Bananaland, Bloom and The Dismissal

The writers of three bold new Australian musicals, premiering in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in coming months, speak to David Spicer. 

What do Bananaland, a musical comedy about the origins of a fictional children’s pop group, The Dismissal, a comedic take on the constitutional crisis of 1975, and Bloom, a musical comedy set in a retirement village have in common? All of them are entirely original Australian musicals which have been carefully and slowly fine-tuned during the pandemic. 

Bananaland

Sydney Festival season of Bananaland at Riverside Parramatta announced from January 3 - 14, 2024.

Following Ruby, a 21-year-old idealist, and her unintentionally hilarious protest band ‘Kitty Litter’, Bananaland, composed and written by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, is one of the headline productions of the Brisbane Festival in September.

“After working on The Rabbits and Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, we had this big itch to create our own story, and be able to have complete control of the characters and story arc,” Kate Miller-Heidke told me.

“As new parents we have watched a lot of children’s TV with our son Ernie and found ourselves wondering what was happening behind the scenes, imagining all sorts of sordid filthy behaviour.

“I read the Fleetwood Mac biography and all that (sex, drugs and rock n’ roll) sort of stuff. It was fun to think what was hiding behind their eyes.”

Although the idea came to the couple whilst watching The Wiggles, the story is entirely fictional.

“We wondered how do you get there? Does any musician set out to become a children’s performer or does it just happen to you. So, it is a fictionalised origin story of a children’s band. It is a very fun show to watch.”

In the musical, the band called Kitty Litter are angry and political.  

“They think they are pub rock – but they are unintentionally funny, because they are more rock eisteddfod. They accidentally have a hit with children under 5 when one of their songs gets added to all sorts of Spotify children’s lists and starts climbing the charts.

“Kitty Litter takes to the stage in Goondiwindi, and to their shock there are people in the audience, as they don’t normally have fans, and secondly it is full of kids.

“They traumatise the audience and go on a journey that tears them apart. Should they follow the money and sell out, or stick to their guns and change the world through their music?”

And where does Bananaland come into it I asked Kate? She explained that it is the hit song which broke through for them.

“The song itself is rich with metaphor. But it is not what you are thinking. Referring to bananas as a euphemism for a penis never occurs in our show.”

Fruit is of course a topic in one of The Wiggles most famous songs, ‘Fruit Salad, Yummy, Yummy!’

Kate is not a big fan of the Aussie group’s music and described their tunes as inane. By contrast the music in Bananaland has three distinct styles.

“We wrote some inane crazy catchy fun kid songs. Then there is the angry protest music of Kitty Litter, plus a third strand of music, the real music, where the cast sing out their hearts and emotions.

“We are both musicians - a lot of the characters are a heightened version of real experiences we have had in the music industry. There is a sound guy, a rabid fan, who comes to every show and sits out the front, and a ruthless record company label (manager).”

The musical has a cast of eight and five in the band.

“After Muriel’s Wedding we wanted to make something smaller.”

Kate and Keir, who married in 2007, make a unique writing and composing team. 

“We wrote the music and lyrics together and he wrote the book. For me music and lyrics come at the same time. We both write like that.”

Their son Ernie is now nearly seven and he will be coming to the show.

“It does have some adult themes and is not suitable for little kids. But he loves the music. I think a lot of the rude stuff will sail over his head.”

The World Premiere season of Bananaland plays in QPAC’s Playhouse from 16 September to 1 October, 2023.

Bananaland will play at Riverside Parramatta as part of the Sydney Festival from January 3 - 14, 2024.

Photographer: Jo Duck

Clich here to read our review.

The Dismissal

A quirky musical take on the constitutional crisis of 1975, The Dismissal sees the events through the eyes of comedian Norman Gunston. He was on the steps of Parliament House on the day Governor General John Kerr dismissed the elected Labor Government, led by Gough Whitlam.

