Review for Stage Whispers, July 4th at Princess Theatre Melbourne
Melbourne loves a big show. But in these tough economic times, we haven’t had a lead-up to an opening night of theatre as big as Jersey Boys in a while. Melburnians have been bombarded with marketing for the show, and after Saturday night, I now understand why.
This rags-to-riches story has every element of an absolute hit.
Jersey Boys is high energy, high impact and high drama. It’s also quite conveniently full of songs we know and love: the music of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons.
Let’s get one thing straight. If you feel funny about ‘jukebox musicals’ you need not worry – Jersey Boys is way beyond these concerns.
We have had few professional productions in Australia handled better. ‘Crisp’ is a word that keeps coming to mind: the overall production, the brilliant writing, the lighting design, the set, the performances, the choreography. read more…
Wednesday 22nd of June 2009
Our personal journeys through education and learning are at the core of the new production of The History Boys opening at Cromwell Road Theatre on the 17th of July.
“First and foremost audiences will be thrust back through their own experiences of schooling and growing up. The play asks what is education? Is it a life-changing force, a means to an end, a form of self-improvement or a precious gift which should be valued for its own sake?” says director Bryce Ives (Call Girl the Musical at Chapel off Chapel and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! at Cromwell Road Theatre)
“The History Boys is one of the most celebrated new plays of this decade and internationally regarded as Alan Bennett’s finest work. Whether audiences have seen this production in Sydney, London, on film, or are coming to it for the first time, The History Boys will have a fresh and powerful impact at the intimate Cromwell Road Theatre.”
The multi-award winning comedy follows an unruly bunch of bright and brash sixth-form boys from a northern grammar school in the Thatcherite eighties. The boys are, naturally, in pursuit of sex, sport, spirituality… and a coveted place at one of England’s finest universities.
Their headmaster (Peter Maver), obsessed with results, enlists the help of Irwin (Tristan Lutze), a shrewd young temporary teacher to provide exam-busting tricks. The boys are torn between their loyalty to the hugely eccentric, poetry-spouting English master Hector (Chris Gaffney), the regular diet of nourishing facts dispensed by Mrs. Lintott (Beryle Frees), their history mistress, and the radical approach of Irwin.
“This new production considers the value and meaning of education in an intensely moving, funny and thought-provoking experience. The play is a celebration of the joys of language, intellectual exploration and inspirational educators,” says Ives.
Alan Bennett started with Beyond the Fringe and has written numerous plays, novels, and other notable works. The original London production of The History Boys won three 2005 Olivier Awards while the New York production won five Drama Desk Awards and a record six Tony awards.
Bookings are now open on our website: http://www.historyboys.com.au/
For more information on The History Boys or media enquiries please contact:
Margaret Fisk, Production Manager, P 0409 211 293 |E tfmf@ozemail.com.au
We are proud to announce our outstanding cast for THE HISTORY BOYS
Hector
Chris Gaffney (3CR Radio Presenter & Inside the Island at Theatreworks)
Irwin
Tristan Lutze (Copenhagen at Chapel off Chapel)
Mrs. Lintott
Beryle Frees (Cabaret – Music Theatre Guild Winner Best Supporting Actress)
Headmaster
Peter Maver (Blue Heelers, Stingers & Cosi at Malvern Theatre Company)
Timms
Gerard Lane (Forbidden Broadway at Cromwell Road)
Posner
Elliot Roberts (Blue Heelers, Neighbours & The Hamish & Andy Show)
Dakin
Luigi Lu (Imagine the Afterlife, Sydney Short And Sweet Festival)
Rudge
Stuart Daulman ( Lyrebird Award Winner & Melbourne International Comedy Festival)
Lockwood
Riki Lindsey (The Witches of Eastwick at NASDA New Zealand)
Scripps
James Cook (Putting it Together at Cromwell Road)
Akthar
Fabio Motta (Beyond Therapy in New York, Carla Cametti PD & Canal Road)
Crowther
Kevin Newman (Twelfth Night Hartwell Players)
Where: Chapel off Chapel, Prahran, until May 3
Reviewer: Chris Boyd
4 Stars
LET’S get one thing straight, the call girl of the title is a call-centre girl, not a call girl of the escort variety . . . though she does screw a few people, financially speaking.
At the outset, Jean is a selfless, do-gooder wife and mum. She descends from the heavens in her white altar-boy robes; communion wafer wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
Her life is dedicated to her volunteer work: tending to the poor, the sick and the needy.
When her bored, untended, two-timing hubby gives her the flick — for Felicity at the pharmacy — Jean has to fend for herself. She lands a job at the local call centre, gradually overcomes her horror at the deceit required to make a sale, and morphs into a power-crazed wheeler-dealer.
At this point, I have to say this is far and away the stupidest and flimsiest story I’ve seen set to music since Starlight Express. But unlike S-Ex, Call Girl lights up the switchboard with one dazzling (albeit stupid and flimsy) hit song after another.
