Sondheim on Sondheim
Australian Tour | 2022
Originally produced on Broadway in 2010 and hailed as a “revelatory revue full of wonderful moments”, the Tony nominated production of Sondheim on Sondheim is an intimate portrait of the much-loved songwriter in his own words and music. Through the use of exclusive interview footage, audiences experience Sondheim songs in a whole new exciting way.
Anton Berezin, Rhonda Burchmore, Fiona Choi, Peter Coleman-Wright, Amy Lehpamer, Ainsley Melham, Anna O’Byrne and Josh Piterman, Katrina Retallik, Rowan Witt will celebrate the life of virtuoso Stephen Sondheim in this Tony Award-nominated production.
A giant and legend of the arts; the Pulitzer Prize winning composer not only changed the musical theatre landscape forever, but he also helped forge it. Sondheim both set and raised the bar of what is possible within the artform.
A bespoke selection songs delve into Sondheim’s personal life and artistic process. Sondheim works featured are from 19 Sondheim shows including West Side Story, Company, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along, Passion and Into the Woods.
Don’t miss out, this is one production you’ll remember for a lifetime!
Cast
Anton Berezin
Anton Berezin
Anton Berezin is an actor and singer who has had a long history in opera and musical theatre. He last performed with Opera Australia in Evita. He has previously performed in Australian productions of Sweeney Todd, Wicked, The Producers, Side Show Alley, Cabaret the Musical, Follies, Fiddler on the Roof, How To Succeed in Business, Cats, Mack and Mabel, Anything Goes, Rain the Musical, Doctor Zhivago as the alternate lead, as Eichelberger in Promises, Promises and starred in the musical The Light in the Piazza at the Arts Centre. On television, Anton has had roles in Newton’s Law, Jack Irish, Neighbours, The Secret Life of Us, Marshall Law, MDA and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. In 2015, he was in the cast of Princess Pictures’ television opera The Divorce. Anton was a founding Director of Life Like Touring.
Rhonda Burchmore
Rhonda Burchmore
From Sydney to London’s West End to the depths of the South African jungle, Rhonda Burchmore has endeared herself into the hearts of all Australians.
With a career spanning over 35 years, this vivacious, flame-haired beauty continues to turn heads wherever she goes and draw thunderous applause wherever she performs.
Highlights of Rhonda Burchmore’s illustrious career include performing on London’s West End in Sugar Babies featuring Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller, Stop The World I Want To Get Off with Anthony Newley, starring opposite David Atkins in the original Hot Shoe Shuffle and opening Crown Casino with her cabaret spectacular Red, Hot & Rhonda – playing to over 60,000 people.
Other productions include lead roles in Into the Woods, Mame, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, The Boyfriend, Urinetown, They’re Playing Our Song, Song & Dance, Guys & Dolls, Respect- A Musical Journey of Women, Little Orphan Trashley, Eurobeat, Calendar Girls, La Cage Aux Folles, Jerry’s Girls, The Drowsy Chaperoneco-starring Geoffrey Rush and as Tanya in the original Australian production of Mamma Mia!
Rhonda co-produced and starred in the outrageous TWINS with Trevor Ashley; she has produced, co-wrote and starred in ABBA-solutely Fabulous with Lara Mulcahy, and in 2019 the two dynamos returned with a new Rhonda Burchmore Production Partners in Crime.
In 2020, Rhonda appeared on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, winning the hearts of Australians and placing third. Rhonda’s other television credits include the upcoming Fam Time on Seven, regular performances on long running variety shows Hey Hey It’s Saturday, The Don Lane Show, The Mike Walsh Show, The Midday Show, Good Morning Australia with Bert Newtown and Spicks and Specks. Rhonda has also appeared as a featured guest on Kath & Kim and on Nine Network’s Love Child. Rhonda made her film debut in the role of Kate in The Pirate Movie and more recently as Cheryl in The Wedding Party.
In 2014 Rhonda was awarded the OAM for her service to the performing arts and community and also won the Cabaret Icon Award at the International Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Rhonda has recorded five albums including Pure Imagination, Midnight Rendezvous, Live At The Melbourne Concert Hall and Cry Me A River – The World of Julie London with ABC Records.
