Tuesday, January 22 was a G’night for the folks from Down Under as Sydney Presents Australia Plays Broadway, a benefit concert, was presented at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall as part of G’Day USA: Australia Week 2008. Among the event’s special guests were superstar John Travolta, Qantas Airlines’ Goodwill Ambassador.
Here is famed wildlife expert Jack Hanna, host of the new television show Into the Wild.
The evening’s performers included musical theater and cabaret star David Campbell, once a fixture on American shores.
Caroline O’Connor who has wowed audiences worldwide in productions of Mack & Mabel, Chicago, and other musicals, was another fan favorite.
Singer Shannon Noll, the winner of the 2007 MTV Australia VMA award for Best Male Artist made a rare U.S. appearance at the concert.
America was represented by our own Kerry Butler, who sports a hilariously fake Aussie accent as Kira in the hit musical Xanadu.
That same evening, downtown on West 16th Street, the Atlantic Theater officially opened Almost an Evening, a trio of short plays by Ethan Coen — who just that morning earned two Academy Award nominations for writing and directing (with brother Joel) Best Picture nominee No Country for Old Men.
The show’s talented cast includes Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham and British hunk Jonathan Cake.
Joey Slotnick and Mary McCann, who are particularly funny in the curtain opener Waiting, are two more members of the talented ensemble.
The aptly-named Elizabeth Marvel, who was joined for the evening by her super-busy, super-talented actor husband Bill Camp, is hilarious in the show’s final segment.
Actor John Slattery and his wife Talia Balsam were among the opening night guests.
Here are playwright Jez Butterworth and actor Chris Bauer, who will collaborate (with Cake and Emily Mortimer) on the Atlantic’s next offering, Parlour Song.
On January 20, John Tartaglia and his puppet friend Root from the TV show Johnny and the Sprites greeted fans at the World of Disney store on Fifth Avenue.
Meanwhile, on January 18, former American Idol finalist Clay Aiken (right, with Christopher Sieber) joined the Broadway cast of Monty Python’s Spamalot.
And lastly, we leave you with this adorable shot of Brooke Shields, soon to return to TV on NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, who brought daughter Rowan Henchy backstage at The Little Mermaid to meet star Sierra Boggess.
