Broome beckons Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann wants to bring the upcoming musical adaption of his cult movie Strictly Ballroom to Perth.
The acclaimed director, whose credits include The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge!, is in intensive rehearsals in Sydney before the highly anticipated musical based on the 1992 film begins previews at the Lyric Theatre on March 25.
Luhrmann lived in Broome while working on his epic drama Australia and told AAA Weekend he planned to return to WA with the musical.
"I think if it is any good the idea is to tour it around Australia," he said.
"I'll come back to Perth and sneak up to Broome to have a cocktail. I'm mad about Broome; you can't find anything like it. It's such a majestic place."
Luhrmann is clearly passionate when talking about his cocktails, which is understandable considering the filmmaker will release his very own limited-edition vodka for Absolut today.
He travelled to the company's Sweden distillery in late 2012 to create the spiced orange flavour along with four signature cocktails that celebrate Australia's beach culture - including one named after Broome's staircase to the moon phenomenon - while his designer wife Catherine Martin helped with the bottle's Wizard of Oz-meets-Australiana label.
But Luhrmann's commitments in Sydney for Absolut Oz and Strictly Ballroom mean he won't be able to accompany Martin to the US for the Oscars this weekend, where she is nominated for two awards in costume and production design for Gatsby.
Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Picture: WireImage
"Someone's got to mind the children - I mean, we can't all be gaslighting around the world, going to Oscars and picking up awards," the father of two joked.
"No, you know what? I am super proud of her and I'd love to be there with her but I am rehearsing a brand new musical and that's a big responsibility. We almost never want the kids not to have one of us there unless it's an emergency."
With buzz around the musical only set to rise, Luhrmann admitted he was already feeling apprehensive about how audiences would react to the adaption.
"But my job is to face the fear and take on everyone else's fear. I get in and think 'What can we do to make it as good as possible?'
"I think of myself as the world's biggest coward, to be honest."
