Music theatre, cabaret, jazz, dance and a drag Liza Minelli tribute coming to Hamer Hall
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17.01.2022

Music theatre, cabaret, jazz, dance and a drag Liza Minelli tribute coming to Hamer Hall

Liza Minelli - Morning Melodies

Arts Centre Melbourne has announced a packed Morning Melodies program, running from April to December this year.

The huge schedule of events includes performances from The Syncopators, Zoy Frangos, a hilarous drag tribute to Liza Minelli called Liza with a He!, a Burt Bacharach homage and a dazzling tap dance, vocal and live band performance, and much more.

Arts Centre Melbourne has been running Morning Melodies since 1985, with a single performance each month taking place on Monday at midday, between 11:30am and 1pm, at Arts Centre Melbourne’s beautiful Hamer Hall. Overall there are nine performances happening this year, kicking off on April 11 and finishing on December 12.

With the diverse program still in full force 35-years-on, the Morning Melodies idea has proven a resounding success, entertaining more than half-a-million visitors so far. So without further-ado, here’s our comprehensive guide to each event happening this year.

Check out Melbourne’s latest stage shows, stand-up comedy and theatrical events here.

Morning Melodies 2022 Program

Monday 11 April
Two Hits and a Ms

A tap-dance spectacular featuring Christopher Horsey, Bobby Fox and Nicole Melloy, the trio will be bringing to life a full catalogue of the most famous songs and tap dances in film and stage history. In addition to the tap sensations, it will also feature their vocal prowess alongside a live band.

Tuesday 24 May
En Pointe: The Australian Ballet School

The Australian Ballet School is up the following month in what’s become an annual tradition, allowing viewers to witness the incredible skill and athleticism of the students in the appropriately grandeur Hamer Hall.

Monday 20 June    
Liza with a He!

The comedy highlight of the Morning Melodies program, internationally renowned drag performer Trevor Ashley will transform into Broadway superstar Liza Minelli for his tribute Liza with a He! Expect a tour-de-force of the classics: ‘I Have Confidence’, ‘Memory’, ‘Send in the Clowns’, ‘One Singular Sensation’ plus Minnelli masterpieces, ‘Maybe This Time’, ‘Cabaret’ and ‘New York, New York’.

Monday 18 July        
Zoy Frangos: Variations

You may know Frangos from his work alongside Tina Arena in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical EVITA. He’ll now be taking to Hamer Hall with a new outlook on the Australian bildungsroman: Variations. The son of a Greek migrant father and Indigenous mother, Frangos is joining forces with a collective of First Nations singers for a performance that melds a humorous and uplifting backstory with classic musical hits like ‘Bring Him Home’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and the theme from The Godfather.

Monday 1 August         
Victorian College of the Arts – Music Theatre Showcase

On the first day of August, graduating VCA students will perform a set of favourites for everyone: the best of Broadway’s songbook. Exploring a hit-laden genre of over 100 years, expect time-honoured classics from theatre’s golden age interwoven with the newest blockbusters.

Monday 19 September
The Syncopators featuring Peter Gaudion and Yvette Johansson

Peter Gaudion, Yvette Johansson and band will be taking audiences on a journey into jazz from the 1920s t0 1950s. Their set will be a time-traveller’s guide to jazz’s golden era; from a dive into self-proclaimed inventor of jazz, Jelly Roll Morton and Joe ‘King’ Oliver, to the pre-Rock ‘Jump-Jive’ era of Louis Prima and Louis Jordan, as well as female jazz icons Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

Monday 24 October              
Orchestra Victoria

Orchestra Victoria’s Artistic Director Nicolette Fraillon and her orchestra are curating a special performance for Morning Melodies, allowing Melburnians to see some of the finest classical musicians in the state in their own element.

Monday 14 November
Michael Cormick sings Bacharach

Burt Bacharach was one of the finest songwriters of all time, responsible for classics like ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose?’, ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’, ‘There’s Always Something There to Remind Me’, ‘Say a Little Prayer’, ‘Close to You’, and ‘What the World Needs Now’. Renowned Australian theatre actor Michael Cormick will be embodying the American legend by performing crowd-favourites of Bacharach’s 52 top-40 hits to choose from.

Monday 12 December    
Christmas Melodies

While Christmas has only just passed, if you love to plan ahead then note on your calendar that this December we’ll see a series of special guest performers (to be confirmed closer to the date) herald in the Christmas spirit with a concert of carols and songs with big backing band.

Tickets for the 2022 season will be on sale from 17 January for full subscriptions, 31 January for flexible subscriptions and 21 February for single tickets via artscentremelbourne.com.au.