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Wentworth Courier / September 18, 2024

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Digital Spy: Neighbours confirms newcomer Logan's mystery connection

By Daniel Kilkelly - 17 June 2024

Neighbours newcomer Logan hides a secret connection to David Tanaka as he heads to Erinsborough next week.

Show bosses have cast Matthew Backer in the role of Logan, who'll be taking centre stage in a big new storyline with Aaron Brennan over the coming weeks.

Next week's episodes see Logan cross paths with Melanie Pearson, who is currently on the road with her Drinks Divas van.

Melanie feels upbeat and rejuvenated following her time away, but when things get busy at the van, she spontaneously asks Logan to assist her.

Once the morning rush is over, Melanie and Logan share stories from their travels around Australia.

Before long, Melanie starts to see Logan as a kindred spirit. When Logan mentions that he now wants to find somewhere to settle, Melanie quickly recommends Erinsborough as the perfect location.

Logan agrees to join Melanie when she heads back home following her trip, but there's a suspicious moment when he stares intensely at the image of David on the side of the van.

There's clearly more to Logan than he's letting on, but why is he so interested in the picture of David?

Aaron has been trying to rebuild his life following the tragic death of his husband David in February. He'll befriend Logan in the new storyline, unaware of his potential ulterior motive.

Logan's casting was announced in May, when Neighbours posted on social media: "We're very excited to welcome Matthew Backer to the cast.

"His character, Logan, will arrive in Erinsborough in the coming weeks, but what's his reason for showing up in town? And who does Logan have a mysterious connection to on Ramsay Street?"

Meanwhile, Neighbours' executive producer Jason Herbison recently told Digital Spy: "Melanie has a chance meeting with Logan during her travels and this becomes the catalyst for him to travel to Erinsborough.

"There's more to him than meets the eye and he hones in on Aaron, but it's not a conventional romantic storyline.

"Aaron certainly isn't in the market to meet anyone. The story takes some very unexpected turns, which I don't think the audience will see coming."

Neighbours airs these scenes on Monday, June 24.

Neighbours releases new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. In Australia, the show airs from Mondays to Thursdays at 4pm on Channel 10, with a 6.30pm repeat screening on 10 Peach Comedy.

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Neighbours teases mysterious storyline for newcomer Logan

16 May 2024 / Sam Warner

Neighbours has teased a mysterious storyline for new character Logan.

The soap recently teased the arrival of actor Matthew Backer in Erinsborough, though an new announcement by Neighbours on social media suggests his character Logan will have a "mysterious connection" to another Ramsay Street resident.

"We're very excited to welcome Matthew Backer to the cast," Neighbours wrote on Instagram.

"His character, Logan, will arrive in Erinsborough in the coming weeks but what's his reason for showing up in town? And who does Logan have a mysterious connection to on Ramsay Street?"

Meanwhile, earlier this month a show trailer suggested that Logan will form a romantic connection with Aaron Brennan following the death of Aaron's husband David Tanaka.

In the clip, Aaron is introduced to the newcomer, with Logan later telling him: "I can't even imagine what you’ve been through after you lost your partner."

Matthew teased to a fan on Instagram that while Ramsay Street "did welcome me with open arms", there was "a fair bit of suspicion" towards his character.

David actor Takaya Honda previously expressed a desire to see Aaron find new love again.

"David loves Aaron too much to want Aaron to live the rest of his life lonely and sad because David's died […] He absolutely wants Aaron to move on," he told Digital Spy.

"I don't know how quickly Aaron should move on, but it is Neighbours so it could be a week or two – I don't know!"

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Meet The Actor Set For Stardom In 2024: Matthew Backer

By Dale Roberts, January 2024

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DIE BULLY DIE – Sweet Revenge Will Fill The Screen When Matt Backer And Drew Weston Debut Film

By Matt Myers / September 15, 2023

Ever wanted to get even with your high school bully? Local theatre hunks and DNA favourites Matt Backer and Drew Weston are doing just that, well sort of. 

The two actors have written a short film of vengeance, also paying homage to the slasher films of the Nineties. Described as Fleabag meets Final Destination with a dash of Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Die Bully Die tackles homophobia, gay shame, forgiveness and bearing a grudge! 

