ent001636-006

SUDDENLY;/ there were apparently three horses.' gaK loping on the stage towards /the audience, with lierce-looking Criders in the robes of Samurai warrioVs. Were they jeal or not? Why didn?╟╓t they make any progress? 1Was. this another example OjT the*brilliant hi-tech in the Galaxies production? An optical iK .Forty seconds later they had disappeared. The truth is that the horses were real, owned and trained by John Stubbs of Mudgeeraba, Whose leopard appaloosa Caspar appeared over 500 times in Starz. v ; This time John trained three appaloosas to gallop at full stretch oh/moving belts, among the trappings of a full-scale production. The riders were John and his sons David and John. . Timing of the Casino?╟╓s new revuew Galaxies was of the essence. The horses had to be lifted to the stage in an elevator, not -only in place at the right time but in full gallop when the curtain rose. Then they had 30 seconds to get them off stage and out of the way. This horse story shows the lengths to which Jim ; McDonald, Galaxies producer, has gone to create another top-ranking, dramatic show. It was meant to be an extension of Starz, and there were: those who thought it was too .similar. For those who didn?╟╓t see Starz, however, Ga/-axies is an amazing extravaganza of music, old and very new, dancing styles from the classical to the honky-fonk,.imaginative costumes, and high technology, especially in the opening space scenes. Galaxies' opened on Saturday night with a champagne performance to benefit the Cancer Foundation. The general theme was much the same as Starz, that is the future relieved by flash-backs to more familiar times: a New Orleans whore-house,, a. Russian segment, Japanese and of course current Aus-traliana. The main difference this time was an increase in theatre ?╟÷ more scenes which told a story, rather than being entirely composed of music and dance. But when all?╟╓s said and done, a fantastic show. W- Harry Tlirossell