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A quiet Sunday arvo with celebrity pals

ABC’s Sunday Arts show hosted by Michael Veitch is something of a quiet achiever, occasionally getting the guests Enough Rope doesn’t. Why? Because celebrity schedules don’t always allow for them to spend a few hours shooting with Denton in ABC studios, or production is out of season.

Sunday Arts benefits by sending out crews to hotel suites and theatres for intimate chats with visiting stars. The show recently had interviews by Virginia Trioli and Fenella Kernebone with singer Rufus Wainwright, filmmaker Peter Greenaway, choreographer Matthew Bourne, and designer Zandra Rhodes.

In coming weeks the show will chat with kd lang and actor Jason Alexander, both about to hit our shores. Alexander has just finished a cameo alongside former Seinfeld co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in The New Adventures of Old Christine. Meanwhile Canadian crooner lang has a song on her latest album Watershed with the lyric “I’ll return from the streets of Melbourne.” Surely, worth a question, ABC!


Sunday Apr 6
This week on Sunday Arts Virginia Trioli speaks to award-winning actress Deborah Mailman. Jeff Lang performs his celebrated blend of rock, blues, and folk. Plus, we take a look at the 2008 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Handle with Care exhibition which features 21 contemporary Australian artists.

Deborah Mailman:
Virginia Trioli speaks with Australian actress Deborah Mailman. Her role as Kelly in The Secret Life of Us brought her to the nation’s attention and earnt her two Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Mailman has also featured as a presenter on Play School and in the Lonely Planet series which screened on SBS, Going Bush with Cathy Freeman.

Mailman has not restricted herself to television. Her performance in the 1998 film Radiance earnt her an AFI for Best Actress and she appeared in the critically acclaimed Rabbit Proof Fence.

Not a stranger to theatre, this year Mailman is performing in the lead role of Antigone for Company B, Belvoir, which runs April 5 to May 25.

Sunday Apr 13
This week on Sunday Arts Fenella Kernebone speaks to celebrated choreographer Graeme Murphy; Adelaide’s Zephyr Quartet perform; plus we feature one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists, Rick Amor.

Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake has been labelled as “one of the most outstanding pieces of Australian choreography of the last decade” [The Daily Telegraph]. The attention this adaptation has received is remarkable, considering the numerous transformations of this classic tale over the last few years. Since its premiere in 2002 Graeme Murphy’s iconic production has sold over 190,000 tickets, received rave reviews, numerous standing ovations and now it’s back for another season. Created for the Australian Ballet’s 40th Anniversary this production has toured from London to Tokyo. Fenella Kernebone chats to Graeme Murphy – a man labelled as one of our national living treasures, as well as one of our 50 most glamorous exports.

Sunday April 20
This week on Sunday Arts we feature one of the world’s best photo journalists, Ashley Gilbertson, Virginia Trioli speaks to the sultry-sounding k.d. Lang and we catch up with violin virtuoso Nigel Kennedy.

Canadian singer/ songwriter k.d. Lang has amassed a dedicated following since she began recording in the mid-1980s. Her style encompasses country, jazz and even pop and she has teamed up with other music greats like Tony Bennett, Annie Lennox and Madeleine Peyroux.

She has also wowed critics and won a swag of awards including Grammys and eight of Canada’s Juno Awards. Lang has released a series of successful albums including All You Can Eat and Drag, but it is her live performances that show the most enthralling side of Lang’s talent. For the first time since 2005, Lang is in Australia to support the release of her latest album. Shows still remain in Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Sunday April 27
This week on Sunday Arts we feature one of our most innovative contemporary artists, Fiona Hall, as well as leading Australian film composer Cezary Skubiszewski, and Virginia Trioli has a laugh with Jason Alexander.

Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander is best known for his television role as Jerry Seinfeld’s best friend George Costanza which ran for an impressive nine seasons over 1989 to 1998. However, he started his career in New York theatres being an accomplished singer and dancer, and has had the chance to perform with Martin Short in Mel Brooks’s The Producers, as well as act in many films including Pretty Woman.

Now to the stage he returns. In Jason Alexander’s Comedy Spectacular, he hosts a program of stand up, singalongs and improvised comedy that features special guests including Mick Molloy, Scared Weird Little Guys and Kitty Flanagan. Virginia Trioli has had the chance to catch up with Jason while he is in Australia.

Airs 5pm Sundays on ABC1 and repeated on ABC2 at 7:30pm

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