2016 Hayes Theatre Co cabaret season announced

Cabaret season is fast approaching as the line up for the third annual Hayes Theatre Co Cabaret Season was announced this morning. It features 14 exciting cabaret acts, master classes and special events over four weeks! The season’s headliner is Philip Quast, alongside a number of Australian musical theatre stars, newbies and in an exciting new trend of Broadway stars visiting Australia: broadway diva Shoshana Bean.

“It’s an exciting time for cabaret in Australia, and the line-up for this year’s Hayes Cabaret Season is our strongest yet,” said the Executive Producer of Cabaret Season 2016, Richard Carroll.

And if you’re not lucky enough to be in the room where it happens, this year’s cabaret season will feature an exciting (and free!) Tony Awards viewing party. And it’ll be followed by an after-party featuring the latest Broadway numbers! We can’t think of a better way to spend a public holiday.

Over the month there will also be weekly sing-a-long Show Tune Sundays, so get practicing your 11 O’clock numbers and Disney duets to ensure you don’t throw away your shot (I’m sorry about all the Hamilton references, I think it’s time we all let it go.) (Ed note- please!).

The Hayes offers single tickets, as well as 3 and 5 show ticket packages so you can make it to all these exciting events. Check out our list below of the season events and head to the Hayes Theatre Co website for more information and to book tickets.

 

To The Moon & Back, starring Gillian Cosgriff

Dates & Times: Thursday June 16 at 7pm & Friday June 17 at 9pm

Gillian has concerns about the future. You might say she has chronophobia (fear of the future), or gamophobia (fear of marriage), or phobophobia (fear of fears). Probably not that last one…

After venturing out to see Gravity with a throbbing hangover she also has astrophobia (fear of space). Seriously, name me one space movie where nobody dies. You can’t, can you? I knew it.

This award-winning cabaret star has been garnering accolades for the last five years with her charming and unique style of musical comedy. See her now, before the world inevitably ends.

 

Philip Quast in Conversation

Dates & Times: Friday 17 June & Saturday 18 June at 7pm

Philip Quast has had an acting career on stage, film and television spanning over 35 years. He was in the original Australian cast of Les Misérables  – eventually playing the role of Javert in London and also appearing in the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.   This exclusive and intimate evening will see Philip in conversation about his life, his love for woodwork, writing and disappearing on his fishing boat. He will perform songs from many of his most famous musical theatre roles, as well as some more personal material. Expect laughs, honesty and some surprise theatrical moments – this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Philip’s most recent theatre performances have been in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s La Cage Aux Folles in the West End, Sweeney Todd in New York and London with Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson and Waiting for Godot with the Sydney Theatre Company. He has received three Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actor in a Musical.

 

Don’t Bother to Knock, starring Helen Dallimore

Directed by Richard Carroll

Dates & Times: Saturday 18 June at 9pm and Sunday 19 June at 8pm

A vibrant celebration of sex appeal and the women who weren’t eren’t afraid to use it to get to the top – breaking down centuries-old barriers along their way.

 

 Don’t Bother To Knock is ‘hosted’ by Helen Dallimore, who then transforms into four platinum pioneers who went before her – Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton and Madonna. Utilising little more than a blonde wigs, a microphone and a little complimentary lighting – audiences will delight in seeing and hearing these iconic women come alive onstage. Featuring a host of each star’s iconic songs (as well as a few surprises), Don’t Bother to Knock gives you a fresh appreciation of what made them all genuine trail-blazers.

 

Pandora’s Bag, starring Joanna Weinberg

Dates & Times: Thursday 23 June at 9pm & Saturday 25 June at 7pm

Pandora’s Bag is an original song cycle about bags and the women who wear them. The bag is examined as a metaphor for all things female and explored as adornment, status symbol and keeper of memories. Women of all ages will relate instantly to the hilarious ‘Old Bag” and “Bag Porn” songs, while ‘Laundry Bag and ‘Pandora’s Bag’ offer more serious commentary about the position of women in the home and in war.

