In this issue
An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical ......................................... 6 Author and cast ready for action
6
Moonshadow ................................................................................ 10 Cat Stevens / Yusuf musical premieres in Melbourne
12 16
Theatre in a Time of War ............................................................... 12 Australian actress Hellen Rose spreads theatre in Afghanistan Social Media and Theatre .............................................................. 16 A new play explores the impact of Facebook Michael Crawford .......................................................................... 18 The original Phantom shares his secrets Audiences Behaving Badly ............................................................. 20 Twittering, texting and worse in our theatres Sunshine State Singing to a Different Tune .................................... 22 Newcomers at the helm of Opera Queensland Legally Blonde ............................................................................... 28 Frank Hatherley negotiates the Media Launch
28 35
New Zealand Theatre..................................................................... 30 What’s hot in Amateur and Professional theatre Sound and Light............................................................................ 36 Creating an underwater fantasy; Lighting on a budget
30
Stage Heritage .............................................................................. 44 The redhead who electrified the Australian stage Director’s Diary - The Merchant of Venice ..................................... 88 Con Costi, fishmonger by day, director by night
36 54 58 2 Stage Whispers May - June 2012
Regular Features CDs and DVDs
25
Broadway and West End
26
On Stage - What’s On
46
Reviews
58
Showbiz Puzzles
91
Musical Spice
92
In this issue, we introduce some exciting new online interactions. To make the most of your experience you will need a QR code scanner. If your smartphone doesn’t have one installed, http://bit.ly/gYbnAN browse your app store, or try one of these free options. http://bit.ly/zw8t5l
THE NEXT ISSUE OF STAGE WHISPERS IS FOCUSSING ON COSTUMES, SETS & PROPS