West Side Story: cooling with a Jet

Tuesday 7 September 2010, 10:42 AM
By The Team | Posted in Events

West Side Story is playing in Melbourne until early October. This musical was ahead of its time when it first opened in New York in the 1950s, and it’s still considered a ground-breaking and extraordinary show. The songs, the dancing, the subject matter – it’s all as moving now as it was half a century ago.

Here’s what Rohan Browne has to say about the show, our city – and his fighting prowess.

Rohan, congratulations on your role as Riff, leader of the Jets, in Melbourne’s West Side Story. What is it about this musical that makes it so popular?

What the original creative team brought to the fore is something that will stand the test of time. It was originally set in New York, but it could be anywhere.

In every city of every country there are issues with violence, race, societal differences and creed. West Side Story lends itself to these different problems and everyone, at any time, can relate. 

As a born and bred Melbourne boy you must be stoked to play such a big role in your home town.

Of course I’m stoked! I mean, this role is such an incredible character and I am thrilled to be able to do this around Australia – and especially in Melbourne.

Check out what Rohan’s castmates have to say about Melbourne in our exclusive video.

Do you have any favourite hidden bars or cafes that you take your international cast members to while they’re in town?

The hard part about Melbourne is keeping up. Everywhere you turn there are new, exciting and funky places to go to. One of my favourite bars is The Golden Monkey down Hardware Lane. The Emerald Peacock is a great place to hang out, The European and Supper Club are both reliable and trusty friends. And Self Preservation makes a mean coffee.
 
(Spoiler alert) Your character features only in the first half of the musical. If you could sneak out for a while during the second half, where might we find you?

A hospital? I don’t know if you know what happens to my character but it’s pretty messy. There is blood loss. For recovery I’d need something with some iron in it, perhaps a Guinness at 3 Below. Then, if they were still in with a chance I’d maybe go and cheer on the mighty Dees [Melbourne Demons].
 
Though not sung by you in the production, one of the most-loved songs in West Side Story is America. Can you change the words of the first verse to reflect the Melbourne you love?

Melbourne
You lovely city…
City of coffee snobbery
Always the trams clattering and slowing
Always the eclectic bar scene growing
And the MCG buzzing
And the Yarra flowing…

West Side Story is playing at the Regent Theatre now.  Tickets are selling fast.

MAMMA MIA!

Thursday 6 May 2010, 2:40 PM
By The Team | Posted in Events and People

Over 40 million people around the world have laughed, sang and clapped their way through MAMMA MIA! – the feel-good musical phenomenon built around ABBA classics. This captivating tale follows a daughter’s decision to discover the identity of her father.

Melburnian, Anne Wood, plays the daughter’s mother, Donna, the lead role she first held in 2001 in the original Australian production of MAMMA MIA!. Her performance not only nabbed her a Green Room Award, it also saw her invited to play Donna in London’s West End. We chat to Anna about white lyrca suits and kissing Michael Cormick eight times a week.

It must be an amazing experience to fall in love every night of the week…

Yes, it’s shame though that all I get to do is that first part – I never get to make it to the honeymoon!

Do you ever wish you could pick one of your other beaus, just for a change?

I have a hunch that Donna has a secret fantasy about Sky (her son in law) however this is MAMMA MIA! Not ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’.

What do you love most about MAMMA MIA?

Kissing Michael Cormick eight times a week!

Some of the MAMMA MIA! costumes make Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat look dull. Will you be trying to take that jumpsuit with you on your last day?

Outside of the magic of theatre, nobody over 25 should be seen in white lycra – I’ll leave it at that.

It’s late, it’s raining and you forgot your umbrella. You arrive home to discover you left your keys at the theatre. Do you burst into tears or burst into song?

Neither because I know that when I arrive home to my house at 22A Gassem St that the spare key will be waiting for me safely tucked under the geranium in the blue pot on the left hand side of the front door. Oh no, should I have said all that?

You spend a lot of time on the road. Which Melbourne spots do you miss while you are away?

My home and Studley Park. It’s a great place to get a big injection of negative ions only 10 minutes from the CBD.

And where would you go before or after a show?

I always grab a coffee before the show at the Maj Café and Bar at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

You’re only here with MAMMA MIA! for a couple more weeks. What would you say to anyone who has yet to secure their tickets?

Do you really want to be the only people in Melbourne who haven’t seen MAMMA MIA!?

MAMMA MIA! is on at Her Majesty’s Theatre until 30 May. Tickets are still available through Ticketek.

Remember, remember, remember…legwarmers?

Friday 30 April 2010, 10:57 AM
By The Team | Posted in Things

Fame the Musical is now playing at the Regent Theatre. This means two things: we all want to learn how to fly; and we’re all looking at legwarmers and thinking, hmm…could I? Could I really get away with wearing them now, in 2010?

Well, we’ve done a bit of the legwork (so to speak) for you. We’ve asked around and we’ve gone exploring. And this is what we found.

Legwarmers are in most of the big department stores, a sure sign they’ve been on edgy legs for quite some time now. Plus, legging tights and ballet slippers have been staple fashion items for a while –so going all the way with dancewear is no longer much of a stretch. And fuzzy ankle coverings do make sense at this end of April.

A polite legwarmer inquiry elicited some amusement from a helpful Target salesperson. ‘I couldn’t believe it when they came in,’ she said, pointing at the two purple varieties on offer (one striped, one with glitter). ‘Haven’t seen those for years.’  Stocks were low, so someone has been buying them!

At Bloch, that magnificent dancewear store, the guy in front of me asked for a ‘level six unitard’ and they knew exactly what he meant. Legwarmers are part of the terrain here, no raised eyebrows in sight. You’ll find lots of pastel options, plus black white and grey and some lovely soft burgundy thigh-high numbers.

You can choose from two styles, with or without stirrup. Apparently someone cleaned out their stocks of black and hot pink glitter legwarmers – respect! – but the salesperson assured me they’re getting more in. And yes, the guy got his unitard and seemed quite satisfied with it. So good work all round, Bloch.

Finally, if you have your heart set on a particular colour or texture, you could always knit your own. Morris and Sons has a wonderful array of wools, cottons and acrylic blends to choose from, in so many colours you might need to take a paper bag to prevent selection-anxiety hyperventilation.

New or nervous knitters are welcome, just go up and ask your question. Advice will be dispensed with kindness and wisdom – even when the question is about legwarmers. (We checked.)

Clearly, Fame the Musical has revived more than memories in our enthusiastic little city. Once you’re wearing your comfy and cosy fashion numbers, you’ll wonder why you ever stopped. Legwarmers proudly on, your next step is surely to move it and shake it down to the Regent Theatre for one of the world’s best-loved musicals of all time.  

Fame the Musical finishes Sunday 13 June.