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The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda The Musical arrives at the Adelaide Festival Centre in May 2017 to play a strictly limited eight week season. There’s a waitlist now open for tickets – you can sign up here.

Matilda The Musical is currently playing to excited and packed houses at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre, before heading to Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre at QPAC in November 2016, then Perth’s Crown Theatre from February 2017, before swinging back over to Adelaide in May 2017.

Tickets for Brisbane are already on sale and you can sign up to the waitlist for priority access to tickets for Perth and Adelaide when they go on sale. For the best seats to Melbourne performances, at the moment, go to August when booking.

Those of you following the story will know Matilda The Musical was recently nominated for 13 Helpmann Awards and has won over 50 major international awards, including 13 for Best Musical, delighting audiences in London, Australia, on Broadway and on tour around the USA.

As we announced here, next month ABC KIDS is presenting a series of Play School Celebrity Covers, to celebrate 50 years on air.

Tim’s mini-episode, The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek, is on ABC KIDS at 8am on the 13th July and it will be up on iView shortly after the broadcast.

Here’s Tim and Jemima:

Episodes will air daily on ABC KIDS at 8am and 5pm from the 4th July.

Play School, Australia’s longest-running children’s series, is celebrating 50 years on air! Next month ABC KIDS is presenting a series of Play School Celebrity Covers, sure to delight both the young and the young-at-heart. From the 4th July, episodes will air daily on ABC KIDS at 8am and 5pm.

Tim’s mini-episode, The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek, is on ABC KIDS at 8am on the 13th July and it will be up on iView shortly after the broadcast.

Here’s a sneak peek at the star-studded line-up who’ll be performing a song or reading a story:

Until we hear the rest of the story, Tim’s apparent existential crisis will remain an enigma…

UPDATE: Click here for a video clip of Tim reading a bit more of The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek.

The Helpmann Awards are the premier celebration of Australia’s vibrant live performance industry and Matilda The Musical had quite a night, last night, receiving 13 Award nominations, including Best Musical!

The eight young actresses who’ve played Matilda in Sydney and Melbourne – Molly Barwick, Dusty Bursill, Tiana Mirra, Alannah Parfett, Sasha Rose, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas and Ingrid Torelli – are up jointly for Best Female Actor in a Musical, while James Millar is nominated for Best Male Actor in a Musical, for his performance as the tyrannical Miss Trunchbull.

Tim’s up for Best Original Score in a Musical for his music and lyrics, with the rest of the nominations as follows:
Best Direction of a Musical – Matthew Warchus
Best Choreography in a Musical – Peter Darling
Best Music Direction in a Musical – Stephen Amos
Best Sound Design in a Musical – Simon Baker
Best Scenic Design in a Musical – Rob Howell
Best Costume Design in a Musical – Rob Howell
Best Lighting Design – Hugh Vanstone
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Daniel Frederiksen
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Elise McCann

Full nomination details can be found here.

The 16th Annual Helpmann Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on Monday 25th July at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, on the set of Singin’ in the Rain. More details here.

Tickets are available for the ceremony from Ticketmaster.

The 2016 Helpmann Awards will be broadcast live on Foxtel Arts and webcast free via www.foxtelarts.com.au.

Congratulations to all at Matilda The Musical in Australia!

Matilda The Musical is currently on at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre, but must leave in November to start a run in Brisbane, before heading to Perth in February 2017. For tickets and information pop over to www.matildathemusical.com.

PwC £10 Previews tickets for Groundhog Day will be released on Monday 13th June at 12 noon.

Groundhog Day is one of the most ambitious shows ever to have been staged at The Old Vic so there’s a longer preview period than usual with PwC £10 Previews tickets, for a selection of seats in the auditorium, available for performances from 15th to 30th July.

To book your PwC Previews tickets on Monday 13th June either visit the Old Vic box office, www.oldvictheatre.com or call 0844 871 7635.

For some (otherwise sold out) preview dates these are the only remaining tickets.