“My entry point is what I viewed as the Shakespearean tragedy of John Kerr. I was born after The Dismissal and did not know much about it,” he told me.

“Around the time of the reconciliation between Gough and Malcolm (when they appeared on stage together), I started to think about John Kerr. The more I looked into it, without agreeing with his choices whatsoever, I was drawn to the fact that he made this monumental decision which had a lasting impact on his legacy.

“Kerr was from a very working-class family and ascended to be the Queen’s representative in Australia. He made this one flawed decision, that he never recovered from.”

Does Jay have sympathy for John Kerr?

“I see him as a deeply flawed and weak person. I do feel sorry for him to a degree, but you have to own your choices.”

The character of The Governor-General will be played by actress Octavia Barron Martin.

“The initial reason (for the casting) is we were super conscious we were writing in present times, primarily about characters populated by older white men. We decided to dip a toe into the Hamilton technique, where not everyone is cast as a carbon copy of the people they are playing.

“Of the four principals, Norman Gunston, Gough, Fraser and Kerr, we thought it would be great if one was played by a woman. We thought the audience would not be cool with Malcom or Gough being portrayed by women, and Norman must be Norman.

“Kerr was stuck in the middle of Whitlam and Fraser and it is a nice subconscious thing that he is taken for granted by Gough and seduced by Fraser - it was a weird triangle.”

The writing team has seized on the fact that comedian Norman Gunston was on the steps of Parliament House when Gough Whitlam made his fiery speech.

“Only somewhere in Australia could a fictional character that an entire country believe is his own person be in the middle of such a monumental event. The story is told through his eyes, and because he is childlike and naïve, it means he can ask questions to explain the complexity of the story in a particular way.

“To twist things for dramatic purposes, it helps to have a slightly unreliable narrator. If it is possible that he was on steps of Parliament House when Whitlam was dismissed, then it possible he could pop up everywhere.”

Australian musicals often get accused of being brought to the stage too early. By contrast, The Dismissal has had a lengthy gestation period due to Covid delays.

The pre-world premiere in 2019 attracted much excitement and it was set to open in Canberra and Sydney in 2021 with the Sydney Theatre Company, but the dreaded virus put paid to that season and another attempt in 2022.

The official World Premiere will be at the York Theatre in the Seymour Centre, which has no proscenium.

“The York Theatre is such a democratic space, where the audience is basically on stage with you. We have been having a blast going through the design possibilities.”

The tryout featured three possible endings to the musical. So which one will make the final cut?

“We have tried to keep the best of everything that works. We are still re-writing it. Even though it is show about the 1970s, we are commenting on the present day. A lot has happened since 2019. Jokes about Tony Abbott are not relevant anymore.

“The reception to the draft was a bit of a surprise. Audiences will tell us (if they like the ending) when they finally see it.”

The Dismissal had its World Premiere at the Seymour Centre in August 2023

See The Dismissal in Rhearsal

Read David Spicer's review here

Bloom

A new production from Working Dog - the creators of The Castle, Frontline and The Dish – Bloom is a musical about the scheming owner of an aged care facility who decides to cut costs by offering university students free board if they work as carers. The book and lyrics are by comedian Tom Gleisner. Composer Katie Weston explains its journey to the stage. 

“The concept came from Tom, who saw an advertisement for young people to stay in an old folk’s home in the Netherlands. He said, ‘I think that would make a good musical,’ as his family was heavily invested in that world,” Katie said.

“Bloom is the story of Finn, a 25-year-old classical music student. He is a bit lazy and thinks the world owes him a favour. At the aged care facility, he learns to be a better person.

“The other protagonist, Rose, enters Elm Grove at the same time. She has been put there by relatives but as someone who has travelled the world, does not want to be there.

“We follow the story of the old lady who still has a zest for life and a young person who both figure themselves out. Rose teaches Finn how to re-connect to his music and shows all of the residents how to live in full colour again.”

Bloom images by Pia Johnson.