flowerchildren: Mamas and Papas Musical for Adelaide
Adelaide’s Davine Interventionz Productions has been on a critically acclaimed retrospective music odyssey for some time now, with Xanadu being the most recent show in that journey. 2015 begins with another stop on memory lane, with the company’s 2015 Adelaide Fringe production of flowerchildren – the mamas and papas story. Lesley Reed reports.
“I’ve slowly been backtracking through the music that has defined my life,” says founder, producer & director of Davine Interventionz, David Gauci. “I started with the music of the 90’s with the musical Altar Boyz and have since produced the musical Xanadu which was pretty much the sound track of my 1980’s and now looking further back, I am chronicling the music of my youth with the music of the Mamas and the Papas…. thank goodness there isn’t a musical about the Village People!”
Gauci has found his niche in staging small ensemble musicals and this was acknowledged in September, 2014 with an Adelaide Theatre Guide award for ‘Best Musical’ for the 2014 production of Xanadu. “It has meant that now there is an expectation for the shows I produce,” says David, “and I am happy to work hard to achieve and surpass that expectation.”
flowerchildren – the mamas and papas story is a Green Room- award- winning musical, by AFI winner Peter Fitzpatrick. It tells the story of The Mamas and The Papas and explores the distrust, passions and issues that lay behind the group’s spectacular rise to fame. They sold almost forty million records worldwide and were the first to upstage The Beatles, tipping them from the number one spot on the Billboard charts.
“As a child I loved music groups with strong vocal harmonies”, says David Gauci. “Groups such as Peter, Paul and Mary, The Seekers and The Mamas and The Papas spoke loud and clear to me; their sound was always vocal centered and uplifting, even if the message was deeply sad and moving. The people who know The Mamas and The Papas’ music will relish the complexity of the sound produced by the performers of the Davine Interventionz show.”
Davine Interventionz likes to use local talent and when it came to casting the leads, Gauci says he was adamant in his choice to play Cass Elliot.
He chose Adelaide performer Lisa Simonetti (pictured right), who many will remember playing the role of Motor Mouth Mabel in the Matt Byrne Media production of Hairspray.
“Mama Cass is the person everyone thinks of when they think Mamas and Papas,” says Gauci. “It is important that the woman who plays her not only is a great singer but comes complete with some of the defining features of Cass. In so many ways Cass was a trailblazer; she was a ‘big girl’ making a name at the time of the twig. She was strong, honest and proud, not only of her talent but the vessel that carried it.”
“Playing Mama Cass in the show gives me an opportunity to sing some amazing harmonies,” says Lisa Simonetti, “and portray a woman who was a strong role model, who, against all the stereotypes of her time was determined to do what she loved…make her own kind of music, even if nobody else sung along.”
Davine Interventionz has a tried and true policy of using local talent. “All of our cast comes from South Australia as do our creatives and production team,” says David Gauci. “The set design is original and where possible we have sourced vintage clothing from the era to give it an authentic feel.”
Flowerchildren- the mamas and papas story features a score of the group's timeless hits including Words of Love, Monday Monday, Dedicated to the One I Love, Creeque Alley (A.K.A. No one’s gettin’ fat ‘cept Mama Cass), and the iconic California Dreamin'.
The 2015 Adelaide Fringe and flower children- the mamas and papas story will be a time for memorable experiences, not the least being the opportunity to relive the flower power era.
If you are too young to remember it, discover what music was like in the time of bell-bottom jeans, psychedelic colour, free love and rock’n’roll, by heading along to Star Theatres from March 4-7.
WHEN: March 4-7, 7.30 pm. March 7, 2pm.
VENUE: Star Theatres, 145 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton.
BOOKINGS: www.adelaidefringe.com.au
More Adelaide Fringe 2015 Previews
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