The Cast of Ladies in Black. Photograph by Lisa Tomasetti.
Perfect festival fare – it is now Sydney’s turn to be dazzled and delighted by this stylish, inspirational Helpmann award-winning show after seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne. Ladies in Black is now on the list of splendid Australian musicals such as The Venetian Twins, Summer Rain, Strictly Ballroom and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Terrifically directed by Simon Phillips, and based on the novel by Madeleine St John, Ladies in Black is set in Sydney in the 1950s and tells the story of a bookish school leaver, Lisa Miles, who joins the sales staff as a Christmas casual in the ultra- fashionable department store, F.G. Goodes. Over a summer that changes her life, Lisa befriends the colourful denizens of the women’s clothing department. Each of the characters are having to deal with change, facing independence, working for a living and what it means to be a woman in Australia at that time. This is an era where ladies were still required to wear gloves, hats and stockings.
It is redolent of Australia of the 50s and 60s examining a crucial era in Australia’s story when attitudes and moral values were changing and the fabric of our society was beginning its paradigm shift towards our modern multi-cultural community. Lisa has to deal with her father’s old fashioned patriarchal views (about women not attending university for starters) thereby not utilising her talent and potential.
Carolyn Burns’ book is terrifically observed and at times warm, witty and had the audience roaring with laughter in places. In a quintessentially Australian voice, Burns vividly depicts this culturally and historically specific society with great precision, and while every character is possibly a symbolic representation of the social stereotypes of mid-20th-century Australia, they are all lovingly drawn with panache and charm.
Lisa discovers the confidence to grow and blossom before heading off to uni. She secretly dreams of a life of passion and poetry. At Goodes she finds a challenging microcosm of the world outside her modest home-life with her parents; a rather unexpected world of cosmopolitan glamour, continental elegance and haute couture expensive fashion. Sarah Morrison as Lisa is splendid – feisty, headstrong and determined she also sings and dances up a storm.
Patty (Madeleine Jones) struggles to keep her husband Frank (Tamlyn Henderson) who won’t face-up to the truth behind their fertility issues and stunning Fay (sultry scene-stealing Ellen Simpson) who is struggling to find a husband at all. Fay ends up being captivated by Rudi – the exuberant (‘I Just kissed a Continental‘ – a joyous, enormously fun number). Lisa is drawn to the mysterious Magda (Natalie Gamsu ), a glamorous exotic imposingly chic European woman who is in charge of the cocktail fashion department and makes Lisa her protegee.
There is also the kind, somewhat older Miss Jacobs (Trisha Noble) who we don’t really see much of but she has a very poignant Christmas at home alone scene remembering her lost soldier lover and also a most inspirational speech at the end.
The male cast also shine if briefly. As the dashing, somewhat exotic and charmingly charismatic Rudi, Bobby Fox scintillates as he romantically sweeps Fay off her feet with excellent vocals and fine fancy footwork. Tamlyn Henderson as Frank reveals his torn hesitant side hidden from the world and his wife in for example ‘A Proper Family Man’. Magda’s husband Stefan was charmingly elegantly played by Greg Stone.
The designs by Gabriela Tylesova are sleek and ravishing. For the set design of the department store there were sleek columns and the haute couture dresses of Magda’s department are stunning. The lighting by David Walters is moody and elegant.
Tim Finn’s lyrics, blend warm ironic wit and skilful rhyming couplets, musically it effortlessly ranges from soft ballads to sizzling electric guitar, jumps from rock to country, includes disco and flamenco. While consistently impressive and tremendously performed there is no one absolute show stopping number. The excellent band under the direction of David Young was hidden at the back behind a scrim. Andrew Hallsworth’s choreography is tight and slick with occasional flashes of Flamenco and Hungarian character dance.
An elegant, enchanting, inspirational musical about fighting for your dreams.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Ladies in Black
Book by Carolyn Burns
Music & lyrics by Tim Finn
Based on Madeleine St John’s novel, The Women in Black
Directed by Simon Phillips
Cast: Kate Cole, Carita Farrer Spencer, Bobby Fox, Natalie Gamsu, Tamlyn Henderson, Madeleine Jones, Kathryn Mcintyre, Sarah Morrison, Trisha Noble, Ellen Simpson and Greg Stone.
Design: Gabriela Tylesova
Lighting Design: David Walters
Orchestration: Guy Simpson
Choreography: Andrew Hallsworth
Musical Director: David Young
Lyric Theatre, Sydney
3–22 January 2017
