DAY 40 – The count down begins. (Monday August 27, 2009)

Posted on 27. Jul, 2009 by Will.

Welcome to an info-blog about BROADWAY TO AUSTRALIA’s first production, AHRENS & FLAHERTY 2009.

Because we are building a unique series of productions here in Australia, there really is no model. I guess every show comes with it’s own peculiarities, and is therefore unique, but THIS series is really quite special.

So 40 days out and I can tell you that the Guest Singers that I wanted for this job, the Guest Singers that were all my first choices, the singers who I most wanted to inhabit the wonderful words of Lynn Ahrens and the music of Stephen Flaherty, were all available. [Will falls over].

Please let me tell you a little about them all.

CHRISTOPHER PARKER: I first saw Chris when he graduated from WAAPA in the showcase of that year. ‘Sticky note to self’, I thought. ‘Finally, a young man who sings like a man – beautifully’. Then came the wonderful era of the Chapel Off Chapel piano bar and I played for Chris several times while I was one of the co-hosts – ‘No more sticky notes. Set the alarm’, thought I.

And now, after lead roles in SIDESHOW ALLEY and CRAZY FOR YOU and featured roles in MAMMA MIA and OKLAHOMA!, Chris Parker’s star is most certainly on the rise.

This debonair young gentleman of the theatre comes to us while he is Resident Director of AVENUE Q and I could not be more thrilled to be working with him at last on this very special project.

KELLIE RODE: Kellie is class with a capital ‘C’. You will find her at the edge of breaking work: the Bryant and Frank ambassadorial work that took Australian music theatre to the New York Music Theatre Festival, one of the hand-picked talent for the Mandy Patinkin master class at the 2006 Adelaide Cabaret Festival and now AHRENS & FLAHERTY 2009.

Kellie has always been taken seriously as a major player: ‘Sophie’ in MAMMA MIA!, ‘Annie’ in SIDESHOW ALLEY, and more recently, ‘Janet’ in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (she was ridiculously funny in this role).

I worked with her on THE ADVENTURES OF PETER RABBIT with Garry Ginivan and we share a ‘motif’ from that show frequently (well, I share it with her and Kellie probably wishes I would stop!).

I won’t give away too much – but I can’t wait to hear her rip into THE song from ANASTASIA.

JULIE O’REILLY: I find it hard not to use superlatives with this girl.  With her personality. With her professionalism. With her laugh. With her comedic ability.

But I must use superlatives too, about her singing, her voice – a voice that has enough tricks to make both Copperfield and Houdini jealous. Julie is a true coloratura who also has the vocal-chameleon in her to meet the ever-changing demands of the Music Theatre repertoire. (Julie was the waywardly-butch female lighting designer in THE PRODUCERS who chirped out E flats above high C out of the corner of her mouth).

A graduate of the National Theatre Music Theatre Course, she started her career before she had even graduated! RED HOT AND RHONDA with Rhonda Burchmore, then after showcasing, straight into Topol in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. CATS, GREASE, THE PRODUCERS and JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA followed.

ADRIAN LI DONNI: Adrian and I go back a long way too. In fact, I was his vocal teacher for about 5 years before we packed him onto a plane to study at the prestigious, CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE in NY, NY. He is now based in the States, but he came back to do this series of concerts.

No sooner than he had hit Australian shores, he was scooped up to perform with celebrated NY songwriter, Lance Horne, here in Melbourne.

Adrian has just finished a season of THE KING AND I as ‘Lun Tha’ in the world premiere of the newly restored version, featuring a 35-piece orchestra playing the original Robert Russell Bennett orchestrations for Lyric Stage, TX.

In NY, Adrian has performed in ZIEGFELD’S MIDNIGHT FROLIC of ‘08 for The Ziegfeld Club and Mark York Productions, at Joe’s Pub in LEAP, at Ars Nova in LANCE HORNE, OR WHAT YOU WILL and in numerous cabaret shows at Don’t Tell Mama and The Duplex.

I’ll be back very soon,

WILL

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