BREAST WISHES TOURING AUSTRALIA 2011
We are delighted to announce that Breast Wishes - An Uplifting Musical will be touring Australia in 2011. Beginning in February in Darwin, Breast Wishes will perform in 46 venues nationwide. We are thrilled to be able to bring this fantastic show to a broader Australian audience. Come along and be UPLIFTED!
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY....
'Bra-vo! A cheerful show'
The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April, 2009
"...it is to be hoped that a piece of musical theatre such as this, which is at once celebratory and informative, will be seen by as many people as humanly possible." ABC Radio - Brisbane, 10 July, 2009
'delightful humour, absolute veracity and genuine compassion' ozbabyboomers.com,18 April 2009
'There's something in it for practically anyone; male, female, or she-male'
Australian Stage Online, 17 April 2009
'the atmosphere of sisterhood celebration was palpable..." The Daily Telegraph, 20 April 2009
'It stands, proudly, squarely, justifiably, and admirably, on its own two feet and extends the genre into ground I don't think it's occupied before. And that's really something.' Australian Stage Online, 17 April 2009
"Ladies, grab your bloke and get him to come along. You need to see this..."
ABC Radio - Brisbane, 10 July, 2009
'This is a wonderful feel-good piece of theatre that provokes as well as entertains' ozbabyboomers.com, 18 April 2009
'Mammaries are made of this...and I think it's going to inspire some comparable, homegrown ventures. Of course, whether they manage to be comparably good remains to be seen'
Australian Stage Online, 17 April 2009
'The man in front of me was laughing fit to bust, as were most people of both sexes'' The Australian, 28 May 2009
"....the comedy is balanced by an edgy reality that moves you to tears. Brisbane Courier Mail, July 11, 2009
'slick, mostly funny, but also very real'
ArtsSound FM, 30 May 2009
'a witty and heart-warming journey of courage and determination. It bloody well is, too' Australian Stage Online, 17 April 2009
'cheeky, light-hearted and occasionally poignant'
The Canberra Times, 29 May 2009
'It very much lives up to its subtitle of being "an uplifting musical", and should be high on the must-see list of all thinking females and males' ozbabyboomers.com, 18 April 2009
'It resonates with the audience...a crowd pleaser'
The Canberra Times, 29 May 2009
'it's worth the price of admission, and then some'
Australian Stage Online, 17 April 2009
Australian Stage Review
WORLD PREMIERE OPENING NIGHT - 16 APRIL, 2009
Breast Wishes
Written by Lloyd Bradford (Brad) Syke Friday, 17 April 2009
Let's not talk about vaginas. Let's talk about tits. No, I'm not being chauvanistic or, worse still, misogynistic, or even supercallafragilistic. I merely quote the all-but-opening lines of this Wendy Harmer-plus-penned ninety-minute musical. Having promised not to offend, it lobs into a strident, Pythonesque call, along those lines.
When I say Harmer, plus, I really do mean plus. Creatively, this production boasts an almost impossible, & impossibly long, list of literati; among the wittiest and wisest we have to offer, including the fiendishly clever likes of Richard Glover; myriad talents of actress, author and, above all, former Play School presenter, Merridy Eastman; equally high-achieving actor and playwright, Jonathan Gavin; journo, screenwriter and televisage, Sheridan Jobbins; actor, singer & writer, James Millar & 'multimedia; writer, Debra Oswald.
(I loathe them all for their surfeit of unabashed, unbridled talent.)
But, in the end, just quietly, it's not so very much the book, but music and lyrics, by Bruce Brown, that take the cake, steal the show and, if not the soul, are at the very heart of the action and narrative arc. BB has been described as 'a true, unsung hero of songwriting'. Someone has also said 'his songs are like potato chips: once you hear one, you'll wanna hear 'em all'. Born-and bred in LA-LA-land (where he's worked all the major clubs), he now teaches jazz in Wellington, just across the ditch, works regularly in Sydney and enjoys a very considerable career, as pianist, singer and writer.
The other genius is Anne Looby who, apart from starring, came up with the idea, in the first place.
Obviously, there's something in it for practically everyone; male, female, or she-male. After all, one way or another, at any given age, we all have a vested, or unvested, interest in breasts.
But far from being a vehicle for puns, cheap jokes, jibes, taunts, or wink-wink, nudge-nudge, loo-door inscriptions, Harmer & co have taken on-board the full scope of the subject, in dealing with the ages and anxieties of women, the men in their lives and, most ambitiously of all, cancer!
Cancer isn't, traditionally, the stuff of musical theatre. You won't find it in G & S or Sondheim, to the best of my recollection & knowledge; even if you might find something equally dire and devastating in Schwartz.
