This is an original musical with book and lyrics by Hugo Chiarella with music and lyrics by Naomi Liivngstone having its debut at the Hayes Theatre.
Set in 1966 with the last ever Tivoli performance in Sydney faded star Evie May relates in flashback her journey from a naive young girl from regional Western Australia to the tawdry lights of the Australian variety circuit.
Although Evie May is a fictional character the Tivoli was very much a vibrant Sydney institution from the early 20th century which lost its relevance due to the rise of television. The Tivoli closed in 1966. At one stage it was managed by Tibor Rudas who became the impresario behind The Three Tenors’ juggernaut.
The set by Anna Gardiner consists of an elevated scaffold emblazoned with a Tivoli neon sign and a moving ladder which provides access points to the scaffold and is also a prop on its own.
The show commences gloomily realising that her star has dimmed. She is pessimistic about the future. Evie then reminisces about her constrained life in regional Western Australia where the only option seemed to be marriage. At this stage in her life she is known as Evelyn May Murphy.
Seduced by a travelling American comedian she runs away from her parents to follow her Lothario and to give birth to his baby boy away from the crushing shame that would have enveloped her had she given birth in her home state.
Arriving at the Tivoli in the 1930s she sees the possibility and eventual realisation that she can become a musical star after she places her son Nicholas into the care of her infertile sister. At the start of her musical ascent she is given the stage name Evie May.
The musical deals with many issues that resonate today such as lesbian love, motherhood guilt, constrained male roles, overweening ambition, the casting couch, and the compromises imposed as a result of success.
Amanda Harrison and Loren Hunter are terrific as the old and young Evie May respectively. The play takes the unusual step in having them both on stage together where they harmonise in glorious duets. To symbolise the war years they are joined by a third female cast member to sing like the Andrews sisters in lighthearted ditties. The remaining ensemble consisting of Tim Draxl, Bishanyis Vincent and Jo Turner play vastly different multiple roles highlighting their musical and dramatic skills. Only the two principals and Keegan Joyce playing Eve May’s enigmatic assistant inhabit the one character through the play.
My only criticism of the show is that for me, a great musical consists of both light-hearted and poignant music. I felt that there was an imbalance favouring the ‘sad music’ some of which sounded fairly similar in different songs. Nevertheless the vocally blessed cast extracted every gem from the music they performed.
Director Kate Champion masterly manoeuvres the characters between the upper and lower levels, extracts some wonderfully skilful dancing especially from Loren Hunter and creates intense, genuine emotion between the two Evie Mays.
The breadth and variety of music suggesting a bigger brand of musicians than were actually present is due to the skills and experience of Musical Director Steven Kreamer and Musical Supervisor Max Lambert.
I have commented on the set but also add that Anna Gardiner also designed the costumes which effectively evoke the fashions of the time that this musical covers ie pre World War 2 up until 1966.
The starkness must be filled in another way. The skilled lighting design of Sian James-Holland creates moods ranging from the colour and joy of a vaudeville like circus to stark and lonely despair.
There was a time when the Hayes Theatre Company productions over-amplified the sound for this tiny space. In more recent times this has been corrected and with this production is perfected by sound designer Nate Edmondson.
A new Australian musical is to be celebrated and this most welcome production comes highly recommended.