Simon Gleeson News

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's life is given a humorous presentation

Excitement is growing as the cast of Melbourne Theatre Company's Rupert have one sleep ahead of them before the play's US premiere at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts World Stages: International Theater Festival on Wednesday night (US time).

The Washington DC-bound cast of Melbourne Theatre Company's 2013 hit, David Williamson's Rupert, began rehearsals today ahead of performing at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts World Stages: International Theater Festival next month. Rupert will be on stage at the Kennedy Center in the Eisenhower Theater from Wednesday 12 - Saturday 15 March.

Australia's best known and most prolific playwright, David Williamson takes on the greatest media mogul of all time in the world premiere of Rupert which opens on Thursday 29 August 2013 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse, directed by Lee Lewis. Following its world premiere, Rupert will tour to Washington D.C. for five performances between 12-15 March 2014 as part of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts WORLD STAGES: International Theatre Festival.

Melbourne Theatre Company today announced that David Williamson's Rupert will tour to Washington D.C. to participate in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts WORLD STAGES: INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL in March 2014. This is Melbourne Theatre Company's first international tour and it will be the only Australian theatre company participating in this Festival.

What do Geoffrey Rush, Lisa McCune, Bob Downe, Silvie Paladino, Colin Friels Tony Bartuccio, Chunky Move, John Bell, Richard Gill, Neil Armfield, Chambermade, Bangarra, MKA, Simon Stone, Pamela Rabe, Todd McKenney all have in common? They've all received nominations for the 30th Annual Green Room Awards.

At a star-studded ceremony on January 14, 2103, the winners of the 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced. Over 300 members of the Sydney theatre community packed the auditorium at Paddington RSL to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre throughout 2012.

Gale Edwards' Production of Chess is without a doubt one of the best shows of the year and has to be one of the greatest of the show since its West End opening in 1986.

Sequels are the biggest risk takers in any form of entertainment. So the idea of taking the longest running musical, The Phantom of the Opera, which just celebrated its 10,000 performance and creating a part two is as hazardous as the Opera Ghost himself.

Across the United States, many movie theaters showed the latest recorded production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES. Set up as a sequel to Webber's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, this show picks up ten years later in Coney Island, New York and features the Phantom and Christine, as well as her now husband Raoul and ten-year-old son Gustave.

Making its first appearance in the United States, NCM Fathom and Omniverse Vision will present Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, the long awaited continuation to The Phantom of the Opera, in a fully-staged production pre-recorded at The Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Get a first look before the show hits theaters below!

The continuation of Broadway's longest-running musical The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, which opened May 21 at Melbourne's Regent Theatre, opens at Sydney's Capitol Theatre on January 12. Previews begin today, and the production will continue for 12 weeks through April 1.

Broadway's longest-running production of all time celebrates a triumphant quarter century on stage with The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, coming to Blu-rayTM - with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound- DVD, On Demand and Digital Download on February 7, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. On October 2, 2011, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and producer Cameron Mackintosh marked the 25th anniversary of their beloved musical extravaganza, "The Phantom of the Opera," with a lavishly staged production at London's legendary Royal Albert Hall that was beamed live via satellite to cinemas across the globe.The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall marks the first time a live performance of the blockbuster musical has been made available for home viewing, making it a must-have anniversary release for fans everywhere.

The continuation of Broadway's longest-running musical The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, which opened May 21 at Melbourne's Regent Theatre, will move to Sydney's Capitol Theatre on January 12, 2012. Previews will begin on January 8, and the production will continue for 12 weeks through April 1.

The continuation of Broadway's longest-running musical The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, which opened May 21 at the Regent Theatre, is now booking through September 25.

The annual Helpmann Awards® recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre. The Helpmann Awards also incorporates the JC Williamson Award for outstanding contribution to the Australian live performance industry.

A lack of enthusiasm embodied me as I entered the Regent Theater on Saturday night for the Australian opening of Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew LLoyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Having seen the show twice at the Adelphi Theater in London I had a fair idea of what I was in for and quite honestly I felt that the two previous times where more than enough to convince me that this show, no matter how hard LLoyd Webber tries, simply does not work. How wrong I was. This is a brand new show from Overture to Curtain and even the familar story and score seemed to rise in this herculean effort by an Australian creative team led by Director Simon Phillips and Designer Gabriela Tylesova. The vast minimalist expanses of the Adelphi stage were now filled with a carnival of lights, carousels, and a cast of freaks and outcast characters that finally gave the show the vibe it needed. One cannot help but be wowed by the spherical design employed by Tylesova in the Coney Island Waltz in the early stages of Act 1, and in reality, it is the design of the show that is its star attraction. That and Phantom Ben Lewis. Lewis' character is vocally as powerful a Phantom that I have seen. However, it wasn't Lewis' vocal ability that won me over, it was his tender acting performance. So much so that what in the past was a particularly unmoving final scene became one of the most finite and complete in recent memory. The audience either side of me were fossicking for their handkerchiefs and it left me wishing I had brought one myself.

The continuation of Broadway's longest-running musical The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies will open today, May 21 2011 at the Regent Theatre.

The full cast for the Australian debut of Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES has been announced. Sharon Millerchip will reprise the role of Meg Giry, a part she originally created for the Australian premiere of The Phantom of the Opera in Melbourne. Sharon is no stranger to playing strong-sassy women in musical theatre, having portrayed both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in Chicago (winning Helpmann Awards for both), Anita in West Side Story, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity.

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