Here we find intelligence, insight, sensitivity, empathy and authenticity; backed, by the look of it, by a good deal of research, both medical and anecdotal. It's a great achievement, among many here.
Another is the set, which almost covertly emulates the form of boobs.
Yet another is, again, the score, which exploits all the best motifs of the form, with expertise.
Another is the 3-piece orchestra, under the extraordinary musical directorship of Michael Tyack, which couldn't have been bettered in multiplying it by ten. Piano, bass and drums are more than up to the task.
The final feather in the cap (taking other technical aspects like lighting as read) is the cast, which boasts numerous among Australia's premiere performers, including Valerie Bader (a stalwart of The Wharf Revue, to name but one of her claims to fame); David Harris (Miss Saigon, for one); A Country Practitioner, Anne Looby; the exceptionally well-endowed Sunset Boulevardier, Chelsea Plumley &, making her professional debut, 2008 WAAPA grad, Gretel Scarlett who, just between you and I, arguably outshone the lot of 'em (testimony, I hasten to add, to her charismatic, shimmering brilliance, as actor, singer and dancer, as opposed to any slur, whatsoever, on the shining performances of her peers, onstage).
In fact, BW is about much more than mere chesticles. It's about the totality of life, love & loss. Lock, stock & barrel. It's just that it uses the undiminished glamour and excitement of chest-fruits (like Seinfeld, no matter how many I see, I never tire of them) as the prism through which to view ourselves. It turns out they're more translucent than they appear.
The inevitable publicity blurb cites it as 'a witty and heartwarming journey of courage and determination'. It bloody well is, too.
In the final analysis, it's not My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Cabaret, West Side Story or Rent. It doesn't need to be. It stands, proudly, squarely, justifiably, and admirably, on its own two feet and extends the genre into ground I don't think it's occupied before. And that's really something.
Jason Langley has done a magnificent job, as director; everything, tight as a drum! Simone Parrott, Neil Gooding and, again, the looming Looby, have ensured all has gone according to plan, or better, as producers. Nathan M Wright has effected some impressive choreography indeed. Trudy Dalgleish's lighting design is superb. James Millar has doubled, very capably, as dramaturge, and we've Imogen Ross to thank for that set (another highlight of the production design was in the homage to the French inventor of the bra, which utilised a flag, woven from same, in their dozens) and costumes.
Mammaries are made of this. (C'mon! Someone had to say it.) And I think it's going to inspire some comparable, homegrown ventures. Of course, whether they manage to be comparably good remains to be seen.
Better yet, this uplifting musical (with a fascinating backstory and evolution) strongly supports the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It promises to do more for grassroots education, in that respect, than practically any initiative to date, so, aside from its very considerable entertainment value, it's worth the price of admission, and then some, purely on that basis.
www.australianstage.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2466&Itemid=197
BREAST WISHES - CAST ANNOUNCEMENT
The 2009 Australian Tour, beginning at The Seymour Centre on 16 April 2009 is thrilled to announce some of Australia's premiere musical theatre performers have joined this Uplifting Musical
VALERIE BADER, DAVID HARRIS, ANNE LOOBY,
CHELSEA PLUMLEY and introducing GRETEL SCARLETT
Meet four women Valerie Bader (The Wharf Revue, Falsettos), Anne Looby (Company), Chelsea Plumley (Grease, Sunset Boulevard) and 2008 WAAPA Graduate Gretel Scarlett (making her professional debut), a fumbling boyfriend, well-meaning husband David Harris (Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia), a bra-fitter who has seen it all, some show stopping numbers and a brilliant cast who will take you on a witty and heart-warming journey of courage and determination through laughter to triumph.
Music and Lyrics BRUCE BROWN
Written by MERRIDY EASTMAN, JONATHAN GAVIN, RICHARD GLOVER,
WENDY HARMER, SHERIDAN JOBBINS, JAMES MILLAR and DEBRA OSWALD.
Original Concept by ANNE LOOBY
Director JASON LANGLEY Musical Director MICHAEL TYACK
EXCLUSIVE GALA CONCERT PERFORMANCE
Tickets are now on sale for the Breast Wishes Gala Concert Performance at Sydney Theatre on Friday 31 October, 2008 at 8pm.
The final event of the calendar for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, all profits for the performance will go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Book now!
2008 Creative Team
Jason Langley and Michael Tyack have recently joined the Breast Wishes creative team for the forthcoming Gala Concert Performance as Director and Musical Director respectively.
2007 Workshop Presentation
NIDA
Anzac Parade, Kensington
Friday 7 December at 11am
