The Sapphires

The Sapphires needs no introduction, thanks to the marvellous movie of the same name directed by Wayne Blair. This play is where it all began. Written by Tony Briggs and based loosely on the story of a group of four Indigenous soul singers who toured Vietnam to entertain troups during the war, one of whom was his mother, the story differs significantly from the movie, and this production is rawer than earlier versions. It is wonderful to see the breadth of First Nations talent on show here.

Briggs’ directorial debut was in 2018 with the MTC production of Astroman. At this point, his lack of experience is showing with certain lack of finesse to the show. The set is a little clunky, especially a large, obviously heavy and unwieldy truck prop which takes several people quite a bit of time to move, and there wasn’t as much variability to the moods of each scene as there could have been. More nuanced performances could have been coaxed from the actors. The script itself could do with a good tighten: one scene involved shuffling suitcases on the back of a truck for far longer than any adults with intact cortexes would possibly take. It’s also a bit disconcerting when, having been a play with music, for two scenes it takes the form of a musical where the characters burst into song about their predicaments.

But those gripes aside, this is still a cracking tale with plenty of drama and interest, and the music was brilliant. The leading four ladies are all super talented, with Mindy Kwanten as Cynthia and Ngaire Pigram as Gail belting out powerful room filling soul and Lorinda May Merrypor as Julie and Matilda Brown as Kay with sweeter, lighter voices. Together their harmonies soar and thanks to brilliant backing from a small band, they are a joy to listen to.

Go see this for the magnificent music, fascinating story, and to support a group of brilliant First Nations talent.

Cathy Bannister