11AM: Dunedin's Fortune Theatre has just announced that due to the withdrawal of Georgina Beyer from the production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, the season has been cancelled, barely 24 hours before it was due to open tomorrow night. Beyer, the worlds first elected tgransexual MP, left parliament last week and said her highly publicised starring role in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks was the start of a new life for her after seven years in Parliament and stints in local government before that. In a colourful career in earlier years Beyer was no stranger to acting and performing, and earned high praise for several film and tv roles. In an urgent press release, Fortune says that "citing personal and professional performance difficulties, Georgina has found the move from her parliamentary career to that of a professional actor much more demanding than expected. This is a huge disappointment to Georgina and everyone involved in the production but a decision had to be taken after it became clear that the performance would not reach the standards expected by everyone involved." The show was also to have toured regionally to Kurow, Ranfurly, Alexandra, Queenstown, Invercargill and Tapanui in March, but the tour was cancelled earlier this week. Fortune advises that refunds are available for those who have already purchased tickets. Tickets may also be transferred to another production or a gift voucher. A spokesperson for Fortune says Beyer "does not wish to disappoint Dunedin and is keen to return later in the year to entertain audiences with a more anecdotal series of performances." GayNZ.com Daily News will bring you further information as it comes to hand. The Fortune Theatre's website with contact details is linked below. Ref: Fortune Theatre (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 22nd February 2007 - 12:00pm