John Xintavelonis to feature in Guys & Dolls on Sydney Harbour
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Actor John Xintavelonis has played many roles throughout his career in music theatre, he’s been the Lion in The Wizard of OZ, Pumbaa in The Lion King, and now his next big role is… Harry the Horse.
“I just can’t escape it,” he tells Neos Kosmos on his knack of getting roles related to animals.
However Harry the Horse is in fact, not a horse, that’s just a nickname for the 1950s gangster he’s playing in the upcoming Guys & Dolls on Sydney Harbour show.
But nevertheless he finds it amusing that there still has to be an animal connection there.
From March 21 to April 20, the flashy world of showgirls and gangsters from ’50s Manhattan springs to life when Guys & Dolls on Sydney Harbour premieres atop an overwater stage at Mrs Macquaries Point.
Starring Cody Simpson, with Annie Aitken, Bobby Fox, Angelina Thomson and Jason Arrow, each performance features a live orchestra, nightly fireworks and onsite bars and dining, making it quite a unique show.
“The beauty of this production is, because it’s on the harbour, it’s a unique production on such a massive scale as well as the usual sort of colour and beautiful music that you get from this show,” John says.
For this production, the audience sits on the land while the performers are on the water on a big stage, four times the size of an average theatre stage says John.
“It’s just a big epic production and it goes on through rain, hail or shine, we have things in place for if it starts raining, we just keep ploughing through the show and I think lightning’s about the only thing that will stop it.”
“Everything else, we just go ahead. We get we can get completely soaked if it starts to pour.”
John says he’s excited for his first time performing there and describes it as a bucket list item to tick off.
Being unlike anything he’s done before, from those roles mentioned before and even Billy Elliot-The Musical, John’s preparation has been different.
What’s differed in his prep
aration is being ready to perform to a bigger audience because of the size of the show.
“Intimate stuff you’re used to seeing in a small theatre just won’t read to an audience,” he says.
“It’s a massive audience, so everything needs to be big.”
And that audience is the reason John does what he does for a living.
“I think half of it is to do with the fact that I’m Greek, and therefore I am quite an extroverted individual and I do express myself quite clearly and quite loudly and quite physically. I think it’s a European/Greek thing,” he says.
“But also I found very early on when I was in school. I was the kid that was getting in trouble for talking in class and being the class clown.
“Thirty to forty years later now I’m being paid to do what I used to do as a kid in school and get in trouble for.
“Someone will give me a wage to entertain people. So I think that’s what I like. The entertainment factor is the key for me.”
He says he thrives on that instant reaction, getting the cheers and applause at the end of his work day.
Tickets for Guys & Dolls on Sydney Harbour can be bought on the Opera Australia website.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