Stories both funny and moving link these contemporary and catchy songs played by Joanna and her all-girl band and modelled by ‘Chantelle” bag model extraordinaire. There is an audience ‘show and tell’ section where audience members are encouraged to bring their bags and tell stories about them.

A perfect girl’s night out.

 

The Way We Weren’t, starring Friends of Barbra

Starring Michael Smallwood, Luke Gallagher and Nigel Ubrihien, Musical Direction by Nigel Ubrihien, Written by Michael Smallwood and Nigel Ubrihien

Dates & Times: Friday 24 June at 7pm & Saturday 25 June at 9pm

The Way We Weren’t re-introduces Sydney to Friends of Barbra Australia’s internationally renowned mega-cabaret boy-band hand-picked by Barbra Streisand herself to keep her music alive. Nigel Ubrihien, Michael Smallwood and Luke Gallagher have been Friends of Barbra for nearly two decades, performing sellout seasons in Melbourne, New York and Berlin.

 

Hispanic Attack! Starring Ryan Gonzalez

Written and directed by Richard Carroll, conceived by Amy Campbell, Richard Carroll and Ryan Gonzalez, Musical Director Conrad Hamill, Choreographed by Amy Campbell

Dates & Times: Friday 24 June at 9pm & Sunday 26 June at 7pm

Iconic Spanish singer/songwriter/dancer/telenovela star/three-time Eurovision Song Contest participant/talent show judge Ryan Gonsalez (his mama wanted to give him an exotic first name) is a superstar all over the Latin world. Idol, heart-throb, and winner of multiple Latin Grammy awards, his life is a blur of parties, ladies, and sold-out arena tours.

In 2016, he finally brings his legendary Hispanic passion down under, with the aim of single-handedly helping Latin music overtake cricket, gambling and casual racism as Australia’s most popular art form.

After his planned arena tour was abruptly cancelled as a result of a mysterious sales-related complication, Gonzalez has agreed to make an extra-special up-close-and-personal appearance at Hayes Theatre Co instead.

 

Best Supporting Actor, starring Damien Bermingham

Dates & Times: Saturday 25 June at 2pm & Sunday 26 June at 5pm

You’ve seen him as a supporting actor in Fiddler on the Roof, a supporting a
ctor in Priscilla, a supporting actor in Chicago, a supporting actor in Xanadu, a supporting actor in King Kong, a supporting actor in Strictly Ballroom and a supporting actor in Violet.

Now is is your chance to catch Damien Bermingham in his one man show about the life of a …… (drum roll please) …… supporting actor!

This show is a witty expose on the highs and lows, pros and cons, ups and downs of a career playing second fiddle, always being the bridesmaid and of wanting to be a George Clooney when you’re really a John C Reilly.

 

Back to Basics, starring Bryce Halliday

Dates & Times: Thursday 30 June at 7pm & Friday 1 July at 9pm.

Bryce Hallida
y goes back to what he does best: original songs on a grand piano. Bryce has a tendency to over complicate things. For the last few years he’s done shows full of characters, stand-up comedy, sound effects, electronic music, or he’s taken the easy option and made up entire musicals On The Spot.

This show goes back to what cabaret should be: Bryce at a grand piano, singing his trademark combination of kindaheartfelt-kinda-stupid original songs. Featuring some of the best bits from his two solo shows The Bryce Is Right and SOUNDhuMAN, and a fistful of new songs, Bryce Halliday goes Back to Basics.

 

Something About Always, starring Simon Burke

Dates & Times: Friday 1 July at 7pm & Saturday 2 July at 2pm

It all began with his award-winning performance in the classic Australian feature film The Devil’s Playground way back in 1976. Since then Simon Burke has been a fixture on our screens and stages, both in Australia and all over the world.

