STAGES with Peter Eyers

Mozart’s The Magic Flute will be presented by Opera Australia during their Summer season in early 2024. At the helm of the production is Director Kate Gaul. An artist of tremendous invention and imagination. The production she conjures will thrill and seduce, as this opera favourite is brought to vivid life.

Assisting Kate as Movement Director is frequent collaborator, Andy Dexterity. His eclectic style and command of the physical always delights and sheds enlightening perspective.

Both were guests in early seasons of the STAGES podcast. It was a treat to catch up with them once again to hear what’s been happening in their worlds and what we can look forward to in the world of The Magic Flute.

Kate has been directing full-time since completing the NIDA Director’s course in 1996 and has established herself as a distinctive and inventive director, with productions for such companies as Pinchgut Opera, Belvoir St Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Griffin Theatre and Melbourne Theatre Company.

Kate’s productions include The End of Winter, Camp!, Good With Maps, The Trouble with Harry, The Ham Funeral, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), Misterman, Invisible Circus, Il Matrimonio Segreto (Conservatorium of Music), Castor et Pollux (Pinchgut Opera), The New Electric Ballroom and Carmen (OzOpera).

Andy Dexterity is a Green Room Award-nominated performance maker primarily recognised for his unique brand of movement, fusing dance, physical theatre and physical languages. Andy is fascinated by the way we communicate and interact as a species and Andy creates playful work with the intention to empower, connect and transcend linguistic boundaries.

The Magic Flute plays the Sydney Opera House February 1st to March 16th, 2024
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

Anthony Warlow has been thrilling audiences from the moment he arrived on the theatrical scene and has successfully inhabited a diversity of roles in opera and musical theatre, his versatility gaining him an honoured place on the international stage.
From his debut with the Australian Opera in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1980, he has left an indelible stamp on the industry both at home and abroad. Anthony’s lengthy stage credits include the London National Theatre production of Guys and Dolls, making his music theatre debut with the role of Sky Masterson in 1986, creating the role of Enjolras in the Australian production of Les Misérables (1988), and the title role of the Phantom in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (1990 and 2007-2008). In 1995 he enjoyed a joyous season in Lucy Simon’s The Secret Garden as Archie Craven, and collaborated with her again in 2010, creating the role of Dr Yuri Zhivago in the Australian premiere production of Doctor Zhivago: The Musical. Other highlights include Australian tours of Annie (2000 and 2012), seasons with Opera Australia and a critically acclaimed performance as Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof in 2016.
Anthony made his Broadway debut in 2013, portraying the iconic role of Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks in the 35th Anniversary production of Annie, directed by James Lapine. His performance won him several Broadway nominations (Drama Desk, Drama League, People’s Choice), and in 2015 he was invited to return to the US to perform the dual roles of Miguel De Cervantes/ Don Quixote in The Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington production of Man of La Mancha. This portrayal won him the prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. The same year he replaced Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) in the Broadway production of Finding Neverland, playing the roles of Charles Frohman/ Captain Hook.
Anthony made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 but is no stranger to the concert platform, performing around Australia with our Symphony Orchestras. His studio recordings have spanned more than 20 years and include solo albums, cast recordings and live performances in concert and with Opera Australia. His love of “flawed anti-heroes” continued with his portrayal of Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. His performance was hailed by critics and was a welcome addition to his theatrical canon.
Anthony has been honoured by the nation receiving the title of Living National Treasure, and his outstanding achievements acknowledged with his investiture as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to the performing arts. He is married to Amanda and divides his time and career between Australia’s capital cities and New York.
Anthony Warlow is back on the boards and will step into the shoes of the cunning and charismatic lawyer Billy Flynn in audience favourite; CHICAGO. The musical opens in Perth on November 21st, prior to a national tour.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

