Stephen Sondheim — taking a razor to conventions (Part I)

With over 70 years of playing jazz under his belt, Sonny Rollins has seen a thing or two. He was present at so many turning points in the music: from bebop to modal jazz, post bop to fusion... and beyond.Now days at the age of 93, Sonny Rollins is one of the last of his generation and a true elder statesman. His contribution to music in both the 20th and 21st centuries is immense, and to this day, many aspiring tenor saxophonists still look to Sonny as a source on inspiration.He was a powerful player with a dominating sound - but he's also a gentle giant too, someone who was always looking to collaborate and pursue new avenues in jazz. Discover Sonny's life and music across this episode, with archival highlights from the ABC's vault, as well as excerpts from pianist Ben Sidran's Talking Jazz series on CD.This episode, presented by bass player and ABC Classic host, Eric Ajaye, was originally broadcast 3 July 2024 

The name Nina Simone can mean many things to many people. Casual fans of her music will no doubt remember her hits like 'I Loves You Porgy', or 'My Baby Just Cares For Me'. For others, though, Nina Simone was one of the most defiant and outspoken performers in the jazz field for much of her career.After an initial rise to fame in the 1950s, Nina started to use her music as a form of protest in the 1960s, becoming one of the most prominent artists involved in the civil rights movement in America. With her lengthy gigs and probing albums, Simone sought to tackle racism and segregation head on, and some of her most powerful works came from this era.On this episode, we wind back the years on the singer and pianist's incredible career. You'll hear from Simone herself and we'll touch on why her music was and still is so important to this very day.This episode,  presented by Eric Ajaye, was originally broadcast 5 Nov 2024 on ABC Classic 

We continue our journey into the life and work of Stephen Sondheim, the composer and lyricist of some of the most well-regarded musical theatre ever made.We are joined by performer Philip Quast, authors Joanne Gordon and Robert L McLaughlin, directors of several Sondheim productions Dean Bryant and Sonya Suares, and we speak with the New York Times' chief theatre critic Jesse Green about Here We Are, Sondheim's posthumous final musical.

Your guide to what's happening on stages across the country and beyond.

Stephen Sondheim is the composer and lyricist of some of the most well-regarded musical theatre ever made. We delve into his life, work and impact on the form.We hear archival interviews with Sondheim himself and are joined by performer Philip Quast, author Joanne Gordon (Art Isn't Easy: The Theatre of Stephen Sondheim), director of several Sondheim productions, Dean Bryant, and Sonya Suares, founding artistic director of the Sondheim repertory company Watch This.

Choreographer Stephanie Lake and composer Robin Fox are partners in work and life, though they come from 'different worlds' artistically.  Their latest collaboration is the joyful The Chronicles, which follows the rhythms of a life cycle, from birth to death — or is it renewal?Eddie Perfect's Broadway musical Beetlejuice has received rave reviews for its re-interpretation of Tim Burton's classic 1988 film. Karis Oka plays Lydia Deetz and tells Michael what it's like channelling her inner Goth eight nights a week!Botis Seva is a London choreographer who dug deep into his most difficult times to create an acclaimed dance work called BLKDOG. From his start at a local youth club in Dagenham, Botis founded his own Hip Hop dance company Far From The Norm when he was still a teenager and is now bringing BLKDOG to Australia.

It’s one of those roles which great actors have on their to-do list: Winnie in the play Happy Days by Samuel Beckett.  Winnie starts the play buried up to her waist in dirt. In Act 2 she’s buried up to her neck! Acclaimed actor Pamela Rabe tell us what makes this such an iconic play and how she approached it as both co-director and star of Happy Days for the Sydney Theatre Company.In the play POV (Point of View), 11-year-old Bub directs a pair of adult actors on stage, to re-enact scenes from her life. There's a catch: it's the first time the actors have seen the script, and Bub is filming them for a documentary. This innovative work by collective re:group is all about how a kid experiences the mental illness of a parent. We chat to young actors Mabelle Rose and Edie Whitehead, who play Bub, and director Solomon Thomas.What if Celine Dion wasn't just the torch-bearing soundtrack to Titanic — but the main character? That's the premise of a hilarious musical parody called Titanique, which originated off Broadway and has since proven popular here in Australia too. A cast of 11 joins The Stage Show, led by powerhouse Marney McQueen.

What does it take to write a Tony-winning musical? Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are the friends and songwriting team behind big Broadway musicals like Ragtime and Anastasia. They're also voting members for New York City's famous theatre industry prize, the Tony Awards. They join us as Tony Awards season takes off.Back stage... The make up artist. Meet the veteran head of WHAM (that's wardrobe, hair and make-up) Fiona Cooper-Sutherland as she transforms Christine Anu into Hermes, the silver god for the musical Hadestown. Hear Michael's interview with Anais Mitchell the creator of Hadestown.In the classic play The Maids by Jean Genet, two servant sisters act out a sinister game -- playing at murdering their mistress. Then the mistress herself enters the plot. Canberra theatre company The Street is staging this absurdist and chilling drama. We hear from actors Christina Falsone, Sophia Marzano, Natasha Vickery and director Caroline Stacey. The original sound design is by Kimmo Vennonen. 

Legendary French singer Edith Piaf was a firecracker of emotion. Gutsy and seductive, while underneath -- an intense fragility. That’s the legend. But what’s it like to play a legend, show after show, year after year? Cabaret singer Nathalie Lermitte has been inhabiting the icon Piaf for well over a decade.Top Shelf with Josh Piterman. Josh Piterman is an Australian musical theatre star who’s used to donning all kinds of masks, especially as the Phantom of the Opera on London's West End. He’s also a certified meditation teacher and he’s just written a self-help book, about dropping the mask and being authentic. He takes us through the music and thinkers who've changed his life.Plus — more masks!Gail Evans and Nicky Fearn are Darwin local theatre legends. Now they’re presenting something completely different from their usual humorous, physical-theatre plays — Fair Punishment, a story based on a chilling, gothic Canadian novel that’s  told through masked performance. We hear a reading performed by Merlynn Tong.

When Cree-Salteaux theatre-maker Margo Kane started trying out for theatre gigs in Canada in the 1970s, there were so few roles for Indigenous actors, she ended up auditioning for the same part more than once. That all changed when she wrote her own one woman show, Moonlodge that became a classic of Canadian theatre. She's in Australia to show her new one-woman show, and reflect on her career.Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown was a big international hit for the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar in the 1980s. Now it's a crazy, funny, kitschy musical coming to Sydney's Hayes Theatre. We talk about the impact of the film and how director and performer Alex Berlage and Grace Driscoll are bringing it to life in 2025.New play Thirst, by Barbara Hostalek, is set in a lonely run-down country pub called The Glass Slipper  somewhere in Western Australia. The place is on its last legs. But maybe the new owners can turn it around with a high stakes karaoke night! Actors Leah Pigram, Jarrad Inman and Maitland Schnaars from Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company perform a scene.For our series Back Stage, we meet international set designer Anna Cordingley, who hand draws her designs among many other talents.