Helpmann Awards claim a world first with animal parade
The 14th annual Helpmann Awards claim a world first – as the first awards ceremony to feature a parade of animals.
This year’s live performance night of nights – held on Monday August 18 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney and broadcast on Foxtel’s Arena channel – will be placed on the set of Disney’s The Lion King. It has previously won four Helpmanns including Best Musical.
The show’s opener will be the full version of The Circle of Life from the musical, featuring a parade of animals.
The Lion King, which boasts a worldwide audience of 70 million, is currently playing in Sydney. It moves to Brisbane in September before staging in Melbourne in February 2015.
There are also performances from Les Miserables, Strictly Ballroom The Musical and The King And I, and singer Mark Vincent, The Chooky Dancers from Elcho Island, Adelaide’s Zephyr Quartet and Sydney’s Wharf Review.
The Helpmanns’ three contemporary music categories are Best Australian Contemporary Concert, Best International Contemporary Concert and Best Contemporary Music Festival. These were won last year, respectively, by Neil Finn & Paul Kelly, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and Bluesfest.
Other art forms honoured will be theatre, regional touring, dance and physical theatre, opera and classical music, cabaret and comedy. It is hosted by Jonathan Biggins and executive produced by Theatrical Director Jon Nicolls for Live Performance Australia.
Nicholls said, “I am so pleased to be back in the harness producing the Helpmann Awards this year, and I am delighted that we have such a star-studded line up. This is one of the biggest and brightest Helpmann Awards we have yet presented.”
The NSW Government is a strategic partner of the Helpmanns through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Nominations are announced at events around the country on Monday July 14.
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