Fiona Choi
Fiona Choi
Fiona began 2022 playing the iconic role of The Baker’s Wife in the Watch This production of Sondheim’s Into The Woods which was popular with both critics and audiences.
She will soon be on screen in ABC-TV in Stories From Oz – an irreverent, musical, documentary comedy series from The Chaser team, which allows Fiona to combine her love of music theatre and television.
Fiona is probably best known for her role as the irrepressible Jenny Law in Benjamin Law’s award-winning SBS comedy The Family Law, for which she received an AACTA nomination for Best Performance in a Television Comedy as well as 3 Equity Ensemble Awards. Other television highlights include Wentworth, Utopia, Mustangs FC, The Letdown, Surviving Summer, Homeland, Law & Order, Harrow, Back In Very Small Business, Get Krack!n, True Story with Hamish & Andy and The Newsroom.
Other theatre performances include MTC’s Torch The Place, Golden Shield and The Lady In The Van as well as Fiona’s acclaimed one-woman show Dragon Lady: The Many Lives & Deaths of Anna May Wong.
A graduate of WAAPA Music Theatre, Fiona started her professional career in the casts of the original premieres of Rent (Cameron Mackintosh) and Mamma Mia! (Littlestar/Dainty).`
Fiona is incredibly proud to be at the forefront of the current diversity revolution in the Australian entertainment industry, and spends much of her time as a panelist and advocate for inclusion as well as mentoring young BiPOC performers.
She will appear in MTC’s Laurinda, later in 2022.
Peter Coleman-Wright AO
Peter Coleman-Wright AO
Peter Coleman-Wright is considered one of the most versatile singers in the world, equally at home in opera, musicals, concert and recital. His extensive repertoire has taken him to the world’s greatest opera companies and concert halls. He has sung throughout Europe at La Scala Milan, La Fenice Venice, Netherlands Opera, Munich, Vienna, Geneva, Paris, Bordeaux, Flanders and at the Aix-en Provence and Bregenz Festivals.
In the United Kingdom he is a frequent guest of the Royal Opera Covent Garden, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, BBC Proms, Albert Hall, The Barbican, Bridgewater, Manchester and Wigmore Halls.
In North America he has sung at the Metropolitan Opera New York, New York City Opera, Houston, Santa Fe and Vancouver. He has sung extensively for Opera Australia and all the major Australian symphony orchestras throughout all the principal Concert Halls.
Peter has sung more than 60 roles including Figaro, Forester, Scarpia, Sharpless, Don Giovanni, Count, Onegin, Dandini, Billy Budd, Macbeth, Gunther, Germont, Wolfram, Beckmesser, Donner, and Sweeny Todd.
His awards include Helpman Awards for Sweeney Todd and The Traveller (Death in Venice), Green Room awards for Billy Budd, Orestes, and Harry Joy (Bliss – Brett Dean).
Peter is Artistic Director of Pacific Opera’s Young Artist Program and in 2019, National Opera. He recently directed the acclaimed production of La Clemenza di Tito, Pocket Operas include Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zuaberfllöte, La Clemenza di Tito, Idomeneo, La Cenerentola, The Rape of Lucretia and Fidelio. Peter has worked with OA as director/coach of the Young Artist Program, Diva Opera in London and conducted Master-classes for Melba Conservatorium, Pacific Opera, Conservatory of Music Sydney and Diva Opera. Peter is a singer of immense experience and flair. He brings a lifetime of experience gained at the highest-level, including the Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
Peter holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Melbourne and was awarded the Performer of the Year in the recent Arts awards in Australia for Socrates by Brett Dean. Peter was made an Officer in the order of Australia in 2015.
Amy Lehpamer
Amy Lehpamer
A Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award winner, Amy has received acclaim as one of Australia’s most versatile leading ladies of musical theatre. Notable roles include Principal Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock, Maria in The Sound of Music, Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, Dusty Springfield in Dusty, Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sherrie in Rock of Ages and the violinist Reza in Once: the Musical.
