A&E

Cirque du Soleil is returning to Australian next year, with a fresh production of Saltimbanco, the show that introduced Australians to the Cirque experience 12 years ago. Rather than under the big top, it'll be in theatre mode at entertainment centres. Dates include Perth in April, Melbourne in May and Brisbane and Sydney in July. Tickets on sale October 18. Details here.

We live in an age of celebrity. You can't pick up a newspaper or magazine, or switch on the TV, radio or internet, without seeing something about Brad and Ange, Tom and Katie, Lindsay or Britney. Like it or not, they've become the subject of many a watercooler conversation and, dare I say it, are genuine "household names". On the national front, there are the big names of TV (Bert, Kerri-Anne, Eddie and Ray among them), plus a smattering of musicians and, largely now-expat, movie makers (Hugh, Russell and Nicole). Recently, the finalists of MasterChef, Callum and Adam, have joined that hallowed society -- but for how long is anyone's guess. You'll note here that I've mentioned only first names but I reckon almost everybody reading this would know exactly who I'm referring to. Which brings me to the big question for Queensland readers only: Who are Brisbane's household names? Which homegrown talents, in whatever field, are instantly recognisable to a large portion of the population (not just the media junkies who read this blog) by their first name or nickname? I've got a few ideas of my own, but I won't be writing them down just yet. Suggestions by email or by Tweet, please. When I've assembled a list, I'd like to test the theory with members of the GP. Maybe we'll all get a surprise as to who's really on the A-list and who isn't.

The big question about the Brisbane Festival is: who is it for? As I said on 612ABC this morning (the audio is here), there is plenty for people who like contemporary dance but not a lot of breadth or depth to the "high arts" program, and precious little for the Average Joe or Jo (apart, of course, from Riverfire). The community section seems to be targetted more at the community that creates art than the communities who might want to consume it, and there's not much in the way of family entertainment. A lot of this year's program was obviously put in place by former artistic director Lyndon Teraccini; the challenge for the new AD, Noel Staunton, is to decide what the festival is all about and put his own stamp on it. Hopefully, he will decide that it's not just for elites; that it should include some truly popular entertainment that will engage the entire Brisbane community. As I've said before, I'd love to see the return of a Warana-style community parade, built from the grassroots up, and we definitely need an Edinburgh-style fringe festival to inject a little fun into proceedings.
PS: This is a personal thing, but I think the new logo is amateruish; remiscent of the rush of wacky typography we saw when computer users discovered the likes of ComicSans.

Anne Wood and the cast of Mamma Mia, the Divas, the cats of Jesus Christ Superstar, David Hamilton Puppets, Greg Moore, Velocity Dance Company and Oscar Theatre Group are among a growing bill for the Hats Off Briz-Vegas concert at the Playhouse, QPAC on August 23. Tickets $40; proceeds go to the Oz Showbiz Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS charity. Book here.

It's great news for Brisbane theatregoers that Wicked! will finally open at the Lyric Theatre in January next year. But that will be two-and-a-half years after its Australian premiere in Melbourne -- in which time, according to its producers, it has played 866 shows seen by more than a million people. In other words, the lion's share of the return from the show in terms of arts tourism dollars has gone into the Victorian coffers and, to a lesser extent, to NSW. Of course, if Brisbane had another large venue -- say a renovated Regent Theatre -- such big shows could be debuting in Queensland, rather than coming in at the end of their run after the diehard fans have already spent up big on package tours to see them.

Des Partridge, the longtime cinema critic for The Courier-Mail, supports the cause to Save the Regent. Here's some audio of him telling 4KQ's breakfast team of Laurel, Gary and Mark how this last-of-a-kind venue will be lost barring a last-minute change of heart by the State Government.
Update: I had my say on the Regent in this segment with Spencer Howson. It's towards the end after the usual (hopefully) entertaining fluff.

Birch Carroll and Coyle's lease on the Brisbane Regent is coming to end, culminating with a farewell on June 6. The details are on the poster below. Attend the event, but please remember that the fight to Save the Regent goes on.

