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| Todd Mckenney |
The celebrities started walking along the Red Carpet from 6pm in front of a barrage of photographers and reporters. The ladies wore a dazzling range of gowns, the men, apart from a few adventurous exceptions, wore traditional black suit attire.
The Awards evening commenced art 7.30pm with the cast of Les Miserables singing several numbers form the hit musical which is currently being staged at the Capital Theatre.
More entertainment was interspersed throughout the evening ranging from magic to opera. On stage to entertain were Clare Bowditch and the Paul Kelly Band, Australia Piano Quartet, and Cosentino – The Grand Illusionist. The casts of Once and Victorian Opera’s Sweeney Todd also sang numbers. The musicians that came together to form the Helpmann Orchestra did a wonderful job of playing for such a wide variety of music styles.
Todd Mckenney hosted the evening and performed "I Am What I Am" after a quick sex change onstage with the help of his mum.
The main purpose of the night was to present awards to the best of the best in the Australian entertainment industry. Awards recognised achievements in various areas such as opera, cabaret, children's presentation, drama, comedy, musicals, dance and festivals. Awards were given to those who appear on stage and those behind the scenes who bring productions to life.
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| Denise Scott |
The awards were presented by famous entertainment people, including Cate Blanchett, Marta Dusseldorp, Danielle Cormack, David Campbell, Denise Scott, Amanda Bishop, Margaret Pomeranz, Graeme Blundell, Marcia Hines, and Darren Carr. The seriousness of the lengthy process of announcing the awards was made more interesting by the humour of the presenters.
The big winner of the night was my favourite musical of all time, Les Miserables, which won 5 Awards. It won the best musical, best male actor, best female supporting actor, best lighting and best sound. I am glad that my two favourite people in Les Miserables won their awards - newcomer Kerrie Ann Greenland and Simon Gleeson, who gracefully ages in each performance.
The most interesting award of the night was for the best actor in a musical. It was a matter of doubles.
Les Miserables had two of its actors nominated, and Todd McKenney was nominated for two musicals.
Judith Lucy won the Helpmann Award for the best comedy performer. Her style of comedy even shone through in her acceptance speech.
Lead singer of Australian band Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett presented the 2015 JC Williamson Award to the iconic Australian singer Paul Kelly.
Earlier this year I travelled to Melbourne to see Anything Goes. I am glad that it won three awards, including one for Caroline O'Conner for the best female actor in a musical. She wowed the audience with her singing and dancing in her energetic performance on stage.
The strange award of the night was Vivid winning the best music festival, when Vivid is largely a light festival, and there are so many more festivals that solely feature music.
As a newcomer to the Helpmann Awards there a few things I have not grasped yet. Why not an award to the circus industry? Or are touring circus's now considered old hat? What about recognition to the many youth music festivals held around Australia attended by thousands of screaming fans? What about recognition to the many community theatre groups putting on shows in the city suburbs and country towns around Australia? Why do some musicals not even get a mention during the evening, such as The Rocky Horror Show and Strictly Ballroom?
The Evening concluded with the Helpmann Awards After Party in the Capital Theatre. Even though this was in the two level newish lobby at the theatre, its was not large enough to comfortably hold the large number of people in attendance. On the bright side, it was an excellent way of bumping into a celebrity.
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| Helpmann Awards Red Carpet |
It is now a matter of looking forward to the next Helpmann Awards evening. It will be interesting to see what the nominations will be, with several new shows appearing in the next 12 months, such as Matilda. May the performing arts industry continue to grow in all states and territories in Australia and keep on entertaining people like it always has.
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