And now, a mini-list of a few original Australian works that I have seen and admired:
First we concentrate on Musicals …
One extraordinarily good Oz production that died a commercial death while passing every species of artistic criteria with brilliant flying colours was
“Rasputin” – The Musical Revolution
Written by composer David Tydd with lyrics and dialogue by David Lucas.
This piece featured Jon English (as Rasputin) plus Karyn O’Neill and Angry Anderson amongst a larger cast of very fine performers.
The show opened at the State Theatre, Sydney in 1987 – and ended there shortly after.
The S.M.Herald critic said it was too long. They hurriedly chopped about a third out and that’s when this blogger saw the show and was convinced it had all the merit necessary to reverse the usual directional flow of the Showbiz current by exiting Sydney to take Broadway New York and the West End London by storm. However it was too late to save it commercially even though the Herald critic re-evaluated it more favourably a second time. After that the customary deadly inertia took over and a beautiful thing died.
Theatre at the best of times is a delicate organism susceptible to infant mortality and even moreso is the complex art of the Musical which involves most or all of the other arts all held together in a tenuous inter-relationship so that when you add to that the unknown indeed un-knowable factor of newness, well, it can get dicey. The Director and Designer of “Rasputin” Stephen Hopkins put it best:
“Even the ghost of Rasputin together with all the x-factors that are bound to arise in the staging of any new show have not stopped this unusual mixture of horror, comedy, political philosophy and of course, romance, being presented as a show unashamedly competitive to any in the World”.
I agree it was OR definitely should have had an opportunity to be so.
David Tydd wrote and produced another Musical -Valentino the Latin Lover in 2007 and a re-run of it in 09
There have been a sizeable number of Oz Musicals produced at professional and amateur levels or a mix of both known as Pro-Am. We often don’t know about them, I don’t know about them either, because they undeservedly sink without trace in the murky depths of incredulity that we could actually produce something good here. Admittedly some shows require a little more work but they don’t deserve the capital sentence handed down by the arbiter of all things Oz which we nominate “cultural cringe”. So here are some more … (remember, everyone’s a critic – even you and me)
“Aloft”
A lightweight story about a balloonist
Barbara Poston-Anderson, recreates Captain Taylor Penfold’s daring hot-air Balloon launch at the 1911 Parramatta Jubilee Day Celebrations. Staged in 1997 at Parramatta Riverside Theatres, this well (and expensively) produced show deserved to go over better than it’s leaden namesake. So far I haven’t heard about “Aloft” rising again but it ought to.
“Give ‘em Hell”
By Robin Escott and Michael Neaves and directed by Robin Escott for B.C.C.T. (Blacktown City Community theatre) - in 2002.
This innovative Musical explores the proposition “What if the Devil fell in love”?
The answer is of course that he would moon about in an absurd state of melancholia and basically forget about performing all his usual dirty and anti-social tricks. It is therefore highly recommended, that is both the idea of the Devil developing a love interest, and of course, this Musical!
“Cruisin”
By Pete Waterman and Rod Christian and directed by Jane Miscovik at Hills Performing Arts Centre in 2003
This fun show set in the 50’s and featuring lots of Rock n’ Roll music, tells the story of
the children of Italian immigrants who would like to break free of old-world constraints and be thoroughly modern, or anyway, to come to terms with the Australian way of life.
Music becomes the instrument of reconciliation, bridging the generation gap and creating a new cultural harmony and optimism for the future.
“Summer rain”
By Nick Enright and Terrence Clarke and directed by Robyn Nevin for STC
(Sydney Theatre Company) - 2005
This highly polished production by Sydney’s premier professional theatre company
“charts the struggles and hopes of disparate tribes – the raucous Slocum Family Tent Show players, or the ‘showies’, and the ordinary folk of drought-stricken Turnaround Creek, ‘where there’s not a whole lot doin’ …”.
In nine days of rain between Christmas Eve 1945 and New year’s Day 1946, our travelling players are stranded at an outback pub. They were also there some years before when as it turns out, Pa Slocum fathered one of the local children who now as a grown up young woman, would like to run off with her Showbiz family.
It is a warm-hearted work dealing with loss and redemption.
In my opinion the set-builders should have also been invited to take a bow after the style of their C19th forebears, as the stage engineering was marvellous including the recycling of seemingly mega-litres of water which descended as “rain” throughout the production.
The Convict’s Opera”
By Stephen Jeffreys, adapted from the original “The Beggar’s Opera” by John Gay.
A joint production between “STC” and “Out of Joint” - Max Stafford-Clark’s touring U.K theatre Company. It was produced at STC (Walsh Bay) in 2008, then toured Britain.
Billed as “the world’s first musical – and still one of the best” it is a borderline candidate for our purpose of listing a few Australian Musicals. Anyhow it was excellent, combining
modern popular songs with the classic elements of the John Gay original – which worked
very well!
“One Night the Moon”
A Music, Drama, Television series the idea of which was born in 1997 as a stage Musical composed by Kev Carmody, Mai Read Lannan and Paul Kelly and written by John Romeril and Rachel Perkins. Staged by Q Theatre, Penrith NSW.
“Someone’s Son”
By Rick Burchall and Greg Crease and directed by Christopher Hamilton for Bankstown Theatrical Society in 2005
“It is the autumn of 1916 in a small country town in NSW. A young music student is mesmerized by the rhetoric of a recruiting rally and decides to enlist in the A.I.F. in order to fight for his country in the Great War. His decision will have far reaching effects on his family, friends and the girl he must leave behind. Someone’s Son is an adventure
both real and emotional, a journey through a time in Australian history that is gone but hopefully not forgotten”.
