An Iconic Triangle

Coral Drouyn looks at an exciting new production from Victorian Opera that brings three icons together.

Whether you see Ned Kelly the Outlaw as a Folk hero or a hardened criminal, there is no denying that he is an Australian Icon. The mythology of the Aussie male: a larrikin with a strong sense of justice, love for his Mum, and a refusal to take s**t from anyone; is heavily embedded in the persona of Ned Kelly. Hey, even Mick Jagger was excited to play him on the big screen (though most of us were not as excited to watch it).

For any lover of theatre, Reg Livermore is a living legend. Take out the R in his surname and it could be his Mantra. LIVE. MORE. Over the past 60 odd years he has turned our preconceptions of live theatre upside down, and invaded our comfort zones at every outing. He also wrote, though a whole generation may be unaware, a couple of original rock musicals which were way before their time (Tim Minchin was in nappies and Eddie Perfect was barely conceived at the time). And of course he wrote about Aussie Icons….the mythical Lasseter’s Reef, and the immortal Ned Kelly. With Patrick Flynn composing the music, Reg took on the mammoth task of book and lyrics and even directed the show’s first run in Adelaide. That was in 1977, which is (incredibly) almost half a century ago.

Two Icons… and the third point of the triangle is an iconic building. Her Majesty’s Theatre Ballarat turned 150 years old last year and has the distinction of being Australia’s oldest theatre as a continuous performance venue. It is undeniably beautiful thanks to a hugely expensive facelift (renovation) costing more than $16 million. It is a glorious reminder of when Ballarat was the richest city in Australia and going to the theatre was as natural as breathing. Everyone who visits is open mouthed at its age and beauty in tandem…kind of like Joan Collins on steroids.

So, when these three icons come together …through the grace and commitment of Victorian Opera (another icon in its own right, but triangles are more interesting than squares) … it is something to cheer about, let alone write about.

On March 28^th (next Saturday) for two performances only, Victorian Opera presents Ned Kelly The Musical, with Reg himself in a cameo role. But don’t dismiss this as “regional Theatre” - this is a production worthy of the Opera House. Directed by the amazing Stuart Maunder, it boasts a stellar cast including bright star Ethan Jones as Ned, the incomparable Maria Mercedes as Ma Kelly, plus the legendary Robert Grubb, Chelsea Dawson ( who killed it in SIX the musical) and the acclaimed Sally Bourne, who was starring in the title role of Annie just two years after Ned first hit the stage.

It’s a marvelous cast, and if you haven’t been to the Goldfields in a while it’s a perfect excuse for a weekend away at “The Rat” . After all, where else are you going to get all these icons in one place for one ticket. You can’t afford to miss it. As Ned would say “Such is life”, but not very often.