Latest news with #StarsinTheirEyes
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Show aims to raise funds for musical playground
For its 31st year, Wānaka's Stars in Your Eyes show is fundraising to help build the town's first musical playground. The musical show, organised by Wānaka Musicians Incorporated, began three decades ago and took inspiration from the British television series, Stars in Their Eyes. Wānaka's version of the show is not a contest but has consisted of locals dressing up to imitate famous people and later reveal their real identity to the audience. Audition registrations recently opened in preparation for the musical show to be held towards the end of September. The show has been a community favourite and has helped fund youth music programmes across the region, such as the Jamie Robertson scholarship at Mount Aspiring College. This year organisers have decided to aim for something different by planning to create a designated outdoor space into town for people of all ages to enjoy musical instruments. Chairwoman Janet Dolan said they had always given money to local music education but this year they wanted to do something the whole community could enjoy. "We're talking about a full musical playground that adults, children, families, anybody can play," she said. "There'll be percussion instruments, there'll be bells, there'll be keyboard, and it's all outside." The group already had $30,000 put aside for the playground and was working with the council to get an estimate of costs and find the right location. Currently the show is gathering interest from the community and will be holding its auditions on the weekend of June 14. Ms Dolan said as the town's population grew, a more diverse range of people had been auditioning, something she felt gave the show strength. "We're aware that the audience represents the whole of Wānaka so we don't just want the pop music sort of thing, we want something that appeals to the whole audience," she said. The show has been open to a range of abilities and welcomed experienced and first-time performers. The show's team has also experienced a change with local musician and Festival of Colour performer Anna Shaw taking over as the director. The opening night for the musical show is set to be September 24 and will run until September 27 at the Lake Wānaka Centre.
The Spinoff
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Give Way the Musical is an ode to the mid-2010s millennial hardout
Claire Mabey reviews 'a very Wellington comedy about love, war and who rules the road' – inspired by an article on The Spinoff. Those who know me well might question the logic of deploying me to review a show called Give Way The Musical given I am not well educated in either road rules or musicals (my favourite is Jesus Christ Superstar the TV version; and my understanding of give way rules is vibes based at best). And yet, there I was in Circa Theatre eager to understand how this 'very Wellington comedy about love, war and who rules the road' was going to work. First of all, Circa Theatre is sort of flash now. I walked in the door as if onto the set of Stars in Their Eyes: dry ice billowed around the foyer, giving the new cafe called Chouchou the hazy air of a 90s soap opera. Circa's formerly 70s-era cafe has been transformed into a dream of pink neon and tidy pastries and $7 lemon, lime and bitters. I half expected Carrie Bradshaw to toddle up and order a Cosmopolitan before heading into the theatre for some legislative hijinks. I sat in my theatre comfort zone – right up the back, where I can get a full view of the stage set which, on this night, was both arresting and funny. Road cones demarcated the stage area while a cluster of traffic lights hung above, a chandelier fit for the foyer of the Ministry of Transport building. Panels hugged the circumference of the stage and were printed with images from road rules tests (which I found triggering given I failed my licence not once, not twice, but thrice). At first I thought the audience was going to be sparse (many empty seats) and I pre-cringed, imagining a smattering of forced laughter as the energy of the cast far overpowered the energy of the audience. But then, in the nick of time, a flood of students tumbled in and took their seats all around me. The volume of the theatre immediately rose and I was able to relax. The show started with a bang. Or rather, a banger. The cast burst onto the stage with a five-part harmony, a give way sign and a tune that indicated that this was a musical that was going to enjoy leaning hard into the power ballad. We're introduced to Sophie (played by Lily Tyler Moore), a 24-year-old policy analyst at the Ministry of Transport who is disenchanted with her lack of influence and busting to make her mark. Sophie's uncouth ambition is the engine of the show: she's a caricature of the pre-burnout, millennial hardout; the type-A student in need of therapy to unravel the influence of her 70s-core parents (amazing cameo scenes with those two in kaftans and on the wines, lamenting their daughter's career choices and personality flaws) who has emerged from the raw freedom of student days and marched into the workforce as a determined kiss-arse earnestly trying to implement a legacy project before she moves on to