“Numurka”
By Max Hale and directed by Roy Maxwell in 2000 at Windsor NSW.
Also set during the First World War, this rollicking yarn as seen through the eyes of youthful Sarah, recounts a story of life at home on the farm for a family whose son, Tom is away at the War. When Tom sends his medically discharged tent-mate Len to the farm to recuperate, an excruciatingly slow (for Len) romance develops between he and Sarah.
“Abraham”
Written and directed by Elissa Milne
Two versions of this religious musical were staged at Riverside Theatres Parramatta,
the first in 1994 and the second, a scaled down effort performed a couple of years later.
The style of the first “Abraham” was somewhat similar to popular musicals “Godspell” and “Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in its’ liveliness and fun. The next was
perhaps more serious, contemplative and modernist. Both showcased a genuine talent
in their originator.
“Cumberland Gang Show”
This is an annual event staged by the Scouts and Guides Association. It has been going for about forty years and is more recently held at Riversides Theatres Parramatta.
Cumberland Gang Show regularly puts well over one hundred young performers onstage and they present new and original material each year. A high level of excellence is maintained by this enthusiastic theatrical group.
Of course this is only a tiny smattering of the ORIGINAL WORK in Musical theatre being written and presented locally. Another element is PANTOMIMES, for instance
B.C.C.T. produces one written by their members every year.
“The Sentimental Bloke”
C.J. Dennis’s Australian classic poems (1915) were used as the basis for a Musical by husband and wife team Nancy Brown and Albert Arlen in collaboration with lyricist Lloyd Thomson, that was first staged in 1961 and repeated by various other companies since.
“The Sentimental Bloke” was similarly the subject of Laurel Martyn’s ballet for her company Ballet Guild in 1952, and then reworked for ABC television in 1963.
The Australian Ballet premiered its version with choreography by Robert Ray in 1985 at the Sydney Opera House.
Back in the 20’s and 30’s both silent and sound film versions were made of the story.
The upshot of all this is that “The Bloke” as it is familiarly known, is likely the most successful Australian stage theme of the twentieth century.
The story concerns Bill (the bloke) and his love for Doreen, his ideal girl, who works in the pickle factory. Bill, an Aussie battler, somehow plucks up the courage to get Doreen’s attention following which Bill triumphs over all the odds such as Doreen’s family, betting on the Melbourne Cup, plus some reflections on everyday life as discussed with his best mate Ginger Mick. J.C. Williamson showed little interest in producing the Arlen and Brown musical until after it ran successfully in Canberra. Then Williamson’s took the show up and it toured all around Australia in the 60’s.
JUKEBOX (OR HYBRID) MUSICALS
Writers and promoters of some recent Australian Musicals have taken a safer course by following the sometimes successful overseas lead of choosing as subject matter a well known performing artist (such as The Buddy Holly Story) borrowing their proven “hits” to largely fill out the musical score. So we have:
“The Boy From Oz”
Is a jukebox musical based on the life of singer/songwriter Peter Allen and featuring songs written by him. The book is by Martin Sherman with the original book by Nick Enright. The production had its world premiere at Her Majesty’s theatre, Sydney in 1998,
then toured Australian capitol cities, playing to over 1.2 million theatre patrons over a two year period in a total of 766 performances. Todd McKenney played Peter Allen.
The Boy From Oz was the first Australian musical to reach Broadway. Opening in 2003 in New York, the show played 32 previews and 365 performances, only ending when lead performer Hugh Jackman’s contract ran out. Jackman and Isabel Keating won awards for outstanding Actor in a Musical and the show also received nominations for four other Tony Awards including Best Musical. Then it returned to Australia for a further successful run. It would seem guaranteed to enter the permanent list along with the British Rocky Horror Show which is always in production somewhere or other.
“Priscilla Queen Of The Desert”
Adapted from the successful movie of that name, this eclectic show mostly uses popular music from a variety of sources including a piece from Verdi’s opera ‘La Traviata’.
In addition there is much dancing plus lots of feathers to keep it buoyant.
Other than the musical element the show’s main impact seems to stem from the social one of ‘trans-gender’ meeting mainstream - especially rural culture (or lack of) and the curious fascination each entertains for the other. It is touring England this year.
“Life on Mars”
Conceived by David Hollywood, Liam Judson and Aidan Roberts
for “Out Of The Blue” Company, in the Blue Mountains - in 2001.
“Life on Mars” is a compilation of David Bowie music with a Rock Opera base which interprets the parallel evolution of Bowie’s life experience with that of the creators of this work …“what it feels like to take those steps into the big wide world, and we found surprisingly, that Bowie’s music (almost chronologically) follows a similar path” .
“Dusty”
Written by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow
And directed by Stuart Maunder, featuring over 30 hit songs of Dusty Springfield.
Premiering at Star City Casino, Sydney, in 2006 – it is a great show and will no doubt similarly enter the mainstream popular repertoire; for instance it has since been taken up by Bankstown theatrical Society.
“Bran Nue Dae”
Starting off as a Musical produced amongst the Aboriginal Community at Broome W.A.
it was written by Jimmy Chi and his band Kuckles . In 1990 it toured much of Australia.
It tells the story of a Broome lad sent to the mission school for education, however he runs away on a journey that ultimately leads him back home.
The show is now a feature film which was awarded the People’s Choice of Best Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR?
Yes, why then, if it is such a difficult business fraught with financial risk and limited prospects of success, do people, especially the writers and composers, persist at new Musical theatre? …
Answer: They just can’t help themselves, they love it!
| 