Admit it, we’ve all dreamed of it!

Speaking to Matt Myers about the inception for their Die Bully Die! show, creators Matt Backer and Drew Weston explain that it’s loosely based off their experiences in high school and facing down old bullies through art.

“I went to an all-boys Catholic school in the Nineties and had a rough time. I held onto it for way too long and it affected my growing up in becoming an adult and my relationships,” says Backer. “I came out quite late at around thirty because of that damage, but I’m now happy working as an actor with a supportive and loving family.”

Feeling that the past is always present in our lives, Backer also saw a chance to create some interesting characters which he developed with Weston. 

“Drew and I get along so well,” he says. “We have the same sort of humour and we thought this was a great concept to write, play and produce. So, we drew from my experiences to create the story and it’s now evolved into a greater metaphor for trauma. It’s not necessarily just homophobic or queerphobic but something relatable to people in letting go of the past. It’s about tackling the future with greater hope.”

Set in a plush restaurant, the plot sees Max (Backer) meeting up with his high-school bully Adam (Weston) after a sixteen-year gap. But things don’t go well and Max’s grudge manifests into revenge of the classic teen-horror comedy genre.

Nineties teen dramas are familiar turf to Drew Weston, having recently played lead hunk Sebastian in Cruel Intentions: The Nineties Musical.

“I had a different high school experience to Matt,” says Weston. “I had a little bit of bullying, but nothing to the extent that he had. In Die Bully Die! my character bullied Max in high school and he’s turned out to be gay himself. It’s a frustrating situation for Max, but Adam is there to apologise, which doesn’t really go to plan!”

For Weston, the experience has been a learning curve in producing and writing as well as acting. He also sees the production reaching beyond the LGBTQIA+ community. “It’s a universal topic,” he says.

“Whether it’s bullying for being gay or overweight or a cultural background, everyone can relate in some way, whether as the victim, witness or actually the bully who now realises what they had done.”

“It’s seen through the lens of the Nineties slasher films we grew up with, which sells well. It’s more Black Mirror than a sentimental ‘woe is me’. But even though it’s full-on, it does have some heart-warming moments.” 

The film also stars Ben Gerrard and Shannon Dooley, with Nick Annas and Ethan Lamb-Kelly playing younger versions of Max and Adam. Production is taking place around Sydney with aspirations to extend into a full-length film or series.

Backer and Weston are also looking for support from the community, with a crowdfunding account set up through the Australian Cultural Fund. 

“The crowdfunding is going great, and support has been beautiful,” says Backer.

“A lot of people have been through a similar journey, but we also have wonderful allies too. They want to see this type of story and the Australian Cultural Fund has been fantastic in providing our crowdfunding platform. We wanted to support an Australian organisation that supports local artists, and it also helps that donations through there are tax deductible!”

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Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Adapted and directed by Kip Williams

Sydney Theatre Company, August 8 - September 10, 2022

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Ewen Leslie and Matt Backer take a walk on the wild side in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Louise Rugendyke, July 31, 2022, SMH

For Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kip Williams is returning to the cine-theatre approach he used so effectively for Dorian Gray. Leslie and Backer will interact with a camera crew on stage and the show will use pre-recorded pieces.

“It’s a mash-up of science fiction, film noir, Gothic horror and detective tropes,” says Williams. “Riffing off Hitchcock and Kubrick with a healthy dose of Sally Potter’s breaking the fourth wall. We love the murder mystery and this is one of the early iconic versions of those genres, so we’re really leaning into that.”

It’s also a story of friendship, which Backer thinks will be a revelation.

“Everyone knows the mythology of Jekyll and Hyde and people are coming to it knowing the twist,” says Backer, who describes Utterson as “someone who doesn’t want to go outside of his own box”.

“A lot of people, having not read the novella, will be surprised the protagonist is really this dusty, dreary, austere guy who is fighting to save his best friend. It’s actually quite moving.”

Both actors have worked with Williams before, so are already prepared for the frantic juggling that goes on in a Williams production. What’s it like?

