Georgy Girl

A rave for this marvellous musical http://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/lynne-lancaster/georgy-girl-the-seekers-musical-250986 Lynne Lancaster A terrific look at the rise and fame of the Seekers This is a biographical ‘jukebox ‘musical that tells the story of the formation and eventual collapse of the first Australian supergroup, The Seekers who became internationally famous in the 1960’s.with their unique folk-pop harmonized sound. It uses their hits to both place them in context (this is the era of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and Priscilla Black for example – the ‘swinging sixties‘ of London) and tell their story. It is narrated by Ron Edgeworth (Adam Murph), the husband of vocalist Judith Durham (Pippa Grandison). Murphy has much fun stealing scenes with his great comic timing and delivery, and he establishes a great rapport with the audience. ​ The Australian group had hits in the US and UK — managing to knock The Beatles off the number one spot — and were famous for being squeaky clean and ‘nice’. As Edgeworth says, 'Other rock stars trashed their hotel rooms; the Seekers were more likely to tidy theirs up.' Director Gary Young's sure touch keeps the show mostly light and breezy. The script by Patrick Edgeworth — Ron’s brother – is at times witty, sometimes including corny jokes and also expository dialogue . It moves the show along at a cracking pace but there are pauses for the sad, black spots .A couple of times Edgeworth informs us that what we had just seen did not really happen (e.g. the three men singing 'Morningtown Ride' to help Durham sleep while recovering from a major operation) but yes, it was sweet - even cheesy. The enormously talented ensemble of performers — led by Glaston Toft as Athol Guy, Mike McLeish as Bruce Woodley, Phillip Lowe as Keith Potger, and Grandison as Durham — gets the unique Seekers sound just right. Grandison in particular is amazing with an astonishing range, from the hot, sultry jazz of 'Mama’s Got The Blues' to the aching purity of 'The Olive Tree', and everything in-between! Durham, a Balwyn girl whose mother steered her at first towards opera, began as a jazz singer. She has no diva pretensions but is a kind, sweet girl not sure if she wants to be a pop star. A quartet which had lost its male vocalist introduced Durham (their first gig was at a South Yarra cafe called Treble Clef) into their mix and they jumped from folk singers to bona fide pop stars. A 10-week voyage to England aboard a cruise liner really skyrocketed their career in the UK. As well as the band's formation and subsequent success, Georgy Girl also deals with Durham’s heartbreak at the hands of her long time boyfriend (who was also the group’s tour manager) before she eventually found love with Edgeworth. We see later trauma as well, with Durham experiencing a shocking car accident, and her suffering a brain hemorrhage. There are a few blips on the graph of The Seekers' rise to success, for example the odd, very low percentage of record sales of their first contract and the booking that caused them to miss the Oscars, but at the start the band appeared to have a charmed existence. Mostly unexplored is the fact that Durham left at the height of the band’s success to seek a solo career. The set design by Shaun Gurton is clean and crisp, allowing for lots of flexible, fluid scene changes. There is a balcony level 'upstairs' used sometimes, and a huge moveable staircase features particularly in Act 1. The lighting by Trudy Dalgleish is magnificent. Very effective use of projection photography is featured, which allows newspaper cuttings and original footage to interact with the live performers, such as the thousands of people who attended the band's 1967 Myer Music Bowl concert. When The Seekers arrive in London, we see on the back projection a Union Jack and a silhouette of the Houses of Parliament while a few chords of 'God Save the Queen' blare out on sizzling electric guitar, accompanied by a mini–ballet of suited and booted, bowler-hatted English business men with umbrellas, quite reminiscent of Sir Matthew Bourne in style; later, when they hit New York, it’s the Statue of Liberty and the Rockettes (before Peter Allen). Michael Ralph’s choreography places the production solidly in period, so think tightly stylized 1960’s showbizzy and social dance. Costumes, particularly for the London sequences, are bright, overly colourful floral minidresses etc in pinks and oranges. The world tour segment is terrifically handled and later the costumes go to trendy black and white stripes. Stephen Amos as musical supervisor/arranger/orchestrator has lovingly and expertly recreated The Seekers' sound to great effect. A band of 11 musicians hidden behind a screen at the back provides a fuller, more rounded musical theatre sound. The expert blend of voices is critical to the narrative development and enjoyment of the show. Among the rest of the cast, Stephen Wheat shines as the British music agent/producer Eddie Jarret who is never short of a sort of witty, Aussie-flavoured putdown for the group (e.g. calling them marsupials). Handsome Ian Stenlake wonderfully plays caddish John Ashby, The Seekers’ tour manager and Durham’s first love. Sophie Carter has much fun in the role of Beverley, Durham’s comforting, supportive and sympathetic sister. Carter and Grandison have an enchanting scene in the second half where Bev attempts to cheers up Durham following a dramatic, unexpected and unwelcome revelation. The resultant song ('Keep A Dream In Your Pocket') includes the use of spoon playing and a bottle. Carter shows Beverley as affectionate and loving. This musical is a nostalgic look at the history of The Seekers’ meteoric rise to international fame. Fans will love it and the younger generation will be introduced to their world and music. People were almost dancing in the aisles at the end. 4 stars Georgy Girl: The Seekers Musical Running time: 2 hours 50 mins (approx) including interval At the State Theatre, Sydney from 2 April to 27 May before transferring to Perth's Crown Theatre in July www.georgygirlthemusical.com​