Drama ! "Your Son Will Come Out Tomorrow"

Trevor "diamonds are for Trevor" Ashley

Sung  to the tune.."the sun will come out tomorrow", these are some of the words from brilliant cabaret performer Trevor Ashley whose new musical revue trAnnie premieres at the Sydney Opera House on December 5th.

Trevor Ashley / trAnnie

trAnnie is parody of the hit musical Annie and written by Phil Scott and Ashley and is the tale of the “hard knock life” of ten year old orphan Fannie who is desperate to have “long-overdue” gender reassignment surgery but must first escape the Sutherland Shire Children’s Orphanage and the clutches of a boozy matron.

But Sydney's transgender community is up in arms and is threatening a boycott of the show saying it perpetuates negative stereotypes. They have also complained to the Anti-Discrimination Board. A spokesperson for the activist group Trans Menace Australia has said she finds "  the panto to be demeaning towards the trans community : “One quick read of the synopsis left me guttered,”

Courtney Act with Danni Minogue

Spokesperson for Transgender Victoria Sally Goldner has said such concerns were valid as the term ‘trannie’ was largely deemed offensive by people experiencing transgender issues.

The Sydney Opera House has issued a statement :
“The title trAnnie is a play on words. It is a play on the musical Annie and combines the letters of Trevor's name into the title. It is also a play on the fact that the central character is transsexual,”
“The show, while being a comedy, shows the transgender character in a positive light and hopes to encourage more understanding of the transgender community.”

Trevor Ashely's star keeps rising with each new production he creates. As an original cast member of Stephan Elliott's musical version of Priscilla Queen of The Desert he also sang the theme song from Elliot's film Easy Virtue that starred Colin Firth and Jessica Biel and has appeared in cabaret at New York's Don't Tell Mama and London's Talk Of The Town.
At the 2009 Mardi Gras he appeared with Courtney Act in the show he wrote Gentleman Prefer Blokes followed by Diamonds Are For Trevor.
 Below is a video of Trevor and Courtney Act and their send-up of Beaches (titled Bitches)

Shock Video:Dannii Minogue in Three-in-a-Bath Romp

MOVE OVER X Factor and Australia's Got Talent. Long before these shows were discovering young talent- from 1971 to 1988 Young Talent Time was presenting a host of new Aussie kids with some who went onto become major world stars.

On January 22nd YTT (as it is known ) returns to the Ten Network after a 24 year absence with a new cast of kids and Rob Mills as host (the originator of the show and presenter John Young is producer).

Tina Arena, John Bowles, Debra Byrne and Jamie Redfern are just some but the most notable discoveries had to be Dannii Minogue and her big sister Kylie Minogue.

Off course Dannii became one of YTT''s top stars after appearing on the programme when she was 9 and eventually featured every week. At 15 she introduced 17 year old Kylie during a promotion for The Hendersons in which Kylie had scored her first acting role. Eventually Kylie would be come a YTT regular and the rest is history.

Tina Arena (left)

Debra Byrne

Tina Arena stills tours and sings and is a huge star in France. John Bowles is travelling the world appearing in stage shows, Jamie Redfern, who was taken to the USA at age 14 to tour with Liberace (and hang out with Michael Jackson-the first of a series of young Aussie performers to attract MJ's attentions) runs a talent school and agency in Melbourne while Debra Byrne appeared just last week at the opening of Annie at The Star casino, accompanying her 9 year old grand -daughter who appears in the show.

And Kylie of course rules the world ! Below is a rare video we have uncovered (most of the video taped shows were recorded over and lost forever) of Dannii romping in a bathtub with a boy and girl !
(the title of the post?..we did work on a Fleet Street tabloid once)

Annnie Get Your Gun-Maria Gets Engaged!

SHE'S THE LARGER than life red carpet regular but buxom Maria Venuti shocked even the jaded press tonight when she announced that she was engaged as she arrived at the premiere of the musical Annie.

Maria introduced the tall dark stranger accompanying her as her 'fiance' and who are we to doubt her?.
The gentleman's name is Glen Ware and Glen looked slightly taken aback at the news as out favourite Italian song bird gushed and grabbed her man to her side.  Good luck Glenn !

Annie is back for another season at the Lyric Theatre in the newly re-vamped Star Casino.

As I and a guest were escorted through the vast auditorium of the casino itself which looks like it's about 5 acres in size and packed to the gills with craps and roulette tables and thousands of poker machines as far as the eye can see, we now know where everyone has gone. There must have been a few thousand gamblers entranced by the spinning wheels and flashing lights.

Wiggle Anthony Field and kids

Annie stars Anthony Warlow as Daddy Warbucks and Nancye Hayes as the villain Miss Hannigan plus Todd McKenney-the Dancing With Star's judge everyone loves to hate plus several little Annies. And with the return of the famed TV show Young Talent Time where such discoveries as Kylie Minogue and sister Danni got their start, another YTT star was on hand-Debra Byrne as she escorted her granddaughter who plays one of the 'Annies'.

John Foreman flashes the paparazzi

And what a treat-in the Sydney production we have our favourite shock jock Alan Jones playing FDR. That will take some acting from Alan as everyone knows he and FDR's politics would have to be diametrically opposed.

Annie is on until March 25th and it then tours the nation.Book tickets here.
Right-Debra Byrne and Lucille who plays Annie.

Below is and one of the numbers from the show courtesy of theTheatreShowTV.