Home Down Under

And I'm not at all unhappy about leaving the FREEEEEZING New York winter and spending some time in the Blue Mountains, a two hour train ride from Sydney.

The weather is gorgeous so instead of staying indoors and learning lines like a sensible person, I caught the train to nearby Blackheath and visited the antique shops. After congratulating myself for finding a rare dvd for only $5 I returned to the train station only to find that the next train home was an hour and 35 minutes away. So I caught a cab which cost me $32. This bargain hunting is sending me broke.

 

I am supposed to be learning my lines for this massive undertaking, the title role in one of my favourite shows.

 

I did the photo shoot for the poster a couple of hours after my plane got in from New York. That's not make-up, it's exhaustion!

It's a short season opening Feb 25th at the Seymour Centre until the end of March.

To learn the unlearnable lines....

Signs

An Aussie restaurant on West 79th Street. Haven't tried it yet, it's a tad expensive.

This appeared recently, although I don't know when it's due to open. I have it from a reliable source that it's great fun!

If You're In Town.....

In Conversation: An evening with Tony Sheldon and Mitchell Butel

The Equity Foundation

Friday, 30 January 2015 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (AEDT)

Darlinghurst, NSW

 

 

 

An evening with Tony Sheldon and Mitchell Butel
Friday, January 30
6.30pm followed by drinks
Eternity Theatre
39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Mitchell Butel
Mitchell is a triple Helpmann Award winning actor and singer. His theatre credits include The Government Inspector, Angels in America, Strange Interlude, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, The Laramie Project, A View from the Bridge, Dead Heart (Belvoir), Romeo and Juliet, The Grenade, Summer Rain, The Republic of Myopia, Harbour, Tartuffe, Mourning Becomes Electra, The Café Latte Kid, Summer of the Aliens, Six Degrees of Separation (STC), Tomfoolery, Urinetown, Piaf (MTC), Boeing-Boeing (Dainty), Stones in his Pockets, The Venetian Twins (QTC), Emerald City (Griffin), Laugher on the 23rd Floor (Ensemble), Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl, Woyzeck (Malthouse), Othello (Bell) and Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love (STCSA). Music theatre credits include South Pacific, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Mikado (Opera Australia), Assassins (Silo) Avenue Q (AAP), The Producers, Sugar, Little Me, Hair (Production Company), Grease, Little Shop of Horrors (DAE), Man of La Mancha and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (GFO) opposite Geoffrey Rush. Film/TV credits include Holding the Man, Hiding, The Broken Shore, Mr & Mrs Murder, Bordertown, Wildside, Grass Roots, Rake, The Bank, Two Hands, Dark City and AFI-nominated performances in Strange Fits of Passion and Gettin’ Square. Mitchell has appeared in three solo cabaret shows, Excellent Adventure, Now for the Weather and Killing Time (which is available on iTunes and just completed a sellout season at the Hayes Theatre). Mitchell received Helpmann Awards for The Venetian Twins, Avenue Q and The Mikado and Green Room Awards for Piaf and Hair. Proud member of Actors Equity since 1988 and a member of the National Performers Committee since 2007. He is also a Board member of Belvoir St Theatre.

