Evita comes to Darwin

Big musicals productions in the top end are about as rare as sightings of an albino crocodile. The local production company Superstar Productions – run by the community choir The Darwin Chorale – tries to get one staged every two to three years. Geoffrey Williams speaks to Annette Gore the production manager for the upcoming July performances of Evita.

As is often the case for journalists, the first whispers I heard about a rumoured, upcoming local Darwin production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s masterpiece Evita were at a dinner party. “Evita?!”, I suspect I may have spluttered into my glass of half Sauvignon Blanc and half ice cubes. But upon almost immediate reflection, I remember thinking that this was a very clever choice. Inspired, even.

Darwin, and much of the Northern Territory, has a prodigious wealth of musical talent – and say what you like about Evita – nothing is as important as how it’s sung. Production wise, Evita is a lean beast – with the balcony of the Casa Rosada from where Eva opens the second act with “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” possibly the most demanding physical dimension. The rest of it, pretty much, is props – chairs, banners, and a suitcase (props so important that you can’t stage Evita without them). The ensemble also have a tremendous sing in Evita – from the show’s opening "Requiem for Evita" to the spine-tingling Act One curtain "A New Argentina". Later in Act Two, there’s the beautiful "Santa Evita", which features the children’s choir – and which contains, in my mind certainly, some of the most beautifully considered (the key change is heart-melting) music Andrew Lloyd Webber has ever penned. But at its core, much like its distant cousin, Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, is the intimate, passionate battle between a power-fuelled trio – whose differing agendas and ideologies collide with ultimately devastating impact.

Image: Les Misérables (2001), Photographer: Andrew Clasohm.

And that, as they say, was that … until just the other morning, when I was taking an Uber somewhere, that I noticed a large vinyl banner installed at a very busy intersection announcing that yes, Evita was certainly coming to Darwin. (Producers? Never under-estimate the value of a strategically placed vinyl banner!) Days later, I was delighted to be able to interview Annette Gore, the Production Manager for the upcoming July performances of Evita – presented by, as it happens, Darwin’s musical theatre powerhouse Superstar Productions.

What can you share with us about the history of Superstar Productions?

Superstar Productions was the result of an initiative of the then Administrator of the Northern Territory – Dr Neil Conn AO – for a joint venture to stage a large musical performance with pooling the resources of current community performing groups. The first show performed was Jesus Christ Superstar (1999), and involved Darwin Chorale, Cavenagh Theatre Group, Darwin Theatre Company, and the Darwin Entertainment Centre. With the success of this show, it was decided to create a formal partnership and Superstar Productions was formed. Superstar Productions went on to perform Les Misérables (2001), Fiddler on the Roof (2003), Guys and Dolls (2005), and The Sound of Music (2008). Unfortunately, over this time the community groups began to withdraw, as they either no longer had the capital or personnel to be able to support the continued production of large-scale shows.

The Darwin Chorale (being “the last man standing”), took over the registration of the name Superstar Productions and all fully staged shows would be performed under this name. It was the aim that in the future, the Chorale would be able to recreate performances of the magnitude of Superstar Production shows.

The Darwin Chorale has been performing since 1985, and before the joint venture produced HMS Pinafore, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Gondoliers, Ruddigore, Pirates of Penzance and Oklahoma!  After the Superstar Productions original group dissolved, the Darwin Chorale went on to do HMS Pinafore (for a second time) and then Jesus Christ Superstar and Chess as semi-staged shows. When the Chorale is not performing musicals, it presents at least three cabaret and music concerts each year across all genres of music.

Image: Fiddler on the Roof (2003), Photographer: Terry Knight

How have you found Superstar Productions to be received by the theatre-loving community of Darwin?

Darwin audiences have always responded well to the arts and Superstar Productions concerts sold well. For many years, Les Misérables held the record for largest number of ticket sales sold at The Darwin Entertainment Centre – only to be knocked off by Billy Connolly. Comments overheard from theatre goers having seen Superstar Production shows include “That was just as good, if not better than when we saw it in London”.

Darwin is home to a prodigious amount of musical talent, but to my knowledge, there has been little in the way of musical theatre performances. Is this something Superstar Productions would like to see change?

