DanceLife Blog

Theatre star Rob Guest has died in Melbourne after suffering a massive stroke.

The 57-year-old, who had been starring in the musical Wicked, was admitted to Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital last night.

Guest was born in Britain but enjoyed fame as a pop star in New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s and spent a decade in Las Vegas.

His stage musical career took him to Australia where he starred in Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.

He was the world's longest serving Phantom, having played the role a record 2289 times in performances over seven years.

More recently he played Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

Guest was awarded an OBE for his services to the New Zealand entertainment industry.

It's understood his New Zealand family was at his bedside when he died.

Source: ninemsn.com.au

After striking gold with his 2002 remake of ‘Chicago', director / producer / choreographer Rob Marshall looks set to do it all over again. When the casting was announced for his big screen remake of ‘NINE', I knew we would be in for a treat, & now the internet is all abuzz after the unveiling of the trailer - a full 6 months prior to the film's release.

‘NINE' is a vibrant & provocative musical, based on Fellini's classic, ‘8 ½'. Set in early-1960s Venice, the film follows the life of world famous film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he reaches a creative & personal crisis of epic proportion. On the eve of his 40th birthday, Contini is struggling to complete his latest masterpiece, while attempting to balance the numerous women in his life - his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant & costume designer (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Fergie) & his mother (Sophia Loren).

It's not often you get this many A-list actresses in one film, so you know producers will have a fight on their hands when deciding who they will submit for the Best Actress & Best Supporting Actress categories come award season. While the 2 ½ minute trailer is all that has been revealed so far, the film is already gaining Oscar buzz. There's no doubt the source material is worthy - the original 1982 Broadway production, starring the late Raul Julia, won 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The 2003 Broadway revival featured Antonio Banderas &, again, it scored Tony love with a Best Revival award.

So, to the strains of Fergie singing 'Be Italian', we get our first glimpse of the next big-budget movie musical. ‘NINE' is due to arrive in theatres in November.

Viva Italia!
JP xx
JOEL PEISLEY

The wicked Rob Mills was voted off Dancing With The Stars last night after only being on the show for two weeks. Rob and his partner Sriani has done ok over the last two weeks but maybe his popularity from idol has worn off over the years. The show will rate a little better now that Masterchef is over which had a massive following and last night peaking at 3.7Mill while DWTS had 1.2Mill. It will be interesting to see how this goes against Idol when it returns in August.

Our favourites on DWTS includes Emily Scott, Kylie Gillies and Lincoln Lewis.

Tim Campbell will be joining the musical WICKED in the role of Fiyero, WICKED Australia Co‐Producer John Frost announced today. Campbell begins rehearsal next week to play the role of the playboy Prince, seemingly shallow and self absorbed, the love interest for both Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the green‐skinned "Wicked" Witch.

Tim Campbell is a natural all round entertainer. He sings, acts and hosts with an easy knock‐about warmth and infectious style. WICKED's Helpmann Award winning director Lisa Leguillou saw Campbell in concert at Melbourne's Crown Casino some time ago and knew he would make a perfect Fiyero. So when Rob Mills decided to leave the role he has played for almost two years since the show opened, Leguillou immediately knew who to approach.

"Tim has a genuine warmth and charm combined with a wonderful stage presence," Leguillou said. "He can sing and dance magnificently, and his presence on stage is very commanding. He'll make a wonderful Fiyero."

In addition to his well known television credits, Campbell is an accomplished musical theatre performer, having starred as Roger in Rent in Western Australia, in the lead role of Johnny O'Keefe in the 2008 season of Shout! The Legend of the Wild One at Melbourne's State Theatre and Sydney's Lyric Theatre, and alongside Rhonda Burchmore in The Boyfriend for The Production Company.

Campbell is very excited to return to the stage. "Wicked is one of those visually spectacular musicals that will remain timeless. Having seen it 6 times now, I am still captured by its witty, complex and magical journey. I feel very honoured to take on the role of Fiyero and am looking forward to joining the amazingly talented Sydney cast."

Rob Mills' last performance will be on Sunday June 6, and Tim Campbell will commence the following week.

The ANZ Trustees Foundation: ANZ Rob Guest Endowment committee is proud to announce that the 2010 Rob Guest Endowment Award is now officially open. Offering a life changing opportunity to any young performing artist, we have attached an application form and poster for this event and would like to encourage you to pass this on to your clients to assure they don't miss out.

The Award, created after the sudden passing of Rob Guest in 2008, aims to continue his passion for for motivating and guiding young performers to reach their full potential. Our judging panel, comprising of Jon Nicholls, Karen Johnson Mortimer, Guy Simpson, Roger Hodgeman and Kellie Dickerson, will award the prize to a versatile performer between the age of 18-30 with exceptional talent who will benefit from the opportunity to work with the professionals involved, be inspired by the opportunities offered and actively contribute to the industry in a positive way for the duration of their career.

From all the applicants, six finalists will be given the opportunity to perform at our gala concert at Her Majesty's Theatre on the 4th October 2010. They will perform alongside some of Australia's finest Musical Theatre artists in what will be a very special evening. The winner, announced at this event, will then receive a prize package consisting of a $1,000 grant, return economy tickets to New York, 5 nights' accommodation in New York City, tickets to a Broadway show, tuition by some of the world's leading vocal, dance and acting tutors in New York and Australia, an ANZ Financial planning session, a media training session, a head shot package and the opportunity to perform at a nominated event the following year.

Information on how to apply is Here. Applications open today and close on 2 July 2010.

The six finalists have been announced for the 2010 Rob Guest Endowment. Created in recognition of the late Guest's achievements in the musical theatre industry following his sudden death in 2008, ANZ and ANZ Trustees have established a memorial fund in Guest's honour to encourage emerging young performers in musical theatre. The ANZ Trustees Foundation: ANZ Rob Guest Endowment will be awarded each year to an emerging musical theatre performer selected by a panel of industry experts. The Award will provide the emerging performer with further knowledge and training in the industry to develop their potential.

The six finalists selected are Sarah Bakker, Simon Brook McLachlan, Francine Cain, Nathan Derrick, Bree Langridge, and Drew Weston. They were selected from submissions across Australia and represent some of the most promising emerging musical theatre talents.

The six finalists will share the spotlight with a ‘who's who' of Australian showbusiness at the 2010 Rob Guest Endowment Concert on Monday October 4 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne, competing to become the second winner of The ANZ Trustees Foundation: ANZ Rob Guest Endowment Award.

Hosted by Bert Newton, the concert will also feature performances from Australia's biggest music theatre stars, including:
• Lucy Durack and members of the cast of WICKED
• Rhonda Burchmore
• Cast members from Mary Poppins
• Amanda Harrison
• Matt Lee
• Chris Horsey
• Tom Burlinson
• Rachael Beck, Mandy Carnie and Danielle Barnes
• Danielle Matthews, Inaugural winner of the Rob Guest Endowment award

Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketek.com.au and are priced at $80 (Premium), $60 (A Reserve) and $30 (students).