Aug 9, 2021
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This week is Stand Up with Pete Dominick LITE.
I am on vacation with my family this week for the first time since the Summer of 2019 but I will be still be posting new content every day. Today's guest is one of my oldest and closest friend's who also just happens to be is one of Australia’s most popular entertainers.
David Campbell is a multi-platinum selling recording artist,
Campbell has featured on TV, starred in theatre and cabaret,
recorded three Top Ten albums, and sold out concert tours from
coast to coast. He has a unique legacy as not just one of
Australia’s leading musical theatre stars, but also one of the few
local performers to have achieved similar success in New York.
Born and raised in Adelaide, David was drawn to the performing arts
- initially as an actor. He was performing at the STC and Sydney
Opera House by the age of 22, and in 1997 starred in a major
revival of Les Miserables in Sydney. Shortly
after this, Campbell moved to New York, where his downtown cabaret
show attracted major crowds. Due to what Time Out New York
described as “the biggest buzz since Barbra Streisand”, Campbell
moved his show to the iconic cabaret room Rainbow & Stars, becoming
the youngest performer ever to headline the venue.
With this success as a launch pad, Campbell was soon in demand from
Broadway’s most prestigious writers and directors. Stephen Sondheim
cast him in the New York premiere of his musical Saturday
Night, and he played leading roles in shows
like Babes In Arms (at the Lincoln Center), and
South Pacific.
In 2001, at the height of his New York success, Campbell was
tempted back to Australia by the role of a lifetime - ‘the wild
one’ Johnny O'Keefe, in the musical
phenomenon Shout! He toured Australia in the
show for over a year, and became a household name as a result.
Campbell went on to star in Australian productions of classic
musicals like Carousel and Company, new works at the
MTC and STC, and even in Pirates of Penzance for
Opera Australia. Along the way, he picked up a Helpmann Award for
Best Actor, for his 2005 role in Sunset
Boulevard.
Campbell established himself quickly as one of the country’s
biggest-selling recording artists. His albums The Swing
Sessions (2006), The Swing Sessions
2(2007), and Good Lovin’ (2008) all hit the
Top Ten and achieved platinum sales. He has also mounted no fewer
than five sell-out concert tours - for which he has received a
further two Helpmann Awards. In 2009, his live concert
DVD Good Lovin’ Live hit number one on the ARIA
chart.
David’s album success included David Campbell On
Broadway and the release of the album was complimented by
the specially commissioned television documentary David
Campbell On Broadway, produced by Luckiest Productions. A
mixture of Broadway history, exclusive interviews, and
behind-the-scenes footage of the album recording, the documentary
was broadcast on the STVDIO Channel on Foxtel. Regularly performing
in the USA as a headlining artist at G’Day LA, Campbell has also
acted as MC and headlined at G’Day NY on several
occasions.
In recent years Campbell’s position in the Australian entertainment
industry expanded with his appointment as Artistic Director of the
Adelaide Cabaret Festival (the largest cabaret festival in the
world), and the success of Luckiest Productions, the production
company he runs with his wife, Lisa. Luckiest Productions now
produces national tours and live theatre at the new Hayes Theatre
in Potts Point. The first production at the Hayes Theatre,
Sweet Charity, recently enjoyed a sell out season, critical acclaim
and 8 x Helpmann Award Nominations.
A highly sought after master of ceremonies, David has hosted many
events for numerous corporate and charitable organisations.
He has recently been appointed as an Ambassador for the Starlight
Foundation and regularly supports Dr Charlie Teo’s Cure For Life
Foundation at numerous events nationally. David also co-hosted the
2013 Carols By Candlelight telecast for the Nine
Network with Lisa Wilkinson.
Campbell is a founding member of Independent Music Theatre, the
group of producers behind the Hayes Theatre Co., a venue in Potts
Point devoted to musicals and cabaret. It opened in January
2014 and has quickly established itself as a venue of productions
of exceptional quality - winning a recent poll as Australia’s
favourite theatre.
Currently, David is a regular weekend announcer on Smooth FM for
the DMG Network, is the co-host of Today Extra for
the Nine Network in Australia and was recently nominated for Most
Popular New Talent at the 2013 Logie Awards.
Campbell returned to the studio last year to record a brand new album, David Campbell sings John Bucchino. The album was released on 13 June in conjunction with a tour throughout the month.
Get his new album "The Saturday Sessions"
David has also written and published 2 children's books. "Bed Time is Boring" and "Stupid Carrots"