They will surely fly, so snap them up quick!

For more information on PwC £10 Previews, please take a look here.

The show reunites composer and lyricist Tim, with Artistic Director of The Old Vic Matthew Warchus, choreographer Peter Darling and designer Rob Howell, four of the Matilda The Musical creative team. They have joined forces with writer Danny Rubin to collaborate on this new musical based on his 1993 hit film.

If you’ve not yet seen it, here’s a video of Tim and some of the cast and musicians from Groundhog Day giving a stunning performance of ‘Seeing You‘, as a special taster.

Andy Karl will play Phil Connors, a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Caught in a time loop, he’s forced to relive the same day again and again…and again. As Phil becomes increasingly despondent, is there a lesson being learned and will he ever figure out the secret to break the cycle?

In case you missed the full cast announcement last month:

Carlyss Peer will play Rita Hanson alongside the previously announced Andy Karl in the role of Phil Connors. They are joined by an ensemble cast including Leo Andrew, David Birch, Ste Clough, Roger Dipper, Georgina Hagen, Kieran Jae, Julie Jupp, Andrew Langtree, Vicki Lee Taylor, Emma Lindars, Antonio Magro, Carolyn Maitland, Kirsty Malpass, Lisa Mathieson, Eugene McCoy, Jenny O’Leary, Leanne Pinder, Mark Pollard, Damien Poole, Jack Shalloo, Andrew Spillett and Spencer Stafford.

Groundhog Day will begin with previews from July 15th, 2016, with the official opening on August 16th. It will be a strictly limited 10-week season until Saturday 17th September, 2016.

More information and Tickets can be found on The Old Vic website. You can also book over the phone: 0844 871 7628 or in person at The Old Vic.

Performed at the 20th South Bank Sky Arts Awards at London’s Savoy Hotel, ‘Seeing You’ is from the upcoming musical Groundhog Day, created by Danny Rubin (book), Tim (music and lyrics) and Matthew Warchus (director). The arrangement is by Chris Nightingale.

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards will be broadcast on Sky Arts tomorrow, June 8th at 8pm.

Tim’s joined on stage by some of the cast and musicians from Groundhog Day: Jack Shalloo, Carolyn Maitland, Georgina Hagen, Kieran Jae, Fiona Leggat, Justin Pearson, Rutledge Turnlund, Charlie Brown, Amy May and Andy McGlasson.

Groundhog Day will begin with previews at the Old Vic, London, from July 15th, 2016, with the official opening on August 16th. It will be a strictly limited 10-week season until Saturday 17th September, 2016. For more information visit the Old Vic website.

© Chris Lobina / Sky Arts

The 20th South Bank Sky Arts Awards took place at a prestigious star-studded ceremony at London’s Savoy Hotel last Sunday.

Tim presented an award and performed a song from his upcoming musical Groundhog Day with some of the cast and musicians from the show.

(Pssst! There’s a video of this performance on the way – watch this space…)

The ceremony will be broadcast on Sky Arts tomorrow, Wednesday 8th June, at 8pm.

© Chris Lobina / Sky Arts

© Chris Lobina / Sky Arts

DreamWorks Animation has named an all-Australian, all-star voice cast for Larrikins, their upcoming musical comedic adventure, for which Tim is writing the music and lyrics, as well as directing with Chris Miller.

Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, Rose Byrne, Naomi Watts, Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn, Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, and Ewen Leslie all join the 2018 feature. Tim will also be voicing a role.

Tim: “I feel so lucky to be working with such a stunning cast. It’s genuinely thrilling to have such talented artists put their faith in this anarchic, slightly nuts Aussie musical!”

Larrikins tells the story of a little bilby who finds himself launched on a musical adventure across the mystical and untamed Australian Outback.

Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria (Co-Presidents of Feature Animation): “Larrikins is a smart, hilarious, completely unique animated film that breaks convention as it takes audiences on an unexpected journey into the vast Australian Outback. Tim and Chris have masterfully blended a heartwarming story into the attitude and humor packed into these characters. It’s ultimately a film about being courageous enough to do the right thing for others, even if that sometimes puts you on a course that runs opposite the status quo.”

