The Lighter Note: Accountant’s West End debut

IT may not be the West End, yet, but persistent musical developer and promoter Bernie Eastman has got one of his shows on stage in London. The Note has followed the Perth accountant’s efforts for nearly a decade as he has sought to excite interest near and far in the opera Nostradamus, which his fledgling company developed many moons ago. In the interim, his writers’ creative spirits have not been dampened and a few years ago, among other things, they penned The Last Maharajah. Set in Europe in the late 1880s, it has all the mystique of the times, with dispossessed Indian royalty and a rather large diamond. With Bollywood movies all the rage, perhaps Mr Eastman’s group might have hit the mother lode? Anyway, for those UK bound, or with expat friends and family, The Last Maharajah is all set for opening at London’s Hoxton Hall next week While the location is in the less than glamorous district of Hackney, it’s a lot closer to the West End than Oz. Good luck.