Serenading Adela, A Street Opera

On 7 January 1918 supporters of Adela Pankhurst’s WWI anti-conscription cause gathered outside the bluestone walls of the women’s prison at Pentridge to serenade her with socialist songs, cooees, and coloured lights. Adela, who was exiled to Australia when she fell out of favour with her famous UK suffragette family, had been imprisoned for her energetic anti-war campaigning.

The event was re-enacted through an ingenious project which brought together a variety of local musical and theatrical talent to commemorate and celebrate the socialist ideals and solidarity that Adela Pankhurst had successfully galvanised. 

Adela was played by renowned performer Lisa-Marie Parker who was beautifully flanked by a small choir, a big choir, an unruly mob, a street band and the Brunswick Secondary College Singers. The community spirit of the project was well and truly evident and reverberated throughout each song. The performance also detailed this chapter in Adela’s life and framed her important political activism in a delightfully entertaining manner.  

The absolute highlight of the event was Parker’s performance of the song Ghosts Don’t Lie by Stephen Taberner. The song was composed especially for the re-enactment and the lyrics were based on stories of the effects of war shared by local families. This was an extremely moving song which elevated the event both musically and emotionally. This is a highly admirable project that builds community spirit by acknowledging its long heritage.

Patricia Di Risio