Hollywood darling Rita Wilson to make Sydney Opera House debut
Hollywood darling Rita Wilson will make her Sydney Opera House debut at the Utzon Room on Saturday 7 March 2020. The intimate one-night-only performance will feature her Southern Californian rock meets Nashville country-style new album, Halfway to Home.
The Sleepless in Seattle, Runaway Bride, Jingle All the Way, The Good Wife and Girls actress, and producer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and MAMMA MIA! 1 & 2 has also enjoyed a successful music career performing across America and releasing four albums. Rita has performed her original music on Ellen, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“It’s an absolute dream to perform at the Sydney Opera House! I have never been to Australia before, so I am thrilled to be able to perform at this iconic venue, in this beautiful country. It’s going to be so much fun!” said Rita.
Rita will be performing songs from her albums including her fourth album, Halfway to Home (March 2019), the second album in a three-part series, which looks at our human ability to dig deep, explore and reflect. The album is a manifestation of her view that we all keep growing and changing, whether we intend to or not.
“Rita Wilson is a powerhouse. It’s going to be a very special, intimate evening of wonderful music at the Sydney Opera House, featuring Rita and her band who will be performing in Sydney for the very first time” commented producer, Michael Cassel.
Recorded in Nashville and co-produced by Rita and Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban) with additional production from Ron Aniello (Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa) and John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow), many of the songs were co-written with an A-List group including Grammy winner Liz Rose, Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Mozella (Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus), Mitch Allan (Demi Lovato), and Kara DioGuardi (Pink, Kelly Clarkson).
Although Rita Wilson is well-known as an actress (It’s Complicated, Sleepless in Seattle, recurring roles on CBS’: The Good Wife, HBO’s Golden Globe-winning series: Girls, starring in Larry David’s sold-out Broadway hit: Fish In The Dark) as well as a film producer (discovered My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mamma Mia!), many may be aware that her early show biz ambitions were actually musical.
Born and raised in the Hollywood Hills (nearly above the Hollywood Bowl), Wilson harboured dreams of becoming a singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s after falling in love with The Beatles, The Mamas & the Papas, Janis Joplin, and The Supremes, among others. She even took a part-time job as a ticket-taker at what was then the Universal Amphitheatre, as a way to see such popular acts of the day as Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, and The Eagles. “I would watch these artists on stage and ache from wondering, ‘How can I get up there? How can I get to do that?’” Wilson recalls.
After achieving her dream in 2012 with the critically acclaimed album AM/FM — an intimate, elegant, and beautifully sung collection of classics from the ‘60s and ‘70s, Wilson has been focusing on a new component of her musical career as a songwriter. Recently, she has collaborated with a number of extremely talented and successful songwriters composing original material.
Rita was honoured to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2019.
Sydney Opera House Utzon Room
Saturday 7 March 2020
Tickets from SydneyOperaHouse.com
