Book by
Carolyn Burns, based on a novel by Madeline St. John
Music and
Lyrics by Tim Finn -Directed by
Simon Phillips,
Choreographed
by Andrew Hallsworth -Designed by
Gabriela Tylesova
Musical
Director David Young
Presented by
Queensland Theatre and the Sydney Festival
Sydney:
Lyric Theatre, 3 - 22nd January 2017
Brisbane:
Playhouse, QPAC, 28th January -19 February 2017
Melbourne:
Regent Theatre, 25th February – 18th March, 2017
Canberra:
Canberra Theatre, 27th March – 2nd April 2017
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
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| Sarah Morrison (centre) and the female ensemble of "Ladies in Black". |
“Ladies in Black” is a gentle, nostalgic little
musical about a young girl, Lisa (Sarah Morrison), who takes a temporary job in
Goodes department store; while she waits for the results of her leaving
certificate examination, which she hopes will be good enough to allow her to
study at University.
Set in
Sydney in the 1950’s, our heroine lives at home with loving, protective
parents. Her father is dead against her going to University, encouraging her
instead to set her sights on getting married and bringing up a family.
 |
| Sarah Morrison as Lisa |
Goode’s department store looks a lot like
David Jones, and employs sales assistants who actually offer service to its
customers, among them Fay (Ellen Simpson) and Patty (Madeleine Jones), who
befriend Lisa. She also meets Magda (Natalie Gamsu), a glamorous Hungarian
migrant who runs the Model Gowns department where Lisa discovers a gorgeous
dress which she hopes to be able to afford, at a discounted price, if it is not
sold in the January sales.
Magda takes
a liking to Lisa and invites her to her Mosman home, where Lisa meets Magda’s
Hungarian husband, Stefan (Greg Stone) and is introduced to their Bohemian
lifestyle and friends, who include the charming refugee, Rudi (Bobby Fox). Gradually,
she discovers a whole different world to the one that she has been brought up
in.
Along the
way Lisa discovers Patty’s marriage is faltering because of her apparent
inability to conceive; that Fay is worrying because she is approaching her 30th
birthday and becoming tired of the procession of dull men who pass through her
life, and that everyone is intrigued by their kindly work colleague, Miss
Jacobs (Trisha Noble) who won’t reveal her first name.
Impressive
performances abound with Sarah Morrison capturing exactly the right tone as the
blossoming young schoolgirl, Lisa.
Natalie Gamsu is terrific as the elegantly hedonistic, Magda, as is Greg
Stone in the dual roles of Magda’s husband, Stefan, and Lisa’s father, Mr.
Stone. Though Bobby Fox’s Hungarian accent is questionable, his singing and
dancing is sheer delight.
Simon
Phillip’s direction is slick and inventive, drawing on some witty choreography
by Andrew Hallsworth, and utilising to the full, Gabriela Tylesova’s stylish setting
with its three revolving stages which allows furniture and actors to glide
gracefully into place for many changes of locale, and propel the storyline clearly
and effectively. Tylesova’s lovely costumes
also successfully capture the emerging elegance of the period.
 |
| Madeline Jones (Patty), Ellen Simpson (Fay) - Natalie Gamsu (Magda) in "Ladies in Black" |
Tim Finn has
provided some catchy songs, perhaps a few too many, but among them “The Bastard
Song” is laugh-out-loud funny, “Sales talk” deliciously complex and “A Nice
Australian Girl” quite charming. But none of them remain in the memory after
the curtain comes down. Hopefully a cast recording will help rectify that. And
while it’s a pleasant relief to be able to enjoy a musical without being pinned
to the back wall by the over-amplified sound, perhaps the sound balance in the
Lyric Theatre can be tweaked just enough to allow those seated in the Dress
Circle to catch all of Tim Finn’s wry and clever lyrics.
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| Kathryn McIntyre - Kate Cole - Madeline Jones- Trish Noble perform "The Bastard Song" |
Although
rather dwarfed in the huge Lyric theatre, and despite nothing of any real
consequence happening in a storyline in which the inevitable happy endings can
be seen a mile-off, the creatives and cast of “Ladies in Black” have successfully
created a charming slice-of-life musical
which, without becoming cloying, taps into a nostalgia for a period still lurking
in the memories of many who will make up its audience, and which is likely to insinuate
its way into their hearts, in much the same way as Nick Enright’s “Summer Rain”.
Photos by Lisa Tomaseti
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com
