OBSERVER: Trumpet of the Swan


Opera Australia has announced the cast of The Trumpet of the Swan, a family friendly, live storytelling concert that will premiere at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from November 20-22.
Helpmann Award-winning actor Bert Labonté, as Sam the Storyteller, will guide audiences through this enchanting musical journey, adapted from E. B. White’s (Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little) charming children’s classic for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, The Colour Purple), and with music by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade).
Joining La Bonté onstage, playing Father Swan will be versatile actor and performer Ben Mingay who wowed Melbourne audiences earlier this year in OA’s Gilbert & Sullivan celebration concert, and powerhouse vocalist Marney McQueen, most recently known for her portrayal of Celine Dion in Titanique, as Mother Swan.
Completing the cast will be accomplished screen and stage actor Grant Piro, and local Melbourne based artists, Scout Hook and Arjun Tiwari, who will bring Louis’s world to life through movement and imagination.
Directed by the award-winning Tyran Parke, who is currently Head of Musical Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, the concert will be led by Australian-based British conductor Chad Kelly, and acclaimed Melbourne-born choreographer Freya List will add another dimension of storytelling to the performance.
Featuring a soaring score performed live, onstage by Orchestra Victoria, The Trumpet of the Swan tells the story of Louis, a swan born without a voice, as he learns to express himself through music and find his place in the world.
A hit at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, this beloved tale of friendship and self-discovery comes to life as a magical concert experience and a delightful introduction to live orchestral music for all ages.
Performance Details: November 20-22
Venue: The Regent Theatre, Melbourne
Bookings: opera.org.au/productions/the-trumpet-of-the-swan-melbourne/
Cheryl Threadgold

Pictured: Ben Mangay in The Trumpet of the Swan. Photo: Opera Australia.