Don Lane set to Light the Night

Don Lane has been coaxed out of retirement for the sake of a good cause. The Lanky Yank will perform a medley of Frank Sinatra hits at Sydney’s Light the Night benefit concert, to raise funds for leukaemia research.

“He was thrilled to do it, because he’s very supportive of most charities,” said co-organiser Ian Phipps.

Last year, Light the Night raised over $40,000 for the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation and the Haematology Oncology Ward at Liverpool Hospital. All proceeds this year will again go to the Arrow Foundation to help fund research into a cure for Leukaemia.

The annual concert is organised by the group of friends and family of Matthew Rennie, who was diagnosed with the disease one month before his 21st birthday, in August 2004.

Matthew’s older brother, musical theatre star Shaun Rennie, produces the event, and Phipps promises “a whole heap of musical theatre numbers and a whole heap of musical theatre performers” – as well as jazz and rock.

“It’s basically just lots of musicians and performers doing their own thing.”

Among them are Kane Alexander, Tamsin Carroll, Chloe Dallimore, Lucy Durack, Michael Falzon, David Harris, iOTA, James Millar, Sun Park, Emma Pask, Alex Rathgaber, Hayden Tee, Kaye Tuckerman, Peter Cousins and siblings Jenny and Tam Morris.

Craig Scott, head of the jazz department at the Sydney Conservatorium, will also perform with his brother Phil, and Maggie Kirkpatrick will again act as MC.

Light the Night will take place at Sydney’s City Recital Hall on Monday 13 November.