bigger, better policy jobs. Tyler Moore is perfect in the role: small but mighty; her tremendous effective facial expressions conveying Sophie's unhinged commitment to work over all else. Her best and funniest scenes reveal her loathsome inner fantasies: in one surreal moment she dances with a pair of Count Dracula-like incarnations of the Minister for Transport (who was Gerry Brownlee in 2012) that dance in capes and top hats and sweep her into slow dances that end in an unsettling air-pashing sequence. For me, the star of the show is Ben: Sophie's nerdy colleague and doomed love interest, played by Jackson Burling. This is a show that plays into stereotypes to make its points and it works. Ben is happily complacent in his work and instead focuses his energies on being romantically optimistic: his camp tantrums and Flight-of-the-Conchord-esque fails provoke much of the show's regular laughs. With its core of office comedy, Give Way is a gentle pisstake of those whose working lives are dedicated to manipulating niche interest areas to improve our lives no matter how inconsequential to the vast majority; or alarming to a vocal minority. Steven Page (writer) obviously had a gleeful time using the machinations of 2012's change to the give way rules (intricately reported by Toby Manhire in The Spinoff) to foreshadow the events that came 10 years later, in 2022 (the same year as Manhire's article was published), when a Covid-plagued government implemented vaccination rules and brought down upon them the ire of the anti-mandate convoy that camped out on parliament's lawn. In Give Way, the vocal minority is represented by Nick (played by the magnificent Bronwyn Turei) who can't cope with change and who sees any attempt to update our lives as a betrayal of the country, of our Kiwi ways. In response to Sophie's proposed changes, Nick rouses a rabble, plants viral videos titled 'alien child traffickers are melting our brains' online (to which Sophie reacts: 'why is nobody looking at the research!') and plans a convoy to protest the changes that he's convinced will lead to chaos and death. At half time (which arrived fast: a good sign) I talked to some of the students sitting around me to check what they thought of the show so far. Quinn, who is second-year at Victoria University studying English literature as his major (*teary eyes emoji*) and politics as a minor said he thought the range of the actors was incredible. 'Not just their vocals but their physicality – how they can switch so fast. It takes a lot out of you just playing one role, let alone several.' Quinn was six years old when the give way rules changed so found that aspect super interesting. 'I've had to google who the minister was and what the road rules were before.' Students from Whangamata Area School (visiting Wellington to tour parliament and Te Papa) were enthusiastic. 'I'm enjoying all of it!' said Ethan. 'It's really good. I like the stage and the piano,' said Josh. 'I like Randall,' said Eric. 'He's better than everyone else.' It was Krishna's first time seeing a live show, and a musical, and he loved it. 'The way the songs are written flow so seamlessly into the script,' he observed. And Lachie thought the humour was properly funny. I agree with all of them. Particularly Quinn's observation about the actors' range: the character and costume changes were so fast I found myself imagining just how they did it. Layers? Backstage help? And Ethan is bang on about the live music. Pianist (and musical director for the show) Hayden Taylor is on stage the entire time, tinkling the ivories and adding a welcome self awareness. The live pianist – like the character's personal musician and life-event composer – heightens the main character syndrome that Sophie, Nick and to a lesser degree, Tanya (played by Carrie Green who is superb in all her roles) suffer from. Randall (played by Alex Greig), as Eric indicated, is an intriguing character. He's an older man, a former public servant who suffered for his efforts to change the road rules back in the 70s. We first encounter him in a medical institution being treated for hallucinations (it's thanks to Randall we get dance scenes with panda and sloth heads). Randall is a wise fool; a Shakespearean apparition there to both inject whimsy and counsel Sophie. While not the strongest singer (perhaps on purpose – a weaker voice reflects his vulnerable state of mind and body) I can see why the students liked him. He's a kooky counterpart to youthful optimism: a been there, done that sage whose point of view gives the show an off-kilter perspective that is both surprising and bittersweet. All in all, Give Way the Musical is a jolly good time. It's rare to see an original New Zealand musical which means it's rare to hear our lovely New Zealand accents singing about New Zealand stuff. As it happens, Give Way is one of two original New Zealand musicals playing in Wellington at the moment: down the road at Te Auaha, Amy Mansfield's I did not invite you here to lecture me is bringing the house down with its university-based comedy. If this convergence signals the start of a homegrown musical renaissance, I'm here for it. Give Way the Musical (written by Steven Page) is playing at Circa Theatre until May 24. Information and tickets are online at Circa Theatre.
