Metro Hotels
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Review: Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Regent Theatre, Melbourne
SIMON Phillips' extravagant production of Love Never Dies infuses new energy into Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera sequel.
With its vivid design, eccentric characters and mystical imagery, this is a ravishing spectacle that captures the dark mystery of a perilous fairground (circa 1907) and should convert even a die-hard Phantom fan.
The Phantom (Ben Lewis), 10 years after his abduction of Christine (Anna O'Byrne), is now a wealthy impresario running a Coney Island attraction. He lures Christine, her husband Raoul (Simon Gleeson) and son, Gustave (Kurtis Papadinis) to Manhattan.
Lewis is formidable as the Phantom. With his velvety tones, superb range and consummate acting, his performance rivals former Phantoms. His opening rendition of 'Til I Hear You Sing is thrilling and no song that follows meets this level.
O'Byrne's beautiful soprano is a perfect match for Lewis in their duets (Beneath A Moonless Sky, Once Upon Another Time) and her version of Love Never Dies is affecting. The Beauty Underneath is a surprising rock number sung by Lewis, Papadinis and the distinguished ensemble while Sharon Millerchip, as Meg Giry, is delightfully cheeky performing Bathing Beauty.
Gabriela Tylesova's heroic design supplies soaring gantries, a giant Phantom mask and occult imagery while the period costumes are high gelati in colour, evoking both freak shows and Edwardian elegance.
Phillips saturates the stage with sideshow freaks, acrobats and impish dancers (performing Graeme Murphy's choreography) and sometimes it's so busy, it's hard to know where to look.
Lloyd Webber's score (conducted skilfully by Guy Simpson) intermittently and elegantly reprises the original Phantom, connecting the two stories but several songs, with trite lyrics, lack punch. A bigger problem is the unsatisfying story. There are unnecessary red herrings and too many villains. Madame Giry's (Maria Mercedes) role in the tale keeps changing, Meg's jealous rage is surprising -- even unlikely -- and there is little evidence of any history of love between Raoul and Christine. A duet for the couple is sorely missed.
Gustave could be in greater danger here and the centre of bitter rivalries but that thread unravels. The stakes are not high enough and the final tragic scene loses impact without a clear narrative structure.
While Love Never Dies sets a visual design standard that will be difficult to surpass, it is disappointing that the narrative and music fail to reach the same lofty heights.
LOVE NEVER DIES, Regent Theatre
Opening night review, May 28
Melbourne accommodation: Metro Apartments on Bank Place
Monday, May 23, 2011
ELTON JOHN & HIS BAND ROLL INTO SECOND MELBOURNE SHOW
It is safe to say that the Rocket Man is taking Australia by storm once again. After seeing staggering pre-sale figures for Sir Elton’s first Hunter Valley show on Saturday 3 December, promoters, Chugg Entertainment, announced a second winery show before tickets to shows even went on sale to the general-public.
In continuing this trend, when tickets went on sale nationally this morning at 9am, so swift was the demand for tickets to the Melbourne concert on Tuesday 6 December at Rod Laver Arena, that at 9.10am a second show was announced for Wednesday 7 December.
In this his first visit back in three years, fans can expect to see a Elton John & His Band perform hit after hit for one of the most well renowned catalogues in modern pop music.
Don’t miss the rare opportunity to hear one of the world’s greatest pop musicians in spectacular form when the Rocket Man touches down this summer.
Tickets are on sale
Monday, May 16, 2011
Pharaoh Tuts Egypt’s Tourism - Melbourne Exhibition
It is only a matter of time until Egypt’s tourism figures rise again, according to Macquarie University’s resident Egyptologist Professor Boyo Ockinga.
The professor told e-Travel Blackboard at Egypt Consulate’s ‘Ongoing legacy of Tutankhamun’ evening that the appeal of Egypt and its history will always excite travellers.
“Once the political situation settles and once the government situation is stabilised things will settle and people will go back,” Prof. Ockinga said.
“The attraction is always going to be there, even if there is slight uncertainty.”
According to figures released by the Consulate in Sydney, up to three million people cancelled their bookings into Egypt between February to April as fear still resides among travellers after the political disruption earlier this year.
However, tourists have nothing to fear, Professor Naguid Kanawati said during the evening because visitors are not and never were the target.
“It was a revolution against a regime, not against foreigners,” Prof. Kanawati said.
Among Prof. Kanawati’s biggest regret after the January uprising, was his decision to evacuate as unrest began on the streets, forcing him to miss out on four weeks during his six week research period.
“We thought it was unsafe but it wasn’t,” he explained.
