The Scene - Local Entertainment News

S Sense

People say to me, bless them, that I am so responsible these days, knocking out a 400 word column every week. Like a proper person.

Yes, I'm very responsible these days.

Yep. Yeah. Truly.

Little ol' responsible 400-word me.

Yo.

Some deep classic grooves

The Cologne New Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra has arrived in Oz and is perfuming (ha ha) in Mullumbimby. Vivaldi rocks!

This weekend sees a very special event take place in Mullumbimby - the Cologne New Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra from Germany, under the directorship of Volker Hartung, will perform selections from Vivaldi (my favourite - next to Leonard Cohen), Bach, Purcell and Mozart.

This feast of live international classical music can be savoured at St Martin's Anglican Church in Mullumbimby this Sunday, March 20, at 8pm.

Tickets are available at St Martin's Church beforehand - or at the church from 7pm on the night of the concert.

Freebie: The Echo has two double passes to giveaway for this slice of musical heaven. To go in the draw to win phone 6622 2888 between 10 & 10.15am this Friday, March 18, and tell us what Bach's first name was. Not hard really...

Crook comedy

Trevor Crook (pictured) began his career at the Sydney Comedy Store in 1991 and received his first booking in just two months, his first television performance in six, and capped off that first year by winning the Sydney Comic of the Year competition. Lucky, I guess.

After shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1996, Trevor began working extensively in England and Europe.

Now, he's back in the country and will be appearing at the Bangalow Bowling Club next Thursday, March 24. Sandy Gandhi appears as support before she heads off to Melbourne for the Comedy Festival.

Mandy Nolan, comedian and bride to be (!) will MC and no doubt give the punters helpful hints for success in marriage.

The laughs start at 8pm. Tickets are $15. For bookings (probably a good idea) phone 6687 1235.

Fellatio?

Well, Machine Gun Fellatio look like they're into having fun. You can join in (looks like fun!) when they play at the Ballina RSL Club next Tuesday, March 22, from 8.30pm.

They'll be staging their very theatrical show promoting their new album On Ice. Support acts for the night are Thirsty Merc and our very own Jimmy Willing & the Real Gone Hick-Ups. Tickets are $22.

If you can't make it, the same line-up will also play at the Yamba Golf and Country Club the following night (Wednesday, March 23).

Witch way?

Witches are bad, mad and fun...

Witches, written by Roald Dahl, has been adapted for Lismore by local 16-year-old thespian extraordinaire, Tilani Brockenshire. This funny play is showing this Friday and Saturday, March 18-19, at the Masonic Hall in Magellan Street from 7pm.

Witches has a cast aged 11 to 14. Theatre for young people.

The story revolves around the Witches of England and how they want to rid the world of children, and their cunning plan to do just that. But the children of England have other plans....

Good fun. Bring the whole family.

Tickets are available at Caddies Bean Shop or at the door.

Loving Hating

The movie freebie madness at The Echo continues with 15 double passes and 15 gift packs to giveaway to the new movie Hating Alison Ashley.

Delta Goodrem (now Scudless) makes her movie debut in this Aussie comedy about teenage angst and alienation, based on the bestseller by Robin Klein. Saskia Burmeister, Tracey Mann, Jean Kittson, Craig McLachlan, Alexander Cappelli and Richard Carter also feature in this flick, directed by Geoff Bennett.

Hating Alison Ashley begins showing today (Thursday, March 17) at Birch Carroll & Coyle in Lismore.

Freebie: To go in the draw to win one of the double passes to Hating Alison Ashley and a gift pack with various goodies, phone 6622 2888 between 10.15 & 10.30am next Monday, March 21, and tell us in what TV soapie did Craig McLachlan make his acting name. (Clue: Kylie was also in this show.)

