FLOWERCHILDREN 2011 Video Highlights

Congratulations to:

• EMMA JONES for receiving the 2012 Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actress in Musical Theatre for her work in THE HATPIN
• The cast of FLOWERCHILDREN (Casey Donovan, Laura Fitzpatrick, Matt Hetherington, Dan Humphris, Tim Carney, Jessica Featherby, Jack Feehan and Zuleika Kahn) for being the joint recipients (with the cast ofRock of Ages) of the 2011 Green Room Award for Best Featured Ensemble in Musical Theatre for their work in FLOWERCHILDREN
• To AARON JOYNER, on behalf of Magnormos for receiving a special panel award for ‘Outstanding Support for New Australian Musical Theatre’

Congratulations also to SOPHIE THOMAS for her nomination as Best Musical Director for her work in FLOWERCHILDREN, and to the Magnormos Contributing Artists who received nominations or awards for non Magnormos productions.

This Monday night Magnormos continues the celebration of JERRY HERMAN with the Tony Award winning DEAR WORLD.  In the days leading up we will meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life…

ANGELA HARDING (who plays Nina)

Magnormos: Tell us about your character?
Angela: I play the role of Nina - a lovely, young waitress, who works at the Cafe Francis.  Nina absolutely adores the Countess Aurelia and her friends, and takes much pleasure in their magic and madness. She has a youthful idealism and has never before been in love until she meets Julian, who she falls in love with at first sight.

Magnormos: What drew you to DEAR WORLD?
Angela: I was drawn to the overall beauty of both the story and the score of DEAR WORLD. There is a magical element to the story that sweeps you into the world of larger than life characters through moments of laughter, love and loss. The score is stunning and leaves you humming the melodies at the end. It’s just beautiful!

Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful?
Angela: For me, it’s his ability to create a world you want to be a part of - a world which unites the extraordinary with the ordinary. Also, of course, his ability to compose stunning, memorable music goes without saying!

Magnormos: Tell us a little about you - what’s a career highlight so far?
Angela: I’m a Queensland girl and have just recently made the move to Melbourne from Brisbane. Career highlights for me are shows or performances I’ve done that signify a new era in my career. Some of these highlights include performing the role of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in 2009 with Harvest Rain Theatre Company; performing in concert with Scott Alan in 2010 which inspired me toward song-writing; and my role in DEAR WORLD will certainly be a highlight, as my debut to the Melbourne stage!

See a brief snippet of Angela performing one of the memorable melodies from DEAR WORLD with our exclusive rehearsal footage - click here!

See Angela make her Melbourne stage debut in DEAR WORLD, this Monday Night 11 July 8pm at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Book online now or call 03 9699 3333

This Monday night Magnormos continues the celebration of JERRY HERMAN with the Tony Award winning DEAR WORLD.  In the days leading up we will meet some of the principal performers who will bring this landmark musical to life…

JACKIE REES (who plays Mme Constance)

Magnormos: Tell us about your character:
Jackie: The character I am playing is Constance.  She is Aurelia’s (the Madwoman of Chaillot) friend.  She is a little kooky to say the least - hears voices in her hot water bottle and seems to have had quite a few encounters with the opposite sex and is still interested!

Magnormos: What drew you to Dear World?
Jackie: Firstly the fact that Jerry Herman wrote the music.  Then when I read the script I realised how topical its story is.  Its about the greed of the Corporate Giant being overcome by the little people.  That one person’s vision can make a difference - can inspire others and can win the battle against the Corporates.  Its message is as important now as when it was first written.  And its told in a crazy, fun way with wonderful words and music.

Magnormos: Why do you think Jerry Herman is so successful?
Jackie: He has written such memorable, beautiful music and lots of his show tunes have become standards with people recording them outside of the musical theatre arena.  Recording them and having huge hits with them.  He’s also one of only two composer/lyricists to have 3 musicals run more than 1500 consecutive performances on Broadway.

Magnormos: Tell us a little about you. What’s a career highlight so far?
Jackie: I’ve been working in the performing arts since I first arrived in Australia in 1973.  My first major musical was the original Rocky Horror Show and I played Columbia.  I did 2 performances with Reg Livermore.  I was rehearsing with some of the new cast - this was 6 months into the production - and the then Columbia got sick - and they threw me on after only a week’s rehearsal.  Scary but great to work with Reg.  And since then I’ve worked in plays and television and film, been part of an award winning cabaret act called The Ritz Company, and continued with my love of musical theatre with roles in musicals like Me and My Girl and Nine to name a few, and had a long running affair as Madame Giry in Phantom of the Opera.  I was lucky enough to be nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role.  I live in Melbourne with my husband who is a journalist/presenter for the ABC, and my darling dog Bella.

See Jackie and her talking hot water bottles in DEAR WORLD, this Monday Night 11 July 8pm at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Book online now or call 03 9699 3333

Magnormos is currently seeking applications for auditions for the four remaining roles in flowerchildren - the mamas and papas story. 

Auditions will be held on Wednesday July 13th in South Melbourne  Four performers are required to play the Hullabaloos and double with other individual roles as well.

For more information and to register for an audition please visit the Magnormos website:

http://www.magnormos.com/flowerchildren_auditions.htm

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.

Click here to see rehearsal footage of Jared performing a song from the show

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.

See Sophie in MILK AND HONEY - Monday 4 July 8pm at Melbourne Recital Centre
http://www.magnormos.com/jht_milkandhoney.htm

Supported by Shocolate, Tisdall Wines and Hampstead Dental

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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

http://www.magnormos.com/jht_milkandhoney.htm

Supported by Shocolate, Tisdall Wines and Hampstead Dental

With the first of the triptych upon us, time is running out to benefit from a JERRY HERMAN TRIPTYCH season pass.

Not only do you get DISCOUNTED TICKETS and priority seating to the three great shows in this years triptych, but you also get some exciting goodies on arrival at MILK AND HONEY including:

- Complimentary season program
   (value $10)
- Complimentary box of scrumptious
   chocolates by award-winning master
   chocolatiers SHOCOLATE (value $10)
- Complimentary glass of red or white
   wine from TISDALL WINES

So do yourself a favour and call the Melbourne Recital Centre box office today! 03 9699 3333