The Guardian
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: a big night in with Elton John and Brandi Carlile
9.05pm, ITV1 The two musicians have been friends for more than two decades and have a new duets album, Who Believes in Angels?. They perform these songs for the first time at a special gig at the London Palladium, along with covers of each other's hits. But that's not all: Dan Levy is host for the evening and will be sitting the pair down to get all the gossip. Hollie Richardson 7.15pm, BBC One With wary nurse Belinda (Varada Sethu) now along for the ride, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) sets down in 50s Miami. But strange things are afoot in the pastel paradise. Might it have something to do with cinema fixture Mr Ring-a-Ding, a tuneful cartoon character voiced by Alan Cumming? Get your popcorn ready. Graeme Virtue 8.30pm, Channel 4 Previously shown on More4, Hugh Dennis and David Baddiel go on holiday together in a genial travelogue, which at least benefits from them being friends in real life. Having known each other for 40 years, the comics are cycling around France: week one takes them from Arcachon on the Atlantic coast to the Garonne valley. Jack Seale 9pm, Channel 5 The actor – who is now basically the queen of Channel 5 – hosts a lively quiz about all things 70s. Comedians Shaparak Khorsandi and John Thomson are the team captains, with Tiswas host Sally James, Stars in Their Eyes presenter Matthew Kelly, Hi-de-Hi! star Su Pollard and The Madame Blanc Mysteries star Steve Edge. HR 9.35pm, BBC Two This concert film opens with an aerial shot of the Manhattan skyline that slowly zooms in on a 600,000-strong crowd, gathered in Central Park to hear Paul Simon. It's a powerful illustration of the success of Simon's internationally flavoured albums Graceland (1986) and The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), music from both of which he plays here. Ellen E Jones 10.20pm, ITV1 Rebel Wilson has been spotted in Yorkshire filming her upcoming Christmas film, but this weekend she's in Jonathan Ross's London studio. Also in the lineup: Freddie Flintoff, who has a documentary coming out, Government Cheese star David Oyelowo and Alma's Not Normal creator Sophie Willan. HR Lightyear, 5.40pm, BBC One This is the film that (fictionally) inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy in Toy Story – but Pixar's 2022 meta-animation takes a different trajectory to its forebear, visually and comedically. We meet space ranger Buzz (voiced by Chris Evans) as his mistake leads his spaceship to crash on a dangerous planet. Test-flights of a new hyperdrive lead to time dilation, so his ground crew age more quickly than him. Then Emperor Zurg appears … Buzz here is smarter than his plastic avatar, and the action is in the stars not the suburbs, but it retains that Pixar focus on the strength of family. Simon Wardell The Game, 9pm, Legend Xtra What do you get the man who has everything for his birthday? How about an existential crisis? David Fincher's tightly wound 1997 thriller about banker Nicholas Van Orton delivers peak Michael Douglas – a smug man brought low but learning valuable lessons. The gift of a mysterious game by his brother Conrad (Sean Penn) is the start of a dark few days of the soul for Nicholas, as a series of increasingly fraught role-playing scenarios (or are they actually real?) – bring up memories of their father's suicide and focus his mind on his own empty life. SW Snooker: The World Championship, 10am, BBC Two The morning session on day one, as Kyren Wilson begins his defence of the title. Women's Champions League Football: Arsenal v Lyon, noon, TNT Sports 1 A semi-final first leg at the Emirates. Super League Rugby: Leigh v Warrington, 1.25pm, BBC Two At Leigh Sports Village. Premiership Rugby Union: Harlequins v Sale, 2.45pm, TNT Sports 1 Saracens v Gloucester is at v Leicester is on Sun, 2.30pm. Women's Six Nations Rugby:England v Scotland, 4.30pm, BBC Two From Welford Road, Leicester. Premier League Football: Aston Villa v Newcastle, 5pm, Sky Sports Main Event Ipswich v Arsenal is on Sun at 1pm; Leicester v Liverpool at 4pm.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emmerdale fans only just realising Chas Dingle star's popstar past in girl band
Emmerdale's Lucy Pargeter has been a staple on the hit ITV soap as Chas Dingle since 2002. The actress, 47, has been part of several explosive storylines over the years and recent episodes saw her character caught up in the devastating limo frozen lake crash, which claimed the lives of three villagers. However, while Lucy is best known for playing Chas, some soap fans have been left surprised to discover her popstar past, which included supporting Boyzone on tour. READ MORE: Coronation Street first look sees double death 'confirmed' as legend says 'I will die today' READ MORE: Emmerdale legend 'to return' after 26 years in Kim Tate twist - and she should be worried Lucy was part of the girl band, Paperdolls, and the group toured as a support act for Boyzone and released the 1998 single Gonna Make You Blush. Taking to Instagram recently, Lucy shared a clip of herself performing Gonna Make You Blush with Paperdolls. The actress penned: "1998 !!! Amazing the things that people find and send to me , soooooo much fun." Responding in the comments, many soap fans and Lucy's 26.2K followers had no idea of her popstar past as they were left amazed by her impressive voice. One person said: "Who knew u could sing brilliant" with a heart emoji, another wrote: "Wow! You're so talented! Love! X", a different viewer put: "There's a touch of the Kylie Minogue in your voice! Love it", another commented: "Oh my! I don't remember this at all" while a different fan added: "Oh my! I don't remember this at all!" Elsewhere, another follower said: "Brilliant Lucy xxx", a different account put: "Love it @lucy_pargeter x!" while another added: "Crikey ,I remember seeing this a few years back ,great moves lol ,but golden memories." It comes as Lucy previously spoke about her popstar past which saw her supporting Boyzone on tour. "It was a blast," Lucy told Inside Soap. "Three girls on the road in their 20s having the best time. "It was a laugh. We went from thinking we were just a few girls getting together and doing a few songs, to getting signed by a record label and touring. It was a great time." Occasionally, she's delved back into her musical roots. She performed as Spice Girl Emma Bunton on Stars in Their Eyes back in 2004 and she also came third in singing competition Soapstar Superstar back in 2006. Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm with an hour-long special on Thursdays.