The Queensland Pops Orchestra and conduictor Barrie Gott teamed up with radio stars Spencer Howson (612 ABC breakfast host), Bruce Redman (612 ABC drive movie reviewer), Loretta Ryan (4BH breakfast co-host) and blast from the past Wayne "Wayney Poo" Roberts for a concert with a difference at QPAC on Saturday night. Here's an exclusive picture of the radio stars:

Here's some audio from the event and here's somebody else playing what they played.

Former Brisbane actor Jason Gann will star in a US pilot adapted from the Australian comedy Wilfred, which Gann cowrote for SBS with fellow Queenslander and former journalist Adam Zwar. Well done to them! More here at Variety.com.
PS: Jason is a supporter of the campaign to Save the Regent.

Congratulations to Brisbane's Maske trio who, among many globe-trotting adventures in recent weeks, performed at Cambodia's World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat temple.

There's an interesting article here at brisbanetimes.com.au about the tenth anniversary of the Brisbane Powerhouse. There's no doubt that the Powerhouse is a great asset to Brisbane, and it's deservedly cherished by many arts lovers. But it is limited in its ability to cater to the broader population of the city for several reasons, including the fact that its main auditorium can hold only about 500 people. Brisbane has many small venues, and exciting things are happening not just at the Powerhouse, but at the Metro Arts, the Judith Wright Centre, the Brisbane Arts Theatre and elsewhere - but, let's be honest, a lot of what happens in these place is for niche audiences with already well-honed theatrical tastes. For the performing arts to truly flourish, Brisbane now needs another large venue that can handle an open-ended run of a big commercial production. The more people who have the chance to see professional live theatre at a high standard, the more theatregoers we will have - and the more people who might just take a chance on seeing at a show in a smaller venue. First-time theatregoers are unlikely to wander in to see an independent production the Powerhouse or the Judy; but they might just go see the Australian premiere of a big musical at, say, a restored Regent Theatre and eventually develop a taste for less mainstream fare. This is one "trickle-down effect" that might actually work.

In the late-1990s, I saw Earl Okin at an arts festival in Hong Kong. About three years ago, he was lined up to perform in Brisbane as part of an Australian tour to coincide with the release of his album, and I was scheduled to interview him for the Sunday Mail. However, the tour and the interview were cancelled. Now I'm pleased to discover that Okin will perform at the Brisbane Cabaret Festival from June 16-26. He'll be at the Judith Wright Centre on opening night, and if he's anywhere near as good as he was a decade ago, he'll be well worth seeing. The festival bill also includes performances by Ross Wilson and John Waters, Denise Scott and Bob Downe. Details here.

Who's going to save the iconic Hollywood sign from being spoiled by developers? Step forward, Hugh Hefner, who has donated $900,000 to preserve the land around the iconic structure he calls LA's equivalent to the Eiffel Tower. More here.

News that Our Russell Crowe now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame should come as no surprise. What some people might find surprising, though, is the fact that it costs the star to enter this elite club. I'm not sure what it is now, but back in 2003, the price tag was US$15,000 - and some stars have refused to stump up the cash, or have refused acknowledgement for other reasons. According to this undated LA Times story, the list of stars who aren't represented on the Walk of Fame included Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Sean Connery, David Lean, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Leonard Dicaprio, Diane Keaton, Denzel Washington and Woody Allen. As this Fox News article points out, the Walk of Fame star ceremony is often used as a marketing exercise -- to coincide, for example with the release of a new album or movie. Crowe has a new film, Robin Hood, out soon.

The Brisbane Times reports that there's support for Geoffrey Rush to replace the retiring Michael Gow at the helm of the Queensland Theatre Company. Of course, it's a brilliant idea. But would Rush forgo his Hollywood career and gigs on Broadway and the southern stage to run a Brisbane-based company? Maybe he could do it if, like Cate Blanchett at the Sydney Theatre Company, he enlisted a co-artistic director to be there when he couldn't be. In Blanchett's case, it's her husband, playwright Andrew Upton.
PS. As reported by Brisbane Times, critic Sue Gough's shortlist includes QTC assistant director Jon Halpin and husband-wife team Helen Howard and Michael Futcher. I'd throw Jean-Marc Russ into the mix, too. Mind you, I don't know who has applied for the job.
PPS: Rush is, of course, a great supporter of the Save the Regent campaign.