Darwin is rarely included in any “national” tours by opera or musical theatre groups, so

most of the music theatre for Darwin audiences has been provided by the Darwin Chorale and Superstar Productions. Superstar Productions would love to be able to perform regular musical theatre shows, but as we have no government funding supporting our ventures (though not through lack of trying), the costs are prohibitive. Darwin is fortunate to have the facilities of the Darwin Entertainment Centre but being a professional theatre with a capacity of approximately 1,000 seats, it all costs big money. As there are no small community theatres suitable for musicals, we are restricted as to how often we can produce a show. The Darwin community has many talented performers and crew who would willing be involved in musical theatre if the opportunity was presented to them on a more regular basis.

Image: The Sound of Music (2008), Photographer: Chris Knight

Can you introduce us to some of the creatives who will be working on Evita?

Under our constitution, the Darwin Chorale Board is the governing body but a production team for Evita has been gathered with some of the most talented and creative people from the Territory.

NIDA graduate Steve Kidd is the director of the show. Steve is passionate about creating quality theatre in the Territory and loves to direct, act, and teach his skills. Steve lives in Alice Springs, so creating and directing a show in Darwin involves hours of communication and clear ideas being conveyed to the cast and other members of the production team. Steve will have five weeks face-to-face with the cast.

Nora Lewis AO is the Music Director and conductor emeritus of the Darwin Chorale. Nora, now retired, was the Principal of the NT Music School for many years and received her AO for service to music in the community. Nora and Steve were both responsible for sell-out shows of Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar, so we are pleased to have this dynamic duo together for a third show.

Our set designer is Beck Adams. Beck started off doing stage lighting for many years, then studied architecture. She was then given the opportunity to do both set and lighting design.

While she loves both architectural and theatrical design, theatre is her passion. Beck previously worked with Opera Australia and recently in conjunction with Steve Kidd won Alice Springs Community Event of the Year for Olive Pink, of which Steve was co-director. Beck is highly sought-after in the world of set and lighting design in the NT.

Rochelle Cabry is the youngest team member and another talented Territorian. She studied dance in Melbourne and Paris and has worked as a dancer in Oslo and Paris. Back in Darwin Rochelle has taught dance at Corrugated Iron and SLIDE Youth dance companies and currently is a choreographer and mentor at SLIDE. This is Rochelle’s first Superstar Productions venture.

Image: Guys and Dolls (2005), Photographer: Mark Marcelis

Evita is a challenging choice for your next production. How are your productions selected?

We aim to involve as many current members as possible and to attract new members, and as we are a community choir, we have singers from all ages and diverse backgrounds.

We select musicals that can cater for a large ensemble that basically represent society and will have an appeal to Darwin audiences. As most modern music theatre shows now have smaller cast sizes, we also focus on older musicals that have been revitalised in recent professional productions or have had film versions released.

What can you share with us about the cast of Evita?

Auditions were held late November 2022 and all principal and ensemble roles have been cast. We have a total cast size of 72 singers, which includes 20 children aged between 8 and 12 in the children’s choir. The ensemble cast have singers and dancers ranging from 14 to 70 years of age with fifty percent of the cast under 25. Twenty-one of the cast members have been previously involved in Superstar or Darwin Chorale productions. We are fortunate to have a set of brothers and sisters performing, mother and son, father and son, two husbands and wives, and a grandmother and granddaughter in the cast.

The roles of Che and Juan Perón have been won by experienced performers. Shalom Kaa (Che) sang the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar and Freddie Trumper in Chess, while Martin Gore (Juan Perón) played Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore, Avram in Fiddler on the Roof, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Anatoly Molokov in Chess.

Image: Guys and Dolls (2005), Photographer: Mark Marcelis

The role of Eva Perón is a tremendous showcase for the actress who takes on the role. Where will you find your Eva Perón?

We found our Eva Perón – Rachel Wharam – amongst our local Darwin talent, with nine local singers auditioning for the role of Eva. Rachel began singing at the age of 4 in the Darwin Youth and Children’s Choir and has sung with many choirs including Centre of Youth Music (CYM) Choir, Darwin Chorale, Caloundra State Choir, and Gondwana Voices. Rachel studied music at school and has Grade 8 AMEB voice and theory along with Grade 8 RAD Ballet. 

From an early age Rachel performed in CYM stage shows, Geckos Tail, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Wizard of Oz, plus Superstar Productions’ Guys and Dolls.

Since 2014, Rachel has been teaching at a local primary school and is a mother of two girls aged 5 and 7.

Evita will be presented by Superstar Productions on Friday 14 July and Saturday 15 July 2023 at The Playhouse, Darwin Entertainment Centre. To book tickets, visit https://www.yourcentre.com.au/#!/events/-NHM8kb1exMEJot0SplU/