“This is not a two-person show,” says Leslie. “This is an ensemble show. Like there’s two of us but there’s also a three- or four-person camera team and we’re all working together to try and get it right.

Backer, meanwhile, has unique training for handling the on-stage camera crew: his role as a regular presenter on Play School.

“When you enter Play School, the first thing they tell you is to speak to the camera as if it’s one child,” says Backer. “So much of Play School is about addressing the camera with a sense of energy and excitement.

“You’re sharing a story but then, in the story, you’ll be Matt, then you’ll be Jemima, next you’ll be Little Ted. You’re always jumping in and out of character. So, surprisingly, Play School has actually prepared me for Jekyll and Hyde.”

Less horror on Play School, I hope?

“It’s the Strange Case of Big Ted and Little Ted,” he says, laughing.

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After the epic cine-theatre feat of Dorian Gray, Kip Williams takes on Jekyll and Hyde

How Sydney Theatre Company is casting a new gaze on the classic tale of human duality.

Written by Travis Johnson Monday 8 August 2022

Having astounded audiences and critics alike with his bold take on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Sydney Theatre Company’s artistic director Kip Williams and the creative team behind Dorian, including leading video technology and production company TDC, return to the realm of Victorian supernatural literature with his latest directorial offering, Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Whereas Dorian Gray was a one-performer affair, with actor Eryn Jean Norvill playing 26 different characters and interacting with video recordings of herself in various guises in real time, Jekyll and Hyde splits two actors across three roles between them: Ewen Leslie, reuniting with Williams after their impressive recent staging of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and Matthew Backer, who appeared in Williams’ Cloud Nine. Between them, the pair play the saintly Jekyll; the sinister Hyde; and Utterson, Jekyll’s friend and confidante, and the point of view character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s source novella (exactly who plays who is left for audiences to discover).

Williams will again employ the innovative cine-theatre live video techniques that have become synonymous with his work, and which made Dorian Gray into a nationally (and soon to be internationally) touring hit (next stop: Broadway). Many theatregoers are wondering, how is he going to top it?

“I've always been fascinated by the novella,” Williams explains. “And I was struck by how different the novella is from the mythology that encircles it – in particular, how the work purports to be about an individual who turns themselves into a monster, when in fact it's much more about an individual who unleashes something that already exists within them.”

First published in 1886, Stevenson’s book has been frequently adapted for stage and screen, with such luminaries as Michael Caine, Spencer Tracey, and John Barrymore taking up the dual roles of Jekyll and Hyde (for extra resonance, the 1920 silent version starring Barrymore also borrowed elements from Dorian Gray). Indeed, many are more familiar with various transformative works rather than the original book – including Leslie.

“I mean, I'd never read it,” he admits, laughing. “My only reference point for it, to be honest, was cartoons. I knew the Bugs Bunny cartoon. I knew the Tom and Jerry cartoon. I think it's just one of those things that when you hear you go, ‘oh yeah, I know that’.

“And then when I read it, I realized that I didn't know it. I had a version of the story that I'd worked out in my own head. As I started to read it, I realised that it was really different, and I didn't know it as well as I thought.”

For a short book, Jekyll and Hyde is a thematically dense text, with the most obvious thread being the notion of duality, as the nominally kind-hearted Dr Jekyll is transformed by his homebrewed potion into his brutish alter-ego, Mr Hyde. This idea of there being a disparity between outward appearance and inner life is not new to actors on the whole, but it is an appealing motif, as Backer explains.

“I'm a gay actor in an industry that I don't think champions gay men,” he tells us. “Especially on not Australian TV. It's a struggle and we do feel the pressure to behave a certain way, to be palatable. This play is all about the outside forces constricting one character to be one thing, when there is another character who has just opened that door. We have so many selves that we have to let out, otherwise, what a waste. I really lean into that, and that affects me quite a bit.”

The notion of the true self, and one’s truest desires, being hidden for propriety’s sake is baked into not just Jekyll and Hyde, but the entire literary tradition it belongs to, as Williams explains.

“These Gothic works were created in a society that had an immense amount of social regulation that I think we still carry with us today,” He muses. “We're in a process of wrestling away from it, which is why it's so interesting to revisit.”