Anthony Warlow has been thrilling audiences from the moment he arrived on the theatrical scene and has successfully inhabited a diversity of roles in opera and musical theatre, his versatility gaining him an honoured place on the international stage.
From his debut with the Australian Opera in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1980, he has left an indelible stamp on the industry both at home and abroad. Anthony’s lengthy stage credits include the London National Theatre production of Guys and Dolls, making his music theatre debut with the role of Sky Masterson in 1986, creating the role of Enjolras in the Australian production of Les Misérables (1988), and the title role of the Phantom in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (1990 and 2007-2008). In 1995 he enjoyed a joyous season in Lucy Simon’s The Secret Garden as Archie Craven, and collaborated with her again in 2010, creating the role of Dr Yuri Zhivago in the Australian premiere production of Doctor Zhivago: The Musical. Other highlights include Australian tours of Annie (2000 and 2012), seasons with Opera Australia and a critically acclaimed performance as Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof in 2016.
Anthony made his Broadway debut in 2013, portraying the iconic role of Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks in the 35th Anniversary production of Annie, directed by James Lapine. His performance won him several Broadway nominations (Drama Desk, Drama League, People’s Choice), and in 2015 he was invited to return to the US to perform the dual roles of Miguel De Cervantes/ Don Quixote in The Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington production of Man of La Mancha. This portrayal won him the prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. The same year he replaced Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) in the Broadway production of Finding Neverland, playing the roles of Charles Frohman/ Captain Hook.
Anthony made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 but is no stranger to the concert platform, performing around Australia with our Symphony Orchestras. His studio recordings have spanned more than 20 years and include solo albums, cast recordings and live performances in concert and with Opera Australia. His love of “flawed anti-heroes” continued with his portrayal of Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. His performance was hailed by critics and was a welcome addition to his theatrical canon.
Anthony has been honoured by the nation receiving the title of Living National Treasure, and his outstanding achievements acknowledged with his investiture as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to the performing arts. He is married to Amanda and divides his time and career between Australia’s capital cities and New York.
Anthony Warlow is back on the boards and will step into the shoes of the cunning and charismatic lawyer Billy Flynn in audience favourite; CHICAGO. The musical opens in Perth on November 21st, prior to a national tour.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

Anthony Warlow has been thrilling audiences from the moment he arrived on the theatrical scene and has successfully inhabited a diversity of roles in opera and musical theatre, his versatility gaining him an honoured place on the international stage.
From his debut with the Australian Opera in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1980, he has left an indelible stamp on the industry both at home and abroad. Anthony’s lengthy stage credits include the London National Theatre production of Guys and Dolls, making his music theatre debut with the role of Sky Masterson in 1986, creating the role of Enjolras in the Australian production of Les Misérables (1988), and the title role of the Phantom in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (1990 and 2007-2008). In 1995 he enjoyed a joyous season in Lucy Simon’s The Secret Garden as Archie Craven, and collaborated with her again in 2010, creating the role of Dr Yuri Zhivago in the Australian premiere production of Doctor Zhivago: The Musical. Other highlights include Australian tours of Annie (2000 and 2012), seasons with Opera Australia and a critically acclaimed performance as Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof in 2016.
Anthony made his Broadway debut in 2013, portraying the iconic role of Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks in the 35th Anniversary production of Annie, directed by James Lapine. His performance won him several Broadway nominations (Drama Desk, Drama League, People’s Choice), and in 2015 he was invited to return to the US to perform the dual roles of Miguel De Cervantes/ Don Quixote in The Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington production of Man of La Mancha. This portrayal won him the prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. The same year he replaced Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) in the Broadway production of Finding Neverland, playing the roles of Charles Frohman/ Captain Hook.
Anthony made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 but is no stranger to the concert platform, performing around Australia with our Symphony Orchestras. His studio recordings have spanned more than 20 years and include solo albums, cast recordings and live performances in concert and with Opera Australia. His love of “flawed anti-heroes” continued with his portrayal of Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. His performance was hailed by critics and was a welcome addition to his theatrical canon.
Anthony has been honoured by the nation receiving the title of Living National Treasure, and his outstanding achievements acknowledged with his investiture as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to the performing arts. He is married to Amanda and divides his time and career between Australia’s capital cities and New York.
Anthony Warlow is back on the boards and will step into the shoes of the cunning and charismatic lawyer Billy Flynn in audience favourite; CHICAGO. The musical opens in Perth on November 21st, prior to a national tour.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

