Mario Condello.

Mario Condello. Photo: Nic Kocher

TWO months before gangland figure Mario Condello was killed in 2006, he had a wish that his brother Enzo would write a play about Hitler and his intense love affair with his half-niece Geli Raubal. Enzo, a playwright, penned Hitler and the Tragedy of Geli Raubal, telling me Mario had been reading about German history and told him: ''This would make a good play.'' Enzo said his older brother loved history and literature and introduced him to Dante, the Italian poet. Enzo, the author of four plays, was fascinated with the story of the Nazi leader and his devout Catholic half-niece, who committed suicide in 1931. ''He was deeply, madly in love with her. Had she lived and married Hitler, the course of world history could have altered.'' The life of Enzo and sister Frances changed when their brother was shot in his driveway near Brighton Cemetery, Enzo saying he was so grief-stricken he couldn't write. His writing has been influenced by Shakespeare and the Raubal story was yet another tragedy, like the demise of his brother. ''Mario was a tragic figure. He could have gone in another direction. He could have been a great politician. He had a lot of charisma, intelligence and wit.'' Gunmen denied him a seat in parliament but he'll be honoured when the play opens in Carlton, spiritual home of the Carlton Crew, at Trades Hall on May 15. The dramatisation of Raubal's life is directed by Jason Freddi. There could be a seat reserved for Mick Gatto.


Hearty mission to Afghan Pamir

THE state was gripped by the 2009 rescue of Bear Grylls fan Tim Holding from Mount Feathertop in the alpine valley, so diners at Dandenong's Afghan Pamir Restaurant couldn't stop staring at the wine he shared with buddy Martin Pakula over dinner. It was Feathertop, a shiraz from winemaker Kel Boynton. Pamir owner Baryalai Rahimi laid on his famous mantu dumplings and chicken tikka kebabs on large skewers that could double as swords to battle it out for the last kebab. Other fans are MasterChef dandy Matt Preston and Anthony Byrne, the federal MP for Holt, who rose in Parliament to congratulate Rahimi on moving to a new location in Lonsdale Street. Rahimi revealed that troops deployed to Afghanistan visit him to learn about his food, language and culture, and he feeds the homeless - not leftovers but freshly cooked meals. The man who migrated from Jalalabad in 1991 also excels at feeding hungry politicians.


A night with two Tony Bennetts

CROONER Tony Bennett is performing at the Logies on April 15 but he's not the man holding the book - that's Claude Sanicki, the Brighton identity who gets mistaken for the singer. Sanicki was in LA when Whitney Houston died in February and Bennett paid tribute to her on TV. The next thing Sanicki knew, the beauty-enhanced residents of Beverly Hills asked him how long he knew Houston and wanted his autograph. Then, when he was in Miami with his sister Nicole Rosenfeld, retirees in leisure suits would have fallen over one another if it wasn't for their sturdy sneakers to ask if he was the Grammy winner. The lookalikes met briefly several years ago when Bennett was in town but Sanicki would love a longer audience when the legend regales the Regent audience during his concerts this week. Sanicki is so obliging that he'll sign his autograph for fans.


The ABC of public interfacing

THE empire of ABC chief Mark Scott is expanding sideways at Southbank, with an excited spy telling me there are plans for a new building to front Sturt Street and house facilities at the Ripponlea outpost. What is really exciting is the foyer in the building, a place to meet and greet and inhale the atmosphere of the public broadcaster. What we love about Aunty is that it brings news to the people in a language they can understand. That's why heads are being scratched about the name for the foyer: the ''Public Interface Precinct''. Typical public-service mentality - takes three words when one will do: foyer!