Canberra Theatre Centre’s 2019 Collected Works
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What a year 2018 has been for Canberra Theatre Centre.
We were touched by Bangarra’s Dark Emu and moved to tears by The Bleeding Tree, brought to tears of an entirely different kind by The Wharf Revue and sung along to more numbers than we can possibly recall. In the blink of an eye, it was all over, and we found ourselves wondering with delight what 2019 will hold.
The 2019 Collected Works were recently announced, and we were pleased to discover that the program contains a balance of timeless classics and hot-off-the-press new work. In chronological order, here’s what’s in store.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL
Image: Brett Boardman
One of Australia’s favourite performers Jonathan Biggins is Paul Keating—visionary, reformer and rabble-rouser—in a highly anticipated new comedy, The Gospel According to Paul.
Full of intelligence and wit, The Gospel According to Paul is a funny, insightful and occasionally poignant portrait of Paul Keating—the man that, as he tells it, single-handedly shaped contemporary Australia.
Showcasing his eviscerating wit, rich rhetoric and ego the size of Everest, The Gospel According to Paul distils Keating’s essence into 75 minutes, focussing on key biographical milestones, landmark political achievements and personal obsessions.
The Playhouse 26–30 March
HOW TO RULE THE WORLD
Image: Rene Vaile
Vic, Zaza and Chris are political insiders hustling their way to the top. They want influence, they want change, they want to take over Parliament House. They leave that bar drunk on power, with a plan to take over the world. First step: find a likeable white guy to use as a political puppet. What could possibly go wrong?
In the hands of Sydney Theatre Company Associate Director Paige Rattray (Black is the New White), How to Rule the World is a fast-paced comedy that tackles our country’s myths of multiculturalism and the ‘fair go’. This motley group of political operatives are convinced they can beat the system from the inside. But will they change the system? Or will the system change them?
The Playhouse 3-6 April
THE MISER
Wealthy skinflint Harpagon is so cheap he’d rather bury his money in the backyard and steal oats from his horse before seeing a dollar spent. Welcome to the world of The Miser, where passion and penny-pinching go head to head in a ribald comedy of manners. John Bell stars as the stingy, avaricious and obnoxious Harpagon, a money-lender who makes Ebenezer Scrooge look generous. This is a man who loves nothing more than his beloved cash—not even his own children.
Bell Shakespeare’s Founder John Bell will be directed by Artistic Director Peter Evans in this deliciously mean comedic Molière adaptation, exploring the depth of human greed, lust and manipulation.
The Playhouse 11–20 April
BONACHELA / NANKIVELL / LANE
Image: Pedro Greig
Sydney Dance Company’s 50th Anniversary bursts into life with a formidable triple bill from three remarkable choreographers—Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, Gabrielle Nankivell and Melanie Lane.
Witness five virtuosic dancers in the world premiere of Bonachela’s Cinco set to a dramatic string quartet. Soar beyond the clouds in Nankivell’s new work Neon Aether and immerse yourself in a post-human world of primal seduction and belonging in Lane’s 2017 smash-hit WOOF.
Now, for the first time, these three incredible works will share the one stage.
Canberra Theatre 2-4 May
BARBARA AND THE CAMP DOGS
Image: Daniel Boud
Part road-story, part family drama, part political cry-from-the-heart, Barbara and the Camp Dogs is a high-octane rock gig featuring the powerhouse duo of Ursula Yovich and Elaine Crombie, and a very sharp band keeping the night alive.
Meet Barbara and her band the Camp Dogs. Barbara’s been trying to make it in Sydney, but this is a tough town for musicians. In all the relentless demands of city life, where’s the sense of belonging she craves?
When her mother’s health deteriorates, Barbara and her cousin René hit the road, embarking on a pilgrimage back home to country.
Barbara and the Camp Dogs was Belvoir’s 2017 sleeper hit that—due to an overwhelming demand—returns in 2019 with a national tour.
The Playhouse 29 May–1 June
PRIMA FACIE
Image: Brett Boardman
One of our country’s greatest actors Kate Mulvany stars as Tessa—a criminal lawyer who knows the law permits no room for emotion.
To win, you just need to believe in the rules. And Tessa loves to win, even when she’s defending clients accused of sexual assault. Her court-ordained duty trumps her feminism. But when she finds herself on the other side of the bar, Tessa is forced into the shadows of doubt she’s so ruthlessly cast over other women.
Winner of the 2018 Griffin Award, Prima Facie is an indictment of the Australian legal system’s failure to provide reliable pathways to justice for women in rape, sexual assault or harassment cases. It’s a work of fiction, but one that could have been ripped from the headlines of any paper, any day of the week, so common you could cry.
