McCullough Epic Now a Musical

Morgan's Run, one of Colleen McCullough's great literary epics; the gritty and uplifting story of Richard Morgan, an 18th Century convict who survived the First Fleet voyage on the 'death ship' Alexander and found a new life on Norfolk Island, has been adapted to the stage by Sydney composer and singer, Gavin Lockley.

Given the book a few years ago, Gavin was so inspired by what he read that he wrote to McCullough's publisher to ask for permission to set her story to music.

To his surprise, she not only wrote back, but agreed to collaborate on the project as librettist.

The first script was delivered to him about a year after his first contact with McCullough. Gavin says, "I remember looking at it and thinking, how will I ever do this?" However, 12 months saw the score of Morgan's Run finished and ready to record.

Gavin spent time on Norfolk Island with Colleen, working through vast quantities of copy and narrowing down the musical focus points into a cohesive structure, a process both harrowing and inspiring for Gavin. Colleen would often produce copy a great deal faster, and in far greater quantities, than could be composed simultaneously. "She possessed a fluency of writing that somewhat amazed me,” he said. “Especially with the titanic struggle she has had with her health. Even her eyes, the one tool that she needs, give her great trouble. I guess one of the most extraordinary things for me is that Colleen took such a chance with a complete unknown. I always wondered why, and interpret it as an extreme generosity of spirit. It was the faith she had in me that helped me through the long hours of agony on the journey".

Lockley decided to orchestrate his score personally, rather than farming out orchestral scoring to another musician. This in itself, makes Morgan's Run unique among contemporary Music Theatre.

The recording was released on itunes in February and includes a full Symphony Orchestra, with narration by the great British actor, Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By). Heading up the production team as Lockley says was "the genius that made it all work," British Musical Director Mike Moran, who wrote and produced Barcelona for Freddy Mercury as well as working with George Harrison and David Bowie.

Blue Mountains Musical Society will present the premiere of Morgan's Run on May 21. A cast of talented local performers is joined by Melbourne tenor Roy Best (Operatunity Oz, Opera Australia) as well as brother & sister John and Keara Donohoe (Opera Australia), all of whom agreed to do the show out of pure belief in the music and characters.

"I am so very grateful to them," he says, "as well as to the 40 other cast members who not only give up their time each week for the show, but work just as hard and as passionately as any professional cast".

The show will be directed by Catherine Lockley and designed by WAAPA graduate Anna Gardiner.

Tickets are available from the Blue Mountains Musical Society: http://www.bmms.org.au

Photo: Gavin Lockley and Colleen McCullough

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