ABC TV’s Meet the Mavericks is an interview series featuring some of Australia’s most iconic artists, performers, thinkers and cultural leaders. Each episode sees two of these creative talents (and troublemakers) come together to compare notes and talk intimately about their view of the world, their passions, what inspires them, what drives them and how they channel this into their creative process. (Photo courtesy of ABC Arts)
Tune in to Episode 4 on Tuesday 3rd May, 2016, at 10pm, for two humanists: Phillip Adams and Tim. Late Night Live radio host and godfather of the Australian film industry, with a regular column in The Australian, Phillip Adams and Tim (composer/lyricist, musician, comedian, actor, writer and director) talk about life, art, identity and religion.
The episode will join the others on ABC iView once it airs.
Tomorrow, April 23rd, you can watch Tim playing his part in the celebrations at Shakespeare Live! From The RSC. As it broadcasts live on BBC Two at 8.30pm, the show will be screened live to Picturehouse cinemas in the UK and Europe. Tickets here. (Details of worldwide screenings below)
Photo courtesy of The RSC
Tim joins a huge and stellar cast which includes: Akala (Hip Hop Shakespeare), Roger Allam, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Simon Russell Beale, Ian Bostridge, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Anne Marie Duff, English National Opera, Paapa Essiedu, Joseph Fiennes, Alexandra Gilbreath, Henry Goodman, the cast of Horrible Histories, Rufus Hound, Rory Kinnear, John Lithgow, Ian McKellan, Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra, Helen Mirren, Alison Moyet, Al Murray, Pippa Nixon, Orchestra of the Swan, Gregory Porter, the Royal Ballet, Antony Sher, The Shires, Meera Syal, David Suchet, Catherine Tate, Rufus Wainwright and Harriet Walter.
Hosted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate, the live television celebration, marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, will be staged at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
The RSC: ‘Shakespeare Live! From the RSC’ will feature performances of some of the greatest dramatic scenes ever written, played by some of our greatest actors, as well as songs, comedy, dances and music celebrating Shakespeare’s legacy.
The programme will be available on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
Tomorrow, Tuesday 19th April 2016, sees Tim attending and performing at the launch event for the Canadian production of Matilda The Musical, at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.
That’s 7:30pm (BST) in the UK and for Australian night owls/insomniacs/very early risers that’s 4:30am (AEST) 20th April.
In addition, the event will be live tweeted by @Mirvish with images going up on Instagram @mirvishproductions. #MatildaTO
Toronto will be the only production of Matilda in Canada.
Tickets are already on sale for performances from 5th July up until 4th September, 2016, from www.mirvish.com or by phone at TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333.
Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Royal Alexandra Theatre Box Office, 260 King Street West. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420.
More information can be found on the Matilda The Musical website and if you’d like to see the story of Matilda’s adventures internationally, including many reviews, photos and videos then take a look here.
Last Sunday Matilda and Me aired on Australian TV. Narrated by his sister Nel and with the rehearsals for the launch of the show in Sydney forming the backdrop, the documentary charts Tim’s long-term fascination with Roald Dahl, his childhood and early career and the creative process behind the smash hit musical. You’ll find more details and a teaser clip here.
Matilda & Me is now available on DVD from MADMAN and JB HI-FI across Australia. Both ship internationally but please note it is a Region 4 DVD, so aimed primarily at the Australian and New Zealand market. Outside Region 4, you’ll need a multi-region DVD player or PC/Laptop with a DVD drive to play it. (A handy guide to DVD compatibility can be found here courtesy of eBay.)
Australians can also download it from iTunes and it will soon be available on many other digital platforms. (You’ll find them listed to the right of the DVD here).
Sadly iView is geo-blocked for those outside Australia but wheels are in motion for this documentary to be available more widely. We’ll let you know as soon as anything is confirmed but it’s also worth keeping an eye on the Matilda & Me Facebook Page for updates and news.
In case you missed the heads-up via Tim’s mailing list yesterday:
Priority booking is now openfor you, for the world premiere of Groundhog Day, Tim’s brand new musical at London’s Old Vic. Get ahead of the crowd before general booking opens.
