NEWCASTLE's Civic Theatre often features just one touring show a week but they're preparing to present a triple-treat feast of entertainment.
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Eireborne, an Australian Irish dance show, begins the week on the Monday, August 22 before The Sapphires, an Australian musical play, is staged on Wednesday, August 24.
The Sapphires tells the real-life story of a quartet of young Aboriginal women who entertained Aussie soldiers fighting in Vietnam in 1968.
Finally, The Barber of Seville, a classic comic opera that shows the relationships of the title character and people whose hair he cuts, takes the stage on Thursday, August 25.
The Sapphires and The Barber of Seville are both part of the Civic 2022 Season, while Eireborne was rescheduled from 2021 due to the pandemic.
Eireborne, which features 15 dancers who have been well-trained in Irish dance techniques and appeared in Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, will finish its two-month Australian tour in Newcastle.
Before its return to Australia, the team performed in sold-out shows in Europe, with watchers standing up to applaud the dancers at its conclusion.
The show has a fusion of Irish dance, tap rhythms and beats, with the dancers accompanied by a six-piece band that contributes to the rock-show nature.
The music includes hits by Irish acts U2, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, Hozier, The Script, Enya and others, in a 90-minute running time.
The songs are delivered by ARIA-nominated hit-maker Reigan Derry and Pete Murphy, who has previously appeared as the title character in Jesus Christ Superstar.
The dancers include 19-year-old Liam Costello, who beat the Irish at their own game when he won the Irish Dance World Championship in April this year, and 34-year-old Peta Anderson.
The Civic Theatre Eireborne performance begins at 7.30pm. Tickets: Adult $89.90; concession, junior (under 16), and a group of 10-plus, $84.90; subscribers $84.90; B reserve adult $79.90.
The Sapphires, which was written by Tony Briggs, with the current production directed by Wesley Enoch, was inspired by the true story of Briggs' mother, Laurel Robinson.
Robinson was one of four young Aboriginal women from a regional area in Victoria, whose love of singing country music led her to decide in 1968 to try to spread joy among the Australian soldiers fighting in Vietnam.
The Sapphires managed to persuade officials to take them to Vietnam. They wore uniforms of bright sequins, and were armed only with microphones, spreading joy in the hell that that the soldiers had found themselves in.
They also shared that hell. One night the women were held up at gunpoint with some of the band members, but fortunately the Vietnamese translator they had with them saved their lives.
Also, they slept on the stage, and on one night a bomb went off, the bed fell down and the place shook. On another occasion, Laurel was shot at in a helicopter, though she thought they were fireworks, something that Tony Briggs found to be terrifying.
The Sapphires has been praised as a funny and heart-warming tale. It's been popular, with many productions staged since the musical premiered in Melbourne in 2004.
There was a touring revival in 2010, with the show subsequently having a two-week season in London in 2011.
The Sapphires has been praised as a funny and heart-warming tale.
A popular Australian film version was also made and released in 2012, starring Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy and Miranda Tapsell.
The Sapphires has two sessions on Wednesday, August 24, at 11am and an evening show at 7.30pm. The show has a running time of 140 minutes, including an interval.
The play is recommended for people aged seven and over, as it has some adult themes.
There will also be free Civic Bar pre-show entertainment by Millie Mills from 5pm to 7pm.
Tickets: Adult $50; subscriber $42; concession/group 6-plus $44; youth (17 - 21) $35; child 7-16 $30; family $140.
The Barber of Seville, which has the subtitle The Useless Precaution, is an amusing two-act opera which was adapted by Gioachino Rossini, with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini in 1775 from a French comedy of the same name.
It has been one of the most popular global musical masterpieces, as it amusingly shows the interactions Figaro the barber has with people, including his former employer.
In many cases he's asked to do evil things, but using his own ways of handling them.
This bright and amusing opera is being staged by Opera Australia with the original Italian dialogue, but the English subtitles will be projected.
It is a brisk show, starting at 7.30pm, with a two-hour running time including an interval.
Tickets: Adult $60; subscriber $52; concession/group 6-plus $54; youth (15 - 21) $38; family $160.
The Barber of Seville also can be seen at Wyong's Art House Theatre on Saturday, August 27, at 1.30pm and 7.30pm.
