Stage Whispers

Back in the fold

Oscar-winning film director Sam Mendes is set to return to his roots in theatre – but not in his native Britain. While Mendes’ new play will be on Broadway, not the West End, he does get to direct a new production of compatriot David Hare’s play The Vertical Hour. But Mendes’ reputation means this is unlikely to be your run-of-the-mill night at the theatre. His leading lady will be none other than Hollywood leading lady Julianne Moore.

Ring of confidence

Hopes are high in Canada that the mega-musical production of The Lord of the Rings will give Toronto’s theatre scene a boost. The $23 million production opened last month at the city’s Princess of Wales Theatre, and already there are signs it could be the biggest thing to hit town since The Lion King. And that’s music to the ears of the city’s hoteliers and restaurateurs, who are banking on the musical’s appeal with American audiences to lift flagging tourism numbers.

Dear Juliet

Having troubles in your love life? Maybe you should drop a line to the most famous tragic lover of all time – Juliet, as in Romeo and Juliet. Not the “real” one of course; but arguably the next best thing. The Club di Giulietta in Verona is home to a dedicated group of volunteers, who answer letters from around the world – in any language – giving advice to the lovelorn. Apparently one of the biggest groups sending letters is – surprise, surprise – American teenagers. The club puts it down to the fact that the play is on many high school curricula.

You're using coconuts

Spamalot, the musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has marked its one-year anniversary on Broadway. Fans of the smash hit turned out in numbers to mark the occasion with an unusual tribute. They arrived with coconut shells in hand to create the “world’s largest coconut orchestra”. If you’re familiar with the movie, you’ll understand.

Game time

The Commonwealth Games may have an unexpected spin-off – for the arts. The Victorian State Government was so impressed with the turn out for Festival Melbourne that ran in conjunction with the Games (and not to be confused with the Melbourne Festival which runs in October), it’s considering making the event a permanent feature of the city’s cultural calendar. The free event lured some 700,000 people in Melbourne (and 1 million in Victoria as a whole) during the CommGames.

Winter warmer

Still in Melbourne, Arts Minister Mary Delahunty has announced a new program of arts events to run from May to August this year. The State Government has set aside $850,000 to fund a program of international artists at the Victorian Arts Centre. To be known as “Mix It Up”, the first program will bring companies from as far away as India and Quebec to perform in Melbourne. Tickets go on sale soon.

David Edwards

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Stage Whispers