JohnWaters.info Official Fan Site. Career By Decade: The 90s.

1998 The Real McCaw. Film

Director: Mario Andreacchio. Composer: Bill Conti,

Cast: Jason Robards, Deborra Lee-Furness, John Waters, Joe Petruzzi, Robert Coleby, Gerry Connolly and Jamie Croft

An Australian children's movie about a young boy, an old bird, and a buried treasure. The bird, named Mac (voiced by Daniel Murphy), is 149-year-old rainbow-coloured macaw who speaks with a Spanish accent. He is now owned by the roguish Grandpa Girdis (Robards), but once belonged to a Spanish pirate (hence the accent). When Grandpa is threatened with being put away in a nursing home, Mac comes to the rescue.

The bird joins up with Grandpa's 15-year-old grandson Sam, and the pair come up with a plan to solve all of Grandpa's problems. It turns out that Mac knows where the pirate's treasure is buried. The pair head off to the remote Pacific island - now a major tourist resort - where the treasure is, closely pursued by Grandpa, Sam's father (Petruzzi) and the scheming Dr Hagen (Waters), who has somehow got wind of their plans.

John Quote: "Dr. Hagen is like the dark side of Indiana Jones! He's an archaeologist -a collector of antiquities - and he's also the director of acquisitions for a museum. But he's very ruthless in his methods and is a constant threatening presence in the film. Of course he gets his comeuppance in the end!" He continues: I always enjoy playing the villain of the piece - the audience always remembers the bad guy! I always enjoy working with Mario. He's so enthusiastic and that enthusiasm is very infectious. He creates a feeling on set that whilst there's an important job to be done, at the same time it's possible to have some fun. This was a very enjoyable project with a very funny script. The bird of course is going to get all the credit. Half way through he started to complain to his agent, but we managed to keep him in his place!"

1992 Jesus Christ Superstar Rock Musical

In 1992 John was chosen to replace Anthony Warlow to play Pontius Pilate in the huge concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Anthony was diagnosed with cancer just before the show actually opened.

It also starred John Farnham, Angry Anderson, Jon Stevens and Kate Ceberano.

I saw the show at the Perth Entertainment Centre on October 6th and it blew me away. The reviews were fantastic.

The cast recorded soundtrack went platinum the week before opening night !!!!

Season dates:

Sydney Entertainment Centre: 4/8/92 to 27/9/92

Flinders Park Melbourne: Sept 92

Perth Entertainment Centre: 1/10/92 - 11/10/92

Adelaide Entertainment Centre: 16/10/92 to 5/11/92

1990 All The Rivers Run The Sequel. Ch 9 mini series

Director: John Power.

Cast: John Waters, Nikki Coghill, Parker Stevenson, Michele Fawdon, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Gil Tucker, Peta Toppano.

The saga of the Edwards family and their riverboat, the Philadelphia, in turn-of-the-century Australia, begun in "All the Rivers Run," continues in this family drama.

Nikki Coghill stars as strong-willed Philadelphia "Delie" Edwards (taking over the role from Sigrid Thornton), who is attracted to handsome American drifter Parker Stevenson, but must make difficult choices when family patriarch Brenton Edwards (John Waters) is wrongly sent to jail.

1990 Which Way Home telemovie

Director: Carl Schultz,

Cast: John Waters, Cybill Shepherd, John Ewart, Peta Toppano.

Thrilling drama stars Cybill Shepherd as a Red Cross nurse trying to save a group of refugee Cambodian children from the killing fields and the terror of the Khmer Rouge revolution.

Her only ally is Australian smuggler John Waters, and the unlikely allies undertake a dangerous boat ride to freedom.

Great chemistry between Cybill and John. Filmed on location in South East Asia.

1991. All Together Now Sitcom TV Guest Appearance, Channel 9

John guest stars as Lochlan Burns, a member of Bobby River's (Jon English) seventies band Still Waters.

