5 minute read
GHOST STORY
■ 2:22 A Ghost Story has its Australian premiere when opening in Melbourne at Her Majesty's Theatre this week, running for a fourweek season.
Starring Ruby Rose, Daniel MacPherson, Gemma Ward and Remy Hii, the hit play is written by Danny Robins and directed by Matthew Dunster.
Since opening in the West End in 2022 and winning multiple awards, the supernatural thriller is said to have since become highly popular in London.
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam won't have any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again?
Belief and scepticism clash, but something strange and frightening is getting closer. So, they are going to stay up until 2.22, and then they'll know.
Performance Details: July 27 for four weeks.
Venue: Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne.
Bookings: Ticketek
- Cheryl Threadgold
Surviving Sunset
■ The Australian premiere of Surviving Sunset: An Actor's Hollywood Journey will be screened at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival at 4.40pm on Sunday (July 30).
Surviving Sunset tells the story of the challenging and often unglamorous life through the lens of writer/ director Shaun-Anthony Robinson. The documentary follows Robinson on a six-week trek through the trials and tribulations of trying to make it in Hollywood.
Surviving Sunset presents the gritty reality of the actor’s journey where making it is as likely as winning the lottery.
Robinson’s own story is supported by interviews with other Australian actors including George Kapiniaris (Acropolis Now), Shane Connor (Wentworth) and Roger Ward (Mad Max). Even Channel 10's entertainment reporter Craig Bennett makes an appearance.
“I’m so excited to be presenting my film at the festival,” said Shaun-Anthony Robinson, writer / director “This exciting milestone signifies the culmination of five years of relentless dedication and hard work to bring my story to life.”
The film features behind-the-scenes footage taking the audience right to the coal face of the industry.
Robinson in this film gives voice to the thousands of hopefuls not just from Australia but all over the world who arrive in Hollywood hoping to ‘make it’.
The documentary is raw and taps into Robinson's own traumatic childhood which led him to the stage. Having worked as a truck driver for most of his adult life, it was in his 30s that Robinson decided to focus on his first love –acting.
Robinson quickly carved a name for himself as the tough guy and appeared in TV shows including Frayed, Home and Away, The Secret Daughter, and Blue Murder and the feature films Event Zero, Dumb Criminals and The System.
The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival will run until July 30 at Cinema Nova, Carlton. Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. Tickets are available from Cinema Nova. For more information about the film visit www.survivingsunset.com
- Cheryl Threadgold
Gershwin and Me
■ Virtuosic pianist and Gershwin aficionado Simon Tedeschi performs George Gershwin's masterpieces on Tuesday, August 1 in the Toorak Synagogue, which will be opened to the public for this exclusive event.
With three albums of Gershwin’s music and countless acclaimed performances of Rhapsody in Blue under his fingers, Tedeschi will
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Simon present a suite of favourites including Rhapsody, Summertime, I Got Rhythm and more. The program will also feature works from composers within Gershwin’s world including Rachmaninov, Chopin and Debussy. Trumpeter Matt Jodrel will also make a guest appearance.
As he explains, Tedeschi’s affinity with Gershwin is multifaceted.
“I performed Gershwin with Larry Adler, who performed with Gershwin himself at a party. I was Larry’s last pianist - there were about seven decades between us.
“Rhapsody in Blue also connects me to another wonderful musician, the conductor, impresario, arranger and survivor Tommy Tycho, with whom I first performed Rhapsody in Blue.”
He describes Gershwin’s music as a clashing of ideals, a syzygy of styles, from Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Klezmer and the Viennese School to the blues, jazz and Latin music.
“Gershwin is the exemplar of an American composer, and I can’t wait to come to Melbourne to share with audiences a musical icon who has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m particularly looking forward to experiencing the acoustics of the Toorak Synagogue and the beautiful space that will certainly enhance the experience.”
Performance Date: Tuesday, August 1 at 7pm
Venue: Toorak Synagogue, Cnr Toorak and St Kilda Rds., South Yarra
Tickets: From $38
Bookings: gershwinandme.eventbrite. com.au
- Cheryl Threadgold
Theatre Works
■ Fabricated Rooms and Theatre Works present June from July 26 to August 5 at Theatre Works, St Kilda.
Written by Patrick McCarthy and directed by Emily Tomlins, this solo work will be performed by Caroline Lee.
After spending a year in silence, June invites an audience into her world. At times charming, at others shimmering with rage, she arrives fully formed but alters at will.
A gentle and challenging play about moving through the world and finding a voice that fits who you have become.
Performance Details: July 26 - August 5
Venue: Theatre Works, 14 Acland St., St Kilda
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au
Duration: 70 minutes
■ For classical music lovers, Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations are always a delight. While they were originally composed for keyboard, Australian composer Julian Yu has written a new arrangement for Australia’s much-loved Flinders Quartet, commissioned by the Myer Foundation.
And it is an arrangement with a difference, as it includes the traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument called an erhu, played by virtuoso Dong Ma.
Also on the program for the Flinders Quartet latest tour, is a work commissioned by the quartet called Dissipate, by Brenda Gifford
The idea behind the tour was to combine a range of cultural backgrounds and styles, all brought together through music.
“Our life’s work is centred around blending different sounds and different musical ideas into a cohesive artistic statement,” Flinders Quartet’s Zoe Knighton explains.
“This concert program has been incredibly rewarding and satisfying to create, with the end result serving to facilitate musical conversations across time, geography and language.”
There are regional performances by the Flinders Quartet at Shepparton Art Museum on August 5 and a sold out concert at Macedon Music on August 6.
Melbourne music lovers can make a diary note of November 10 at the Monash David Li Sound Gallery, while Yarra Valley audiences can enjoy the concert on November 11 at Warburton Arts Centre.
For more information and bookings, visit www.flindersquartet.com
Julie Houghton
Untitled Three Hander
■ A new, self-funded, independent theatre company has arrived in town. Limelight Department Theatre Company will present their inaugural production Untitled Three-Hander from July 26 to August 6 at the MC Showroom, Prahran.
Written by Hayden Hayes and directed by Tony Rive, this new Australian drama is described as 'all style with no substance'.
The story tells of a young woman (Rillo) stepping in and before too long being unwittingly immersed into the lives of two dependent men. 'Think Pinter and LaBute, it's as close to a sitcom as you'll find on stage.'
Emphasising the show will entertain audiences, Untitled Three-Hander is promoted as 'There’ll be no lessons learnt, politics unravelled, or faith questioned - just two guys, a girl, and another girl.'
- Cheryl Threadgold
People Pars
■ Ashlea Hansen has left Channel Seven after a decade of crime reporting at the network and has joined Sky News Australia as a Freelance News Anchor.
■ Michaela Carr has been appointed Network Producer for ARN, where she will be responsible for PM news coverage across ARN’s extensive network of stations. Most recently, she was a Presenter at 6PR and before that, held a similar network position at the ABC. Michaela begins on Monday (July 31).
For mature audiences.
Performance Details: July 26 - August 6
Venue: MC Showroom, L1/50 Clifton St, Prahran
Bookings: www.themcshowroom.com
- Cheryl Threadgold
Media Flashes
■ Brianna Travers has joined 9 News Melbourne as Chief of Staff. She was previously a Crime Reporter at the Herald Sun and before that, a Producer at 3AW Radio.
- Telum Australia
