Swift lets Sydney theatre shake it off
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This sick beat: Taylor Swift has given her permission for Sydney oldies to Shake It Off. (Pic Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)
Source: AP
TAYLOR Swift may not be cool enough for Triple J but she has just won over the 70-plus demographic in Australia.
Belvoir Street Theatre started a Twitter campaign this morning to get the music superstar’s permission to use her hit Shake It Off in a new production called Seventeen.
The company wanted to use Shake It Off as the money shot in a scene where 70-year-old actors (including Barry Otto) dance like 17-year-olds, knowing all the words to the hit song.
Permission granted, @BelvoirSt. Good luck with your opening night 
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 4, 2015
However at the last minute they were denied the rights to use the global hit by corporate haters, prompting a rapid Twitter campaign with the hashtag #greygreyfortaytay from director Anne-Louise Sarks.
After sending it to celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe this afternoon they got the Swift response they were after.
Swift tweeted “permission granted”, green-lighting the Seventeen cast to get down to her sick beat.
Pensioner selfie: the cast of Seventeen — Peter Carroll, John Gaden, Anna Volska, Maggie Dence and Barry Otto — can officially now Shake It Off. Picture: Brett Boardman
Source: Supplied
.@taylorswift13 It’s about the last day of school – only the 17yrolds are all played by 70yrolds 3/7 #greygrey4taytay pic.twitter.com/t3i1JPdZn2
— Anne-Louise Sarks (@annelouisesarks) August 3, 2015
Please @taylorswift13 help these seventy-year-olds Shake It Off! #greygrey4taytay https://t.co/kGGBxx7Z0t
— Anne-Louise Sarks (@annelouisesarks) August 3, 2015
The tweet was also sent to Swift’s record company boss Scott Borchetta as well as an array of Taylor Swift fan accounts.
The Swift-approved Seventeen opens tomorrow night in Sydney.
The cast includes Peter Carroll, Maggie Dence, John Gaden, Genevieve Lemon, Barry Otto and Anna Volska.
Taylor Swift will tour Australia in December, where her 1989 tour will end in Melbourne on December 12, the day before her 26th birthday.