‘Hans' is the creation of Adelaide born entertainment journalist Matt Gilbertson. Boozier than Oktoberfest, more drive than a Volkswagen, and more sausage than a bratwurst convention, Hans is Germany’s proudest export. An international superstar, sex symbol, accordionist and Berlin boy-wonder, Hans has been thrilling audiences around the globe with his own fabulous brand of award-winning comedy cabaret for over a decade, performing for everyone from Prime Ministers to Princesses and paupers to paper boys.
In 2018 Hans won the hearts of 16 million Americans with his cheeky and electrifying song and dance routines on NBC’s juggernaut TV series, America’s Got Talent. 2020 arrived and Hans put his foot down on the gas of his luxury German four wheel drive as he accepted his invitation to return to the USA and appear on America’s Got Talent: The Champions (NBC). Competing against the very best contestants from the US, Europe and the Antipodes, Hans made it through to the Grand Final and was declared one of the ten best entertainers in the world (no, really, look it up).
Hans’ original production of Hans: Like a German debuted to sell out crowds at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2019, winning the Best Cabaret award and followed by a nationwide tour. Now with an über spring in his step, his brand new show, Haus of Hans: Disco Spektakulär, premiered at Adelaide Fringe Festival 2020. It was his most ambitious production ever and became the highest selling comedy cabaret show at the festival, and the highest grossing South Australian production too. To top it all off, Hans took home the coveted Best Cabaret award for the second year in a row.
On television you may have seen Hans on Eurovision: Australia Decides Live (SBS) and appearances on The Good Friday Appeal (Seven), Sunrise (Seven), The Today Show (Nine), Studio 10 (Ten), The Morning Show (Seven), Carols in The Domain (Seven), SA Weekender (Seven)…you get it, he goes where the money is.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

As we draw towards the end of our 6th Season and chalk up 440+ episodes, it’s time we reach into the archive to feature conversations and creatives previously featured on STAGES. We spotlight such episodes, in case you missed them first time ‘round - or so you can simply savour a second listen. 
The STAGES podcast opens an essential doorway to access precious oral histories from the people who were, and are, on and around our stages. Conversations with Creatives about Craft and Career!
In this return episode, we spotlight a conversation with Jonathan Biggins from February 2019.
Jonathan Biggins loathes all forms of social media. When I invited him onto STAGES, he told me he’d never listened to a podcast! So, I was thrilled to introduce him to the form.
Mr Biggins is charming, and armed with a wit we relish and crave. He is one of the creators and performers of the Wharf Revue – a popular entertainment that has demanded a date on the calendar annually.
Well, it’s that time of the year once again, when the silliness and satire takes centre stage, in a season at Sydney’s Seymour Centre. This year’s offering, The Wharf Revue: Pride in Prejudice, has been written by the team we adore - Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phil Scott (incidentally, who all have been featured on the podcast and can be found in the STAGES archive!).
The cast consists of Mr Biggins, Mr Forsythe, Mandy Bishop, David Whitney and Andrew Worboys. Bookings at seymourcentre.com. From November 8th.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

London-born Tony Llewellyn-Jones graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1971 and was invited to join the Melbourne Theatre Company. Over the next two years Tony appeared in productions including Tonight at 8.30, Mother Courage, The Cherry Orchard, How Does Your Garden Grow?, The Time is Not Yet Ripe, Danton’s Death, Paying the Piper, An Ideal Husband, You Want It Don’t You Billy?, Macquarie, The Plough and The Stars, Forget-Me-Not-Lane, The Tavern, Sticks and Bones and Batman’s Beachhead.

Tony has returned to Melbourne Theatre Company for The Visit, Life x 3, Realism and North By Northwest. He also has appeared for the Old Tote Theatre Company, Marian Street, Nimrod Theatre, Griffin, Belvoir and Bell Shakespeare.

For the Sydney Theatre Company his credits include The Crucible, Saint Joan, Life After George, Corporate Vibes, Amigos, Metamorphosis, The Tempest, Hay Fever and King Lear. 

He served on the panel that engaged Richard Wherret as the inaugural Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company. He received an AFI Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in the celebrated cinema capture of Picnic at Hanging Rock.

In 2012 Tony performed in the Australian tour of Yes, Prime Minister for Guild, Woods & Bryce Productions. And in 2016 he was cast in the 60th anniversary production of My Fair Lady, as Colonel Hugh Pickering - a role it seems he was destined to play.

