Broadway, Aussie Style

It was a veritable variety show at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center last night, as some of the biggest acts from Australia's music scene took to the stage to strut their stuff. (Never mind the fact that most of their names mean absolutely nothing here.) The performers were vastly talented and put on a two-plus hour show that had the many Aussies in the audience going wild and the rest of us feeling very entertained, if befuddled during the periodic inside jokes. Americans lending a hand included tap dancer Savion Glover as well as John Travolta, who is the global goodwill ambassador for Quantas Airways. (see "Travolta Remembers Heath Ledger," ). Particularly impressive were: the cello performance of brothers Pei-Jee and Pei-San Ng; the hand-shadow creations of Raymond Crowe, a man who claims to be his country's only "unusualist"; the booming tribute to Paul Robeson by bass baritone Daniel Sumegi; and the Judy Garland homage by actress and singer Caroline O'Connor. If you thought that Australia's musical talent started and ended with Olivia Newton-John, last night certainly proved otherwise. %%showphotos [setid=72157603784004381]%%

G’Day, New York!

The Aussies are in town and last night, those in the know flocked to the Stephan Weiss Studio (711 Greenwich Street) where their nation's Consul General to New York, the Honorable John Olsen, introduced gaga Manhattanites to the work of Australian artist David Larwill. The cavernous space, the one-time studio of the late husband of designer Donna Karan, proved wonderful canvas for sixteen pieces of Larwill's expressionist work as well as a dozen paintings by aboriginal artists. The celebration kicked off the cultural intiative known as G'Day USA, a bi-coastal event that puts Down Under performers in the spotlight and promotes trade with and travel to the homeland of Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and, lest we forget, INXS. Maybe it was the Victoria Bitter (VB), an Australian beer unavailable here, but the crowd was in a particularly festive mood. Particularly impressive were the dulcet tones of the Quantas Children's Choir, which entertained the art-loving crowd with a brief set. Their music provided a counterbalance to the less-than-angelic sound of the didgeridoo, which was played earlier in the evening by one Dr. Richard Walley. "David Larwill and The Western Desert Artists Exhibition" will be open to the public from January 22-25, with gallery hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The paintings are all for sale, so if you've got a white wall that's calling out for some color, bring your checkbook. Pieces are expected to fetch between $25,000 and $170,000. %%showphotos [setid=72157603777128821]%%