With the 2011 Helpmann Award nominations announced just before MILK AND HONEY opened on July 4, Magnormos congratulates the following Contributing Artists for their nominations: Ann Phelan for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play (Do not go gentle), Verity Hunt-Ballard for Best Female Actor in a Musical (Mary Poppins), and Esther Hannaford for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Hairspray).
Toni Lamond and Nancye Hayes will share the JC Williamson Award with Jill Perryman, an award which celebrates excellence and achievement in live performance.
Eddie Perfect has received a nomination for Best Cabaret Performer as well as being nominated alongside Tim Minchin for Best New Australian Work.
Our upcoming Musical Director for DEAR WORLD, Trevor Jones, is a joint recipient for the Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Australian Conductors.
Meet Joseph Naim
As we approach the Australian premiere performance of Jerry Herman’s MILK AND HONEY on Monday night, we continue to meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life…
JOSEPH NAIM (playing Adi)
Magnormos: Tell us about your character? Joseph: Adi is a Sabra, a Jewish man born and raised in Israel. He lives and works in a Moshav, a type of farming community, transforming desert into a blooming world of greenery. He is however, a realist, and does not entirely share the dream-like aspirations of others. Adi is a jubilant character with a strong love for his family and his land.
Magnormos: What drew you to MILK AND HONEY? Joseph: Milk and Honey is a very cultural piece. It has remarkable depth and understanding of the Jewish community and the world that they created for themselves during that time. Being part of this production has given me the opportunity to discover and explore that world. With Avigail Herman’s direction, it has certainly been both culturally educational and inspirational.
Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful? Joseph: The music that Jerry Herman produces is melodic and beautiful, yet intrinsic and very clever. Someone hearing the pieces for the first time may find themselves humming the tunes like the songs are old favourites. Jerry Herman’s music is pleasurably contagious – in the sense that when you have heard one song, or one show, you feel a need to hear more and more.
Magnormos: Tell us about you - as an emerging artist, what’s a highlight so far? Joseph: Last year I was invited to return to my former high school as an alumni member to sing at the schools’ opening assembly. It had been about 9 years since I graduated and it was a humbling experience to be asked to come back and perform at the place where I first realised my passion for the arts.
MILK AND HONEY will be presented ONE NIGHT ONLY on Monday 4 July 8pm.
Supported by Shocolate, Tisdall Wines and Hampstead Dental
Get a sneak preview of some of the fabulous choreography from MILK AND HONEY - performing for ONE - NIGHT - ONLY on Monday 4 July 8pm. Book your tickets now at melbournerecital.com.au or 03 9699 3333 or at the door.
Meet Jared Newall
As we approach the Australian premiere performance of Jerry Herman’s MILK AND HONEY on Monday night, we continue to meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life…
JARED NEWALL (playing David)
Magnormos: Tell us about your character? Jared: David is an optimist; a dreamer. While everyone around him sees Israel for the barren land it appears to be, David sees the future: a promised land of ‘milk and honey’. He is torn between his love for his homeland, and the love of his American wife, Barbara. It’s these two loves that bring David to question everything he believes.
Magnormos: What drew you to MILK AND HONEY? Jared: On the surface, Milk & Honey appears to be another show pulled from musical theatre’s ‘Golden Age’, with catchy songs and flashy dance numbers. But after reading the script and working it on the floor, I found the show’s great depth began to emerge. It is a beautiful period piece that deals with love; love of family, of a partner, of a people and of a land. It’s a show with a whole lot of heart.
Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful? Jared: Composers like Jerry Herman are few and far between. Very few composers can boast as many hit songs, sellout shows and awards as Jerry Herman. His music has been played and performed with the almost the same regularity as when it was written, and recently a whole new generation has been introduced to his work through the movie Wall-E, whether they know it’s his or not.
Magnormos: Tell us a little about you - what’s a career highlight so far? Jared: I graduated last year from the music theatre course at the University of Ballarat. Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to work with John Bucchino on his musical It’s Only Life, which was directed by Milk & Honey’s executive producer, Aaron Joyner. Soon, I will be heading out in a new direction, as a member of the group The Ten Tenors, on their 2011-2012 Australian and International tour, which I’m very excited about.
In the lead-up to MILK AND HONEY we’re going to meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life on Monday 4 July.
SOPHIE CARTER (playing Clara Weiss)
Magnormos: Tell us about your character? Sophie: Clara Weiss is Jewish-American, part of a group of widows on a tour to Israel who hope to find a man to re-marry. She lost her beloved husband Hymie seven years earlier, and now years to find a companion to share her years with. I have really grown to love Clara over the rehearsal period. She is a woman with a big personality, funny, energetic and sassy, with a huge heart (dare I say the heart of the show!). She is fiercely protective of her new friend Ruth Stein who is experiencing the torment of loving a man she can not have. Magnormos: What drew you to Milk and Honey? Sophie: In this age of i-tunes, youtube and musicals based on popular movies, it is rare to be given the opportunity to present a piece that is completely unknown not only to the audience but also to the cast! It’s a fantastic opportunity to create a character from scratch without any preconceived ideas or influence. It’s also a beautiful thing to create on stage, a world and a way of life foreign to us - a world steeped in traditions and pride. Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful? Sophie: Personally, I think he has created some fantastic roles for women and that’s pretty rare! Dolly Levi, Mame and Mabel from Mack and Mabel - sensational roles with fabulous songs. Gotta love that! Magnormos: Tell us about you - what’s a career highlight? Sophie: I was fortunate enough to be a Diva in the original cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. It is so rare to be part of the cast of an original Australian musical and watch it grow and mature over the space of a few years. I am so proud to continue to watch the show go from strength to strength, moving from Australia, to the West End, now to Broadway! Knowing that I was part of it’s infancy is something that is truly special and important to me.
