Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Ipswich Events

Stuffing one of the world's largest comedy festivals into the one show is no easy feat, but the Melbourne International Comedy Festival has done just that with Roadshow 2012.

Offering a selection of Australian, international and special guest comedians, the Roadshow is literally all the best bits of the Comedy Festival condensed into the one ‘all killer, no filler' travelling event.
Last year, comedians taking part in Roadshow performed to enthusiastic crowds in 60 regional centres and capital cities across Australia - not to forget a highly successful stint in Singapore and a sold-out debut season in Hong Kong.

Given such popularity, this year's Roadshow plans to connect with even more comedy fans and share the kind of humour that's had Melbourne weeping with laughter. More than 300 shows contained in one - you can't get better value than that.

Casting:

Harley Breen (MC)
Felicity Ward
Matt Okine
Kate McLennan
Bob Franklin

Warning: Performances may contain coarse language, sexual references and material that can offend. It is recommended for people aged 15 years or older.

"The Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow has such chalk and cheese personalities delivering such a wide assortment of gags, it has everyone's humour covered" The Sunday Times, WA

‘An event no comedy fan should miss.'
Satellite (QLD)

‘Not only will this Roadshow leave you with all sorts of stitches and aches, it will make your cheeks burn and your jaw sore too.' Caloundra Weekly (QLD)

Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Ipswich Events

Metro Hotels to Host the Cast of World Acclaimed ‘Rock the Ballet’ - Metro Hotels

Rasta Thomas’ Rock the Ballet, a fusion of classic ballet technique combined with the excitement of musical theatre, hip hop, martial arts, tap, contemporary, gymnastics and more, will be performing in Australia from May 28 to July, 2012 - with Australian hotel chain Metro Hotels once again accommodating the cast during their show in Sydney.

“Metro Hotels is a keen supporter of major international shows.  In the past, our hotels have hosted the Japanese performing troupe Drum Tao in Sydney, the cast of Bar at Buena Vista and Cuban Ballet – Ballet Revolution and performers from the theatrical dance spectacular ‘The Merchants of Bollywood’ for the duration of their shows,” said Mr George Bedwani, Chief Operations Officer of Metro Hotels.

Described by critics as ‘absolutely dazzling dancing’ ‘The music is great…the dance gives it fresh meaning…amazing skill and passion.  They are insanely good dancers’ and ‘their incredible skills shone through every move they did…the most fun you’ll ever have at a ballet’, this raunchy, powerful and brilliantly entertaining show will commence its 2012 Australian tour in Melbourne on May 28.
According to Rasta Thomas, founder, director and principal dancer, Rock the Ballet is a show that goes way beyond a normal dance company experience and transcends borders.  “We are so fortunate to share Rock the Ballet with audiences across the globe – if you like great music, great dancing and want to have a great time, this show is for you!” he said.

“Metro Hotels is proud to be accommodating the cast in our hotels and hopes the show will attract people from all over Australia to visit one of our major cities, stay at one of our hotels and enjoy the production,” Mr Bedwani said.

Metro Hotels to Host the Cast of World Acclaimed ‘Rock the Ballet’ - Metro Hotels

James Morrison With Guest Vocalist Emma Pask

Morrison leads his talented band through a soulful, swinging and funky selection of standards and originals, spiced with humour and a real upbeat feel. Extraordinary virtuosity from all concerned, but especially the man out front, a titan of the trumpet and trombone and about a dozen other instruments too! He works regularly with other international jazz stars in Europe and the rest of the world, most recently, with four-time Grammy winner Lalo Schiffrin.

James Morrison is, by anybody’s standard, a virtuoso in the true sense of the word. Besides the trumpet, this multi‐instrumentalist also plays trombone, euphonium, flugel horn, tuba, saxophones, double bass and piano.