Larrikins (which is Australian slang for maverick or rebel) is an all-animal rock-n-roll road-movie musical from an original idea written by Harry Cripps and produced by DreamWorks Animation’s Gregg Taylor.

Photo by Joan Marcus

A quiet heads-up, for those who keep a close eye on this website (to avoid overwhelming the Box Office phone lines):

An extremely limited number of tickets for Tim’s upcoming show at The Old Vic, on Sunday 22nd May, are on sale right now!

The show is otherwise sold out.

Please call The Old Vic Box Office on 0844 871 7635 and quote “Tim Minchin Sent Me” for your chance to book.

Good luck!

The 58th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were held yesterday at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne.

Tim was awarded the Logie for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor for his critically acclaimed role as, Northern Irish ex-convict, Smasher Sullivan in ABC TV’s The Secret River. The series won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Miniseries.

Patrick Brammall accepted the award on Tim’s behalf at the event. Here’s Tim’s full acceptance speech, as shown on the big screen:

Footage courtesy of Nine Network.

Adapted from Kate Grenville’s acclaimed novel, The Secret River was directed by Daina Reid and stars British actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen as William Thornhill, a convict, and Sarah Snook as Sal, his free settler wife, who are transported to the new colony of New South Wales in 1805. The two part miniseries dramatises the colonisation of Australia and the conflict between indigenous communities and white settlers. Tim is amongst a stellar cast which also includes: Lachy Hulme, Genevieve Lemon and Trevor Jamieson. It was shot in locations across Victoria and on The Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney.

Here, Tim talks about his role as Smasher Sullivan, during filming:

The series aired last year on ABC TV in Australia. No word yet as to whether The Secret River will be made available internationally – we’ll let you know if we hear anything. The series is available digitally and on DVD but again aimed at the Australian market. The DVD ships internationally if you have an all region player – details here.

ABC TV’s Meet the Mavericks is an interview series featuring some of Australia’s most iconic artists, performers, thinkers and cultural leaders. Each episode sees two of these creative talents (and troublemakers) come together to compare notes and talk intimately about their view of the world, their passions, what inspires them, what drives them and how they channel this into their creative process. (Photo courtesy of ABC Arts)

Tune in to Episode 4 on Tuesday 3rd May, 2016, at 10pm, for two humanists: Phillip Adams and Tim. Late Night Live radio host and godfather of the Australian film industry, with a regular column in The Australian, Phillip Adams and Tim (composer/lyricist, musician, comedian, actor, writer and director) talk about life, art, identity and religion.

The episode will join the others on ABC iView once it airs.

Here’s a clip to whet your appetite:

For those outside Australia: Sadly, there are no plans as yet for international distribution and iView is geo-blocked. However, there will be a couple more clips available to view on this blog 24 hours after the episode airs.

UPDATE: (04/05/16) Additional video clips. Tim and Phillip discuss comedy:

Tomorrow, April 23rd, you can watch Tim playing his part in the celebrations at Shakespeare Live! From The RSC. As it broadcasts live on BBC Two at 8.30pm, the show will be screened live to Picturehouse cinemas in the UK and Europe. Tickets here. (Details of worldwide screenings below)

Photo courtesy of The RSC

Tim joins a huge and stellar cast which includes: Akala (Hip Hop Shakespeare), Roger Allam, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Simon Russell Beale, Ian Bostridge, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Anne Marie Duff, English National Opera, Paapa Essiedu, Joseph Fiennes, Alexandra Gilbreath, Henry Goodman, the cast of Horrible Histories, Rufus Hound, Rory Kinnear, John Lithgow, Ian McKellan, Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra, Helen Mirren, Alison Moyet, Al Murray, Pippa Nixon, Orchestra of the Swan, Gregory Porter, the Royal Ballet, Antony Sher, The Shires, Meera Syal, David Suchet, Catherine Tate, Rufus Wainwright and Harriet Walter.

