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Talking to the Stars: David
Hawkins
 It’s been a big
12 months for the Sydney-based Showtune Productions, capped off with the tremendous
success of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The company’s founder
and manager, David Hawkins, sat down with AussieTheatre.com’s Troy Dodds to discuss
what the future holds in store…
TD: We all remember you producing smaller cabaret shows in Sydney but it seems you’ve
recently brought us the world. Faith Prince, Chita Rivera and others have graced our
shores thanks to you – where did the idea come from to bring out more international
talent?
DH: I have always had the idea in the back of my mind, I think really producing Rufus
Wainwright’s Sydney Solo debut was what made me realise the hunger for high end
cabaret and music theatre in Australia. We always get the major commercial stuff but often
the true artists from overseas we miss out on seeing as they are not considered MAJOR draw
cards. After Rufus I had a call from Lillias White who was about to be in Singapore for a
concert (I had met Lillias in 1992 in New York) and she wondered if I had a venue for her
to perform in Sydney. I jumped at the opportunity and brought Ms White over from Sinagpore
for her sellout shows at @NEWTOWN. This whet my appetite to bring a couple of other
talents I was in love with, so I got to work on bringing Faith Prince to Australia and
then the amazing Chita Rivera. It really was an evolving thing that seemed right to do at
the time and I went with my dreams and all of them were very hard work but oh so worth it.
TD: How has working with these international artists been?
DH: I must say it is a dream come true and a total honour, I feel very blessed the
universe gave me such wonderful opportunities, each were so different and I grew from each
so much. Lillias was the party girl, the life of the party and gangs of fun, she also
spent a long time in Sydney so we got to spend some great times together talking the biz
and our dreams. Faith Prince was the total professional in every sense, she looked like
she could have walked straight on stage when I picked her up at the airport (with her
driver of course). She brought her husband and son with her and it was a total delight, Ms
Prince was so astute and hungry to do anything creative. Now as for Chita Rivera, that is
a totally different experience entirely, this was an entirely spiritual experience for me
on many levels and she changed my life. Chita and I REALLY clicked and she helped me with
many aspects of my life, career and spirit. This woman is a force of nature so down to
earth and a total straight shooter, just as I like em! I am particularly obsessed with the
career of Bob Fosse so of course Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli I sort of
consider mortal gods. I have met Liza many times and just love her spirit and generosity,
but to finally meet Chita Rivera and have her in my care and welcome her for the first
time to Australia was a total blow out, I still don’t think I believe it happened.
Chita was everything I expected and more, she was totally about the art of theatre and her
strength and discipline is extraordinary. She shared so many fantastic stories and of
course we spent many hours talking about Fosse and the method to his madness. It was an
amazing period in theatre history when those directors like Fosse, Robbins and Prince were
trying to dirty the musical up and get everything kept off stage on stage, to share these
memories with Chita was just astounding. She is sort of like the gothic goddess of music
theatre and what she could tell me about myself was sort of spooky she is so in touch with
the universe. The biggest thing that sticks out about all these ladies is that they were
absolute delights to work with, total professionals, easy to deal with, excited to be
performing and so appreciative of everything. It is a myth that a good DIVA is a tantrum
throwing snooty pain to deal with, the good ones don’t have to be. Not one of these
ladies was one bit insecure about themselves or their work enough to place any energy into
negative emotions. Was a total delight, I look forward to bringing them all back one day,
and I shall keep working through the list of others in my mind.
TD: Tell me about Hedwig – why did you first want to produce it?
DH: I saw the movie and just fell in love with the show, as soon as Wig in a Box started I
just knew I had to do this show. Originally I wanted to play Hedwig and actually myself
and Blazey Best recorded the demo that got us the rights in 2003 at her father’s
studio. Three days after I got the rights confirmed from New York whilst in Surfers
Paradise doing Shout! I found myself in hospital having open heart surgery as a
bacteria landed on the valve of my heart and started to eat through the valve. I now have
a metal valve in my heart and was back on tour with Shout! three months after the
operation. After the operation my vision changed and my energy went very strongly into
producing and I decided to look for a talent to play my Hedwig. iOTA sang at a venue I ran
in Surry Hills called ‘The Kirk’ in 1999 and I contacted him and he knew the
show and was very interested to be considered. I then started to put the team together,
and form my vision for a Sydney and Melbourne tour this took three years to pull together
and wow was it worth it.
TD: It has been an amazing success. Were you surprised at the huge audience reaction?
DH: Well I am glad, it is a really great piece of theatre and that’s why I wanted to
do it. I have this philosophy that audiences are actually hanging out to be challenged and
truly entertained and music theatre often lately has not provided this, the musical is
going through a major transition period I believe. Hedwig is a totally original show, new
songs, new book and totally out there like The Rocky Horror Show was in the
70’s. I don’t know if I would say I was surprised as Sydney had always struck me
as a Hedwig kind of town, Wednesday Kennedy once said “Sydney, The cradle of whores
and criminals” and I love that notion that Sydney is at base a convict built city, a
town built by outcasts and you can’t find a more colourful and fun outcast than
HEDWIG.
TD: You’re bringing it back for a return season early next year – why did you
decide it needed a return?
DH: We only played three weeks and they sold out, people were on waiting lists for
cancelled tickets and the entire last week we turned so many people away, and many of them
had already seen it three or four times, so I think that said bring it back as soon as you
can. I must confess it was always my thought to bring it back if it was a success for
Mardi Gras, and a success it was!
TD: You have been around the cabaret scene for quite a while. Do you think it lost
something when the Cabaret Convention was cut? Have we ever got that ‘something’
back?
DH: Well yes we lost something, but cabaret is that style of entertainment it is transient
so that something will always come back. It will always be there and will always forever
change, it is meant to change and be current, now and fabulous.
TD: What’s planned in 2007 for Showtune Productions?
DH: We have Hedwig opening of course and we will continue to tour the show while
audiences want it, we will re-mount Christine Anu’s show Intimate and Deadly
for the Tasmanian Festival in March, and I have a couple of local artists who I am working
up shows with plus a couple of internationals slated for the later part of the year. I
have a wonderful new general manager at Showtune Productions Mr David Penfold who has a
very illustrious career himself, and my sister Sharon Hawkins has joined the company and
she was the one that introduced me to Rocky Horror like when I was BORN so she is
responsible for it all! So that must be good for something. I believe 2007 is going to be
even bigger that 2006…. BRING IT ON! |
