G'DAY USA: Australia Week 2009 Australia Plays Broadway January 20, 2009 Carnegie Hall Written by William S. Gooch Opposite Photo: Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann G'Day USA Australia Week 2009 Black Tie Gala Waldorf Astoria January 23, 2009 Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos

The Yellow Brick Road Leads to Carnegie Hall in Australia Does Broadway

Shrimp on the barbie, kangaroos and koalas, and maybe Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman come to mind when reflecting on the land down under. During Australia Week—the most popular foreign festival week in America—G’day USA presented a much more expansive and inclusive reality of Australia at Carnegie Hall in Australia Does Broadway. With the exception of Olivia Newton-John, this mostly musical program presented singers mostly unknown to American audiences. What was interesting about this homage to all things Australian was the diversity of the music and the performers. Australia is much more than the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John and the many movie stars that grace American movies. Like America, Australia is a land of indigenous peoples and immigrants who have expanded the cultural landscape.

On January 20 audiences were treated to various orchestral selections played by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Some highlights of the evening were Amanda Harrison—sounding very much like Kristin Chenoweth—singing “The Wizard and I” from Wicked, David Campbell and Simon Burke joyously crooning in “You’re Nothing Without Me” from City of Angels, Jimmy Barnes soulfully belting out “I’m Still On your Side,” and Ursula Povich poignantly singing Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow.”

Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” was an unexpected delight in this all-things-Australian program. The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra brilliantly performed this great work while Australia’s first lady of the theatre, Robyn Nevin, read excerpts from some of the writings of Abraham Lincoln. This all culminating in projected images of American presidents from Lincoln to the newly inaugurated Barack Obama.

Although Olivia Newton-John sang only two songs, in those two selections one could hear that over time her voice has matured. Her once cotton candy voice has taken on a richer quality and more resonance. She has also injects more heartfelt emotion into her work. In Peter Allen’s “I Honestly Love You,” Newton-John emotes as if she is singing from personal experience, going beyond just sounding pretty.

This one-night only performance demonstrated that there is much more to Australia than it’s export of well-known movie stars and pop singers. And although Olivia Newton-John headlined Australia Does Broadway, the yellow brick road brought new and interesting artists from Oz that can hold their own in any Emerald City–like concert hall.

Australia Does Broadway played at Carnegie Hall on January 20, 2009 and starred Olivia Newton-John, Simon Burke, Amanda Harrison, Jimmy Barnes, David Campbell, Ursula Povich, Kellie Dickerson, Lior, William Barton, Robyn Nevin, Geoffrey Yunupingu, Alexander Lewis, Pei-Jee Ng and Pei-Sian Ng, the Quantas Choirs, and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra conducted by Chong Lim.