While Bobby still lives on amid the nostalgia of his 70's hey days, Lochie has moved into the 90's, a situation which confuses his old friend. Lochie appears to have it all - money, success, family. But something doesnt seem right. Reluctant to talk about old times, it's only when Lochie is faced with a family crisis concerning his son that he leans on his friend for support.

English and Waters share a microphone at the end of the show, singing Milky Way, written and produced by English for the episode.

1990 Paris Soundtrack Album

Old friends John and Jon English worked together on Paris the musical soundtrack.

Jon English wrote and composed the entire musical and had some of his closest friends in the studio to record the CD, including John, Barry Humphries, and Trevor White.

Recorded in 1990, it has yet to become a stage major production. The stage rights were eventually released in 2004 and some fine amateur productions have been staged.

1992 Looking Through A Glass Onion. Stage.

From late 1992 Australia, and the UK, has had the opportunity to see John in a very different light.

Adopting a Liverpudlian accent, he took us into the mind of John Lennon in those moments between life and death. Using touching, insightful and humourous monologues between Lennons songs, there are some moments that leave you rolling in the aisles, and others that leave you breathless with emotion.

Looking Through A Glass Onion has toured extensively from 1992 to 1994, and again in 2001, 2002 and 2004. The CD released in 1994, is as moving as the live show. CD was re-released as a double CD with encores in 2001.

1994 Ebbtide. Movie

Genesis Films

Director: Craig Lahiff. Producers: Paul Davies, Craig Lahiff, Helen Leake

Writer: Bob Ellis, Peter Goldsworthy

Stars: Judy McIntosh, John Waters, Harry Hamlin, Susan Lyons

Filmed in South Australia and made directly for American television, this noir thriller is about a cynical lawyer who, while investigating a toxic waste case, becomes involved in a perilous affair with the company owner's wife. When the husband is apparently killed, the lawyer must uncover the truth before he is implicated.

1993 Heaven Tonight Movie

Director: Pina Amenta,

Stars: Guy Pearce, Kim Gyngell, Rebecca Gilling, John Waters

A father and son, generations and ideals apart, struggle desperately to keep alive their individual dreams of rock 'n roll stardom. The aging 1960s rock star tries to stage a comeback while his teenage son begins his own musical career. One man becomes history while the other becomes a legend. John Waters as Johnny Dysart and Guy Pearce as Paul Dysart.

John and Guy perform their own singing on the soundtrack - its well worth a listen.

1993-95 The Singapore Sling Ch9 telemovies.

A Singapore Sling is a cooling alcoholic tipple, The Road to Mandalay is a popular song from the days when the sun didn't set on the British Empire. Put them together and you have Singapore Sling.

Set in the ethnic melting pot of Singapore. John's character, John Stamford is a man who left journalism to become a private investigator, disillusioned by the devastation and corruption paraded before him in 20 years covering the post-colonial conflicts in South-East Asia.

1993 Road to Mandalay.

Cast: Jan-Michael Vincent, Deborra-Lee Furness, John Waters, Andy Anderson

An ex-journalist takes on immigrants, movie stars and drug dealers as his clients when he becomes a private detective

1994 Midnight Orchid

Director: John Laing. Cast: Michael Ironside, John Waters, Pat Morita

A detective attempts to solve the slayings of a kingpin's relatives before he is the next victim

1995 Old Flames - Auld Lang Syne

Cast: Priscilla Barnes, Ray Barrett, Chris Haywood, John Waters, Josephine Byrnes, Simon Bossell. Friends reunite in Singapore, only to deal with betrayal and murder.

John Quote: "John Stanford never uses violence. He doesn't shoot guns, punch people or drive fast cars. He's an intellect ... and a bit quirky. Stanford is an Anglo-Australian who has spent many years living in Singapore and he speaks about seven Asian languages. Thats the reason he is a successful private eye - he's cross cultural."

1995 ReUnion. Musical

In June 1995 John and close friend Stewart D'Arrietta wrote, produced, financed and starred in a musical about Rock and Roll called ReUnion. The narrative, centres on Jerry Burke (John Waters), as he attempts to deal with the ghosts in his life. Some of these spirits are the memories of the dead, such as the presence of exkeyboard player and mate Vince (d'Arrieta). The musicians themselves, performing on a mezzanine at the back of the stage, are echoes of the past. Yet Annie (Jacki Weaver), Jerry's first wife, is alive and lurks wistfully in the corners of his mind, perhaps representing the muso's lost innocence.