In 2021, Amy featured as part of a stellar ensemble cast in Our Town for Queensland Theatre, and performed in concert with both the West Australian and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. Amy can be soon seen on screen in Stories from Oz, an original musical docuseries premiering on the ABC. Amy is set to star in The Who’s: Tommy for Victorian Opera this February.
Ainsley Melham
Ainsley Melham
Ainsley Melham was most recently seen playing Charley in Merrily We Roll Along at Hayes Theatre Co. He played the title role in PIPPIN for John Frost and Suzanne Jones to reopen the Sydney Lyric following Covid-19 theatre shutdowns and appeared in Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2019 season playing the role of Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Ainsley will appear as Prince Topher in Cinderella for Opera Australia and Crossroads Live opening at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in May 2022.
Ainsley starred in the title role of the Broadway production of Aladdin for Disney Theatrical Productions following his success in the Australian production of Aladdin playing at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane and Crown in Perth. He also played the title role in the Aladdin live capture at the Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End and was due to head back to Broadway in 2020 when theatres closed around the world.
Ainsley has appeared as Sonny Malone in Xanadu for Matthew Management at Hayes Theatre Co and performed in The Stonnington Classics series in Broadway S’Wonderful.
Ainsley was a cast member of Hi-5 from 2013 – 2016 appearing in Australasian tours, the televised Hi-5 House Series and the documentary film Some Kind Of Wonderful. The iconic children’s pop group has been released on Netflix with Ainsley as one of the starring hosts.
Ainsley trained in musical theatre at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduating in 2012.
He was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for the 2017 Helpmann Awards and Male Lead in a Musical for the 2018 and 2020 Green Room Awards.
Ainsley recently co-founded We The Industry Inc. with Callum Francis. The charitable organisation strives for inclusivity across all disciplines in Australian Theatre.
Anna O’Byrne
Anna O’Byrne
Anna O’Byrne has established an international career spanning opera, theatre, concert and film.
Anna is well known for her performance as Eliza Doolittle in Opera Australia’s My Fair Lady, for which she received the 2017 Helpmann Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Andrew Lloyd Webber cast Anna as Christine Daaé in Love Never Dies, his sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. For her performance, Anna was nominated for Sydney Theatre and Green Room awards. Universal Pictures filmed and released Love Never Dies was in cinemas internationally.
Anna made her West End debut as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London. Further West End credits include The Woman in White, Strangers on a Train, Kings of Broadway, and A Little Night Music. Anna debuted with English National Opera in Sweeney Todd, starring Emma Thompson. She became the first actor to perform as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera in Russia, a performance broadcast nationally from the Bolshoi Theatre as part of the Golden Mask Awards.
Anna regularly performs internationally on the concert stage, and has sung for royalty and world leaders. She released her debut album, Dream, in 2016.
Josh Piterman
Josh Piterman
Josh was the most recent Phantom in the brilliant original West End Production of The Phantom of the Opera in London, prior to the COVID shutdown. He has been announced to return as Phantom in the upcoming Sydney Opera House season of The Phantom of the Opera, later in 2021.
His passion for entertaining and singing took him to The University of Ballarat Arts Academy where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) in 2006. His musical theatre credits include playing Bustopher Jones in the 2016 season of Cats, a role that won him the Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in A Musical; Edward in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers; Corny Collins in the UK tour of Hairspray; Ramon Gutierrez in An Officer And A Gentleman; Michael in Grease 2 and The Caliph in Kismet for The Production Company. Josh played both “Giuseppe” in The Light in the Piazza at The Arts Centre and Jamie” in The Last Five Years for The Victorian Theatre Company in 2016. In 2017/2018 Josh played the lead role of Gerry Goffin in the national tour of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.
Josh commenced his career performing with the International group, The Ten Tenors and then made his mark as Tony in the 2010 tour of West Side Story. An early career highlight was when he understudied/played George in The Drowsy Chaperone for Melbourne Theatre Company alongside Geoffrey Rush.
He released his debut album Josh Piterman, a collaboration with John Foreman of contemporary pop songs with a classical twist on Fanfare Records. The release opened at No1 in the Classical Contemporary section of both the ITunes and the ARIA charts.
Josh has recently appeared in the Australia Day Live Concert at The Sydney Opera House performing Nessun Dorma to great acclaim.
