With plenty of entertainment available on free to air and streaming on Television… it is easy to sit back and let it all happen in our lounge rooms……but I would like to advocate for the thrill of live performances!
Whether it is watching and listening to live music…pop, blues, jazz or classical or going to the ballet, the opera or especially live theatre…. there is nothing as exciting or even visceral as experiencing human talent when it exceeds the normal or humdrum. I have been a theatre addict for many years and have attended some of the most memorable stage performances on stages all over the world…. but last week I attended a theatrical performance in our very own Hills Shire which made me smile with pride …not just at the sheer entertainment of the event but that such talent was evident in our own community.
We once had a very large Concert Hall in this Shire….on the site of the now very successful Castle Hill 
Showground Train Station….but its design limited the opportunity for the full variety of cultural events. However, many in this Shire are not aware of another very successful live theatre venue in Castle Hill Showground…not the Harvey Lowe Hall…but The Pavilion Theatre.
This theatre is used by the Castle Hill Players, an organisation now over 70 years old and for years has been one of the most successful community theatres in Sydney. Converted from an old chook shed on the showground, it boasts a raked theatre, full stage proscenium, a large foyer and the latest in high tech stage lighting and sound facilities. This theatre has been the training ground for many well-known professionals both nationally and internationally. It has had a subscriber system for years for people to attend a six-play season and is still able to keep prices as low as $30 a ticket ($25 for concessions).
The play I saw at the Pavilion last weekend was “Glorious” by Peter Quilter…a hilarious true story now converted to a play (and a film starring Meryl Streep). It is the tale of Florence Foster Jenkins, an elderly, rich, New York lady who truly believed she had a great operatic voice. This was not the opinion of many who heard her…. however, she continued to sing in public (badly!!) and gave a performance to 3000 people at Carnegie Hall in New York. The performance by Kate Mannix as Florence in the Pavilion production was outstanding, never overacted, a beautifully nuanced performance that nearly brought tears to your eyes at the end. Her supporting actors were also excellent…even the Mexican maid spoke in Spanish with a brilliant and rapid flair!
The staging, lighting, costumes and sound in this production were very professional…even using the modern theatrical video to set scenes…and the use of a full grand piano on set was most impressive!
Credit must be given to the Director of this play, Meredith Jacobs… a professional actor, singer and Director who has proved to be a longstanding asset to the Castle Hill Players for some years…her shows are not to be missed!
Castle Hill Players at the Pavilion Theatre are busy rehearsing their next production, “Rehearsal for Murder” based on a teleplay by William Link and Richard Levinson. Packed with red herrings, thrills and wit…. is this a rehearsal for a new play? or a rehearsal for murder? The play opens on 30th May with evening performances and matinees until 21st June.
A show not to be missed!
Book now on the website www.paviliontheatre.org or ring 9634 2929. Long live Live Theatre!!
