Lynn Belvedere

LADIES IN BLACK presented by SPECTRUM THEATRE GROUP at BEGA

LADIES IN BLACK is a thought-provoking comedy drama about the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney Australia, with important female lifestyle messages that are extremely relevant today. Timeless and memorable Australian coming of age story, that is focused on the naive bookish ultra-intelligent sixteen year old Lisa Miles. Lisa is initially employed in the “Cocktail Frocks” department at Goodes in the Sydney CBD, and her entertaining journey of multicultural discovery starts with Lisa meeting Magda, the woman who runs the “Model Gowns” department at Goodes.                              

Sydney 1959, this entertaining Australian musical, examines the ever expanding roles of women in society. December 1959 Lisa takes a summer job for two months as a temporary shop assistant, at F.G. Goode’s department store, which is a fictional business that is loosely based on the Australian department store chain, David Jones Limited. The required work-uniform that all female counter staff wear, is the LBD (Little Black Dress) long ago made iconic and famous by Coco Chanel when published in Vogue Magazine in 1926. Sydney in 1959 at long last, was becoming the multicultural cosmopolitan city, which it should always have been. Unjustified racist prejudices and attitudes, about the vast influx of war-ravaged European refugees (the continentals) is very evident.

LADIES IN BLACK occurs in December 1959, plus January 1960. This version is mostly set inside F.G. Goode’s department store, Lisa’s Chatswood home, Patty’s home, Fay’s home, a Sydney City pub, plus inside Magda’s Mosman home and at Manly Beach. Director FRANKIE J. HOLDEN has clearly tried to exactly match the original staging of LADIES IN BLACK, as was most brilliantly created by Queensland Theatre Company. Huge well-chosen cast and ensemble, with their harmonious voices, and the often unseen choir of backing vocalists, easily delighted all. Regional NSW Amateur Première of “Ladies in Black”. LADIES IN BLACK is an absolute must see, with superb music and delicious lyrics by Tim Finn.

Georgia Brian as LISA MILES is excellent, giving a memorable performance at all times. FAY BAINES (Hayley Fragnito) and PATTY WILLIAMS (Patricia Mills) both give very much stronger character performances than needed. MAGDA (Michelle Pettigrove) gives an outstanding and very much a standout performance throughout, and constantly diverts the audience’s focus to her. The director has applied his vision, to help shape RUDI JANOSI to seem totally charming and engaging, creating an unexpected RUDI that is definitely not as intended by the playwright.

RUDI states “I have decided to marry an Australian (girl)” which soon leads to a very clever song #14 “A NICE AUSTRALIAN GIRL”. #22 “I JUST KISSED A CONTINENTAL” song, delighted the Regional NSW audience.

#7 “THE BASTARD SONG” firmly about compromise and acceptance, is my all time favourite Tim Finn song, with its cute Australian lyrics, especially the frequent chorus refrain of  “He’s a bastard!” and for all Australian audiences just always an audience pleaser. Unfortunately Queensland Theatre Company decided to refuse to issue an Original Australian Cast CD music soundtrack album of LADIES IN BLACK.

A superior move, the ultimate message intended for all Australians to hear, is delivered to  LISA MILES by MISS JACOBS  with true joy and delight “A clever girl is the most wonderful thing in all creation you know. You must never forget that. People expect men to be clever and girls to be stupid or at least silly, which very few girls really are, but most girls oblige them by acting like it.” MRS CROWN  states everything you need to know about Australian males with – “No one understands men. We don’t understand them, and they don’t understand themselves . . . They can’t really manage by themselves, men can’t. They think they can, but they can’t. They’re just babies.”

By arrangement with David Spicer Productions –
https://www.davidspicer.com.au/

Music and Lyrics by  Tim Finn
Book by   Carolyn Burns
Adapted from the novel  “The Women in Black”  by  Madeleine St John
Frankie J. Holden – Director
Candy McVeity – Musical Director
David Willis – Vocal Director
Amber Little – Assistant Director/Choreographer

Adult themes and low level coarse language.

Duration of 155 minutes (including the one interval).

LADIES IN BLACK presented by Spectrum Theatre Group.

Live on stage for eight performances only from 22 June 2019 until 8 July 2019 at the Bega Community Civic Centre, Zingel Place, BEGA.  (Free onsite parking) 

SPOILERS AHEAD – Notes about  multiple observed unfortunate changes made to the script, and the audience sees all the following events – “MAGDA gently putting the costume called LISETTE into a gift box, and then the gift box is hidden by MAGDA to prevent the costume selling before LISA can afford to buy it”.  However there is no mention in the script for the musical, and there is no mention in the novel “The Women In Black” and the audience experiences an unintended back-story also whilst making a complete change in the intended personality for MAGDA.

The musical was presented with additional music not by Tim Finn, had dialogue removed, had the name of the Mosman ferry changed to the Manly ferry (and no longer matches the novel), had location of the beach changed to Manly  (and no longer matches the novel), the character of Mr. Ryder has been significantly altered to gain laughter (and no longer matches the novel), the character of Michael is improperly represented as a business hours stalker of Lisa whilst she is at work at Goodes,  and especially because of a sequence that occurs in Goodes that should not under any circumstances occur in Goodes.  

Deleted dialogue removed every reference to STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE therefore no music, no voiceover, no laughter, et cetera.

On stage MISS. JACOBS is seated remembering her husband, and had non Tim Finn music to cover the extended (approx) five minute dance sequence with a younger MISS. JACOBS seen dancing with her husband in uniform.

For me the text is always sacred, and the written consent of the playwright is always required to change the text.   All performances are supposed to precisely match all the words and all the directions provided by the  script.

 

https://www.spectrumtheatregroup.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/SpectrumTheatreGroup/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1192699327558746/

https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=476065&&&

https://www.facebook.com/begaciviccentre/

https://southeastarts.org.au/event/ladies-in-black/2019-07-05/

http://www.communitytheatre.com.au/index.php/whats-on

 

https://vimeo.com/337070899/b007257cb3?

https://vimeo.com/337070719/35732a56c0?

https://player.vimeo.com/video/337070473?

https://player.vimeo.com/video/337069729?

 

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -