Show business mothers can not only inspire their offspring to go into the industry but also inspire them to write brilliant plays about them!
Actor Tony Sheldon made theatrical magic out of his mother Toni Lamond’s story with his play, ‘Times Of My Life’. Similarly actor Tony Briggs has mined gold by adapting his mother’s story (Laurel Robinson) to the stage with his popular musical, ‘The Sapphires’, that premiered at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre in November, 2004. A new production of this popular musical, directed by Wesley Enoch, has opened at Sydney’s Seymour Centre’s.

Briggs based ‘The Sapphires’ on the experiences of his mother and three other indigenous women, Naomi Mayers, Beverly Briggs and Lois Peeler, from a close-knit musical family, who were raised in rural Victoria and then as teenagers moved to Melbourne. He focuses his play on the time when his mother and her sister Lois, for three months, travelled to South-East Asia to sing for the troops stationed there during the Vietnam war. This was a daring thing for indigenous women to do some forty years ago, when one remembers that, at the time, indigenous women had only recently won basic rights such as the right to vote.

For Enoch’s production, four of our finest indigenous performers, Casey Donovan, Hollie Andrew, Christine Anu and Kylie Farmer, come on board tell the Sapphires story. The show charts ‘The Sapphires’ narrative from their start at a St Kilda nightclub till their closing Vietnam performance, interspersed with plenty of songs. Enoch’s production becomes a celebration of these vibrant women, and the wonderful music that they performed at the time. This was the music of Motown, Stax and Atlantic records.

‘The Sapphires’ was full of highlights. My favourite moments were the women proudly singing, ‘Say It Loud I’m Black and I’m Proud’, and, in a much more tender mood, when they sang the traditional song ‘Bura Fera’, sung in the native Yorta Yorta language, whilst they were on the phone to their mother back home.

As well as showing off their great vocal talents, the women were convincing in their roles. Christine Anu played the bossy, protective, sharp tongued oldest sister, Gail. Casey Donovan was Cynthia, forever being pestered by her ex-boyfriend, Jimmy. Kylie Farmer as Kay enjoyed her man trouble, relishing the advances of American soldier Robby. Hollie Andrew played the youngest sister, Julie, who found it hard to assert herself amongst her dominating sisters.

There were some fine performances in the supporting cast. Oliver Wenn was great as the girls’ hard working but sometimes misguided agent, Dave. Jimi Bani was vibrant as the show’s emcee and Cynthia’s ex, Jimmy. Kenneth Ransom was great as the erotic, sensual, Robby. Aljin Abella gave a tremendous performance as the troubled Vietnamese teenager Joe, his life having been thrown into chaos by the war, who befriends the girls and finds a way into their hearts.

Richard Roberts’s two tiered set worked well. The raised level was for the great four piece band and for the girls do an occasional number. Stage level was where most of the action took place, and somehow the Company managed to get a full sized military jeep onto the stage.

A joint Company B Belvoir and Black Swan Theatre Company production, ‘The Sapphires’ plays the York theatre, the Seymour Centre until June 20.

27th May, 2010