Real Gone & coming your way

There's no act quite like Jimmy Willing (pictured) & The Real Gone Hick-Ups. The Hick-Ups are a cranking little country folk band. Add Dan Rumour of The Cruel Sea with that distinctive guitar sound and let Jimmy Willing loose to weave his tales and you have showtime!

While Machine Gun Fellatio are on the North Coast (see the Fellatio story) The Hick-ups are going into the studio to record a duet with Jimmy and Fellatio singer K.K Juggy (aka Christa Hughes). It's a bawdy piece of rockabilly called CatFishFishin.

You can catch Jimmy and the lads at the Billinudgel Hotel this Sunday, March 20, from 2.30pm; next Tuesday, March 22, at the Ballina RSL with Machine Gun Fellatio and Thirsty Merc; next Wednesday, March 23, at the Yamba Golf and Country Club with Machine Gun Fellatio and Thirsty Merc; and on March 31 at the Great Northern Hotel in Byron (with The Re-mains and Christian Pile).

A scene from the dance comedy Wallflowering, the first show of NORPA's 2005 dseason, which begins on April 6.

The NORPA 2005 Season was launched on March 4 before a large crowd at the Star Court Theatre in Lismore. NORPA's artistic advisor Lyndon Terracini hosted the evening and introduced an exciting season of live performance including 10 subscription season shows, two locally produced shows featured in a 'Live and Late' season at the Star Court Theatre and a Theatre in Education initiative. Highlights include a mid-year music weekend featuring a dynamic new show from Paul Capsis, a moving performance by Ruby Hunter and her partner in life and music, Archie Roach, and an evening of world music with international act H'Sao.

"NORPA has something to please everyone this year with family shows, dance, comedy and some great Australian theatre," Terracini said. "It's a season we at NORPA are very excited to present and our subscription options ensure that those who enjoy live performance can take advantage of some great packages."

The season kicks off on April 6 with Australian playwright Peta Murray's ballroom dancing comedy Wallflowering. Starring stage and screen legend Noeline Brown, partnered by Doug Scroope, Wallflowering is a play about an ordinary couple in an ordinary marriage, their pursuit of happiness and the perfect foxtrot. It's a story told with warmth and humour and features fine performances from two of our most enduring stars.

The internationally acclaimed Australian String Quartet will perform at the Bangalow A&I Hall on May 14. With a repertoire ranging from the classical to the contemporary, the Australian String Quartet will delight you with its finesse and intensity. Also in May, some of the freshest and funniest stand up comedy talent from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival will take the stage at Lismore City Hall. Prepare yourself for an evening of routines that promise to be slick, sophisticated, cheeky, engaging and outrageous.

La Boite Theatre Company's adaptation of the novel Zigzag Street by Nick Earls will play at the Star Court Theatre in June following an incredibly successful premiere season in Brisbane.

Following the Southern Cross University Music Weekend in July, NORPA will present a dance/physical theatre performance titled Remember Me. NORPA subscribers in 2003 may recall a special preview of the work during its development at the Star Court Theatre that year. Remember Me features Gerard Veltre, local dancer Mariaa Randall, Natalija Alavuk and Christian Kabamba. With choreography by Veltre, this electrifying and highly physical production fuses multimedia designs with theatre and dance to create an awesome visual experience.

The final two shows in the subscription season are performances the whole family can enjoy. Monkey Baa Productions will delight young audiences with their production of The Prospectors by Alana Valentine, while the Australian Shakespeare Company will present a contemporary adaptation of the family favourite Wind In The Willows.

Subscribe and Save

There are a range of incentives to subscribe to NORPA in 2005, including a saving of 15 per cent on ticket prices and the guarantee of the best seats in the house. Phone 6622 0300 for your free season brochure or visit www.norpa.org.au.

Single tickets for each show in the NORPA season will go on sale from this Friday, March 18, and will be available from the Northern Rivers Ticket Centre (6621 5600).

Jazzing it up

The Lismore Jazz Club will present A Night of Big Bands this Friday, March 18, at the Fountain Room at Lismore City Hall.