Scurry over to the booking page and once you’ve chosen the date you fancy, quote HOG5 in the promotional code box and Phil’s your uncle! Ya dig? You can also use the code over the phone: 0844 871 7628 or in person at The Old Vic (where you must whisper it at the box office and tell them when you last saw your shadow… possibly).
Tickets will go on general sale on Tuesday 12th April, 2016 at 12 noon.
Time Magazine’s #1 Show of the Year is heading to Canada!
Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, Matilda The Musical is presented in Toronto by David Mirvish as part of his 2015-16 Main Subscription Season.
Performances begin Tuesday July 5th at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, with the media night scheduled for Thursday, July 7th at 6:45pm.
Toronto will be the only production of Matilda in Canada.
Tickets are already on sale for performances up until September 4th, 2016 from www.mirvish.com or by phone at TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333.
Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Royal Alexandra Theatre Box Office, 260 King Street West. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420.
More information can be found on the Matilda The Musical website and if you’d like to see the story of Matilda’s adventures internationally, including many reviews, photos and videos then take a look here.
Last night Tim attended the official Opening Night of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Australian production of Matilda The Musical, at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne!
Four young actresses (pictured here) alternate playing Matilda, with Ingrid Torelli stepping marvellously into the title role for the premiere. The three other Melbourne Matildas are Dusty Bursill, Tiana Mirra and Alannah Parfett. They were joined by the full Original Australian Adult cast from Sydney, including the principals (in alphabetical order), Marika Aubrey (Mrs Wormwood), Daniel Frederiksen (Mr Wormwood), Elise McCann (Miss Honey) and James Millar (Miss Trunchbull).
Tim joined the cast on stage for the bows where they received a standing ovation.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda The Musical arrives at Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre at QPAC in November 2016 and plays at Perth’s Crown Theatre from February 2017.
Ticketing details to follow and there’s further information and a waitlist for Brisbane and Perth tickets now at matildathemusical.com.au.
Those of you following the story will know Matilda has won over 50 major international awards, including 13 for Best Musical, delighting audiences in London, on Broadway and on tour around the USA.
The Australian cast of Matilda The Musical are currently in previews at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, with the Official Premiere tomorrow night. Tickets are on sale for performances through to July 2016 via Ticketmaster.
RSC’s Executive Director, Catherine Mallyon said:“Wow! We have been bowled over by the fantastic response of Australian audiences so far and we are thrilled to announce today that Matilda The Musical will also play in Brisbane and Tim Minchin’s hometown of Perth. Matilda has travelled many miles since the show’s beginnings in Stratford-upon-Avon and it is great we can bring it to Queensland and Western Australia.” (more…)
Tomorrow, Tuesday March 15th, 6:30pm-7:30pm, Tim will be co-hosting The Project on Channel Ten! He joins panellists Carrie Bickmore, Hamish MacDonald and Anthony ‘Lehmo’ Lehmann behind the desk. Bruce Hopkins from Bondi Rescue is also guesting.
If you can’t watch live at the allotted time, fear not, the show will be available afterwards on The Project’s website.
Tickets will go on general sale on Tuesday 12th April, 2016 at 12 noon.
Groundhog Day will begin with previews from July 11th, 2016, with the official opening on August 16th. It will be a strictly limited 10-week season until Saturday 17th September, 2016.
The show reunites composer and lyricist Tim, with director Matthew Warchus, choreographer Peter Darling and designer Rob Howell, four of the Matilda The Musical creative team. They have joined forces with writer Danny Rubin to collaborate on this new musical based on his 1993 hit film.
Andy Karl will play Phil Connors, a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Caught in a time loop, he’s forced to relive the same day over and over…and over.
Further cast to be announced.
Tim: “Holy crap, Groundhog Day is on sale. I’d better start writing. :)”
Matilda The Musical is up for the Magic Radio Audience Award, part of this year’s Laurence Olivier Awards. This is the only Olivier to be decided entirely by public vote, so now’s your chance to have your say.
As Matilda holds the current World Record for the number of Olivier Award wins, with a splendiferous seven awards, winning an eighth would set a whole new record and rewrite the record books!