The Consulate confessed that safety was “the key” to attracting travellers back into the country, but is also anticipating that the Tutankhamun and the Golden Ages exhibition in Melbourne Museum will also “impress” Aussies.
“While it is justified to feel uncertain about security in a country that has undergone major political changes, it is only fair to recognise that the situation in Egypt is in the process of settling down,” a statement from the Consulate read.
“We hope this special envoy (Tutankhamun exhibition) succeeds in extending a warm invitation to all Australians to visit his homeland and we are equally hopeful that Egypt’s tourism industry will be able to fully recover from the impact of the revolution.”
The exhibition showcases 50 pieces from the Pharaoh’s 3,000 year old tomb which was discovered untouched and preserved in 1922.
Melbourne is the only Asia-Pacific city chosen for the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age tour and will depart in October, after which it will make its way to the new museum currently in development in Egypt.
Quality Accommodation at Metro Apartments on Bank Place, Melbourne
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
New Melbourne-Shanghai services
China Eastern Airlines, one of China’s largest commercial airlines, will increase flights between Melbourne to Shanghai from four weekly to daily services.
Tourism Victoria Chief Executive Mark Stone said this increase was timely as China has moved into second place for inbound tourism to Victoria and is also the biggest international market for Victoria in terms of visitor expenditure.
China Eastern airlines will commence non-stop scheduled services between Shanghai and Melbourne from 20 June.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Melbourne the Local Tourists' Favourite
Melbourne emerged as Australia's most popular destination for domestic travellers in 2010 and has taken the mantle from Sydney, which is battling perceptions it is too expensive, a survey says.
The 2010 Hotel Price Index put the Victorian capital on top last year, with Sydney dropping to second place, Gold Coast third and Cairns fourth.
Adelaide rose three places to fifth, ahead of Perth, Brisbane and Port Douglas.
Darwin and Canberra rounded out the top 10.
Hotels.com vice president for Asia-Pacific Johan Svanstrom said domestic travellers had voted with their wallets, given average hotel prices rose 16 per cent in Sydney last year to $168 a night.
By comparison, average hotel prices in Melbourne were broadly unchanged at $146 per night.
"What helped Melbourne scoot up to No.1 over the course of last year was the particularly fast rise in prices in Sydney," Mr Svanstrom said.
"Clearly, when prices go to very high levels and are perceived to be high, people start looking elsewhere."
The news was not all bleak for Sydney, which retained its clear lead in terms of the favourite Australian destination for overseas visitors, ahead of Melbourne and Cairns.
Mr Svanstrom said talk show host Oprah Winfrey's recent visit was "ridiculously" positive for Australia.
While it would give the local tourism industry a boost, he cautioned that the impact was unlikely to be long term.
"Over this period say since last summer and probably spilling into now, you definitely have had a positive affect," Mr Svanstrom said.
"How long that lasts, I think you need to replace that with something else at some point."
The eight-year-old survey is based bookings made on the Hotels.com website and prices paid by customers and the sample size covers about 110,000 properties in 18,000 locations around the world.
(Source: Jordan Chong AAP, March 2011)
Four Australian Cities Rank Among World’s 10 Best
Which cities are the best to live in? It depends, but according to one highly regarded ranking, four Australian cities make the grade into the world’s top 10 this year.
They are Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
The annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit has placed Vancouver in the number one slot for the fifth straight year. Melbourne took second place, Sydney seventh and Auckland 10th in the list, which ranks 30 aspects of life such as stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, personal safety and infrastructure. Perth and Adelaide were ranked eighth, equal. Three Canadian cities also made the top 10.
A list of liveable cities is not the same as a list of favourite cities to visit, though there are many parallels. Factors like health care and education are more important to city residents than to visitors who may be in a city for only a few days and who have travel insurance.
For what it’s worth, here are the 10 most liveable cities out of 140 major ones worldwide, as ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit and – just as importantly – the world’s least liveable cities. The latter tend to be congested, poor, dirty and dangerous.
Top of the list:
1. Vancouver, Canada
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Sydney, Australia
8. (equal) Perth, Australia
8. (equal) Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand
Bottom of the list:
1. Harare, Zimbabwe
2. Dhaka , Bangladesh
3. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
4. Lagos, Nigeria
5. Algiers , Algeria
6. Karachi, Pakistan
7. Douala, Cameroon
8. Tehran, Iran
9. Dakar, Senegal
10. Colombo, Sri Lanka
Paris was 16th on the list, London 53rd and New York 56th. The most highly ranked US city was Pittsburgh, in 29th place. The top Asian city was Osaka (12th) tying with Geneva.
UK media quoted a statement by Jon Copestake, editor of the report: “Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion.”
Book World Accommodation at www.MetroStar.com
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