Tony Sheldon
Tony Sheldon made his Broadway debut starring in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT at the Palace Theater. He played the role of Bernadette for more than 1750 performances in Australia, New Zealand, London, Toronto and New York, winning the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut as well as nominations for the TONY Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award as Best Actor in a Musical. He was honored with his own caricature at Sardi’s restaurant in Times Square.
For his performance in PRISCILLA he won the Toronto Theatre Critics Award and the DORA Award as Best Actor in a Musical in Toronto. In Australia he won the Sydney Critics Award, the Green Room Award, the Glugs Award and the Aussietheatre.com Award for Best Actor in a Musical as well as the MO Award as Musical Theatre Performer of the Year. He was also nominated for the Australian Dance Award and the Helpmann Award. In London he was nominated for the Olivier Award and the What’s On Stage Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Since his arrival in the USA, Tony has appeared as Horace Vandergelder in HELLO, DOLLY! at the historic Goodspeed Opera House, King Pellinore in CAMELOT for Theatre Under The Stars in Houston and in the films CARRY ME HOME with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and BUTTERFLIES OF BILL BAKER with Will Chase. He was featured on the tv series JOAN & MELISSA: JOAN KNOWS BEST and performed on THE VIEW, ROSIE! and THE NBC TODAY SHOW.
In New York he has starred with John Tartaglia in the play ART & SCIENCE at the Bridge Theatre, featured in BROADWAY BACKWARDS 2013 at the Palace Theatre and A TRIBUTE TO AUDRA McDONALD for the Drama League; sung at 54 Below, the Metropolitan Room, the West Bank Café and the Actor’s Temple, and appeared in readings of BOY: A ROALD DAHL MUSICAL at the York Theatre, LE SWITCH for Primary Stages, SAINT JOAN for Project Shaw (with Fritz Weaver), MOBY DICK, The Musical, PEG O’ MY HEART (directed by Lee Roy Reams), EVER AFTER (directed by Kathleen Marshall), PAGEANT (directed by Christopher Gatelli) and FEYDEAU IN LUH (directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge).
In Australia, Tony won the 2005 Helpmann Award, the Sydney Critics Award, the Mo Award and the Glugs Award for his performance as Roger de Bris in THE PRODUCERS. He was also nominated for a Helpmann and a Green Room Award for his work in THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK in 2003. Tony played the lead role of Lawrence Jameson in the Australian premiere of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, to rave reviews.
For the Sydney Theatre Company, Tony has starred in PRIVATE LIVES, INTO THE WOODS, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, COMPANY, THE SISTERS ROSENWEIG, ONCE IN A LIFETIME, MONGRELS, THE VENETIAN TWINS, three seasons of THE WHARF REVUE and FALSETTOS (Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical). He earned critical raves playing John Barrymore in I HATE HAMLET opposite Guy Pearce (Melbourne Theatre Company) and Cameron Daddo (Marian St. Theatre), and as Aunt Augusta in the national tour of TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT for Gary Penny Productions.
His appearances in NOISES OFF (Ensemble Theatre) and A POOR STUDENT (Marian Street) won him the Norman Kessell Memorial Award as Best Actor of 2001. For his portrayal of Arnold Beckoff in the record breaking run of TORCH SONG TRILOGY, Tony won the Green Room and Variety Club Heart Awards as Best Actor of 1984. Other musical appearances include FAME - THE MUSICAL, OLIVER!, DAMES AT SEA, THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT - THE SMELL OF THE CROWD, THE FANTASTICKS, MACK AND MABEL - IN CONCERT, CANDIDE, I LOVE MY WIFE and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM.
Since beginning his career as a child performer on Graham Kennedy's "In Melbourne Tonight", Tony has performed for all of Australia's major theatre companies in productions of MYTH, PROPAGANDA AND DISASTER IN NAZI GERMANY AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICA (Griffin Theatre), WILD HONEY (SATC), DEATHTRAP (QTC), THE FLOATING WORLD, EQUUS, THE GLASS MENAGERIE (HVTC), DAYLIGHT SAVING (MTC), THE CASSIDY ALBUM (Adelaide Festival), TWELFTH NIGHT, HENRY IV, A COMEDY OF ERRORS, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, THE CHOIR, A HARD GOD and INNER VOICES, for which he won the National Theatre Award as Best Actor of 1977, all at the Nimrod Theatre in Sydney.
Tony's extensive writing credits include DANCIN' MAN and DYNAMITE! for David Atkins, THE TIMES OF MY LIFE, HOLLYWOOD BIZARRE and MADONNA AND CHILD for Toni Lamond, NANCYE WITH AN E for Nancye Hayes, A LIFE ON EARTH for Peter Cousens, LEMON TART for Genevieve Lemon, RED HOT AND RHONDA starring Rhonda Burchmore, THE CAT, THE RAT AND ME for Sheila Bradley, THE THREE DIVAS with Judi Connelli, Suzanne Johnston and Jennifer McGregor, BROADWAY BABES with Jane Rutter and Angela Toohey, YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE HOUSEWINE, GERALDINE TURNER SINGS, THE WINDOWS PROJECT, WHEREFORE ART THOU, CABARET? with Maria Mercedes, NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT for Derek Metzger, I'M A STRANGER HERE MYSELF starring Lena Cruz, and several of the much-loved Tilbury pub revues. He also writes and lectures extensively on Australian musical theatre history. He directed the acclaimed concert version of Sondheim's FOLLIES for the Melbourne International Arts Festival as well as productions of JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL... and PAL JOEY (WAAPA), SHE LOVES ME (Newtown Theatre), THE MOURNING AFTER (Playbox), JINGLE BELROSE (Glen St. Theatre), THE FLOOR OF HEAVEN (STC), THE WAY WE WERE (Sydney Opera House), DREAM KITCHEN (Universal Theatre) and AFTER-PLAY (Marian St. Theatre).

 

Lullaby of Birdland

I took my lovely friend, the boy genius composer-lyricist-musical director Sam Willmott to dinner and a show at Birdland last night. Sam hadn't been back there for two years which is pretty unusual as most show folk find their way to this terrific cabaret room about once a fortnight.

The occasion was the launch of a new CD called "I'VE BEEN PLAYED: Alysha Umphress Swings Jeff Blumenkrantz" and it's a gem. Alysha and Jeff performed the whole song list and Jeff''s compositions which make up the bulk of the album are simply marvelous.

Alysha was in the Broadway company of PRISCILLA and currently stars in ON THE TOWN. Jeff recently enjoyed a long run in the brilliant MURDER FOR TWO and was in MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL with me.

Sam and I had such a good time that we stayed on after their show to see the regular Monday night event, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, an open mike for Broadway and visiting performers. By the time we tottered out into the freezing night air we'd been at our table for seven hours!! Ah, where else but New York?