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Dolphin winter calf is named Coupe, french for Cut, after sighting it three times with the mother

Dolphin winter calf is named Coupe, french for Cut, after sighting it three times with the mother

West Australian7 days ago
Dolphin winter calf is named Coupe, french for Cut, after sighting it three times with the mother
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More beauty than beast in new production at Perth's Crown Theatre
More beauty than beast in new production at Perth's Crown Theatre

Sydney Morning Herald

time7 hours ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

More beauty than beast in new production at Perth's Crown Theatre

There was more beauty than beast represented in the Perth personalities who adorned the red carpet for Saturday's Beauty and the Beast premiere at Crown Theatre – and the same could be said for the show. At the final opening for a national tour attended so far by 1.2 million Australians, anticipation and nostalgia built right from the prologue voiced by Angela Lansbury (Miss Potts in the original Disney animated feature) and the opening glimpses of a jaw-dropping set that required 23 trucks to get to Perth and a team of 70 to unload them across thousands of hours. Faithfulness to the original continued; there is no danger of a modern reimagining in this saccharine-sweet production, which despite the vocal prowess of Belle (Perth-born Shubshri Kandiah) and the Beast (Brendan Xavier) unfortunately is slightly lacking in truly memorable numbers in the context of a 2.5-hour run time. The obvious exceptions are of course Be Our Guest, a showstopping number bringing all the production's technical might including projected backdrops of dancers' onstage patterns, milked to the max through an extended tap finale with 2400 lights; Belle, which shows off a French provincial town created with 30 tonnes of flying scenery and 50 tonnes of automation and staging; and Beauty and the Beast, simply and touchingly rendered by Jayde Westaby as Mrs Potts. The character of Gaston has more prominence than in the film and the charismatic Jackson Head brings excellent comedic value to it, with a ridiculous Jim Carrey vibe. To the extent that the gent on one side mentioned the resemblance at interval and the gent on the other was unable to prevent himself Googling Jim Carrey pictures during the performance, distracting us somewhat from Olivier Award nominee Matt West's excellent choreography displayed to full effect in Gaston (fun fact, the song's cast clink mugs 800-plus times). Despite being centred around the love story of Belle and the Beast the production's real emotional punch somehow comes not from them or even the relationship between Belle and father Maurice (Perth-raised Rodney Dobson) but from the enchanted castle objects whose attachment to humanity is, like the Beast's, dropping away with each petal from the magic rose. Lumiere (Rohan Browne), Cogsworth (Gareth Jacobs), Mrs Potts and Madame the wardrobe (Alana Tranter) are the heart of the show, providing pathos as well as laughs and magic (Lumiere's flames are real; Mrs Potts' spout smokes; Tranter's squeals are pitch-perfect comedy). Eason Ma was sweet as Chip the cup, head inserted into the side of the cup, body cleverly concealed in the stage furniture, though truth be told the disembodied head was at times striking me as a little on the weird side of cute. Particularly next to the larger-than-life Gaston, clearly an audience favourite, the Beast is somewhat disadvantaged. His role swings from suddenly roaring too loud and upsetting the other characters, to playing the fool for laughs, lacking the dark, conflicted tragedy this role could otherwise represent. Perhaps more height and bulk in the costuming would have made him a more imposing figure, but perhaps also would more attention given to parts of the show that feel rushed.

More beauty than beast in new production at Perth's Crown Theatre
More beauty than beast in new production at Perth's Crown Theatre