In Something About Always, Simon and musical director and collaborator Daniel Edmonds present a show based on their best selling album of the same name – a classy feast of eclectic songs that have come to know this legendary performer over the years: in and out of character, in cabaret, at Carnegie Hall, from Play School to the Palladium.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Simon Burke up close and very personal as he reflects on his forty year career.

 

Liaisons Project, Anthony de Mare in Concert

Dates & Times: Saturday 2 July at 7pm & Sunday 3 July at 2pm

The Liaisons Project – The world’s great composers reimagine the works of Stephen Sondheim.

As a tribute to the legendary Stephen Sondheim, renowned American pianist Anthony de Mare invited composers from a broad variety of genres – musical theatre, jazz, classical, pop, film and beyond – to “re-imagine” a Sondheim song of their choice as a solo piano piece. To date, 36 composers ranging in age from 30 – 75 and representing eight countries and 29 Grammy, Pulitzer, Tony, Academy and Emmy Awards, have contributed to de Mare’s Grammy winning Liaisons Project. In this Australian premiere performance featuring interviews with the composers and Sondheim himself, de Mare will perform a selection of these extraordinary arrangements, adding the first Australian composer to an illustrious list that includes Jason Robert Brown, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Thomas Newman and Steve Reich.

 

Love and Death, The Songs of Jim Steinman

Written by Toby Francis, Musical Direction by Andrew Worboys, Directed by Neil Gooding

Dates & Times: Saturday 2 July at 9pm & Sunday 3 July at 7pm

Winner of the 2014 Sydney Theatre Awards Best Cabaret Production, Love and Death and an American Guitar returns the Hayes Theatre Co for two nights only. Set just a few years after the release of iconic rock album Bat Out of Hell, Love and Death lifts the curtain on the genius responsible for the album’s success, composer Jim Steinman.

Written and performed by Toby Francis (Blokelahoma!, Dogfight) with Musical Direction and Arrangements by Andrew Worboys (Sweet Charity, Little Shop of Horrors), Love and Death sees Steinman return to the writing desk in an effort to complete his stage adaptation of Peter Pan –a rock opera entitled Neverland.

Taking place against the backdrop of Steinman’s struggle with a lack of public and professional recognition, unpaid royalties, and lost friendships — and boasting a collection of some of the biggest rock songs of all time — Love and Death is an epic yet intimate glimpse into the fictional world of one of modern music’s greatest talents.

 

Unseen: A Tribute to Narnia Mixon

Dates & Times: Friday 8 July at 7pm & Sunday 10 July at 5pm

A biopic cabaret, Unseen: A Tribute to Marni Nixon takes audiences on a stroll down memory lane, exploring the incredible life and career of singer and actress Marni Nixon.

Having dubbed the singing voice of luminaries including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood and Deborah Kerr, Nixon became one of the most remembered but unknown voices of the golden age of Hollywood.

Featuring songs from hit films including West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The King and I and many more, Nixon’s dulcet tones memorialize some of the greatest music theatre tunes of our time.

 

COLE, starring Michael Griffiths

Written by Anna Goldsworthy

Dates & Times: Saturday 9 July at 7pm & Sunday 10 July at 2pm

Michael Griffiths explores the colourful life and timeless songs of Cole Porter including You’re The Top, Let’s Misbehave and Night And Day. Hedonism, enduring love, grave misfortune and a legacy that sparkles with wit and wisdom.

 

Shoshana Bean, Live at the Hayes

Dates & Times: Saturday 9 July at 9pm & Sunday 10 July at 7pm

Shoshana Bean’s independent solo releases have topped the iTunes R&B and Blues charts in the US and UK in peak positions 5, 3 and #1 with the release of her latest EP Shadows to Light.

Shoshana is a veteran of the Broadway stage having debuted in the original cast of Hairspray and starred as the very first replacement for Elphaba, the green-skinned witch, in Wicked.

Most recently she appeared in the pre-Broadway production of the new musical Beaches as CeeCee Bloom, and inked a deal with ABC Signature for a new musical pilot she co-created and for which she will compose the music.

