The Venetian Twins (musical Comedy)
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''The Venetian Twins'' is an Australian two-act
musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
. It was adapted from a '' commedia dell'arte'' play - '' I due gemelli veneziani'' by
Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...
- and the lyrics were written by
Nick Enright Nicholas Paul Enright AM (22 December 1950 – 30 March 2003) was an Australian dramatist, playwright and theatre director. Early life Enright was born on 22 December 1950 to a prosperous professional Catholic family in East Maitland, New So ...
; the music was composed and arranged by Terence Clarke.


Production history

''The Venetian Twins'' premiered on 26 October 1979 in the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. The
Nimrod Theatre Company The Nimrod Theatre Company, commonly known as The Nimrod, was an Australian theatre company based in Sydney. It was founded by in 1970 by Australian actor John Bell, Richard Wherrett and Ken Horler, and gained a reputation for producing more "g ...
production was directed by John Bell and designed by Stephen Curtis for the inaugural season of the Sydney Theatre Company. It starred
Drew Forsythe Drew Forsythe (born 23 August 1949) is an Australian actor, singer, writer, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage, and television, as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programs. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, F ...
as the twins, coloratura soprano Jennifer McGregor (for both of whom their rôles were specifically written). Tony Sheldon, Tony Taylor,
Jon Ewing Jon Douglas Ewing (6 October 1936 – 14 March 2014) was an Australian actor and director best known for his stage work. Life and career Ewing was born in Paddington, New South Wales and attended Sydney Boys High School. He studied under Hayes Gor ...
(as Pancrazio, the villain), and others. The 1981 Sydney remount by Nimrod Theatre at the York Theatre,
Seymour Centre The Seymour Centre is a multi-purpose performing arts centre within the University of Sydney in the Australian city of Sydney. It is located on the corner of City Rd and Cleveland St in Chippendale, just south-west of the city centre. The b ...
featuring most of the original cast - although reduced from ten to nine - toured to Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and Geelong. The 1990 Brisbane production by the Royal Queensland Theatre Company - directed by Bell, designed by Curtis, and starring Forsythe, all for the third time - also played seasons in Sydney and Melbourne. Other notable productions include those of the
State Theatre Company of South Australia The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. I ...
featuring Paul Blackwell (Adelaide 1996 and Melbourne),
Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...
featuring Mitchell Butel (Brisbane 2004).,AusStage listing for 2004 Queensland Theatre Company production
AusStage. Retrieved on 4 May 2014 and Sydney's New Theatre in 2012, featuring . It is frequently produced by schools and amateur theatre groups.


Reception and awards

The 1991 Melbourne season was nominated for nine Melbourne
Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...
for music theatre: Production, Direction (John Bell), Set Design (Stephen Curtis), Costume Design (Stephen Curtis), Male Performer in a Leading Role (Drew Forsythe), Female Performer in a Leading Role (Helen Noonan), Male Performer in a Supporting Role (both Jonathon Biggins and Dennis Olsen) and Female Performer in a Supporting Role (Tara Morice). For the 1997 Melbourne season, Paul Blackwell was nominated for a Green Room Award for Male Artist in a Leading Role in music theatre. For the 2004 Brisbane production, Mitchell Butel received the 2005
Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical The Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical is a musical award, presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) at the annual Helpmann Awards since 2001. This is a list of winners and nominations for the Helpmann Award for Best Male Acto ...
. Also nominated were Bridget Boyle ( Best Female Actor in a Musical), Sandro Colarelli ( Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical) and Robert Kemp (both Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design).


Publications

The script was published by
Currency Press Currency Press is a leading performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works. H ...
, Sydney, in 1996, and the vocal score by Fitzroy Press some time later. The work has been a set text for the NSW Higher School Certificate English and Drama courses.
Larrikin Records Larrikin Records is a record company founded in 1974 by Warren Fahey. Larrikin started as an independent label and was sold in 1995 to Festival Records. Artists who have released albums on Larrikin include Eric Bogle, Sirocco, Mike and Michelle ...
released a cast recording of the 1981 production. The five-player instrumentation is: flute doubling guitar; clarinet; trombone; percussion, including tubular bells; and piano. The manuscript of the libretto and lyrics, and related papers, are held by the
Australian Defence Force Academy The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Aus ...
.Enright, Nicholas / Papers (Aus. Defence Force Academy)
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References

*''John Bell: The Time of My Life'' by John Bell, 2003, Allen & Unwin, p. 138. {{DEFAULTSORT:Venetian Twins, The Australian musicals 1979 musicals Adaptations of works by Carlo Goldoni Musicals based on plays Works based on Menaechmi