In 2020 he was thrilled to be invited to sing at the London Lord Mayor’s bushfire benefit, with HRH Prince of Wales in attendance.
Katrina Retallick
Katrina Retallick
Established as an audience favourite in Australian music theatre, her roles include originating the role of Diane and Others in Come From Away, Jolene in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Judy/Ginger in Ruthless! The Musical, Trina in Falsettos, Alice Bieneke in The Addams Family, Every Single Saturday, Sarah in No Way to Treat a Lady, Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music, Alice Beane in Titanic, Jekyll and Hyde, Songs For a New World, Sarah in Company and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, with Katrina garnering wins and nominations for Sydney Theatre, Helpmann and Glug Awards.
Just prior to Come From Away, Katrina appeared in Curveball Creative’s streamed production of Who’s Your Baghdaddy or How I Started the Iraq War, the Hayes Theatre Company’s Big Fish and the Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf Revue.
In film, Katrina appeared in Accidents Happen and The Eternity Man and most recently in June Again with Noni Hazelhurst and Claudia Karvan. On the small screen, credits include Love Child, Comedy Inc, The Chaser’s CNNN and Backberner.
Rowan Witt
Rowan Witt
Rowan Witt is one of Australia’s most versatile actors with a career spanning theatre, film and television.
A multi award-winning actor, his theatre credits include playing Elder McKinley in the Australian premiere of The Book of Mormon (Scott Rudin/Ann Garefino) for which he received a Helpmann Award nomination and a Sydney Theatre Award win. He was nominated again for playing Dean in the Sydney premiere of Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins’ play, Gloria (Outhouse Productions), and for his critically acclaimed role as Georg Nowack in Hayes Theatre’s production of She Loves Me (Hayes Theatre Co). Rowan also starred as Jack in Into The Woods (Victorian Opera), Young Buddy in Sondheim’s Follies (StoreyBoard Ent), John Hinckley Jnr. in the tour of Assassins (Watch This), Danny in Baby (Neglected Musicals), Professor in the Lincoln Centre’s record-breaking production of South Pacific at the Sydney Opera House (GFO/Lincoln Centre), Bernstein in the Australian premiere of Pasek and Paul’s Dogfight (Hayes Theatre Co), and originating the role of Newton Pulsifer in the recent stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett’s, Good Omens (Squabbalogic). On screen, Rowan Witt was most recently seen starring opposite Katherine Parkinson in the Paramount+ TV series, Spreadsheet. Other film and television credits include roles in Home & Away, Underbelly, The Escape Of The Artful Dodger, The Matrix, Somewhere In The Darkness, Adoration, X: Night of Vengeance, Little Blue and Trunk.
Rowan’s training includes a degree from The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he majored in Classical Voice. He is a member of Equity.
Creatives
Tyran Parke
Director
Tyran Parke
Director
Tyran Parke worked as a professional actor before firmly established himself as an acclaimed director on the Australian theatre scene. With credits that span Shakespeare, plays, musicals, cabaret, concerts and opera, Tyran has twenty years of performing credits to his name.
For the past decade, Tyran has turned attention behind the scenes, and is now a much sought-after director, producer and teacher. For Adrian Storey, he directed the all-star production of Follies at the Melbourne Recital Centre, followed by the acclaimed production of Barnum starring Todd McKenny and Rachael Beck, and most recently, CHESS starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Rob Mills and Paulini.
Professional directing credits include the plays Thom Pain, Pool (no water), The Laramie Project, Great Expectations, and Proof; the musicals Jekyll and Hyde, Lovebites, Metro St, Cheek to Cheek, Rent, The Goodbye Girl, A Chorus Line, Hello Again, and the operas The Coronation of Poppea and The Fairy Queen.
Parke is a huge devotee to the work of Stephen Sondheim. Having played the title role in Sunday in the Park with George, he was thrilled to direct the highly acclaimed 2018 production in Perth. Aside from Follies, Assassins – which toured throughout Victoria after its sell-out Melbourne season, was a highlight. Into the Woods and Everything’s Coming Up Sondheim repeated this artistic success.