She has sold out solo concerts around the world and performed alongside Brian McKnight, Bebe Winans and sang back up for Michael Jackson for his 30th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Shoshana arranged vocals for Jennifer Lopez’s American Idol performance of “I Luh Ya Papi” and her music has been featured in television shows on NBC, MTV, Oxygen, Bravo and Showtime.

Her live shows are thrilling and moving experiences, combining her unique and heartfelt brand of original soul music, well known classic covers and songs from her theatrical repertoire. She is sure to please every audience member and give them MORE than what they came for.

 

Tony Awards Viewing Party

Dates & Times: Monday 13 June from 9:30am, broadcast stars at 10am

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Thanks to the Queen’s birthday, the 70th annual Tony Awards fall on a public holiday in Australia – and thanks to our friends at FOXTEL, this year Hayes Theatre Co is the place to be for a Tonys viewing party!

With Broadway shows this season including Hamilton, The Color Purple and American Psycho, it’s a bumper year for musical theatre fans. Into The Woods star James Corden will host this year’s ceremony – come and watch it all unfold with us at the Hayes. The bar will be open for tea, coffee, Bloody Marys and Mimosas, with the ceremony broadcast live in both the auditorium and the foyer.

This is a free event, but booking through our website is advised to guarantee entry.

 

The After Party

Dates & Times: Monday 13 June at 8pm.

The best part of any awards night is the party that follows… and The 70th Annual Tony Awards at Hayes Theatre Co is no different.

Presented by Highway Run Productions, The After Party features four award winning cabaret artists doing what they do best: talking sh*t and belting the ba-jesus out of Music Theatre numbers. Join Gillian Cosgriff, Josie Lane, Tom Sharah, and Toby Francis as they use this one night only cabaret as a flimsy excuse to perform songs from this years’ Tony Award nominated shows — i.e. Hamilton, everyone loves Hamilton — and discuss how shocked they were when that show won Best Musical. (i.e. Hamilton… Everyone loves Hamilton.).

The After Party: because camp loves company.

 

Show Tune Sundays

Dates & Times: Every Sunday 8:15pm – 11pm.

Join us every Sunday night for a good old-fashioned Broadway sing-a-long at the Hayes!

Every week during the cabaret season, we’ll be hosting a Sunday sing-a-long around the piano in the foyer. Stick around after the show, or come down specially to request your favourite show tunes. From Sondheim to Spring Awakening; Dreamgirls to Disney – if it’s Broadway, it’s in! Each week we’ll have a virtuoso pianist and a host to keep the playlist humming along.

All are welcome to join in the singing, or just have a drink at the bar and enjoy the vibe.

 

Nancy Hayes Master Class

Dates & Times: Saturday 10 June at 10am

Nancye Hayes is one of Australian musical theatre’s true triple threats, being a superb dancer, fine singer, actor, and now also a choreographer, director and teacher. She has performed in numerous musicals in Australia such as Promises, Promises, Cabaret, Pippin, Irene, Nine, Sweeney Todd, Chicago, Annie, 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls, Follies in Concert and Showboat to only name a few.

 

Philip Quast Master Class

Dates & Times: Friday 24 June & Saturday 25 June at 10am

Philip Quast has had an acting career on stage, film and television spanning over 35 years. He was in the original Australian cast of Les Misérables eventually playing the role of Javert in

London and also appearing in the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. He has been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, played Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George and Emile de Becque in South Pacific at the National Theatre (London), Peron in EVITA and Graham in The FIX at the Donmar Warehouse.

 

Audition Master Class

Dates & Times: Saturday 2 July at 10am

A great opportunity to learn and practise your audition craft with some of the foremost musical theatre practitioners in Australia. Selected performers will be asked to perform and workshop set audition material for a leading director, musical director and casting director, while all attendees will be welcome to observe and ask questions of the panel. A leading director and musical director will join casting director Lisa Campbell (Rent; Heathers) for this special master class.

 

To book tickets visit The Hayes Theatre Co website.