The cast of Ladies in Black. Image supplied.
Such was the popularity of this 2015 Queensland Theatre production, which also played in Melbourne, Ladies in Black is now enjoying a national tour. It’s a predictable story about quotidian life in Sydney, 1959, but told with such sweetness, sincerity and an Australianess rarely seen on the musical-theatre stage, that it’s almost impossible not to be swept along by its charms.
Adapted from Madeleine St John’s novel, The Women in Black, it’s mostly set in a department store. Lisa arrives as a summer temp, fresh out of highschool and eager to become a confident, capable woman. She befriends several colleagues in the women’s fashion department, particularly unlucky-in-love Fay, unhappily married Patty, and sophisticated Hungarian refugee, Magda, who takes the bookish new girl under her wing.
It’s primarily a coming-of-age tale about Lisa, but the troubles and ambitions of several of the diverse female characters are addressed to a greater or lesser extent. Each contends with the conservative attitudes toward females that were rife in Australia before the revolutionary 1960s. Change is in the air, most obviously in the powerful, stylish figure of Magda, whose foreign ways are considered exotic, even strange, in this milieu, but point toward the more cultured society that lay ahead.
The story is brought to life by a capable cast of 10, most of whom play multiple roles with conviction. Sarah Morrison brings a wide-eyed, hopeful youthfulness to Lisa, and sings with a steady, pleasant voice. Ellen Simpson is an engagingly goofy, lithe Fay, Natalie Gamsu’s Magda is simply divine, and Bobby Fox charms with outrageous accent and slick moves as her friend Rudi.
Madeleine Jones as Patty, and Trisha Noble in the small role of Miss Jacobs, generate a degree of pathos that’s surprising considering how light Ladies in Black is and the vast space that is the Regent. Greg Stone also surprises with his seamless switching between the disparate characters of Lisa’s conservative, stubborn father and Magda’s open-hearted husband.
The cast moves with well-rehearsed precision around Gabriela Tylesova’s simple set of several elegant columns, augmented with the likes of a store counter or kitchen table. These additions appear almost magically thanks to small revolving stages and gauzy curtains that swish back and forth between the fast-moving scenes. With the aid of lighting that reveals and conceals, this agile arrangement means two or even three related vignettes can successfully play out simultaneously.
The set’s simplicity enhances the elegant period dresses and gowns that regularly grace the stage, either worn by the cast, used as props, or as gorgeous set decoration. They are fundamental to the show’s appeal, but all the costumes, from swimsuits to floral day dresses, neatly evoke the era.
In the sure hands of director Simon Phillips, a lot is created from a little and, apart from a first half that drags slightly, Carolyn Burns’ adaptation glides along nicely. This very enjoyable entertainment is completed by Tim Finn’s lyrics and music, energetically played live on stage behind a scrim.
Some songs are memorable, particularly the deadpan ‘Bastard Song’ and breezy ‘On a Summer Afternoon’, but there are no bona fide showstoppers, and the lyrics lack subtext (even taking into account the ordinary Aussie-ness Ladies in Black celebrates). This is the only real disappointment, perhaps the result of high expectations for an artist who has crafted such fine poetry and melodies with Split Enz and Crowded House, and as a solo artist. Ultimately, it’s a rather good first shot at a musical by Finn.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Ladies in Black
Director: Simon Phillips
Book: Carolyn Burns
Music and lyrics: Tim Finn
Lisa: Sarah Morrison
Fay: Ellen Simpson
Patty: Madeleine Jones
Magda: Natalie Gamsu
Rudi: Bobby Fox
Stefan/Mr Miles: Greg Stone
Mrs Miles: Carita Farrer Spencer
Regent Theatre, Melbourne, until 18 March
Canberra Theatre 27 March – 2 April.