At the age of seven, he was given his first instrument, at nine he formed his first band and at thirteen he was playing professionally in nightclubs. His international career developed just as quickly. At only age 16 James debuted in the USA with a breathtaking concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Now 49, James Morrison’s career thus far has been diverse and perhaps not typical of most jazz musicians. He recorded Jazz Meets the Symphony with The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lalo Schifrin, performed concerts at the Royal Albert hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Princess Anne. Royal command performances on two occasions for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for US Presidents Bush & Clinton at Parliament House in Australia.

An avid user of the latest technologies James is very involved in furthering the presence of jazz and music education on the internet and also uses computers extensively in his writing, recording and performances.

James Morrison with perform with special guest vocalist EMMA PASK, Australia's own star jazz vocalist. "The greatest gift to Australian Jazz Vocals in the last decade" is how James Morrison, Australia's most awarded jazzman, describes Emma Pask.                    
                                                                  
While Emma's voice and style are unique, and individually her own, her performances are reminiscent of the classic era of jazz, when swing was top of the charts.

Find out more HERE
James Morrison With Guest Vocalist Emma Pask

Eddie Murphy's Older Brother Charlie Does His Own Thing At The Sydney Comedy Festival

THERE'S a bit of a tiresome trend of late for visiting US comedians of a certain fame to bring along a countryman support act. Not that there's anything wrong with that  touring is a lonely business.

But said support acts seem to consistently open with a couple of dope gags, often followed up with some borderline Mexican references. Which is, frankly, a little dull.

So it was for Paul Farmer aka actor-comedian Freez Luv, here to support Charlie Murphy's Sydney Comedy Festival outing.

Maybe it's an LA thing. But it has to be said, though, that once these seemingly now obligatory preliminaries were dispensed he won over a packed Enmore Theatre very quickly on Thursday night.

A very good-value entree to the main course, which was, of course, Chappelle Show alumni Charlie Murphy.

Two things very quickly. Firstly, Murphy is renowned for his Chappelle Show "True Hollywood Stories" sketches, particularly those involving the excesses Rick James. Don't despair, this material does get a hitout, albeit late in the show. So don't be impatient.

The other point that need to be made is that although he's Eddie Murphy's older brother, and the physical similarities are striking (especially when he laughs), Charlie is very much his own man with a very defined and different comedic voice  to that of his sibling.

Beginning with the small complaint that he was rather hoping it would actually be warm in Australia, Murphy then canvases a wide range of material ranging from last year's royal wedding through Michael Jackson's death and the culpability fo the doctor and heading into the car crashes that the lives of Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan seem to have become, via various observations on the American economy and the US presidential race (his Mitt Romney line is a killer).

The title of the show is a constant refrain for Murphy, who repeatedly questions whether he's really here, or actually in the county lockup, tripping on acid.

THERE'S a bit of a tiresome trend of late for visiting US comedians of a certain fame to bring along a countryman support act. Not that there's anything wrong with that  touring is a lonely business.There is a tender moment towards the end of the show when Murphy talks of his wife's death of cancer back in 2009 and the burden of being a single dad, but the sweary 52-year-old doesn't dwell too long, before getting back to it.

It's entertaining and solid stuff, if occasionally veering into the all-too predictable.

Although he came to standup late in life, the strength of The Acid Trip is a good indication that Charlie Murphy will be strutting stages for some time to come.

The Acid Trip, Enmore Theatre, Enmore Rd, Newtown; Friday April 27, 9.30pm, $56.90, 9020 6966, sydneycomedyfest.com.au

Eddie Murphy's Older Brother Charlie Does His Own Thing At The Sydney Comedy Festival

New One Direction Shows Melt Ticketek

THE announcement of new 2013 shows for British boy band One Direction has sent ticketing website Ticketek into meltdown. Again. 
 
The band's second tour from September 11 to 29 next year, including concerts in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne Adelaide and Perth, was announced at the end of their last tour on the eve of their departure from Australia on April 18.


