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

$1 Billion Makeover: Sydney Entertainment Centre To Be Knocked Down

The Sydney Entertainment Centre will be demolished and the Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour closed for up to three years as the precinct undergoes a $1 billion makeover.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell today announced the development of an integrated exhibition and entertainment precinct in the city's CBD.

The fully integrated convention centre will increase the size of the existing precinct by two-thirds to 20 hectares and will include the largest exhibition space in Australia at 40,000 square metres.

"The project will mean a complete facelift for Darling Harbour - as well as the world-class facilities," Mr O'Farrell said today.

Up to 3500 jobs are expected to be created during the construction.

The 30-year-old Sydney Entertainment Centre is to be demolished while the exhibition and convention facilities will be closed from late 2013 to late 2016.

The project is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the major events industry in the state, particularly in terms of the Asia-Pacific.

"They will bring NSW an economic benefit of more than $1 billion over five years," Mr O'Farrell said.

"NSW has already lost $150 million in economic benefit over the four years to 2010-11 because the current facilities have not been able to accommodate 169 conventions and 12 exhibitions," Mr O'Farrell said.

The new facilities will include the biggest meeting room space in Australia at 6000sq m and the biggest Australian convention hall capacity.

There will be a red-carpet premium entertainment facility with a capacity of at least 8000 people, suitable for international entertainment events and 'mega' conferences.

"The NSW government is creating a vibrant world-class convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct at Darling Harbour that will keep Sydney centre stage as Australia's global city," Mr O'Farrell said.

Infrastructure NSW (INSW) will lead the delivery of the new facilities as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) tailored for the project.

During the three-year construction period, Sydney's major events industry will remain open for business, Mr O'Farrell said.

Sydney Olympic Park, Moore Park, the Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh and various Sydney hotels will play an expanded role in hosting events during the construction period.

$1 Billion Makeover: Sydney Entertainment Centre To Be Knocked Down

It's Business Time: Flight Of The Conchords Announce Aussie Tour Dates

 

Song in their heart, laugh in their belly: Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Picture: Channel Ten

AFTER sell-out tours in New Zealand, Kiwi comedy duo Flight of the Conchords will cross the Tasman for their first-ever run of Australian headline shows.

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who claim to be "New Zealand’s best export after sheep’s wool", will perform six shows in July.

"We are finally returning to Australia. Mostly to apologise,'' Clement said.

Flight of the Conchords have come a long way since winning Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival more than a decade ago.

After getting their start in stand up comedy, they created a radio series for BBC Radio 2 before making the acclaimed HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords.

The series earned them a massive 10 Emmy nominations and a WGA nomination for Best Comedy Series.

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 17 April via www.frontiertouring.com/fotc

Tour dates for Flight of the Conchords' Australian tour:

- Sydney Opera House - Thursday, July 5
- Brisbane Entertainment Centre - Saturday, July 7
- Newcastle Entertainment Centre - Tuesday, July 10
- WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong - Wednesday, July 11
- The Plenary, Melbourne - Saturday, July 14
- Challenge Stadium, Perth - Wednesday, July 18

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Black Flag and Rollins Band's Henry Rollins On His Stand-Up Australian Tour From April 18 to May 2012

The one-time frontman of Black Flag and Rollins Band instead travels the world's lesser-trodden paths risking life and limb in search of a good yarn.

Rollin's third-world experiences make up his spoken word stand-up tours, the latest of which, The Long March, arrives in Australia later this month.

Ranting Rollins tell you how it is

Tales from a Rollins stone

The 20-date trek will see the American author, musician and actor recounting tales from places few dare to venture, from earthquake-ravaged Haiti to war-torn Sudan and the secretive North Korea.
Rollins has a track record for sniffing out an alternative travel story and nothing is ever fabricated from the safety of a hotel room.

"I've walked alone through slums and along rail road tracks and down rivers and into villages and souks all around the world,'' Rollins says.

"I'll often get in a taxi and tell the driver to take me five dollars one way and then walk the streets finding my way back.

``Whatever happens will happen and I just try and keep hold of all 10 digits and my camera and by sundown I'm all good.''

Rollins was almost killed twice, in a stabbing and a shooting, but both incidents happened in the US and were linked to gangs ("the rest of the world's been really friendly to me'').

His approach overseas balances his genuine interest in people with a polite demeanour and somehow, considering an imposing presence, blending into the background.

"I'm not a dare devil or a tough guy,'' Rollins says.

"I don't walk into these places and tell everyone what's going to happen.

"In Haiti you see a lot of desperate scenes but I took over a lot of soap and soccer balls and played with a lot of orphans.
"If you show genuine curiosity you find that people invite you into their homes and are incredibly generous.''

Rollins has spent periods in war zones, including Afghanistan and Iraq, and seen his fair share of dead bodies and gory remains.

While the experiences have desensitised him - even anti-westernised him - Rollins sees more similarities in people around the world than differences.

"We're all driven by the same things like food and water and lust and greed and survival,'' he says.
"But the men are always checking out the women and wanting something on the side and parents are always loving their children and preferring peace over war.

"Quite often the people with the least are the most generous and those with most are the most stingy.''

Henry Rollins tours nationally from April 18 to May 12 - Newcastle Panthers, April 24, $50.45, moshtix.com.au;

Seymour Centre, Sydney, April 25-27, $50.20, Ticketek; IPAC, Wollongong, May 8, $48.50