Did you get the memo? Rhonda Burchmore and mates are standing ready to beam a little razzmatazz your mum's way for Mother's Day 2020 in an online musical theatre tribute show Here's to the Ladies.
The I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! survivor and star of stage shows Mamma Mia and Mame has assembled an all-star cast to serenade mums everywhere on Sunday, May 10. The most glamorous outing yet from Memo Music Hall's digital dancehall sessions, it's sure to share the love.
Burchmore will be joined by glittering girlfriends Lucy Durack (Wicked, Shrek), Alinta Chidzey (Chicago, West Side Story), Amanda Harrison (Wicked, We Will Rock You), and Queenie van de Zandt (Funny Girl, Thoroughly Modern Millie), making it a Mother's Day to remember, even if many of us can't be together.
Thankfully the stalwart St Kilda venue boasts a big enough Art Deco proscenium arch stage to accommodate all of the leggy ladies at suitably socially-distanced spacing. That will probably help corral their larger than life personalities too.
Music theatre director Tyran Parke said the Mother's Day gig was sure to be spectacular. "Having all of these women on the same bill is a tour de force and, though socially distanced, the energy and warmth of the music will provide a much-needed boost of hope on a very special day."
Expect big numbers from Funny Girl, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Boy From Oz and, Wicked, he adds. "This remarkable line up makes it truly thrilling, very poignant and a perfect gift to share with mums, young and old."
Recorded by Renegade Films – the team behind RocKwiz – it's the latest live-streamed gig in a series that kicked off with Kate Ceberano & Co. She was followed by The Black Sorrows, with Renee Geyer set to perform this Saturday, May 2.
Digital producer Rod Gilbert says musicians beaming live from their homes is great, "but nothing beats the energy of live performance and the elegance of a venue like Memo. The feedback on social media from The Black Sorrow's concert on Sunday has been phenomenal."
Tickets for Here's to the Ladies are available from the Memo Music Hall website and cost $15, with proceeds split between Memo, Renegade films and the artists.
This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