We're talking top jazz cabaret here with the Northern Rivers Conservatorium Big Band led by George Urbaszek. And from Murwillumbah, we'll hear the Raucous Arousal Syndicate led by flamboyant trombonist Steve Jackson. Plus a quartet or quintet or two. This is, of course, a fundraiser for the 60th Australian Jazz Convention, which hits town on Boxing Day later this year.

Entry is $8/5. Cheap.

BYO drinks and nibblies.

For more information or to become a member of the Lismore Jazz Club phone Michael Bird on 6622 5912 (b/h) or visit the website at www.lismorejazz.org.

Legal illusions

Local filmmaker Christine Devine, in conjunction with the Byron Bay Film Club, will present the first of many film shows this Friday, March 18, at Southern Cross University's Union Auditorium.

The film is For We Are Young And Free, directed by Scott Nathan. It explores major inconsistencies within the Australian legal system and its foundations under British and international law. The film starts at 8pm.

Scott Nathan will also talk about the film on the night.

Also showing is a selection of short films by local filmmakers - What Really Happened 9/11? and What if? This will become a monthly event.

Tickets are $5/3.

Blue moon magic

The Nimbin School Of Arts will be launching itself into another big cultural year with its first performance event, the Blue Moon Cabaret, this Saturday, March 19.

In a huge evening of fine food and gourmet entertainment, the show will feature 17 acts of comedy, poetry, song and dance.

The shows are always a sellout, so you'll need to jump for tickets. Book on 6689 1766.

Funkin' Fest

The last Funkfest was such a huge success for North Coast groovers that the organisers have decided to do it again. Hooray!

This Saturday, March 19, will see Melbourne band Morph and local funksters Groove Dalley team up with The Fun Project (from Lennox Head) to create a night of funkadelia - Funkfest 2 - that will see the Coorabell Hall dance floor bouncing with the coolest funky beats. Tickets are $15/10.

School poetry comp

If you're a school student why not write a poem about something historical like buildings, farm life, pioneers, olden day games or sport, clothing etc. of not more than 20 lines on an A4 page, put your name and school on the back and send it to Alstonville Plateau Historical Society, PO Box 65, Alstonville, 2477, by April 1, and you may win $20 first prize or $10 second prize? There are two sections - primary school and secondary school. Winners will be announced on April 9 at the Heritage Fair in Alstonville.

Guitar, lap-steel and vocals

Ross Ward plays a mean lap-steel (as well as guitar) and this singer/songwriter has been playing with the big names of Aussie music since the 70s.

He moved to the North Coast in the mid 90s and has established himself as a solo performer and with his band work. Ward's Express has released three CDs.

Check out Ross Ward at the Blue Tongue Cafe in chic North Lismore this Friday, March 18, from 7pm. He'll also be plucking the steel at The Urban in Bangalow this Saturday, March 19, at 7pm.

The Nimbin experience

You can enjoy a night of Aquarian nostalgia (if you weren't there or can't remember, it will be a learning experience) when Woodstock Down Under (a 30th Aquarius anniversary film) and a film from the White Buffalo Media archives called Beware of Mankind screen at Djanbung Gardens in Nimbin this Friday, March 18.

Paul Joseph, Lisa Yeates, Robin Francis, Mira and other Nimbin friends will share the musical spirit of those (and still these) times.

Entry is $8/6. Dinner is available from 6.30pm and the films start at 7.30pm. For more info phone Katie on 6689 1938.

God is coming

Zuigia, a trio from the USA on their way to Toowoomba for the Gospel Music Festival, will be performing at the Alstonville Baptist Fellowship's House of Passion in Wardell Road, Alstonville, this Sunday, March 20, from 6pm.

With an acoustic folk-rock sound, Zuigia performs songs that are about everyday life - the struggles with relationships and self-worth. And about God.

For further info phone 6628 5387.