Brunswick Picture House
The Brunswick Picture House is storming into 2020 with an almighty bang, presenting their biggest program yet with 41 shows scheduled for January. The Picture House continues to bring you the best in the business, with comedic royalty coming to Bruns over January: Peter Helliar, Kitty Flanagan, Judith Lucy, Frank Woodley and Dave Hughes.
Add to this, plenty of family fun events with Picture House favourite Talking Dogs. A comedy variety show with a real difference for kids aged 4–11. Where else can you see two talking dogs and one world-class juggling human? Starring Erik the dog, Allen the dog and Joel Salom returning to the stage on January 3-5.
Also, Imaginitis starring local Shorty Brown, also Space Cowboy returning by popular demand and from the team behind the smash hit Cheeky, comes Circus Bonanza… for ages 3–103.
Continuing with a diverse program of entertainment we have our summer edition of Cheeky, live music and two new Picture House presents events…Turn it Up Tuesday’s – a shameless dance party with guest DJ’s and Bruns Does Burlesque.
Another Picture House favourite returns with Velma Celli’s Me and My Diva’s. We round out the month with the sex education you never received at school, but probably should have… Pussy Play Masterclass and Wank Bank Masterclass.
Don’t miss a moment of summer at the Picture House. For further details and tickets check out brunswickpicturehouse.com.
2020 Vision: Austen Tayshus & Mandy Nolan
Monday 30 Dec 2019 – Byron Services Club.
Wednesday 1 Jan 2020 – Regent Theatre, Murwillumbah.
Thursday 9 Jan – Evans Head RSL.
Friday 10 Jan – Saraton Theatre, Grafton.
Sunday 12 Jan – Lennox Bowlo.
All tix $30 at mandynolan.com.au
Every January, Austen Tayshus, the legendary white pointer of Australian comedy makes his way to Byron Bay. It’s his favourite show of the year. ‘It’s a smart crowd’ he says. And he’s right. Not everyone is going to ‘get’ a Tayshus show. But Byron, he reckons, does. And that, he believes, is the point. Austen likes to make people think. Push them to the brink of their comfort zones. And sometimes – way over the edge.
It’s why he’s such a fierce figure in the Aussie comedy scene; a scene where many comics and promoters are terrified of him. Austen, aka Sandy Gutman doesn’t play safe. He doesn’t suck up to venue owners. And he certainly doesn’t stroke the ego of other performers or promoters. In a landscape where comedy tends to lose its edge because of the corporate need to be mainstream and to be commercially successful, Austen Tayshus still doesn’t give a rat’s. He is a lone wolf. Smarter, funnier, and more experienced than anyone else in Aussie comedy. But be warned. He’s also a lot more dangerous. A Tayshus show is not for the faint-hearted!
There are few comics with the tenacity and killer instinct of Austen Tayshus. The comedy superstar who first came into being in 1981 has the ability to take a room hostage just with his tongue. He’s the closest thing the Australian Comedy scene has to its very own Bill Hicks. Topical, dangerous, irreverent – he’s the high priest of satire; unflappable and relentless. Every Austen show is unique. He has the ability to weave current politics, what’s happening in the room, philosophy, anthropology, religion, sport, and let’s not forget the Pope, into one gag.
Tayshus is a man of controversy. There is no subject he won’t dissect. Uncomfortable, confronting, but always illuminating, an Austen Tayshus show is both comic and cleansing. He doesn’t need you to like him. In fact he’d probably prefer if you didn’t. He is joined by Mandy Nolan for a whirlwind 2020 tour.
Monday at the Byron Services Club, and Wednesday at The Regent Theatre, Murwillumbah. Thursday 9 Jan at Evans Head RSL, Friday 10 Jan at The Saraton Theatre, Grafton, and Sunday 12 Jan at Lennox Bowlo. All Tickets $30 and available at www.mandynolan.com.au or at the door.
Dr Dolittle Junior
Ballina Players Theatre | Friday 10 January to Sunday 19 January | Tickets $25/adult, $15/child (16 and under), $70 family tickets (two adults & two children)
Ballina Players Youth Production for 2020, Dr Dolittle Junior, is a real family affair for the Lodge family. Mother, Kristen, is the choreographer, son Declan plays the title role, and daughter Elisha plays the feisty Emma Fairfax. All three have appeared previously on the Players’ stage in the last few years, Kristen having played Buttercup in 2018’s HMS Pinafore , but these are the first principal roles for Declan and Elisha.
The Youth Productions are a great training ground for up and coming talent, and Ballina Players is proud of the talent that has been nurtured in this way since 2006 when they produced Worzel Gummidge. Since then they have performed Grease, High School Musical, Little Mermaid and, most recently in 2019, Beauty & The Beast. Director Peter Harding and Musical Director Karen Goodsell are delighted with the opportunity to work with mainly 8–15 year-olds.
Emma Fairfax is the niece of the local magistrate General Bellowes, who, after a sour confrontation with Dr Dolittle, accuses him of animal theft and tries to have him committed to an asylum on the grounds of insanity. But, after a search for the Great Sea Snail, Emma discovers Dolittle’s intelligence and kindness, and convinces the corrupt uncle Bellowes in The Voice Of Protest to reconsider and find him innocent.
Dr Dolittle Junior runs Friday 10 January to Sunday 19 January for 8 performances. Wednesday–Friday performances are at 7pm, while weekend shows are at 2pm. Tickets are $25/adult, $15/child (16 years and under), and family tickets (two adults and two children) are $70. Tix available from Just Funkin Music store, Ballina – by cash or card ($2 booking fee), 6686 2440, or www.ballinaplayers.com.au by credit card (no fee).
Country Club Comedy with Chris Radburn, Craig Quartermaine and MC Mandy Nolan
Ocean Shore Country Club | Tuesday 7 Jan | 7pm | Free
Former lawyer Chris Radburn is an Aussie comedian who has earned a reputation for clever and cheeky observations that are relatable, original and hilarious. Chris has appeared as a comedian on over 15 TV shows including The Footy Show, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, CNN International, Stand up Australia, Thursday Night Live, Getaway, Joker Poker, and the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala. Chris has also performed in America, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands, Egypt, Dubai and New Zealand.
Chris is one of Australia’s best comedians for corporate and private events. Whether it’s a 21st birthday, sports club fundraiser, product launch, Hen night or a Black Tie Ball, his ability to tailor his material for specific events and clients has made him a sought after corporate comedian, and the perfect choice for your next event. Chris has over ten years’ experience performing for corporate clients, including Casella Wines, Nivea, Aristocrat, British American Tobacco, Australian Forces Entertainment, Sydney Roosters and Harvey Norman, to name just a few.
A regular on the comedy circuit and an all round funny guy, Chris Radburn headlines Ocean Shores Country Club on Tuesday 7 January at 7pm, with Craig Quartermaine as support and Mandy Nolan as MC. Free event.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