Hosted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate, the live television celebration, marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, will be staged at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.

The RSC: ‘Shakespeare Live! From the RSC’ will feature performances of some of the greatest dramatic scenes ever written, played by some of our greatest actors, as well as songs, comedy, dances and music celebrating Shakespeare’s legacy.

The programme will be available on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

There will be screenings around the rest of the world by BBC Worldwide:

6th May – Australian cinemas: Details and tickets here.

23rd May – US cinemas: Details and tickets here.

At there moment there are no details for cinemas outside of Europe, Australia and the US but check here for coming details of further international screenings including New Zealand, South Korea and Russia.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 19th April 2016, sees Tim attending and performing at the launch event for the Canadian production of Matilda The Musical, at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.

There will be a live feed of the highlights between 2:30pm and 3:30pm (EDT) on the Mirvish Productions Facebook Page. ‘LIKE’ the page to watch.

That’s 7:30pm (BST) in the UK and for Australian night owls/insomniacs/very early risers that’s 4:30am (AEST) 20th April.

In addition, the event will be live tweeted by @Mirvish with images going up on Instagram @mirvishproductions. #MatildaTO

Toronto will be the only production of Matilda in Canada.

Tickets are already on sale for performances from 5th July up until 4th September, 2016, from www.mirvish.com or by phone at TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333.

Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Royal Alexandra Theatre Box Office, 260 King Street West. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420.

More information can be found on the Matilda The Musical website and if you’d like to see the story of Matilda’s adventures internationally, including many reviews, photos and videos then take a look here.

Last Sunday Matilda and Me aired on Australian TV. Narrated by his sister Nel and with the rehearsals for the launch of the show in Sydney forming the backdrop, the documentary charts Tim’s long-term fascination with Roald Dahl, his childhood and early career and the creative process behind the smash hit musical. You’ll find more details and a teaser clip here.

Matilda & Me is now available on DVD from MADMAN and JB HI-FI across Australia. Both ship internationally but please note it is a Region 4 DVD, so aimed primarily at the Australian and New Zealand market. Outside Region 4, you’ll need a multi-region DVD player or PC/Laptop with a DVD drive to play it. (A handy guide to DVD compatibility can be found here courtesy of eBay.)

Australians can also download it from iTunes and it will soon be available on many other digital platforms. (You’ll find them listed to the right of the DVD here).

Matilda and Me will be available on ABC iView until 8:40pm on 18th April 2016, where you can now also watch SEVEN exclusive behind the scenes clips.

Sadly iView is geo-blocked for those outside Australia but wheels are in motion for this documentary to be available more widely. We’ll let you know as soon as anything is confirmed but it’s also worth keeping an eye on the Matilda & Me Facebook Page for updates and news.

In case you missed the heads-up via Tim’s mailing list yesterday:

Priority booking is now open for you, for the world premiere of Groundhog Day, Tim’s brand new musical at London’s Old Vic. Get ahead of the crowd before general booking opens.

Scurry over to the booking page and once you’ve chosen the date you fancy, quote HOG5 in the promotional code box and Phil’s your uncle! Ya dig? You can also use the code over the phone: 0844 871 7628 or in person at The Old Vic (where you must whisper it at the box office and tell them when you last saw your shadow… possibly).

Tickets will go on general sale on Tuesday 12th April, 2016 at 12 noon.

Groundhog Day will begin with previews from July 11th, 2016, with the official opening on August 16th. It will be a strictly limited 10-week season until Saturday 17th September, 2016.

The show reunites composer and lyricist Tim, with director Matthew Warchus, choreographer Peter Darling and designer Rob Howell, four of the Matilda The Musical creative team. They have joined forces with writer Danny Rubin to collaborate on this new musical based on his 1993 hit film.

Andy Karl will play Phil Connors, a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Caught in a time loop, he’s forced to relive the same day again and again…and again.

More information can be found on The Old Vic website.