In This Issue: Queen and The Beatles live on, Hollywood is Melbourne bound, and there's some great theatre happening in Sydney, Perth, and Hobart...
Queen - It’s A Kinda Magic: National Tour Now on Sale
After capturing the hearts of Queen fans around the world, the much loved theatrical creation and full concert experience Queen – It’s A Kinda Magic will tour with its new cast throughout Australia this Spring.
Tickets for all shows in the Australian national tour are now on sale; the tour includes dates in Queensland, New South Wales, Canberra, Western Australia, Adelaide and Victoria.
The show recreates Queen’s 1986 World Tour concert, featuring over 20 of the band’s greatest hits such as ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘Fat-Bottomed Girls’. Painstaking detail has been paid to all the music – the iconic voice of Mercury, the amazing guitar solos of May and the groundbreaking Rock harmonies. With state-of-the-art sound and lighting and an explosive international cast, this is as close as you’ll ever get to the real thing.
For more information on the show and to buy tickets, visit www.itsakindamagic.com
MELBOURNE: DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bill Damaschke are Melbourne-bound
As part of the previously announced DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) will host three exclusive events with special guests from DreamWorks Animation in Melbourne for the exhibition’s world premiere.
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Creative Officer, Bill Damaschke, Production Designers Kendal Cronkhite (Madagascar) and Christophe Lautrette (The Croods, King Fu Panda), and Visual Effects Supervisor Doug Cooper (The Prince of Egypt, Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron), will visit Melbourne for the world premiere and a set of public and industry events.
DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition has been curated by ACMI in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation and is the studio’s first large-scale international exhibition. The world premiere as part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series is ACMI's largest ever exhibition, featuring over 400 items including, never-before-seen concept drawings, interviews, models and original artworks, and interactive experiences for children and adults.
For more information about the exhibition and the special events, visit http://acmi.net.au/dreamworks
MELBOURNE: The Unseen Beatles - photography exhibition
A selection of rare, signed photographs of The Beatles from behind the scenes will be exhibited for sale in Melbourne, the city where photographer Bob Whitaker began a three-year journey that saw him compile a remarkable photographic dossier on the 20th century's most amazing musical phenomenon. It’s a journey that started with The Beatles' famous 1964 visit to Australia, and culminated with Whitaker's famous 1966 shot of the Beatles covered in meat, the infamous 'Butcher's Sleeve' (now a rare collector's item due to being deemed distasteful and pulled from distribution shortly after its release).
The intimate exhibition will open on Wed 21 May at Mario's Cafe in Fitzroy, with the 'Butcher's Sleeve' and a selection of other rare, collector's photographs on display (and for sale) from mid-May to mid-June, the latter half of which will run into the 50th anniversary of The Beatles performance in Melbourne.
PERTH: The Blue Room Theatre - Season One
The Blue Room Theatre proudly announces a new season of seven shows running April-July 2014; a snapshot of the best performing artists in WA presenting fresh ideas to diverse audiences. For 25 years The Blue Room Theatre has been the home of independent theatre and performance in WA and has launched the careers of nationally and internationally renowned artists.
For information about each of the shows in the program and to book tickets, visit www.blueroom.org.au
SYDNEY: Mojo @ Sydney Theatre Company
Jez Butterworth's savagely comic play, Mojo ricochets full throttle through the seedy, amphetamine-addled London club scene of the 1950s. It follows a gang of snappily-dressed, menacing teddy boys and rockers who, seduced by the promise of fame and fortune, battle for control of hot teen singing idol, Silver Johnny. Sydney Theatre Company’s production is at The Wharf from 17 May to 5 July 2014 (opening Thursday 22 May).
Directed by Iain Sinclair (Our Town, Blood Wedding) Mojo is a tightly-wound thriller which examines the dark underside of the halcyon days of rock 'n' roll with grim humour. An electrifying collision of Tarantino-esque shock and Jacobean revenge, the play opens with the discovery of a jealous nightclub owner's body sawn in half. In the siege that follows a power vacuum emerges, which plays out through sustained riffs, zinging dialogue and live music.
Visit sydneytheatre.com.au to book your tickets.
SYDNEY: Art for Small Spaces Exhibit
The Art for Small Spaces exhibit kicks off this week at Platform72. Running from the 9th to the 17th of April at both the Oxford Street and Central Park stores, the exhibit is a group show featuring over 40 artists with all works featured priced under $500. Featuring painting, sculpture, photography and limited edition prints, these pieces are ideal for art-lovers on a budget and for those working with small living areas.
Grease is the Word for Hobart
After electrifying sold out seasons in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and soon to open in Perth and Adelaide, producer John Frost has announced that his smash hit production of Grease is headed to Hobart. Tasmanian audiences will have the opportunity to experience the high-energy, smash hit musical that has taken the rest of the country by storm and includes the roster of unforgettable songs that you know and love.
The entire cast will be present for the Tasmanian season, including Rob Mills, Gretel Scarlett, Todd McKenney, Bert Newton, John Paul Young, and Val Lehman.
Grease will play at Derwent Entertainment Centre for five performances only from September 5-7, 2014. Visit www.greaseistheword.com.au to get your tickets!