Ben Apfelbaum

25 MARTIN PLACE : A NEW CITY THEATRE AND DINING PRECINCT

Emily Nkomo In ‘Jagged Little Pill’. Pic Stuart Miller
left to right Liam Head, Grace Miell, Tim Draxl, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Emily Nkoma-Aydan, Maggie McKenna in ‘Jagged Little Pill’ at the Theatre Royal. pic Stuart Miller
The cast at the Sardine Bar. Pic Ben Apfelbaum
Emily Nikomo, Natalie Basstngthwaighte Pic Ben Apfelbaum
Grace Miell, Natalie Basslngthwaighte, Emily Nikomo, Tim Draxl, Liam Head Pic Ben Apfelbaum
Leah Howard Resident Director, Maeve O’Mara. Pic Ben Apfelbaum
Liam Head, Grace Miell, AYDAN Tim Draxl. Pic Ben Apfelbaum
Maeve O’Mara Master of Ceremonles. Pic Ben Apfelbaum
Tim Draxl, Natalie Bassingthwaighte. Pic Ben Apfelbaum

JAGGED LITTLE PILL the Grammy and Tony Award winning Broadway musical, inspired by Alanis  Morissette’s ground-breaking album of the same name has returned to Theatre Royal  Sydney. 

The production’s exclusive limited season opened the newly refurbished Theatre Royal Sydney in  December 2021 to sold out audiences, standing ovations and outstanding reviews before continuing a  smash hit run at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre.   JAGGED LITTLE PILL embraces today’s powerful  social voice and burns with passion in its uplifting storytelling, ultimately highlighting the hope and  healing that comes when people come together. 

The emphatic and heartfelt musical inspired by the seminal rock album of the same name by seven-time  Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette, stars multi award winner Natalie Bassingthwaighte (she/her)  in the lead role of Mary Jane Healy and critically acclaimed film, TV and stage actor and recording artist,  Tim Draxl (he/him) as Steve Healy. Having made her musical theatre debut in this production, Emily  Nkomo (she/her) stars as Frankie Healy, Queensland Conservatorium of Music graduate Liam Head (he/him) plays Nick Healy, powerhouse performer Maggie McKenna (they/them) stars as Jo, emerging  stage and theatre performer Grace Miell (she/they) plays Bella and Phoenix is played by formidable pop  star AYDAN (he/him). Georgina Hopson (she/her) is the Mary Jane alternate having recently starred in Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’s Phantom of the Opera. 

Also joining them is the impressive ensemble cast Jahla Black (they/he), Baylie Carson (they/them), Bella Choundary (she/her), Josh Gates (they/he), Matt Hamilton (he/him), Marie Ikonomou (she/her), Jerome Javier (he/they), Giorgia Kennedy (she/her), Jenni Little (she/her), Coby Njoroge (he/him), Robbie Mejica (he/him), Noah Mullins (he/him), Isabella Roberts (she/her), Henry Rollo (he/him),  Romy Vuksan (she/her) and Imani Williams (she/her).  

A new era has been defined in the heart of Sydney’s CBD with 25 Martin Place’s dining and theatre  district, bringing together world class entertainment with world class culinary offerings. 

This centrepiece Theatre Royal Sydney has undergone a transformation, with the historical and  architectural masterpiece now fully restored to bring theatre, performance and creativity once again to  the heart of the city. The reopening was made possible through the collaboration of the building owner and developer, Dexus, the NSW government and Trafalgar Entertainment.

 Theatre Royal Sydney is part of a $170 million transformation of 25 Martin Place into a new cultural  epicentre for Sydney’s CBD, featuring exceptional dining and entertainment.  

The multi-storey dining district and late-night bars overlook the plaza and feature an enticing  mix of local and international cuisine, lively bars, fine dining and casual cafes supporting theatregoers  and visitors alike.  

The dining establishments offer pre-theatre menus featuring two to three course 60 – 90-minute  sittings, or a series of fast bites to align with show schedules, while the bars offer pre or post show  refreshments. 

25 MARTIN PLACE DINING BOOKINGS ARE RECOMMENDED 

25Martinplace.com.au  

@25martinplace 

JAGGED LITTLE PILL will play the Theatre Royal Sydney until September 11, 2022. Tickets are on sale now at www.theatreroyalsydney.com.au and www.jaggedmusical.copm

Featured image :  Back L-R: MC Maeve O’Meara, Australian Associate Director, Leah Howard, Natalie Bassingthwaihte, Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox, Emily Nkomo, Dexus – Head of Retail Development Amanda Pieriboni,   Tim Draxl. Front L-R  Grace Miell, AYDAN, Liam Head

 

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborlang. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, United States, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication. To celebrate the opening of a permanent Photography Gallery, the State Library of New South Wales selected 400 shots from its archive of over 2,000,000 images to display in the new gallery. An image of mine was plucked out of the multi million photo archive to be part of the inaugural exhibition.