Tony has appeared in numerous television series, including Rake, I Spry, The Prime Minister Is Missing, Underbelly, G.P., All Saints, Hell Has Harbour Views, BackBerner, Grass Roots, 13 Gantry Row, The Paper Boy, One Day Miller and Who Do You Think You Are?.

His film appearances include Illuminations, Inside Looking Out, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Girl who Met Simone de Beauvoir in Paris, Fatty Finn, Seeing Red, Man of Flowers, Cosi and Human Touch.

Tony also has worked as a producer on Paul Cox feature films, including Man of Flowers, My First Wife, Cactus, Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent van Gogh, Human Touch, Salvation and Force of Destiny.

Tony Llewellyn Jones is a true gentleman of the theatre - abundant with anecdote, considered opinion and tremendous passion for a career that has rewarded him many times over.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

London born Tony Llewellyn-Jones graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1971 and was invited to join the Melbourne Theatre Company. Over the next two years Tony appeared in productions including Tonight at 8.30, Mother Courage, The Cherry Orchard, How Does Your Garden Grow?, The Time is Not Yet Ripe, Danton’s Death, Paying the Piper, An Ideal Husband, You Want It Don’t You Billy?, Macquarie, The Plough and The Stars, Forget-Me-Not-Lane, The Tavern, Sticks and Bones and Batman’s Beachhead.

Tony has returned to Melbourne Theatre Company for The Visit, Life x 3, Realism and North By Northwest. He also has appeared for the Old Tote Theatre Company, Marian Street, Nimrod Theatre, Griffin, Belvoir and Bell Shakespeare.

For the Sydney Theatre Company his credits include The Crucible, Saint Joan, Life After George, Corporate Vibes, Amigos, Metamorphosis, The Tempest, Hay Fever and King Lear. 

He served on the panel that engaged Richard Wherret as the inaugural Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company. He received an AFI Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in the celebrated cinema capture of Picnic at Hanging Rock.

In 2012 Tony performed in the Australian tour of Yes, Prime Minister for Guild, Woods & Bryce Productions. And in 2016 he was cast in the 60th anniversary production of My Fair Lady, as Colonel Hugh Pickering - a role it seems he was destined to play.

Tony has appeared in numerous television series, including Rake, I Spry, The Prime Minister Is Missing, Underbelly, G.P., All Saints, Hell Has Harbour Views, BackBerner, Grass Roots, 13 Gantry Row, The Paper Boy, One Day Miller and Who Do You Think You Are?.

His film appearances include Illuminations, Inside Looking Out, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Girl who Met Simone de Beauvoir in Paris, Fatty Finn, Seeing Red, Man of Flowers, Cosi and Human Touch.

Tony also has worked as a producer on Paul Cox feature films, including Man of Flowers, My First Wife, Cactus, Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent van Gogh, Human Touch, Salvation and Force of Destiny.

Tony Llewellyn Jones is a true gentleman of the theatre - abundant with anecdote, considered opinion and tremendous passion for a career that has rewarded him many times over.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au

Tune in to a Broadway Spotlight edition of the STAGES podcast. A Spotlight replay brought to you by Academy Travel - a leading specialist in small-group cultural tours.
In January 2024, Academy Travel will be leading a 10 day tour to sample the best of Broadway and New York - alongside a host of cultural experiences at museums and galleries populating The Big Apple.
Find further information at the Academy Travel website … academytravel.com.au and search Theatre in New York - Best of Broadway tour.
To whet the appetite, STAGES will be revisiting conversations with Australian artists who have conquered The Great White Way in a series of Broadway SPOTLIGHT episodes - brought to you by Academy Travel.
Known affectionately as Frosty the Showman; impresario John Frost has been at the pinnacle of Musical Theatre in Australia for several decades. 
The Gordon Frost Organisation has contributed much of the commercial product that has traversed stages around the country. His productions have garnered a swag of local awards as well as two Tony Awards on the Broadway stage for his celebrated production of The King & I.
Frosty joined STAGES for a second time in an episode titled BACK TO BROADWAY which considered the 2021 Tony Awards - and John’s own forays into the theatre of Broadway.
John Frost was a guest of the STAGES podcast in September 2021.