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Variety Hour: Queensland’s Brightest Young Performers Take Centre Stage

Feature-Variety Hour: A New Era of Family Entertainment

Magic, music, acrobatics and a juggling finale; Variety Hour packs plenty into its 60 minutes. Bringing emerging Queensland talent together with experienced entertainers, this family-friendly production celebrates the many forms live performance can take. Performer and producer William Piper shares what audiences can expect and the moment he most looks forward to on stage.

About The Show – Variety Hour: A New Era of Family Entertainment

What is this show about?

Variety Hour is a fast-paced, family-friendly live variety production designed to bring together an exciting mix of entertainment styles, performers and personalities for one unforgettable hour.

How would you describe this show to someone who has never seen anything like it before?

I’d describe Variety Hour as an exciting, fast-paced celebration of live entertainment that brings together some of Queensland’s brightest emerging young performers. The idea is to give every performer their own moment in the spotlight, showcasing their individual talents while creating something bigger as an ensemble. Combining magic, juggling, comedy, music, acrobatics, vocals and dance, the show offers something for everyone, whether you’re a lifelong theatre lover or experiencing live variety entertainment for the first time. At its heart, *Variety Hour* is about celebrating the next generation of talent and giving young artists the opportunity to shine in a professional theatre environment alongside experienced entertainers.

William Piper

What is the moment in the show you most look forward to performing?

For me, it’s the juggling finale. As both a performer and the producer of the show, it’s a really special moment because it brings everything together after months of planning, rehearsals and hard work

What is the element of the show that is hardest to explain but unmissable in person?

I think it’s the energy and unpredictability of having so many different art forms come together in one show. One moment you’re watching a magic trick, the next you’re seeing an incredible acrobatic routine or a young vocalist taking centre stage. There’s a real sense of excitement in not knowing what’s coming next, and the audience gets to experience each performer’s personality and passion up close

Who is this show for? Who is going to have the time of their life?

Variety Hour is for the whole family, from young children experiencing the magic of live theatre for the first time to parents, grandparents and anyone who loves being entertained. If you enjoy incredible talent, laugh-out-loud moments, jaw-dropping tricks and the excitement of not knowing what’s coming next, there’s something here for you.

Our thanks to William for giving us a glimpse behind the curtain. With its changing pace and mix of personalities, Variety Hour invites families to discover a new favourite act and enjoy the surprises along the way. For William, that finale also marks the culmination of months of work; a moment to celebrate everyone who helped bring the show to life.

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William Piper: Creating Professional Stages for Emerging Young Performers

Feature-Variety Hour: A New Era of Family Entertainment

For William Piper, producing Variety Hour is about giving emerging young performers the chance to build confidence and share a stage with experienced entertainers. We chat with the producer and director about creating this family-friendly show, bringing his team together and getting the word out on a limited budget.

Meet The Producer – William Piper

What is this production or project about?

Variety Hour is a fast-paced, family-friendly live variety production designed to bring together an exciting mix of entertainment styles, performers and personalities for one unforgettable hour.

The goal is to create a show where every performer gets their hour in the spotlight, while giving emerging artists the opportunity to perform in a professional production alongside established and experienced entertainers.

What made you want to produce this particular work?

I believe it’s incredibly important to showcase emerging young talent and give young performers opportunities to experience performing on a professional stage. There are so many talented young people who don’t always get the chance to perform in a live theatre environment, and I wanted to create a platform where they could share their passion, build confidence and gain valuable performance experience. Variety Hour is about celebrating the next generation of performers and showing audiences just how much talent our young people have to offer.

William Piper
William Piper

What is the most challenging part of getting a production from concept to stage?

I think the biggest challenge of producing a small-scale show like Variety Hou* is reaching families and getting the word out there. Creating a show that is fun, engaging and full of talent is one thing, but making sure people know about it and encouraging them to come along is a whole different challenge, especially when working with a limited marketing budget. It’s taught me just how important promotion, community connections and building an audience are to bringing a production to life.

How do you build and manage a creative team around a project?

As a producer and director, I take responsibility for coordinating rehearsals, communicating expectations and making sure everyone understands their role in bringing the show together. I also rely on a wonderful team of volunteers who assist with technical and backstage operations, including lighting, sound, stage management and ushering. For me, managing a creative team is about finding the right balance between having a clear vision for the production and allowing each performer to bring their own personality and creativity to the stage.

What do you want audiences to take away from this production?

“We want families to walk away having discovered something new, experienced something amazing and shared a memorable day out together. With so many different acts packed into 60 minutes, there really is something for everyone.” – William Piper

Our thanks to William for sharing the work and passion behind Variety Hour. The commitment to creating opportunities for young talent gives this lively production a purpose beyond the entertainment and offers families a chance to cheer on the next generation of performers.

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Britten’s War Requiem

Britten's War Requiem

Britten’s War Requiem Rating

★★★★★

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Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Op. 66, is a full-on choral and orchestral composition finished in 1962 with shades of Philip Glass chords and dissonance. Originally performed for the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral that had been destroyed in World War II, the piece is scored for a double orchestra, two choirs, organ and just about everything else. For example, there were eight percussionists. It was going to produce a wall of sound.

Along with the traditional Latin text, the anguished poems of Wilfred Owen, written during World War I, offered a dramatic and dark mood about the futility of war and the loss of human lives. Owen’s poems were banned during the conflict as they were anti-war and clearly revealed the reality of the horror and futility of those in the trenches. Sadly, he died at 25 years old in battle a week before the Armistice.

