Lithgow High School graduate turned theatre producer Andrew Henry will be part of a team 'reimagining' an iconic Australian theatrical event in 2020.
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Henry, who returned to Lithgow in 2019 to make a guest appearance in Lithgow Musical Society's Greatest Hits showcase, with business partner Vanessa Wright, will be bringing 'Betty Blokk-Buster' back to the stage.
'Betty Blokk-Buster' premiered in 1975 and was the creation of national treasure Reg Livermore.
Henry, who holds the Sydney record for most consecutive 'best actor' nominations at the annual Sydney Theatre Awards, had the idea that 'reimagining' the work 45 years later could tantalise audiences yet again.
According to the show's website, "on 16 April 1975, a saucy hausfrau with a feather duster and a bare bottom stepped onto the stage of the Balmain Bijou and changed Australian theatre". The new work has been inspired by the original work.
Henry and Wright have assembled a team including a Helpmann award winner, a Tony award winner and an Academy Award winner to bring the Sydney Festival 2020 a brand new 'Betty'.
"It is an amazing gift to present this show as one of the major Sydney Festival events and ultimately it is Mr Livermore who Vanessa and I are in debt to because he has trusted us," Henry said.
Henry also looked forward to continuing his acting career.
"I use to relish my school excursions with Rae Burton [former Lithgow High School music teacher and current Lithgow Musical Society director] travelling to Sydney to see the major musicals in Sydney," he said.
"I will never forget our excursion to see Mel Brook's 'The Producers' in 2005 starring Reg Livermore and Produced by John Frost, and now I get to call Reg a friend and have John Frost as a mentor. I am a producer. I am a good actor and I have been very lucky with the TV, Film and Theatre I have done, but I am a producer at heart and I love it."
'Betty Blokk Buster Reimagined' will be part of the 2020 Sydney Festival at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent in Hyde Park
Tickets are on sale now. The show will run from January 7-26.
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