In Williams’ version, the Jekyll and Hyde tale is not only about duality, but authenticity – how we engage with our truest self, and who we show that self to. Whereas previous adaptations have centred firmly on the Jekyll/Hyde dynamic, Williams has chosen to also explore the character of Utterson, and how his own internal crisis is reflected in the titular duo’s more overt struggle.

“These are stories about the tension between authenticity and constructing a false identity,” he says. “If Dorian is about how you remedy that interior dialogue with yourself, this work is much more about the external expression of self: both the pressure not to express parts of yourself, and also the relationships that we have in our lives, where we deeply need to express our full self.

“I'm under no illusions at 37 that the times in my life when I have felt the most confident or the strongest or the sexiest or the coolest has been either acting on stage or in front of the camera as someone else,” he says. “Most actors, I think, thoroughly enjoy playing other versions of humans. Yet ask them to be themselves on stage – even myself, I get tense about that. There's something there in terms of appreciating the other selves that we get to play.”

Backer, who previously appeared with Leslie in the 2020 ABC TV series Operation Buffalo, also responded to the story’s exploration of the way we keep our true selves hidden from the public, finding parallels with his own experiences.

“I think it is a core human trait,” he continues. “That we have to, in some space, express to another human being who we truly are. That might be with a partner. It might be with a sibling or a parent. But I think, more often than not, it's with our friends.”

Backer picks up this thread, saying, “There is something in Utterson that he is not allowing himself to give into: pleasures, temptations, a freedom of self, of the way he walks and talks. And yeah, I absolutely related to that as a kid growing up in the ‘90s, in Brisbane, at an all-boy school. There's just no way you would act the way you want to act.”

For Leslie, the play is another work in which he can explore the moral contrasts and conflicts within a character, which is a theme he has returned to throughout his career.

“Whenever I've played good guys, I tend to start looking for the darkness. To make it more interesting or more complex – you immediately start looking for the darkness. And then if you're playing someone like [my character] in Sweet Country [the 2017 film], who's obviously a horrendous human being or does horrendous things, you immediately start looking for the light. I suppose there is something that naturally you do as an actor. The first thing I tend to go looking for is the duality in characters.”

He pauses and laughs again. “Which I suppose, in this one, is pretty easy.”

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde plays Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay, until September 3, 2022.

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On the Couch with Matthew Backer

Who is Matthew Backer? Matthew Backer is a 35-year-old actor slash Play School host slash wannabe screenwriter slash horror buff slash Buffy buff slash slash-enthusiast.

What would you do differently from what you do now? I’d probably still be a journalist. I studied journalism and worked as a cadet in Queensland in my early twenties. I love news but wasn’t shaping up to be a hard-nosed daily news journo. I preferred researching and writing the story behind story. That was, no doubt, the actor in me constantly asking, “why do humans do what they do?”

Who inspires you and why? At the moment, women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg. Yes, I guess that gives away where my political leanings lean but, damn, their fearless push for humanity to make the drastic social changes we must make in order to combat something like climate change is incredibly inspiring. They’re also Queens of the clap-back against their naysayers. They’re saving the world with smarts, sass and style. Inspiration for days.

What would you do to make a difference in the world? I think nowadays the question needs to be “what DO you do to make a difference in the world?” We can all dream about what we would do if we had the resources and money to make a mammoth difference in the world but we all have to start somewhere and I firmly believe small acts make a difference in the world around you. Whether it’s choosing kindness, doing your best to be environmentally friendly, fully supporting worthwhile social causes, knowing what earth-damaging industries your money may be supporting and how you can change/control that, keeping abreast of the news and changing your ways and your thinking to be a fully inclusive, respectful, thoughtful human etc. It all matters.

Favourite holiday destination and why? What is this mythical land of “holiday destination” you speak of?! *scratches head* When we can jump on a plane and travel elsewhere in the world without having to worry about Lil’ Miss Rona, it’d be somewhere tropical with lots of swimming and snorkeling and kayaking and exploring. I loved Phi Phi Island and Railay Beach in Thailand and have always wanted to holiday in the Maldives. But I’ve also never seen snow so maybe I should nix the tropics and head somewhere snowy when I get the chance.

