Devised and
presented by Robyn Archer with George Butrumlis, Cameron Goodall, Enio
Pozzebon.
At Canberra
Theatre Centre Playhouse, July 7 & 8.
Reviewed by
BILL STEPHENS.
If you’re a
fan of Robyn Archer it will come as no surprise that the songs in her
Australian Songbook might be quite different to what you might have chosen. In
fact it would be surprising if you had previously heard more than a few of her
choices.
It’s no
accident that Archer is regarded as a National Living Treasure. With an
international reputation for her contributions to the arts, Archer is a much
decorated songwriter/entertainer/political activist/provocateur/historian/artistic
director and influencer.
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| Robyn Archer with Enio Pozzebon and Cameron Goodall |
She’s also a
delightfully cheeky entertainer with a penchant for rude songs. All these
passions are reflected in this brilliantly devised, simply staged entertainment,
which she delivered, positioned behind a microphone, her script on a stand in
front of her. Her choices were thought-provoking, sometimes provocative, often
surprising, always interesting, definitely entertaining and threaded together
by an engrossing script.
Joining her
on stage were three skilled musical colleagues in George Butrumlis on piano accordion,
Cameron Goodall on guitars and banjo, and Enio Possebon on keyboard who gilded
her lily with delicious musical arrangements, cheeky harmonies, and even
contributing the occasional amusing solo when opportunity presented .
Setting the
tone with her own composition, “I Am Not Now or Will I Ever Be”, Archer
declares that she is not to be compared with other Australian icons like
Crocodile Dundee, Bazza McKenzie or Germaine Greer, before launching into a
fascinating history of Australia told through song.
Archer
obviously delights in words and includes in her program several musicalisations
of the words of Australian poets and playwrights, even politicians. A stand-out
song being an intriguing musical setting
by Brisbane-based composer, Rob
Davidson, of Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech.
Early in the
program when commenting on Australians who had come from other lands, she included
a heart-felt reading of a poem by Queanbeyan poet, Omar Musa, “The Great
Displaced”. When commenting on First Nation’s issues she sang Dr Lou Bennet’s
haunting song about her birthing tree, “Jaara Nyilamum”.
Included in
the program were several songs from Australian musicals. From Max Lambert’s
musical based on Kenneth Slessor’s poems, “Darlinghurst Night”, Archer chose
“In choker’s Lane”, an ode to Sydney’s infamous Palmer Street. From the musical
“Lola Montez” she featured a new song written by Peter Stannard for a revival
of this show, “Lola’s Misgivings”.
Enio Pozzebon
and Cameron Goodall offered an hilarious version of “Heavens, Mr. Evans” from
the Casey Bennetto’s hugely successful, “Keating the Musical” for which Pozzebon
was an original cast member, and from the musical “Songs from Sideshow Alley” which she wrote for herself and Robyn Nevin, Archer
performed an up-beat version of “The Backyard Abortion Waltz”, opening up the opportunity for several other
of her strident feminist anthems including “The Menstruation Blues”, “The
Menopause Blues” and Kate Miller-Heidke’s uncharacteristically bitter, “The Facebook Song”.
Taking a
deep dive into political parody Archer included a song by Bungendore satirist’s
Shortis and Simpson, “Bob Menzies Balls”, Art Leonard’s 1930’s depression song
“Banish the Budget Blues”, which still felt remarkably pertinent, and a song
she wrote with Paul Grabowsky “I Dig Up Dirt”.
.jpg) |
| Robyn Archer |
Archer
covered many more topics in her wide-ranging, generous program. Too many to
list here but the crowning achievement
of the night, was the fabulous encore in which Archer and her associates sang
through snippets of no fewer than 31 songs about Australian towns and cities which
earned them a spontaneous and enthusiastic standing ovation.
Hero Image: Claudio Raschella - Production images: Brett Boardman
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 8.07.23