and entertaining theatre with a dash of nutty charm. I highly recommend this Melbourne Fringe Festival offering at La Mama – you don’t want to wait another 20 years to see it. Season: Until September 28 Time: Wed, Fri 8.30pm, Thurs, Sat, Sun 6.30pm Venue: La Mama, 205 Faraday St, Carlton Tickets: $25 Full, Concession $15 Bookings: www.lamama.com.au or 9347 6142 - Review by Beth Klein