The Playhouse 26–29 June
BANGARRA 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Image: Jacob Nash
Join Bangarra as the company celebrates its landmark 30th anniversary season with a stunning display of contemporary dance theatre. As Australia’s only major performing arts company with its origins in the land, Bangarra is inspired by 65,000 years of culture and the continual evolution of Indigenous storytelling.
Proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from all over Australia come together as a creative clan to harness a shared spirit. The result is Bangarra’s powerful dance language, and utterly unique soundscapes, music and design. With award-winning Artistic Director Stephen Page, they create original and breathtaking experiences. This is your chance to be part of it.
Canberra Theatre 18–20 July
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Image: Justin Ridler
Young Will Shakespeare has a bad case of writer’s block and desperately needs a muse. His new comedy, Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter, is less than inspired and he’s running out of time to deliver his next masterpiece. That is, until he meets Viola, and a real-life Romeo and Juliet story starts to take hold. But Viola has a secret…and this damned Romeo play is turning out to be nothing like the comedy the Queen demanded.
Shakespeare in Love won seven Oscars in 1998 when Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes stole our hearts on screen. Now, Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman’s Academy Award-winning script has been transformed by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) into a side-splitting stage comedy with a stirring love story at its heart.
Canberra Theatre 22–31 August
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Image: Pierre Toussaint
Claudio and Hero are deeply in love. Beatrice and Benedick would rather swap sassy insults than sweet nothings. Much Ado About Nothing is a saucy and razor-sharp battle of wits between the bickering Beatrice and Benedick, who wield words as weapons, their banter betraying their love and loathing of each other.
Directed by Bell Shakespeare’s Associate Director James Evans (Julius Caesar) and starring Zindzi Okenyo (Antony and Cleopatra, MTC’s An Ideal Husband) as Beatrice, this Much Ado About Nothing will be a powerful exploration of the struggle for identity and self-knowledge in a male-dominated world. The pursuit of love is framed in a social context that enhances the darker themes in this timeless comic gem.
The Playhouse 11–19 October
THE 39 STEPS
Image: James Hartley
Pulled into a web of intrigue and deceit, accidental hero Richard Hannay must evade shadowy organisations and femme fatales, corrupt constables and frisky farmers’ wives. Twisted into knots by skullduggery and suspicion, Hannay must solve the mystery of the ‘39 steps’ and save the motherland before it is too late…
Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s film version of John Buchan’s 1915 adventure novel, The 39 Steps is equal parts farce, clowning masterclass and heart-stopping noir. Strap yourself in as four actors perform 139 roles in 100 minutes at breakneck hilarity.
The Playhouse 29 October–2 November
THE WHARF REVUE
Image: Rene Vaile
The all-singing, all-dancing, side-splittingly funny solution to all the world’s problems returns for another year of satirical genius.
The West is crumbling, democracy is besieged and the world is run by morons with funny hair. You have to laugh. And that’s exactly what The Wharf Revue delivers. The indefatigable team is back once more to dig through the year’s political dirt and unearth comedy gold.
Stalwart performer Drew Forsythe returns with special triple-threat guests including the hilarious Simon Burke. The choreography is tight, the wigs are loose, the punchlines are loaded. Everything is ready for a big night of laughter and mayhem.
The Playhouse 12–23 November
As a special treat this year, Canberra Theatre Centre are offering season ticket holders the option of add on a bit of music to their theatre season. Season ticket discounts are available for tickets to both Arlo Guthrie and Nicole Car & Etienne Dupuis in concert.
ARLO GUTHRIE
Image: Georges Antoni
American folk singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie has become an iconic figure with a distinguished and varied career spanning almost 60 years.
Experiencing Guthrie live is a treat. His keen sense of humor and clever storytelling intermingles with his musical mixture of folk, rock, country, blues and gospel styles in songs almost equally divided between his own originals and well-chosen cover tunes.
Since the first time he performed in public in 1961 at the age of 13, and after almost 60 years of shows, Guthrie, now in his 70s, has become an American folk elder—a keeper of the flame.
Canberra Theatre 22 April
NICOLE CAR & ETIENNE DUPUIS IN RECITAL WITH JAYSON GILLHAM
Image: Dennis Andersen Photography
In one of the most exciting musical collaborations of 2019, Australian soprano Nicole Car will partner with her husband, internationally acclaimed baritone Etienne Dupuis, and brilliant pianist Jayson Gillham in one magnificent recital.
Featuring romantic French and Spanish songs, as well as popular opera arias and duets, this is a chance to experience why Nicole is adored both here in Australia and across the globe.
Canberra Theatre 9 August
Book a Collected Works 2019 Season Ticket package to guarantee that you’ll be seeing the best performing arts to come to Canberra in 2019.
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