APRIL, 1986 Vol 10 No 3 ISSN 0314 - 0598 A publication of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust THE GUYS AND DOLLS COME TO TOWN GUYS AND DOLLS by Damon Runyon Nathan Detroit, Harry the Horse, Angie this show, "Sit Down You're Rocking Directed by David Toguri the Ox, and many many others who gam­ the Boat". Sets designed by John Gunter ble, cheat and lie their way through life, GUYS AND DOLLS, which was first Cast includes: Nancye Hayes, Peter desperately in search of a crap game, performed in 1950, has stood the passage Adams, Angela Ayers, Anthony whilst equally desperately trying to avoid of time well and it is not hard to see why. War/ow, Ricky May matrimony. It is full of "characters", unforgettable Her Majesty's Theatre The Australian production of the music and all the colour and life one musical, which is based on a recent associates with New York. It has been National Theatre of Great Britain pro­ performed many times all over the world, "Guys and Dolls, one of the classiest duction, comes to Sydney following made into a movie (which starred Frank musicals out of Broadway, is 10 to one seasons in both Adelaide and Melbourne. Sinatra and Marlon Brando) and now on to win the hearts . .. It is the best pro­ The director, David Toguri, staged the comes to Australia as exuberant as ever. duction of a great musical to appear here London production. Many well-known There can be very few people who have in years . " The Advertiser Australian performers are in the cast - not sung, whistled or hummed to such "Guys and Dolls - the $2 million Nancye Hayes, who plays Miss Adelaide, songs as "Luck Be A Lady Tonight", musical risk venture - is a smash hit. It has featured in many of Australia's "Take Back Your Mink" and "I've just does not have a weak link, not a hic­ memorable productions; Peter Adams Never Been In Love Before". cup, not a slip or a tremor . " The News (Nathan Detroit) has had a most distinguished career on stage and screen; amon Runyon's short and fascin­ Anthony Warlow (Sky Masterton) is BOOKING INFORMATION D ating stories, with their vivid por­ both a star of the Australian Opera and Wed May 14 to Sat May 24 traits of life in New York, have long been musical comedy - many may have seen Mon to Sat at 8 p.m. Wed and Sat at 2 p.m. best sellers all around the world. In them his performance in MAN OF LA AETT $27.50 MANCHA. Perhaps one of the show he has captured the sound, the style and G.P. $29 .50 the smell of New York. In GUYS AND stoppers, however, is jazz singer Ricky Pens/ Stud $17 .90 DOLLS this Broadway columnist reach­ May playing Nicely-Nicely Johnson, who Two AETT tickets per member ed his zenith, creating such characters as gets to sing one of the favourite songs of 2 Barnsley and Larry Buttrose; the unlikely century China (the era when women's Melbourne Success venue for their launch was the Trade feet were bound) and Australia's Union Club in Surry Hills. Notwith­ liberated 1986. The combination is a standing all this, both CHARACTERS vivid, dynamic and disturbing piece of ROOM TO MOVE by Hannie Rayson and CHARACTERS II played to capac­ dance theatre. The Sydney season will Directed by Kerry Dwyer ity audiences and, in fact, the seasons feature four performances only at the Designed by Robert Kemp were extended. Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre. Cast includes: Ruth Cara, Peter Fisher, CHARACTERS III, which opens at Jane McDermot, Robbie McGregor, the Wharf Studio on April 3, will include BOOKING INFORMATION Wendy Playfair and Greg Saunders new material from many of the top per­ Wed Apr 2 to Sat Apr 5 Stables Theatre formers from the past shows. These in­ AETT discount $2.00 Bookings on 692 3511 clude Wendy Harmer, Melanie Salomon, Victoria Roberts, Julie McCrossin, "It is an excellent and entertaining play, Gretel Killeen and Maggie Lynch rich thematically and also rich in There will be some new faces too, among Production Change humour. It does for the 'eighties genera­ them, Maryanne Fahey (of "The Dunera tion what Buzo and Williamson did for at Marian St Boys" fame). The line-up will change theirs a decade ago. " Melbourne Age weekly. OTHERWISE ENGAGED by pening for the Griffin Theatre Com­ BOOKING INFORMATION Simon Gray pany on April 8 is ROOM TO O Thu Apr 3 to Sat May 3 Directed by Kerry McGuire and John MOVE by Hannie Rayson, playwright in Tue to Sat at 8 p.m. residence for the Playbox Theatre Com­ Krummel Sat at 5 p.m. Designed by Deidre Burges pany in Melbourne and one of the most AETT discount $2.00 Cast: John Krummel, Tom