Ticketek announced on Twitter today that One Direction would now do two extra shows on the tour, one in Sydney and one in Melbourne, and tickets would be available from 5.30pm (AEST).
Fans took to the site and to Twitter, with some saying they'd had success, others saying the site froze and others appealing to people not buying tickets to get off the site.

This is not the first time the ticketing website has gone into overload. Ticketek was unable to complete purchases recently for those buying tickets for concerts for Prince in April and Radiohead earlier this year.

Not that it's stopping the One Direction fans. They're now calling for extra shows to be scheduled in Brisbane.

Brisbane Symphony Orchestra And Brisbane Chorale Present 'Seascapes'

Music has played matchmaker for many couples who perform in two concerts in May.

Under the batons of conductors Emily Cox and Antoni Bonetti will play with their respective spouses, organist Christopher Wrench and clarinettist Ruth Bonetti.

Recently returned from their honeymoon are Brisbane Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster Megan Arends and her partner Gerald who emigrated from Germany to play violin with her and the orchestra. A couple from Argentina sing soprano and baritone with Brisbane Chorale.

FAMILY AFFAIRS

Across the two ensembles, Brisbane Chorale and Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, the Thomson family encompass all areas of the stage. Glenise Berry sings soprano, and will be joined onstage by her husband Dr Damien Thomson, daughter Genevieve and son Jeremy. Then, there’s a mother and daughter in the Brisbane Chorale and a mother and son in the Brisbane Symphony’s cello section: Matthew and Juliet Hoey.

ENSEMBLES UNITE

Two respected musical organisations match up for the first time – a historic occasion.

On May 20 and May 27, the Brisbane Chorale and the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra will present “Seascapes” featuring Vaughan Williams’ choral epic A Sea Symphony and works by Debussy commemorating the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Vaughan Williams set moving poems by American poet Walt Whitman. From its opening exultant words “Behold, the sea itself” to the quiet visionary conclusion, the symphony is an exhilarating and intense journey where man’s exploration of the majestic, timeless sea becomes a voyage of self-discovery and a metaphor for the soul’s voyage to eternity.

Early Debussy works were both originally composed for piano four-hands but later orchestrated because of their appeal. Marche ecossaise is his tribute to Scotland. The delightful Petite Suite opens with a gentle view of the sea in its opening movement.

Concert details

Concert 1 – 3.00pm Sunday 20 May, Lake Kawana Community Centre, Sportsman Parade, Bokarina. Tickets & Bookings 20 May: $30/$25/$15 (Tel 5413 1400)

Brisbane Symphony Orchestra And Brisbane Chorale Present 'Seascapes'

Biddies: Heart-Warming Comedy Play - Ipswich Civic Theatre

Five ordinarily marvellous women find themselves back in their infants school classroom plying their needles in a good old-fashioned session of "stitch and bitch".  Their confessions are frank, their rivalries intense and their jokes outrageous.  They discover a common frustration with the limitations of being female and mature in a world still largely defined by men.

Accidentally locked in the classroom, with nothing but ingenuity, Adora Cream Wafers and a bucket to get them through the crisis, unknown reserves come to the fore. Released from their own constraints, they rediscover their capacity to love, forgive - and take control. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
Men see their wives, adult children see their mothers, grandchildren see Nana and the mature Australian woman sees herself...

Don Reid's play CODGERS was a touring favourite in 2010, described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "...a heart-warming comedy...you're in the hands of skilled experts who really do know what they're doing, how to do it and why."
 
Now it's time to hear from the ladies, as some of Australia's most beloved actresses bring this delightful new comedy to the stage. You'll laugh till you cry. Move over Codgers, the Biddies are in town...
Vulnerable, feisty and in full bloom, these gals are everything - except old!


Cast includes:
Maggie Blinco
Annie Byron
Vivienne Garrett
Julie Hudspeth
Donna Lee
Linden Wilkinson

Written by Don Reid
Directed by Wayne Harrison           

Biddies: Heart-Warming Comedy Play - Ipswich Civic Theatre