Jane Hutcheon to join David Suchet on tour
Australian journalist Jane Hutcheon will be joining David Suchet (pictured) on tour early next year when he makes his return to Australian stages in Poirot and More: A Retrospective.
The tour will travel across the country in January and February allowing audiences in Perth, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle and Adelaide to experience this rare opportunity with one of the world’s most celebrated and fascinating actors of our time.
In her own words Jane Hutcheon remarks on this very special opportunity.
“To say I’m thrilled to be joining David as interviewer in his upcoming tour, is a total understatement.
“I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with David in 2012 for my TV program One Plus One. At the time David was performing The Last Confession in Australia. To have this fifty year veteran of stage and screen reveal some of the incredible moments and pivots of his life was mesmerising and that interview remains one of my favourites to this day. David’s honesty shone through as he described his early challenges at boarding school, his beloved photographer- grandfather and his career as one of Britain’s most cherished character actors. As we well know, he’s best known for the long-running TV series Poirot. David is the Poirot we all love and remember. He is also so much more than that quirky Belgian detective.
“Towards the end of our 2012 interview, knowing he was about to begin researching the role of Lady Bracknell in the London production of The Importance of Being Earnest, I surprised David on camera by giving him a rare old book I had recently found. It was called Oscar Wilde by Vyvyan Holland. I felt that this book (written by Wilde’s son) had somehow found David, through me!
“Since then, I have followed David’s career with great delight. When I saw that he was due to return to our region to tour in a retrospective based around an in-conversation, I thought, perhaps I should reach out to the show’s producer. It was one of those passing thoughts which hold you in the moment, and which you often don’t act upon. But like the Oscar Wilde book which found David through me, one week later an email appeared from David’s producer, Liza McLean. It was Liza who had offered me the 2012 interview with David. To my incredulity, she asked whether I was interested in being part of David’s new venture, playing, you guessed it, the interviewer!
“The show is so much more than either a retrospective or a classic in-conversation. It will be a feast for theatre lovers. David will perform some of his best-known and most-loved monologues from his repertoire. There will be video and images. My role will be like the thread in a string of pearls, bringing out his connection to the excerpts and unlocking the secrets of some of the most poignant turning points in David’s life and career.
“For me, the stars have truly aligned having just departed from the ABC after a career as an international correspondent, TV presenter and founder of the interview show One Plus One. In nearly a decade presenting this unique little show, I conducted an incredible 500 face-to-face TV interviews. I am extremely excited to work alongside this very special actor who possess a deep intellect while exuding warmth and humanity…How lucky am I?”
For more than 25 years David Suchet has captivated millions worldwide as Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Beyond Poirot, this Emmy winning actor, also nominated for multiple Olivier Awards, BAFTAs and a Tony Award, has been celebrated for his portrayal of iconic roles such as Lady Bracknell, Cardinal Benelli and Freud.
The multi-award winner starred in all 74 Poirot television movies over 25 years taking him into the lounge room of millions around the world. His television credits extend over 40 years and include some of Britain’s most esteemed programs from The Life of Freud, The Way We Live Now, Great Expectations and more recently Dr Who and Press.
David has also starred in numerous international films including Harry and the Hendersons, The Bank Job and American Assassin, whilst also maintaining his impressive theatre career. He is an Associate Artist and Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company having played lago in Othello, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Caliban in The Tempest, Bolingbroke in Richard II and Angelo in Measure for Measure, all having been nominated for Olivier Best Actor Awards.
Further theatre credits include Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest, Amadeus, Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Last Confession and Arthur Miller’s The Price. In 2007 he won an Emmy Award for his role as tycoon Robert Maxwell in the TV movie Maxwell and in 2011 he was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Join David Suchet and Jane Hutcheon in conversation with the man, the actor and his many roles in an unmistakably unique event. A retrospective look at David’s career will have you witness some of his most beloved performances in a new and intimate light.
Tickets on sale now
Perth, Saturday 18th January 2pm & 7.30pm, Concert Hall www.perthconcerthall.com.au
Canberra, Monday 20th January, Canberra Theatre Centre www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Sydney, Tuesday 23rd January 3pm & 8pm, Concert Hall - Sydney Opera House www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Melbourne, Saturday 25th January 3pm & 8pm, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
Gold Coast, Wednesday 29th January, Hota www.hota.com.au
Brisbane, Saturday 1st February 2pm & 8pm, QPAC www.qpac.com.au
Newcastle, Saturday 8th February, Civic Theatre www.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
Adelaide Wednesday 12th February 3pm & 8pm, Festival Theatre – Adelaide Festival Centre www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au