Not just an original score but also an original and highly entertaining story, new Australian musical Fangirls explodes onto the Melbourne stage in a very welcome yet all too brief season.
Fangirls review [Melbourne 2021]
Simon Parris
I have appeared in about 40 productions over the past forty years. Favourite roles include Eugene Fodor and Junior in (separate productions of) Crazy for You, Mr Fox in Mack and Mabel, Max in The Sound of Music, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Julio in Paint Your Wagon, Marcellus in The Music Man and Grantaire in Les Miserables.
I have directed several school productions. I choreographed Urinetown and Little Shop of Horrors, then went on to direct Hot Mikado and the Australian premiere of 13. I have since gone on to direct/choreograph The Music Man Jr and Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.
At my next school, I was Head of Productions, overseeing up to a dozen productions each year and directing another seven musicals, including The Music Man, Brigadoon and How To Succeed in Business Without really Trying.
I reviewed music theatre and opera for Theatre People and the Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne). I served on the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Committee for five years as Treasurer and was on the Board of The Opera Studio Melbourne.
I am a keen audience member, having seen 58 shows in six weeks in a 2012 trip to New York, as well as 57 shows during 6 weeks in London/Europe earlier the same year.
I hope you enjoy reading the news and reviews at Man in Chair. I would love to hear your thoughts on the shows covered here so please feel free to leave your comments.
Red Stitch: The Cane review
Riding the crest of the oh-so-politically-correct zeitgeist, The Cane taps into the current craze for scrutinising old sins under today’s standards.
Coral Browne: This F**king Lady review
Amassing a list of lovers almost as long as her list of stage and screen credits, formidable Australian actress Coral Browne left West Footscray to take on the world. Her terrifically titillating […]
Hamilton review [Sydney 2021]
Deservedly drenched with international awards and accolades, megahit musical Hamilton arrives in Australia in pristine form, the terrific local cast members not throwing away their shots at future superstardom.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: La Traviata review [2021]
In celebration of the ongoing return to live theatre, Sydney turned on perfect conditions for the opening night of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour. Cancelled exactly a year ago, the excitement of […]
Pinchgut Opera: Monteverdi’s Vespers review [Melbourne]
In a very welcome foray to Melbourne, Pinchgut Opera treated a captive audience to a meticulously prepared, splendidly performed concert presentation of Monteverdi’s Vespers.
Melbourne Shakespeare Company: The Winter’s Tale review
As their 2021 autumn tale, Melbourne Shakespeare Company presents a lively, well-judged open-air staging of A Winter’s Tale in the charming surrounds of Central Park Malvern.
The Australian Ballet: Summertime at the Ballet review
With gala presentation Summertime at the Ballet, The Australian Ballet makes a triumphant return to the stage, the stellar quality testament to the sheer determination and dedication of the dancers and musicians to […]
Melbourne Opera: Das Rheingold review
Grandly conceived and splendidly realised, Das Rheingold sees Melbourne Opera scale new heights of grandeur.
Frank Van Straten: Hanky-Panky book review
In the new book Hanky-Panky, masterly arts historian Frank Van Straten shines the spotlight on prolific arts impresario Ernest C. Rolls, whose extravagant stage productions entertained Australia in the 1920s and 1930s.
Man in Chair 