New look MTC

The MTC launched its 2009 season on Monday night, no doubt with fountains of champagne and speeches. Your faithful blogger was moping at home instead of hobnobbing (it's been a tough week), but despite her social delinquency the PR staff provided a handy media package which she has been broodily contemplating for the past few days. You can check out 2009 for yourself on the MTC's funky new website.

This season is significant because it's the first in the new Southbank theatre, which for all its neon brashness is a lovely thing, god wot. And at first glance it's a season with more spark and variety than we have seen for a long time from the MTC. There is a high wattage of star power, and even a hint of funkiness, although nothing looks in prospect as exciting as this year's production of Blackbird (maybe that was one out of the box). And next year the MTC is aggressively pushing new Australian work, which makes up no less than half its offerings.

The popular highlight looks to be the return of Matt Cameron. He has penned Poor Boy, a collaboration with former Crowded House front man Tim Finn which will star Guy Pearce. There's also a revival of Dorothy Hewitt's classic The Man from Mukinupin, Andrew Bovell's prize-winning hit When the Rain Stops Falling by Brink Productions, and a couple of premieres - one the Wal Cherry-winning play Realism by Paul Galloway, starring Miriam Margoyles. Those who see a play called Rockabye and think the MTC has lost its mind and is doing Beckett can calm down now - it is in fact a new work by Joanna Murray-Smith "inspired by the lives of Madonna and Kylie". And the year wraps up with a Max Gillies/Guy Rundle Christmas revue, Godzone.

The international works include Yasmina Reza's new play, The God of Carnage, which is ubiquitous on Australian stages next year. The MTC is doing its own production directed by Peter Evans, so could be promising. And they're giving us a chance to see a production of Steppenwolf member Tracy Letts' hit August: Osage County, which has been the talk of the US theatre world. That stars Robyn Nevin, whom we will also get to see in what is, by all accounts, a knock-out performance in the STC production of The Year of Magical Thinking.

Grace, by philosopher AC Grayling, looks rather like a talking-heads kind of play, but is directed by Marion Potts, so might shape up ok. And Bruce Beresford is making his theatrical directing debut with a play about the making of Gone With The Wind, Moonlight and Magnolias, which is described as a "madcap Hollywood comedy". The jury is out until we see it, of course, but that looks a bit dodgy to me. Finally, Julian Meyrick is directing a revival of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, which is always worth a look. TN's view? Hardly visionary (which is maybe asking too much) but not bad at all. There are more than a few things I'll be looking forward to.