In the lead-up to MILK AND HONEY we’re going to meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life on Monday 4 July.
MICHELLE FITZMAURICE (playing RUTH STEIN)
Magnormos: Tell us about your character? Michelle: Ruth Stein is a woman on a journey of self discovery! She has lead a very conservative life and ignored her own self fulfillment and happiness. Touring Israel with a busload of fellow widowers, she rediscovers the joy of life and falls in love with Phil Arkin (Greg Ross), but he is still married and so she is confronted with the moral dillema of what she should and shouldn’t do…
Magnormos: What drew you to MILK AND HONEY? Michelle: My initial attraction was the opportunity to play such a wonderful character, but I also love the fact it is an opportunity to showcase a musical that would not have been presented to audiences of today. I am thrilled to be working with Magnormos for the first time and excited at the opportunity of re-birthing such a beautiful love story.
Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful? Michelle: Undoubtedly Jerry Herman is one of the best Musical Theatre composers of our time, and not just because he can write amazing roles for women!!!!! But also for his gorgeous melodies and poignant lyrics. He creates shows that have touched the hearts and souls of a wide audience and kept the magic of Broadway alive!
Magnormos: Tell us a little about you - what’s a highlight so far? Michelle: Performing in GUYS AND DOLLS at the Princess Theatre was a highlight not only because I was working with such an amazing cast but also because my mother had performed in THE MUSIC MAN there nearly 40 years earlier! Recently I had the privilege of watching my 10 year old son singing at the State Theatre with Opera Australia, and then to sing with him myself at a function only just the other night!! So special :)
See Michelle in MILK AND HONEY - Monday 4 July 8pm at Melbourne Recital Centre
Supported by Shocolate, Tisdall Wines and Hampstead Dental
*SNEAK PEAK FOOTAGE* We’ve had quite a bit of feedback from people unable to find, or unaware of the soundtrack to MILK AND HONEY who don’t know what to expect on Monday… so we thought we’d give you a little taste of one of the beautiful songs from the show sung by our very own Jared Newall! Check it out!
Meet Greg Ross
In the lead-up to MILK AND HONEY we’re going to meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life on Monday 4 July.
GREG ROSS
GREGORY (GREG) ROSS
Magnormos: Tell us about your character? Greg: Phil Arkin is a successful business man in building development, who for many years has been emotionally unfulfilled. Meeting Ruth changes his life forever, and she challenges his basically conservative nature to be with her… but first he has to formally divorce his wife.
Magnormos: What drew you to MILK AND HONEY? Greg: I have worked with Aaron and Magnormos before in A BUNCH OF RATBAGS and then the BETTER THAN BROADWAY workshop, and I was drawn to this wonderful character after Aaron approached me about it. The production values of the company are excellent, and it would be welcomed by all if Magnormos received greater financial backing.
Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful? Greg: Jerry Herman is one of those pre-eminent composers of Broadway musicals who had the ability to mix script, lyrics and score seamlessly. In MILK AND HONEY, written at a young age, he gave us beautiful and melodic songs and a story set in the young State of Israel that is passionate and written with love.
Magnormos: Tell us a little about you - what’s a highlight so far? Greg: Early in my career, I had the good fortune to play John the Baptist/Judas in the original Sydney production of GODSPELL. With a talented young cast, the show was hugely successful. On opening night following ‘All for the Best’, the song and dance sequence performed with the character of Jesus, the audience spontaneously rose as one and cheered and applauded for what seemed like two minutes. The reaction was made more special because Gordon Chater, highly respected and seen regularly during my television work at Channel Seven, was one of those standing and cheering.
See Greg in MILK AND HONEY - Monday 4 July 8pm at Melbourne Recital Centre
Supported by Shocolate, Tisdall Wines and Hampstead Dental
Established in 2002 Magnormos is a producer of musical theatre with a unique focus on Australian audiences, and Australian writers.
Back to Magnormos Website
With the 2011 Helpmann Award nominations announced just before MILK AND HONEY opened on July 4, Magnormos congratulates the following Contributing Artists for their nominations: Ann Phelan for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play (Do not go gentle), Verity Hunt-Ballard for Best Female Actor in a Musical (Mary Poppins), and Esther Hannaford for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Hairspray).
JARED NEWALL (playing David)
Magnormos: Tell us about your character? 
Magnormos: Tell us about your character?
GREG ROSS
