» RAINBOW'S End premieres in Sydney in late August for a limited season at Riverside.
The play is written by Jane Harrison, whose earlier work, Stolen, had a successful Sydney season.
Rainbow's End is a snapshot of Australian life in the 1950s as experienced by three generations of Koori women.
Playing the mother is film and TV veteran Lillian Crombie, with music performer Christine Anu as her daughter, and newcomer Chenoa Deemal as the granddaughter.
As in the earlier Stolen, the later work is a story of hope, love, and the search for identity and belonging.
It is most of all a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit as the three women fight for an equal chance and acceptance in a white community.
Rainbow’s End had a successful Melbourne production and played at Rumbalara, the Aboriginal settlement which inspired the work. It has also had a season in Japan. The Riverside season is the Sydney premiere.
Lennox Theatre, Parramatta Riverside Theatres, August 29-September 12. Booking information: Rainbow's End.
» GEOFFREY Rush has added to his collection of international acting awards by winning this year's Tony for best actor on Broadway.
Rush was honored for his performance as the ailing king in Ionesco's comedy Exit the King which had its Sydney season at Belvoir Street in 2007.
Susan Sarandon co-starred with Rush in the Broadway production mounted at the Barrymore Theatre.
Rush's Tony award is the latest in a string of acting honors for his varied roles on screen, stage and television: as the adult David Helfgott in Shine (Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Australian Film Institute), Sir Francis Walsingham in Elizabeth ((BAFTA), Peter Sellers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (Golden Globe, Emmy).
The Tony Awards were held at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 7.
"I want to thank Manhattan audiences for proving that French existential absurdist tragicomedy rocks," Rush told the audience.
Kahlil Ashanti |
» BASIC Training, Kahlil Ashanti's one-man tale of discovery, survival and redemption, plays Seymour Centre and Riverside Theatres this month.
It's an autobiographical take on his time in the military where he learned to serve his country using his talent as his weapon.
The day before he leaves for boot camp, Ashanti’s mother reveals a shocking family secret that forces him to question his reasons for leaving.
Basic Training has toured around the world and won a number of international awards.
Booking information: Basic Training.
Dealer's Choice |
» PATRICK Marber's Dealer's Choice is playing Darlinghurst Theatre before touring nationally.
Marber is, of course, the writer of the films Notes on a Scandal and Closer. His play Dealer's Choice won the Writers Guild Award for best West End play and the Evening Standard Award for best comedy.
Directed by Craig Ilott (director of The Pillowman and Hedwig and the Angry Inch), the Marber play stars six actors — John Leary, Ashley Lyons, Sam North, Christopher Stollery, David Terry and David Webb — who display a rich showcase of talent.
Following its Darlinghurst Theatre season, Dealer's Choice tours various vanues this year, including Glen St Theatre, Casula Powerhouse and Lennox Theatre at Riverside.
Darlinghurst Theatre, Potts Point, until July 4; Glen St Theatre, Belrose, July 14-15; Powerhouse, Casula, August 4-5; Lennox Theatre, August 11-15. Booking information: Dealer's Choice.
» A PAIR of aspiring playwrights have written a musical about Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, and now all they need is $10 million or so to put it on.
In this two-man musical spoof, the two playwrights perform a backers audition for their new project — for you, the audience, and some big Broadway producers.
With an unending supply of enthusiasm, the pair sing all the songs and play all the parts in their silly historical epic.
Gutenberg! The Musical! was the winner of the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival Award for excellence in musical theatre Writing.
Its Australian premiere production is directed by Neil Gooding and stars David Harris (Miss Saigon, The Full Monty), James Millar (Oklahoma!, Company) and Miss Bev Kennedy as Charles the accompanist.
Downstairs Theatre, Seymour Centre, Chippendale, return season July 14-25. Booking information: Gutenberg! The Musical!
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Copyright 2009 Larry Rivera