When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why? Any one of Sydney’s beaches. Seriously, who gave Sydney permission to be such a stunner when it comes to beaches? Sydney beaches know how much of a babe they are and we’re spoilt for choice. Tamarama is my fave at the moment, mainly because there are often dogs galore gallivanting around in the rock pools to the left of the beach. Heaven.

What are you currently reading? My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. It’s an unholy mash-up of Beaches and The Exorcist set in the 80s following two best girlfriends, one of whom is randomly possessed by the devil. It’s funny, scary, sweet and strange. I love me a genre blend!

What are you currently listening to? I listen to The Rachel Maddow Show every other day. As an ex journo, I enjoy politics, in that I “enjoy” the trashy, addictive drama of it all. Rachel is also such a supreme political commentator. She researches like no one else and is whip-smart. When I’m not punishing myself with political podcasts, I’ve been loving the Back From Reality podcast and when I don’t have a podcast playing in my ears, I’m probably listening to one of my many playlists with subtle, mature names like: 90s TUNEZ and POP BANGERZ.

Happiness is? Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That show saved me from many hellish moments during high school, my twenties and a global pandemic. She saved my world. A lot.

What does the future hold for you? Just working as an actor at the moment is success for me after the dumpster-fire of a year for our industry that was 2020. So, if “the future” happens to be reading this, just keep sending more of those acting jobs this way! I’m (slowly) writing a TV show and will also continue to act the fool on Play School and Play School Art Time and improvise my way through Story Salad on the ABC Kids Listen app.

Matthew stars in the Australian premiere of the Mel Brooks kooky musical comedy, Young Frankenstein at the Hayes Theatre Co from 18 February 2021. For more information, visit: www.hayestheatre.com.au for details.

https://artsreview.com.au/on-the-couch-with-matthew-backer/

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FINDING HIS LIGHT

DNA Magazine #255 2021

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Young Frankenstein: Some Kind of Monster

By Matthew Backer, 23 Feb 2021

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How Young Frankenstein taps into the fear of Donald Trump

By Louise Rugendyke, January 30, 2021

Alexander Berlage has form for this kind of thing, twisting a well-known film musical into something else entirely on the stage. Think the “colourful riot” that was Cry-Baby in 2018 and his “machete-sharp” American Psycho in 2019.

Now he’s turning his director’s hand to Mel Brooks’ musical version of his 1974 cult hit Young Frankenstein. What on earth is he up to now? “It seems like we’re starting a habit of taking cult films that have been turned into musicals that have not been so successful overseas and having a bit of fun with them,” he says, laughing.

Young Frankenstein will be first show back at the Hayes Theatre after an extended shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The audience will be capped at 80 and Berlage says the themes of the wildly silly musical should be familiar to those in the audience.

“This anxiety about what we do not know and what we do not understand,” he says. “And that’s very much the crux of this story - Frederick Frankenstein creates a monster and the town goes crazy because there’s this monster they’re scared of. And it’s purely because they don’t understand it.

“There’s a lot to be said in our world for people getting in a spin over ideas and occurrences without spending enough time to get the facts or trying to understand the situation.”

Matthew Backer, who is playing Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced Fronk-en-steen), the grandson of the infamous mad scientist Victor, agrees: “The theme of the Frankenstein monster getting out of control is one we can all clue into after the last four years [of Donald Trump],” he says.

While Gene Wilder’s wild-eyed performance in Mel Brooks’ film will be familiar to fans, Backer has plans to take his Fronk-en-steen in an entirely different direction.

“I sort of look at it as not wanting to be a certain type of camp,” he says. “I’m a queer, gay actor in an industry that celebrates the Aussie bloke, a certain type of man, and in this [show] I can see Frederick pushing down -‘I’m not a Frankenstein, I’m not a Frankenstein’ - and the play sees him going, ‘You know what? I am a Frankenstein’ and embracing the camp and the insanity. He can’t help but be a Frankenstein, no matter how much he tries to suppress it.”

Young Frankenstein is at the Hayes Theatre, Darlinghurst, from February 18.

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