And they’re delivered with optic-fibre speed, efficiency and clarity. Fast and furious.
read more…
by Cheryl Threadgold (Wednesday 22nd of April)
Call Girl the Musical, ‘transferring you to Sex, Lies and Love, please hold … ‘ is running until May 3 at Chapel off Chapel, 12 Chapel St., Prahran.
There is always something special about a home-grown musical written by a Melbournian, but what is extra special about this production is that the show’s mega-talented creator Tracey Harvey has not only co-written the music, lyrics and script with Doug MacLeod, but also beautifully portrays the life journey of the show’s singing and dancing protagonist, Jean Brown.
Tracey co-stars with Jeremy Kewley as Frank McGee, with Laura Burzacott (Courtney), Chris Buchanan (Anton), Raelene Isbester (Samantha) and Trevor Major (Geoffrey). The mixed ages of the versatile cast and characters and varied styles of musical numbers cleverly ensure appeal to a wide audience.
Under the expert direction of Bryce Ives, the show tells the story of Jean’s journey from do-gooder volunteer to deserted wife to finding employment in the shonky We Care Marketing telephone call-centre with a bunch of ‘phonies’. The groovy song and dance numbers choreographed by Dave Harford and accompanied by Jack Howard’s orchestra are terrific and offer an entertaining balance to the perceptive inclusion of some sensitive social issues.
read more…
Call Girl the Musical is a tribute to the talents of Ballarat trio, director Bryce Ives, actor Laura Burzacott and choreographer Dave Hardford.
Having earned their stripes through various courses and local productions, three of the city’s own are staging a production of Tracy Harvey’s Call Girl the Musical in Melbourne by Chloe Pollard (The Ballarat Courier.)
Ballarat is well and truly making a name for itself in the Melbourne theatre world.
Take the new Melbourne show Call Girl the Musical for example.
Not only is the show being directed by Ballarat’s former Young Citizen of the Year Bryce Ives but it’s also being choreographed by former University of Ballarat student Dave Hardford and stars Damascus College graduate Laura Burzacott.
Now a successful theatre director and media producer, Ives was school captain at Ballarat High School in 2000.
He was instrumental in the establishment of Theatre Movement Inc, a Ballarat based contemporary theatre company in 1997.
Ives and Burzacott first met as teenagers in Ballarat and were both heavily involved in the local theatre scene.
Burzacott was also in one of the first shows Ives directed as a 16 year old.
Meanwhile, Hardford moved to Ballarat in 2002 to study at the University of Ballarat’s Arts Academy.
Hardford choreographed Ballarat Lyric Theatre’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 2003 and later directed and choreographed the company’s 2007 production of Cats.
The production later won more than 15 awards at the Victorian Musical Theatre Guild Awards. read more…
Why does the phone ALWAYS RING AT DINNER TIME? In September 1996 Australia had a small call centre industry. It was the Howard Government that removed import restrictions on Telecommunication Equipment: and the call centre industry went from about 10,000 to over 250,000 employees.
We have John Howard to thank for this musical and for the constant interruptions to our daily life. What a legacy!
Over time a public perception of the “toxic call centre” culture has emerged. Call centres are perceived as being places with high staff turnover and low staff morale – the factories of the future. Whether this is the case or not, I can’t be sure. However, we have all received an obnoxious call as we have sat down to watch our favourite TV show and it can be difficult for all concerned.
Some of us have even hit a point where we have had to work in a call centre. In the case of this production, back in 2004 Tracy Harvey found herself flat broke. She got a job in a St.Kilda Road call centre raising funds for charities – helping humanity and herself. read more…
October 2008 Phoenix Theatre
It’s twenty past eight. The capacity crowd are seated and primed with a dynamic overture. A last sip of water before Gordon Watson – Phoenix caretaker, set builder and fly operator, straps me into the harness. Our magnificent cast hit the boards with ‘Welcome To The Show’ and up I go. Five metres above stage I hover behind a curtain. No turning back, now. This is it. I say a prayer then make my descent. Call Girl the Musical is born.
Our special preview season runs for just 8 nights with a cast and crew of 60 volunteers. Word gets around this is a show worth catching as the queue outside the Phoenix stretches down Glenhuntly Rd. We are rapt. So is the press.
‘It was blatantly obvious from the onset this is extremely high quality professional entertainment and could so easily spill out and play any theatre that Australia cares to throw at it. Trevor Gager: ARTS HUB.
March 2009 – Chapel Off Chapel
Back by popular demand, Call Girl is set for a 3 week season at Chapel. This time round, cast and crew will be paid for their sweat as we head closer to world domination. Our producer, Simon Myers, cracks the whip. He wants more dancing, more singing and a new strap line for Call Girl: ‘Connecting you to love, sex and lies….please hold.’ read more…
How does a committee of management steer through the murky waters of these uncertain times? The simple answer is: have a clear vision, a clear mission statement and set of clear future strategic priorities.