If you’ve already voted for Matilda The Musical – thank you!
The top four shows will be announced on Monday 14th March live on Magic FM and the overall winner will be announced at the Olivier Awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 3rd April.
Matilda and Me airs Sunday 3rd April at 7.40pm on ABC.
Narrated by Tim’s sister Nel, who co-directed with Rhian Skirving, Matilda and Me tells the story of Matilda The Musical‘s journey to the Sydney Lyric Theatre, where the Australian production of the global smash hit opened last year.
Through a mix of footage (including some rare family moments), interviews, musical performance and Australian Matilda The Musical rehearsals, Matilda And Me charts Tim’s long-term fascination with Roald Dahl and the intimate relationship that developed between him and the multi-award-winning musical, for which he is now internationally known.
Tim joins a stellar cast which includes: Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Joseph Fiennes, English National Opera, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ian Bostridge, Akala, Rufus Wainwright, Al Murray, Meera Syal, Alison Moyet, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Paapa Essiedu, Pippa Nixon, Alexandra Gilbreath, Noma Dumezweni, The Royal Ballet and The Orchestra of the Swan.
Hosted by David Tennant, the live television celebration, marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, will be staged at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
There will only be a very limited number of seats in the auditorium and no tickets will be on sale for the performance. There will be a series of ballots for free tickets. Details here.
What will Tim be doing exactly? That’s still a secret…
Hi! My charity song, Come Home (Cardinal Pell), has had a pretty surprising impact in Australia. I’ve had a lot of requests for interviews and comments, but have so far refused them all. The song says what I wanted to say.
However, today, as survivors head to Rome, I have released the following statement:
Many very serious questions remain about George Pell’s conduct as a leader of an institution that failed to curb decades of rampant child sexual abuse within its hallowed walls. This failure has resulted in hundreds of innocent people suffering lifelong emotional and physical damage. A shocking number have committed suicide.
Whilst his actions and appearance suggest a man in good health, Pell asserts that he is too ill to travel to Australia to answer these questions at the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.
And so today, thanks to the generosity of the Australian public, fifteen Ballarat Survivors will fly to Rome. They would not have been able to afford to do so without you.
These incredibly brave men and women will sit in a room with George Pell while he gives evidence via video-link to the Royal Commission. We hope that he will look them in the eye and tell them everything he knew.
Even if his only crime was willful blindness, a personal act of acknowledgement and contrition from this man is profoundly important for survivors. (Read Dr Judy Courtin in The Age, Dec 15, 2015)
I personally believe it would be appropriate for him to get on his knees and wash their feet.
I have great admiration for the survivors and their loved ones who have campaigned for years to have their voices heard. They have fought against a hugely wealthy institution that has a vested interest in quieting and discrediting them. (Pell’s lawyer reportedly costs $20,000.00 per day).
To the many survivors of abuse from all over the country who have written to me since the song came out, thank you so much for taking the time. Your messages have made me smile and cry… and feel just so angry for you. Please know that you are heard.
Thank you also to those who have shared the song. You’ve amplified the voices of the downtrodden, and have helped raise nearly a quarter of a million dollars for survivors.
To Gorgi Coghlin and Meshel Laurie, thank you for your advocacy, for setting up the Send Survivors to Rome fundraising page, and for pushing me to get off my bum and write the song.
To those who were outraged by the judgmental language in Come Home, you must understand: this is the language of anger. I owe George Pell no reverence beyond that which he has earned through his words and deeds. I, and many other Australians, are angry.
If you don’t understand why, perhaps it’s just a failure of imagination. Perhaps you need to picture one of the victims as your 9-year-old son or daughter?
Proceeds from “Come Home (Cardinal Pell)” will continue to be donated to the survivors of clerical abuse. You can buy the song here (as well on other platforms)
You can also now purchase the video here.
HOME showcased a stellar line-up of Western Australian artists performing at a huge outdoor theatre spectacular in Langley Park. More details here or on the PIAF website.
Here’s the footage of his evocative performance of Not Perfect with the West Australian Youth Orchestra, in an amazing setting:
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