Legendary Australian entertainer Patti Newton AM has had her name set in lights, after being presented with a Walk of Fame star at Adelaide Festival Centre yesterday.
The Australian singer, actor, dancer, stage performer and radio and television presenter has been honoured with her very own star on Adelaide Festival Centre’s Walk of Fame while in Adelaide performing the role of Bird Woman in Mary Poppins, currently on at Festival Theatre.
Patti Newton is Adelaide Festival Centre Trust’s 2023 Choice for the Walk of Fame star and was presented during a celebratory ceremony attended by her fellow Mary Poppins cast members on the star-studded walkway this week.
Patti Newton: “It’s an absolute honour for me to receive this star, I think it’s wonderful and I feel very privileged and grateful to be receiving this award.
“I think Bert would be extremely happy about it, knowing that he already had a star, and he’d love the fact that we’re both together too and that’s how we will always stay.”
Patti’s late and beloved husband, iconic Australian entertainer Bert Newton also has a star on the Walk of Fame for his performance in The Sound of Music at Festival Theatre in 2001.
Patti Newton joins more than 130 names of the great artists who have graced the stages of Adelaide Festival Centre since it opened in 1973 and whose names shine bright on the walkway overlooking Karrawirra Parri / River Torrens.
Each year three stars are added to the walkway – in addition to the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust vote, two more stars are selected by a public vote and a panel of arts critics. Past recipients include William Barton, Billy Crystal, Cold Chisel, Olivia Newton-John, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Dami Im, Tim Minchin, Paul Kelly, Guy Sebastian, Archie Roach, Beccy Cole, Kate Ceberano and Tina Arena.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM: “The Walk of Fame showcases the names of some of the best and brightest artists and creators who have been part of performances at Adelaide Festival Centre.
“There is no doubt Patti’s performance in Mary Poppins has been received enthusiastically by Adelaide audiences, night after night, and we wanted to honour her many years of service in the entertainment industry while she was in Adelaide.”
The Honourable Andrea Michaels MP, Minister for Arts: “Patti Newton absolutely shone in Mary Poppins and now her star will forever shine on our Walk of Fame at Adelaide Festival Centre in honour of her magnificent career.”
Voting for the remaining 2 stars to be awarded for 2023 will be announced early next year.
More info on Adelaide Festival Centre’s Walk of Fame can be found here.