The musical played in Seagulls QLD, Newcastle NSW and Melbourne Vic. The soundtrack can be found on Ebay occassionally and is worth a listen.

John Quote: "I'm opening myself up to accusations that I'm perpetually only entertaining baby-boomers or that I'm having a mid-life crisis and, rather than buying a HarleyDavidson motorbike, I'm playing all this 60s rock 'n' roll," says Waters, laughing. "My answer is, even if that is what I am doing, is that so bad? If it were, I'd stop doing it tomorrow."

1998 Cafe Brel One Man Show

In 1998 John collaborated with friend Stewart D'Arrietta again for another one man show. This time it was an intimate cabaret style performance of the songs of Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel and his affinity with Paris. Other than a few choice English words of introduction to set the scene or context, each song was sung in French. The show opened in Sydney in November 1998 and toured again in Newcastle in January 1999 to sold out crowds.

The French-language newspaper Le Courrier Australien found Waters' French to be `impeccable' and called his Brel tribute `a brilliant hommage'.

1997-98 An Ideal Husband. Play

December 1997 bought John back to the stage in Oscar Wilde's The Ideal Husband. Starring alongside Stephanie Beacham, Josephine Byrnes, Penny Cook, Googie Withers and John McCallum. The play took in seasons in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

Waters plays Sir Robert Chiltern, the satirically titled 'ideal husband' of the play who, as the British Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, makes one mistake early in his political career and is later blackmailed for it. The rest of his career has been good works, but, Waters says, 'in the eyes of his morally upright wife that counts for nothing, because he started with a lie'.

1999 The Sugar Factory Film

Director: Robert Carter

Stars: Matt Day, Rhonda Findleton, John Waters

The Sugar Factory , written by director Robert Carter, won the Best Film award at the 1998 Hollywood Film Festival.

By following a short period in the life of seventeen year old Harris Berne (Matt Day) the film explores the difficulties faced by persons with mental illness and the social prejudices foisted on them.

Matt tries to tell his mother that he hears voices in his head and is summarily dismissed by her. His behavior goes out of control after the death of a little girl and when his family finally faces the fact that he needs help Matt is sent to a halfway house run by psychologist Sam Lejeune (John Waters).

Everyone in the house has their own problems, least of all Sam. Matt and Sam both find a source of healing for their troubled souls as their friendship develops.

1999/2000 The Sound Of Music Musical

In November 1999 John was cast as Captain Von Trapp opposite Lisa McCune's Maria and Bert Newton in the stage musical The Sound Of Music. He was with the show for 12 months in seasons in Sydney and Melbourne and appears on the cast recording of the shows soundtrack.

What the critics said:

"Waters, as von Trapp, is reserved and dignified. He lets his fine singing do the work of revealing the current of strong emotion and conviction that runs under von Trapp's austere public mask. The result is very effective."

"As Von Trapp, John Waters' gravitas and shy grief, barely suppressed by his control-freak behavior with his children, are impressive."

VARIOUS ARTICLES THRU THE 90's.

Articles that weren't related to anything above have been put on the one page - click on the link on the right. Excerpts:......

On the road again, and again, and again. 30th April 1994. A Day in the Life of:

"It is important to switch off. My meditative process is to have a game of pool. It is a useless pursuit of putting balls into pockets. By concentrating so furiously on this you're wiping all other thoughts from your mind. You can spend two or three hours at a pool table just relaxing by concentrating on something that means nothing."

A cut above the rest. 6th May 1995.

John Waters has not been one who has pushed. In fact, by his own admission, he has been a bit lazy, more or less allowing things to happen, rather than pursuing them. He readily admits this. I suspect this might be the reason he has not made the international movie scene, because he is a polished performer and probably our best- looking male screen star. It does not seem to worry him.