Community theatre must have a measurable economical and social impact in their respective local communities, or expect an uncertain future.
It’s actually quite simple: non-professional, amateur, community – whatever you call your company, it must be focused and catered towards its local community. For instance, if I am the President of a North-Melbourne based company, it is my most important priority to ensure that the company is connecting with local people in the North Melbourne area. It is not my priority to be concerned about “the current show” or “slab of future shows”. read more…
Auditions are open for my production of ‘The History Boys’
Author: Alan Bennett
Director: Bryce Ives
Synopsis: The History Boys is an irreverent look at the structure and value of educationBritish boy’s boarding school around 1980, a group of eight Senior boys are being groomed for their University exams to Oxford and Cambridge, by two distinctly different teachers: one an older maverick teacher, whose mission to broaden the boys’ horizons sometimes takes undefined directions; the other a younger teacher, who questions both the methods and the aim of the boys’ schooling all together. Characters Boys – age range 18 – 25 but must look like senior secondary school students. read more…
A new Australian musical is looking for a male actor (45- 55) to play the lead role of Frank McGee: a supersalesman, hardened by life, but with a heart of gold. He has much to give; he just needs a little love from the shows heroine: Jean Brown, a compulsive volunteer played by Australian TV legend Tracy Harvey.
Call Girl the Musical is a new Australian production by comedian and writer Tracy Harvey, with assistance from Doug MacLeod (Kath& Kim) and musical arrangements by Jack Howard (Hunters and Collectors)
read more…
Boroondara Theatre Company are pleased to announce their July 2009 production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys will be directed by Bryce Ives and production managed by Margaret Fisk O.A.M.
Bryce and Margaret reunite after the successful preview season of Call Girl the Musical. They are now recruiting the key production roles and preparing for the season.
Auditions will be held in early April. We are looking for twelve outstanding actors to take on this challenging piece: with eight boys (Age range: 18 -25 but must look like senior secondary school students ) needed for the roles of the boys themselves, including a Jewish boy, Indian boy and a boy of ‘African descent; and four dedicated actors to take on the challenging roles of the teachers.
Stay posted to Theatre People and Arts Hub for audition information
At the annual Heywire morning tea at Parliament House, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon Tony Burke MP, announced a further three year sponsorship of Heywire, the program that I manage for ABC Radio:
Heywire, the initiative that I manage for the ABC, has just launched Heywire TV on ABC 2.
We broadcast stories from:
Priscilla Gaiwairi from Laverton, Western Australia
Sasha Mackay from Jericho, Queensland
Nicholas Ryan from Camden, New South Wales
It’s not Rap, It’s Hip Hop by Brodie Lancaster from Bundaberg, Queensland.
If you missed them on the telly – you can always check the ABC Heywire Youtube channel – or watch this sampler:
Test
Heywire is the project that I manage for ABC Radio – and today the voices of the 2008 Heywire winners can now be heard on ABC Radio throughout summer.
Announcement:
Heywire is a competition encouraging regional youth to ‘tell it like it is’. Open to people aged 16-22 living in regional or rural Australia, Heywire seeks short stories in text, pictures, film or audio, about life in Australia outside the major cities.
Comedian
September 2004
Flat broke. I got a job in a call centre raising funds for charities.
I’m surrounded by “phonies.” One fellow has a spoon around his neck with a sign, “Teaspoon for Hire.” Another eats fresh oysters while we play Trivial Pursuit to build team morale. I make countless calls and takes notes. Our supervisor prowls the aisles looking for slackers. Four weeks later I leave the call centre with a crook neck, a hot ear and notes.
IN bed with Channel 31 station manager Greg Dee – he has the best lips in town – I suggest a sitcom set in a call centre. Call Girl is conceived. Now to write it. And find a job that’s bearable.
January 2005
The urge to realise my full potential as comic genius is stronger then ever. I find the call centre notes in my filing cabinet. I cover the lounge room wall with a storyline and make up the first verse of a song. “Brilliant, Trace,” says Greg. “You’re a songwriter!” A friend gives me The Artists Way, a guide to realising your inner artist. It works. Every morning on the bus, I write three pages. And I take up macramé.
Christmas 2006
Christmas lunch reading of Call Girl with thespian relatives reveals a major deficiency. The lead character of Jean Brown (to be played by me if I pass the audition) must be strengthened. But how? Make Jean a compulsive volunteer. Her motto “Helping Helps Heaps!” This is AWGIE material.
2007
Another year. Another 50 drafts.
Review by Kathryn Lynch (Web Wombat)
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Call Girl : The Musical is the brain child of Tracey Harvey and is a hilarious home made piece of theatre from right here in Elwood, Melbourne.
This special season is a preview to the brand new show that hopes to build a strong foundation on which the incredibly talented team can continue the journey that is Call Girl.
The story follows Jean Brown (Harvey), a compulsive volunteer who finds herself in need of a “real” job in the wake of her husband Geoffrey (Trevor Major) leaving her for the local pharmacist.
read more…