Oliver, Mark significant new female writers to emerge Bookings on 250 1777 Pegler, Katy Manning, Peter Rowley in recent years. The play was an instant Wharf Studio Fay Kelton, Robert Alexander hit when presented in Melbourne at St. Marian Street Theatre Martin's Theatre and had a transfer season at the Universal. Hannie Rayson Extra's Shrew obtained her material for the play from a HY ME? scheduled as the fourth series of dinners with eight men from he One Extra Company was formed W play in Northside's current season very different walks of life. Their at­ T in 1976 by its artistic director, Km IS to be replaced by Simon Gray's titudes to feminism formed the basis for Tai Chan, and it has grown to be one of OTHERWISE ENGAGED, which won her comedy ROOM TO MOVE. the most innovative performance groups the London Evening Standard's "Best and successful dance theatre companies Comedy" award. Simon Gray is one of BOOKING INFORMATION in Australia. Following Adelaide Festival England's well-known playwrights and Tue Apr 8 to Sun May 4 performances the company will present author of BUTLEY. The London Sun Wed to Sat at 8.15 p.m. their production of THE SHREW in day Telegraph described OTHERWISE Sat & Sun at 5 p.m. Sydney. THE SHREW weaves ENGAGED as "incomparably Simon AETT discount Shakepeare's TAMING OF THE Gray's best play: adult, literate and Bookings on 332 2677 SHREW with traditional nineteenth- scathingly funny". It is the story of a suc­ cessful publisher'S unsuccessful attempt to get away from it all, by striving to keep Cabaret Revival himself "otherwise engaged". The actress Kerry McGuire (most or too long, comedy and the perfor­ recently seen in BATHROOM at Marian F mance of it, has been the perogative St) makes her directing debut, combining of male performers, but over the past two with Northside's artistic director John or three years, that attitude has gradually Krummel, in this production. They are been changing. The highly successful no strangers to working together, having season of CHARACTERS, followed by gone through NIDA's actors course CHARACTERS II in 1984 and '85, together. OTHERWISE ENGAGED opened the public's eyes to the fact that opens on April 9. there were several highly talented women comics capable of both writing and per­ BOOKING INFORMATION forming material that did not fall into the Sun Apr 13 to Sun Apr 27 traditional categories of women's com­ Tue to Sat at 8.15 p.m. edy - self-deprecation or lesbian Sat and Sun at 5 p.m. Wed at 11 a.m. humour. The revival of cabaret in AETT $15.00 (Mon to Fri and mats ex­ cept Apr 16/17) Sydney, which saw the emergence of G.P. $18.00 (Tue-Thu) $19.00 (Fri-Sun) highly successful women's cabaret, was Pens/ Stud $12.00 (except Fri and Sat evg) the brainchild of three young en­ Two AETT tickets per member trepreneurs, Mandy Salomon, Judy John Nobbs and Julie-Anne Long in THE SHREW 3 Barefoot In The Park new season starting in May. Nine plays these two collaborate again in a musical will be presented by the company using satire called PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, their venues at the Wharf and the Drama to open at Belvoir Street Theatre on May he Festival of Laughter season at the Theatre, Sydney Opera House. 13. Set in Vietnam in 1968, it takes a Ensemble ends with Neil Simon's T First off at the Wharf Theatre is comedy BAREFOOT IN THE PARK swipe at the big Broadway-type musical Ibsen's HEDDA GABLER which was which many will have seen on the silver productions whilst the score stil1.manages first produced in 1890. This truly great screen. The guest director for this pro­ to include several big musical numbers classic brilliantly mixes comedy and duction will be Hayes Gordon, who was (perhaps it is possible to have one's cake tragedy and provides a sharp comment the founder and director of-the Ensemble and eat it too!). Chris Harriott again on nineteenth-century romantic idealism. Theatre for twenty-six years. In January demonstrates his musical talents, creating Starring Judy Davis in the title role, it an exciting blend of computer-generated he handed over control of production to opens on May 13. Other classics in the sounds and live music. Sandra Bates, who has worked there in season are Chekhov's THE SEAGULL many roles as director, actress and writer. and Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR She has been described by Hayes Gordon MEASURE. as a "dedicated, multi-faceted, highly im­ A playreading in 1985 becomes a full­ aginative and capable powerhouse of scale production in 1986! Michael Gow, talents".