Boy’s Own Mcbeth Rocks Marrickville
A classic Aussie rock musical is being updated by a young theatre company in Sydney for a July season.
Boy’s Own Mcbeth by Grahame (Aunty Jack) Bond and Jim Burnett toured Australia for two years back in the early 1980s and even had an outing in Los Angeles.
The star is Terry Shakespeare. He really is the school old boy. At 32 he’s been in year 12 for 16 years and his two children Dopey and SS are in the same class. But he’s not silly - it’s all a tax dodge.
The school hatches a plot to finally boot him out - they make him direct the play Macbeth. But, as always, he is determined to fail, so he transfers the play from Scotland to New Zealand and even schedules a cricket match at interval. ‘Out damned spot!’ becomes Out Damn Spot (the Dog).
Of course school days have changed since the 1970’s and Kore productions has got permission from the original writers to update it.
19-year-old Producer Kyle Stephens says Boy’s Own Mcbeth is now set in 2013.
“We have more technology. Of course mobile phones and Ipads were not around in the 1970’s, ” he said.
“And the music is more modern with a harder rock edge.”
One of the funniest scenes in Boy’s Own Mcbeth involves the principal caning one of the students.
Even though corporal punishment has had its days in public, this scene has stayed in.
“We did some research and discovered that there are some schools which still use the cane.
“The only way we can get one the boys (called SS) to feel the part was to give him six of the best.”
Many members of the original cast including Grahame Bond are attending on opening night.
How will young Kyle stop them walking out if they don’t like it?
“We are locking the doors and will get security to help out,” he joked.
Image: Johanne Perera as Charles Hunt.
Boy’s Own Mcbeth
Kore Productions
Side Track Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney.
July 17 – 20.
Bookings: http://www.sidetrack.com.au/
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