Fly Girl

From the Departure Lounge of Ansett Airways, Melbourne in the 1970s, with an overhead airport sign telling us exactly where we are at any minute, is the story of how Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot came to be. The heroine of the story and genuine Fly Girl is Deborah Lawrie, besotted with flying from an early age. And the big, bad villain is none other than Sir Reg Ansett, who previously referred to striking air hostesses, forced to retire at 35, as ‘a batch of old boilers’ who can’t fly because ‘they get hysterical once a month’. 

To the pleasant task of squeezing the nuts of Sir Reg, Mark Kilmurry, Artistic Director of the Ensemble, has loosed comedy writers Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore, and they have grabbed the opportunity with alacrity. The writers and performers of Unqualified (2018) and Still Unqualified (2022) – big shows at this theatre – have here responded with a big play that features many playing parts, at least 50. But they have managed with just 3 extra actors, and the opening night response, bells and whistles, has demonstrated the breadth of their achievement. 

At the heart of comic procedures is young Miss Lawrie, played throughout by Cleo Meink. Despite the constant change of face and features going on around her, she ploughs on with a through line as Deb, committed to flying big planes no matter the odds. It’s exactly right that she’s not to be put off. 

Around her, life is a constant change. The two writers and their mates, Emma Palmer and Alex Kirwan, are a blur of action: from the chief villain of Ansett Airlines to the gaggle of women running the onboard services; from Deb’s Mum, trying to fathom her daughter’s unlikely career decisions, to the seedy Officers called to make decisions on behalf of Ansett.

The speed of the constant interchange of costumes, facial hair and hats must be seen to be believed. The cast falter occasionally and who can blame them? Of course they do, and that’s all part of the fun!

Writers Hegney and Moore hit hard when necessary and Palmer and Kirwan join them, making a jolly group of actors ready to take on, well, anything… how about a rendition of the Bible or The Collected Works of Shakespeare.

The setting and all the costumes are by Grace Deacon. Lighting is by Morgan Moroney, and the Composer and Sound Design is by Daniel Herten. The Stage Manager, very busy on this show, is Zoe Davis.

Frank Hatherley

Photographer: Prudence Upton