The Age

time7 hours ago

  • The Age

More beauty than beast in new production at Perth's Crown Theatre

There was more beauty than beast represented in the Perth personalities who adorned the red carpet for Saturday's Beauty and the Beast premiere at Crown Theatre – and the same could be said for the show. At the final opening for a national tour attended so far by 1.2 million Australians, anticipation and nostalgia built right from the prologue voiced by Angela Lansbury (Miss Potts in the original Disney animated feature) and the opening glimpses of a jaw-dropping set that required 23 trucks to get to Perth and a team of 70 to unload them across thousands of hours. Faithfulness to the original continued; there is no danger of a modern reimagining in this saccharine-sweet production, which despite the vocal prowess of Belle (Perth-born Shubshri Kandiah) and the Beast (Brendan Xavier) unfortunately is slightly lacking in truly memorable numbers in the context of a 2.5-hour run time. The obvious exceptions are of course Be Our Guest, a showstopping number bringing all the production's technical might including projected backdrops of dancers' onstage patterns, milked to the max through an extended tap finale with 2400 lights; Belle, which shows off a French provincial town created with 30 tonnes of flying scenery and 50 tonnes of automation and staging; and Beauty and the Beast, simply and touchingly rendered by Jayde Westaby as Mrs Potts. The character of Gaston has more prominence than in the film and the charismatic Jackson Head brings excellent comedic value to it, with a ridiculous Jim Carrey vibe. To the extent that the gent on one side mentioned the resemblance at interval and the gent on the other was unable to prevent himself Googling Jim Carrey pictures during the performance, distracting us somewhat from Olivier Award nominee Matt West's excellent choreography displayed to full effect in Gaston (fun fact, the song's cast clink mugs 800-plus times). Despite being centred around the love story of Belle and the Beast the production's real emotional punch somehow comes not from them or even the relationship between Belle and father Maurice (Perth-raised Rodney Dobson) but from the enchanted castle objects whose attachment to humanity is, like the Beast's, dropping away with each petal from the magic rose. Lumiere (Rohan Browne), Cogsworth (Gareth Jacobs), Mrs Potts and Madame the wardrobe (Alana Tranter) are the heart of the show, providing pathos as well as laughs and magic (Lumiere's flames are real; Mrs Potts' spout smokes; Tranter's squeals are pitch-perfect comedy). Eason Ma was sweet as Chip the cup, head inserted into the side of the cup, body cleverly concealed in the stage furniture, though truth be told the disembodied head was at times striking me as a little on the weird side of cute. Particularly next to the larger-than-life Gaston, clearly an audience favourite, the Beast is somewhat disadvantaged. His role swings from suddenly roaring too loud and upsetting the other characters, to playing the fool for laughs, lacking the dark, conflicted tragedy this role could otherwise represent. Perhaps more height and bulk in the costuming would have made him a more imposing figure, but perhaps also would more attention given to parts of the show that feel rushed.

Delta Goodrem reveals new wedding details from Malta ceremony and shows her fifth all-white outfit
Delta Goodrem reveals new wedding details from Malta ceremony and shows her fifth all-white outfit

7NEWS

time3 days ago

  • 7NEWS

Delta Goodrem reveals new wedding details from Malta ceremony and shows her fifth all-white outfit

Australian singer Delta Goodrem has given fans an exclusive look behind the scenes of her June wedding. On Thursday, Goodrem shared a carousel of photos from the intimate rehearsal dinner, revealing new details about her look. The 40-year-old popstar married her longtime partner, musician Matthew Copley, in a lavish ceremony in Malta. Earlier this month, Goodrem shared photos from the moment the couple said 'I do' at 12th century's St Paul's Cathedral in Mdina. The new shots captured the loved-up couple at their rehearsal dinner. In the Instagram post, Goodrem praised the team of people who helped create the look for the private family event. The white dress, with a V-neck lace-back, was designed by Sydney-based fashion designer, Amanda Tasevski. 'Thank you for all your hard work and love!!,' Goodrem wrote. The rehearsal gown is the fifth all-white dress the singer wore to celebrate her 'magical' wedding. Her wedding day outfit was an off-the-shoulder, French tulle gown by fashion house Paolo Sebastian, which took months to create. It featured a 2.5m-long train and matching cathedral-length veil. The train also had the couple's wedding date embroidered into the fabric. 'We said I do under the Maltese skies in a family fairytale wedding brought to life by so many angels surrounding us,' Goodrem announced on July 10. 'We are holding on to every memory from that moment, the love, the laughter, the happy tears and dancing till the sun came up. 'We can't wait to come back to Australia and celebrate as Mr & Mrs. 'Love, Delta & Matthew xx.' The pair first went public with their relationship on New Year's Eve in 2018, after posting a picture of themselves cuddled up on an outdoor lounger. After almost a decade together, they were engaged in Malta in 2023. Before the wedding day reveal, the couple had been notoriously private and Goodrem has very rarely spoken publicly about her relationship. But in an interview with The Australian's Woman's Weekly in February, 2023, the singer gave a rare look inside their love story. 'He's my guitarist, I met him through music,' Goodrem said. 'It's incredible to be on stage with him because he's so talented. We really are a team. He's my best friend, he's kind and just a beautiful human being. 'But I learnt quite young that I enjoy keeping part of that private. 'I've always been so understanding that I've lived in the public eye since I was a teenager but also I think it's nice to keep some things to yourself.'

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