Magnormos: Taking flowerchildren to the Comedy
Melbourne production company Magnormos is entering its second decade in style, stepping up to stage a season of flowerchildren at the Comedy Theatre. Lucy Graham speaks to Producer Margaret Fisk.
Listening to her voice, it’s clear Margaret Fisk is an enthusiast. And why wouldn’t she be? As producer at Magnormos she has been with flowerchildren since its workshop phase, and for its world premiere season at Theatre Works in August 2011. Now the show is set to reopen in Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre.
Written by AFI award winner Peter Fitzpatrick, flowerchildren is a musical about late sixties band sensation The Mamas and The Papas. As a child Margaret Fisk was a fan, but she knew nothing of their turbulent off-stage lives, the group’s debilitating love-triangle, or the drugs, sex, deceit, alcoholism, and chronic over-eating which plagued the stars.
Fisk says of the flowerchildren experience at Theatre Works, ‘every night was a joy. We [production crew] were on this little platform and we were all singing and dancing and if you were in the back row you would have heard us.’
Born in Sale in Victoria’s Gippsland region, being a teacher, and founder and current National Coordinator of the Defence Special Needs Support Group (for which she received an OAM), has stood her in good stead.
‘It’s a different level of excitement and stress. [With the special needs group] you’re juggling balls, but you’re helping people and working with them through traumatic life changes. When you’re producing shows, you’re creating and giving birth to new productions each time. ’
With her Air Force husband, Margaret’s young family, including a child with a disability, moved around every few years.
‘It made it hard with theatre. I joined a choir, which toured to New Zealand and America. I went into a management role and because of that got into producing, and I thought, I want to do this.’
After moving to Melbourne and meeting with director Aaron Joyner, Margaret was engaged as a producer at Magnormos.
Established in 2002, Magnormos is an independent musical theatre company with a focus on the work of Australian writers. Its contribution was recognised at the Green Room Awards in 2011, when it won the Special Panel Award for'Outstanding Support for New Australian Musical Theatre'.
In the same year flowerchildren won the Green Room award for ‘Best Featured Ensemble Performance’, with Emma Jones also picking up the award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in The Hatpin.
Since 2011 the script of flowerchildren has been tweaked, and while the intimate setting is being maintained, it has been developed into a fully professional production with the same cast.
‘Matt Hetherington – he is John Phillips with a sensitive side, but an arrogant genius. Casey Donovan – well we knew she could sing, but we didn’t know she could act. Laura [Fitzpatrick] just evaporates into Michelle. Dan Humphries must be Denny’s brother.’
Beyond the cast and the story, this show pivots on the music. California Dreamin’, Monday Monday, Words of Love, Creeque Alley, Dedicated to the One I Love, Dream a little Dream and San Francisco (be sure to wear flowers in your hair) are well known to those aged fifty-five plus, and yet still familiar to the younger generation. See. You’re humming a tune already.
But preparing Flower Children for the next level was no walk in the park.
‘It takes a long time to get a show to a professional level. The set and costumes are amazing, and I’ve got Marcello LoRicco (LSS Productions) reproducing high fidelity sound.’
‘I love working in the Comedy. The Marriner Group are really supportive. For us, going into this big scary world, they have been guiding hands to us, which is lovely.’
Fisk’s appreciation for director Aaron Joyner is never far from the surface. She tells me if I am to write anything at all, I must highlight Joyner’s energy and vision.
‘Aaron is brilliant at what he does and we just compliment one another. It was Magnormos’ tenth birthday last year. To start off the next ten years with flowerchildren in the Comedy Theatre is a huge accolade for Aaron. That he has come this far with no government support and has done it all by himself.’
No-one is resting on their laurels at Magnormos. In September this year they will present a musical triptych at the Melbourne Recital Centre, celebrating the work of Broadway’s Stephen Schwartz, also the company’s international patron.
Each of the three musicals will be presented on one night, one week apart, beginning with Godspell on Monday 9th September, Pippin on the 16th, and the third show, yet to be announced, on the 23rd.
With such positive energy and personal investment behind it, flowerchildren’s 5-and-a-half week season at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre can only be envisaged as a triumph in waiting.
flowerchildren – the Mamas and Papas story plays at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from May 18. flowerchildren.com.au
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