Ladies in Black to Tour Nationally
Queensland Theatre Company has announced that the musical Ladies in Black, nominated for Six Helpmann Awards will tour nationally in early 2017, taking in Sydney and Canberra with encore seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne.
From the adaptation of Madeleine St John’s 1993 novel, The Women in Black, this production has been brought to life by Australian screenwriter Carolyn Burns and director Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Love Never Dies) with original music from singer songwriter, Tim Finn OBE (Split Enz, Crowded House).
The world premiere of Ladies in Black, the stylish story of fashion, friendship and 1950s Australia took place in Brisbane in November 2015 with the frock-fest signalling a return of musical theatre for the company.
Ladies in Blackhas been nominated for six Helpmann Awards includingBest New Australian Work, Best Director of a Musical, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Music Direction and the coveted Best Musical.
The critically acclaimed show features over 20 original songs written by Tim Finn and a stunning range of some 30 custom-designed and created dresses and suits. The genesis of Ladies in Black actually happened at the Brisbane Airport – Tim Finn was famously looking for a book to read, bought The Women in Black and on reading it, was compelled to call Simon Phillips and plant the seed for a stage production. On the plane, he started writing the music. The rest is history.
The Story:
With a dash of delicate comedy, Ladies in Black is a magical modern-day fairytale set in a stylish department store - F.G. Goode - in a city on the cusp of becoming cosmopolitan: Sydney is crossing the threshold between the stuffy repression of the 1950s and the glorious liberation of the 1960s. Donning a distinguished black dress, the bright-eyed, bookish school leaver Lisa is about to join the ranks on the sales floor of the city’s most prestigious department store – temporarily, of course. Her domineering dad intends to railroad her into a career as a secretary, but Lisa has grander schemes in mind. In that summer of innocence, a world of possibilities opens up as she befriends the colourful denizens of the women’s frocks department – there’s Patty, embroiled in her marital strife; the lovelorn and unlucky Fay; and the exotic, compelling European refugee, Magda, mysterious mistress of the model gowns, who takes Lisa under her wing. From the Christmas rush to the chaos of the sales, these women stand shoulder to padded shoulder and together learn lessons in life, love and longing – and at the end, it’s not just the fancy frocks that are forever altered.
Image by Rob Maccoll.
Ladies in Black– national tour
Cast Includes:
Natalie Gamsu, Bobby Fox, Kathryn McIntyre, Trisha Noble, Carita Farrer Spencer, Greg Stone, Kate Cole, Madeleine Jones, Ellen Simpson and Sarah Morrison as Lisa.
Sydney – Sydney Lyric Theatre
3 – 22 January 2017
Phone: 1300 795 267
Ticketmaster.com.auor sydneyefstival.org.au
Brisbane – Playhouse, QPAC
28 January – 19 February 2017
Phone: 136 246 or queenslandtheatre.co.au
Melbourne – Regent Theatre
25 February – 19 March 2017
Phone: 1300 111 011 or ticketmaster.com.au
Canberra – Canberra Theatre Centre
27 March – 2 April 2017
Phone: (02) 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Website: ladiesinblack.com.au