Brett Weymark skilfully conducted the Sydney Philharmonia Festival chorus, Sydney Youth Orchestra and Conservatorium High School choristers. The orchestra was magnificent with brass sounding out as the bray of battle along with clashes of cymbals, drums and gongs as the string players struck chords that represented the tragedy of what was happening.

Britten's War Requiem
Britten's War Requiem

 

The choir, all 300 of them rose to the occasion quietly chanting at the start and producing almost a howl as the battle raged. The children’s choir stood at the back of the concert hall and sang like a choir of angels as if welcoming the dying soldiers. The final piece culminated in the soloists joining to ‘let me sleep in peace’ almost imploring the audience to do so. Then the conductor stood in silence for twenty seconds as if at the last post.

The soloists, tenor Kyle Stegall, and baritone Jeremy Kleeman, offered Owen’s poems. Stegall’s beautiful lyrical voice soared as he sang about the soldiers’ fears and observations of the horror of war such as, ‘What passing bells for these who die as cattle?’. Kleeman’s clear baritone beseeched the audience to realise, ‘I am the enemy you killed, my friend’. The only disappointment was with such a strong orchestral sound, Owen’s poignant words were often lost in the wall of sound.

Soprano, Eva Kong, strangely placed behind the orchestra at the back with the chorus, sang like an angel, interpreting the Latin mass text valiantly and beautifully. It may have been easier for her and the audience if she were with the other soloists at the front.

It isn’t an easy piece as there are no memorable melodies. As we approach Remembrance Day, it is a reminder not to celebrate war but to honour those forced to participate. It was a memorable concert for all and the audience responded with resounding applause. We were left remembering the final chant of, ‘Let Me Sleep in Peace.’

To see Sydney Philharmonia Choirs next concerts, visit https://www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/.

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Mayfair: A New Musical – Board Games, Big Band Villains and Bona Fide Classics

Feature-Mayfair: A New Musical

What happens when an all-work-no-play man lands in an alternate dimension populated by characters inspired by classic board games? Roundhouse Theatrical Co. is bringing Mayfair: A New Musical to Melbourne audiences, redeveloping its 2025 Perth production, Monopoly: The Unauthorised Musical. We go behind the scenes to explore the new material, colourful characters and creative choices shaping this next chapter.

About The Musical – Mayfair: A New Musical

What is this musical about?

Very loosely, it’s about games!

An ‘all work, no play’ man from our world accidentally gets launched into an alternate dimension full of characters inspired by classic board games, and has to navigate this strange new place and try to make his way home.

What does this production bring to this musical that audiences may not have seen before?

This production is a redevelopment of our 2025 original work – ‘Monopoly: The Unauthorised Musical’, which debuted to great success in Perth. This remount was a great opportunity for us to go back and fix all the things we didn’t think worked about the original script + score, so it contains new scenes and moments that even our 2025 audiences haven’t seen!

Which number in the show is the one you cannot wait for audiences to experience?

Our show features a classic Disney-style villain, and her number (#7 – ‘Oh I Know’) is a swinging big band tune with a flashy dance break. Charmaine Gorman in the role of Mayfair (our villain) is absolutely chewing the scenery in this number, and audiences should love it.

What has been the most challenging scene or sequence to stage?

We have a staged sword fighting sequence that has been professionally choreographed by Scott Jackson, which our actors diligently practice before every rehearsal for safety and comfort. It’s a lot of effort and time, but the result is thrilling!

How does the music serve the story in this production?

I’m a big believer that every song in a musical should either explain something to the audience, or end with the lead character(s) in a different narrative or emotional place to when the song began.

Additionally, each character has their own musical style, theme, and motifs that turn up throughout the underscoring. It’s a very cinematic score in that sense!

What character in the show do you think will surprise people the most?

Baron Von Strategy always catches people by surprise and becomes our crowd favourite. The character gives the actor an opportunity to show off a really wide emotional range, as well as having a lot of the funniest moments in the show.

Ian Tassicker
Ian Tassicker
Ian Tassicker
Ian Tassicker

What is the emotional heart of this musical, and how have you approached it?

At the core of it, this show is about connecting with those around us through that open playfulness that we all have as children, but tend to lose somewhere along the way. The protagonist of the story starts out as an arrogant, sarcastic killjoy, and has to learn to reconnect with that side of himself.

What will people be humming on the way to the car park?

So many to choose from! There’s at least 6 musical hooks in the score that I think have the potential to become bona fide classics.

Who in the cast is most like their character, and who is least?

Akansha Hungenhally as a bookish nerd with a secretly big voice turned out to be the perfect casting for our Scrabble-inspired character Miss Wordsmith!

Charmaine Gorman’s transformation into the villainous Mayfair is by far the biggest shift. Charmaine is an absolute sweetheart off the stage and an absolute terror in this role!

What sort of person is going to absolutely love this show?

I think people from all ages and walks of life can find something to love here! Those who enjoy the silly and slightly absurd will probably find it extra special.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Just a call to action! Please buy tickets and come see this show. I can confidently say it’s very polished and ‘complete’ as far as new works go, but all of that comes at a cost! We need to get people through the door so we can keep doing this. Come support the next big thing! You won’t regret it.

Our thanks for sharing the imagination and care behind Mayfair. Beneath its playful premise is a heartfelt invitation to reconnect with others and rediscover a little of the openness we so often leave behind in childhood. To support this new Australian musical and experience it for yourself, visit Roundhouse Theatrical Co. for tickets.

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