Concert work includes the acclaimed Rob Mills is Surprisingly Good, Debra Byrne and Vika Bull in Tapestry, Caroline O’Connor’s From Broadway with Love and three separate national tours of From Broadway to La Scala over a six-year period.
Other productions include the acclaimed, Ordinary Days (Green Room Award- Best Director), Big Fish (Broadway World and Glugg Nominations- Best Director), Falsetto’s (Green Room nomination- Best Director) and The Coronation of Poppea (Opera Chaser Award- Best Director of an Opera)
As a teacher, Parke has worked for all the major training institutions and is currently the Head of Music Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). He thanks them for the support in directing this production. He is also Artistic Director of The Australian Musical Theatre Festival in Tasmania.
Tyran shared a birthday, much music and the occasional wine with Mr Sondheim and is delighted to salute him and his music with such a brilliant team.
Stephen Gray
Musical Director
Stephen Gray
Musical Director
Stephen works extensively throughout Australia as a conductor, arranger, and pianist. Sondheim On Sondheim marks Stephen’s third joint collaboration with Storeyboard Entertainment and Director, Tyran Parke, having previously been the Musical Director for their productions of Follies In Concert and Barnum – The Circus Musical. Stephen’s other credits as Musical Director & Conductor include Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical (Australian world premiere & revival, New Zealand & South Africa), Georgy Girl – The Seekers Musical, The Rocky Horror Show, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Xanadu, Dusty – The Original Pop Diva, Dames at Sea, A Swell Party, The Tap Pack, Underdogs and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Stephen was an Associate Musical Director & Conductor for A Chorus Line, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Singin’ In The Rain, Jolson, Cabaret, Oliver! and Grease – The Arena Spectacular. For the Victorian College of the Arts, Stephen has been the Musical Director of West Side Story and Li’l Abner. He has been twice nominated by the Victorian Green Room Awards for their Musical Direction Award for his contributions to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical and Xanadu.
Stephen’s arranging & orchestration credits include Barnum – The Circus Musical, the sell out Melbourne season of The Tap Pack, Candy Man, Underdogs, The Merry Widow from Bluegum Creek, Boy’s Own Macbeth, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the albums Tribute (featuring John Bowles) and Sing, Sing, Sing (featuring Wayne Scott-Kermond), and Musical Direction & vocal arrangements for the Australian & US Tours of Scooby-Doo Live.
For the Melbourne & Ballarat Cabaret Festivals, Stephen has been Musical Director and Accompanist for A Singer Must Die, Good Girl/Bad Girl, Aznavourian and Songs from the Pavement. Stephen has also been heard in many a pit orchestra on piano and keyboards for many a show including the original Australian productions of Cats, Les Misérables, 42nd Street and Jerry’s Girls. Most recently, Stephen was Musical Director and Arranger for the musical revues Everything’s Coming Up Sondheim and (in-between lockdowns!) The Music of the Night.
Gavan Swift
Lighting
Gavan Swift
Lighting
Gavan graduated from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1994. His musical lighting designs include Mamma Mia!, Heathers the Musical, Mack & Mabel, The Mikado, The Pirates Of Penzance, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Fiddler on the Roof, Jolson, Buddy, Oh What A Night, Footloose, Hair, Xanadu, Chess, and Saturday Night Fever both in Australia and on London’s West End. Gavan was the lighting designer for Moby Dick at the San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, LA Opera and Dallas Opera. He has designed the lighting for The Production Company’s Anything Goes, Sugar (Some Like It Hot), The Music Man, Hair, Mack & Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance, Thoroughly Modern Millie and their inaugural production of Mame. For the State Theatre Company of South Australia his designs include Three Sisters (co-set designer), King Lear and Hamlet. For Bell Shakespeare; The Winter’s Tale, Pericles and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Gavan has also designed lighting for productions at the Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, The Ensemble Theatre, and Opera Australia. Gavan was the Associate Lighting Designer for the Australian productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Cabaret, The Full Monty, Chicago, High School Musical, A Chorus Line, South Pacific, Wicked, Frozen, An American In Paris and The Lion King; as well as the London production of A Chorus Line and the Mexican production of Wicked.