Sydney Festival
Queensland Theatre: Ladies in Black
Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star, 6 January
Ladies in Black is a Helpmann Award-winning new Australian musical that is enjoying much critical and popular success. Currently playing in Sydney under the auspices of the Sydney Festival, this production is set to tour Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra in coming months. It is an unashamedly feel-good story in which all conflicts are resolved by the end of the show; but is also by turns poignant, wry and laugh-out-loud funny.
Based on The Women in Black, a novel by Madeleine St John, this is a story that revolves around the largely domestic and quintessentially female concerns of a diverse group of women working in the dress section of an upmarket department store in Sydney during the late 1950’s. New recruit Lisa Miles (Sarah Morrison) is on the cusp of adult life in a rapidly changing era, waiting for the results of her Leaving Certificate and longing to go to university, at a time when that was far from the norm. She finds a mentor and an ally of sorts in Magda (Natalie Gamsu), an older colleague with a European background and accent that alienates her from many of her Australian colleagues, until her friendship with Lisa brings some of them into her orbit.
Natalie Gamsu played the authoritative Magda as both warm and fierce, a fully fleshed out multi-dimensional character, while Morrison captured Lisa’s initial shyness and trepidation, tracing her growing confidence throughout the show to a crowning “Cinderella” moment when, at Magda’s suggestion, she tries on the “Lisette” (a designer gown) in her lunch-break.
Side stories with colleagues Fay (Ellen Simpson) and Patty (Madeleine Jones) reveal just how much tougher life was for women back then, touching on their relatable fears of staying single and childlessness. Indeed one of the most admirable things about Ladies in Black is how easily the audience can relate to and empathise with the characters, despite the relative unfamiliarity of their world. Under the direction of Simon Phillips this cast did a great job bringing the story to life.
Considerable credit should go to playwright Carolyn Burns, who distils key themes from the novel into snappy and memorable one-liners, and composer Tim Finn, whose songs branch out from the events and dialogue as naturally as can be. The relative artificiality of musical theatre, where characters intermittently burst into song, is minimised by the way music and dialogue are effectively combined here. Song highlights include the opening advertising jingle “I Got It at Goodes”, the “Ladies in Black” theme song, “The Bastard”, ‘”Model Gowns” and “I Just Kissed a Continental”.
Choreographer Andrew Hallsworth has created some memorable dance routines, most notably for the title song, “Ladies in Black”, and “Pandemonium”. A highlight is the way in which he has used a relatively small number of dancers to conjure an image of the bustling shop floor in the post-Christmas sales. From the nervous staff to the rush of the crowd, and even the swinging doors through which they entered, these performers’ moving bodies captured the whole scene as it unfolded.
Designer Gabriela Tylesova’s relatively minimalistic set design allows the costumes to take centre stage - from plain house-dresses and lavish, full-skirted gowns in a cornucopia of colours, to the eponymous black skirt-suits and shift dresses worn by the women at work. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the retail setting, fashion liberates and empowers the female characters by enhancing their femininity in an era largely structured around men.
- GERALDINE HIGGINSON
Ladies in Black plays Sydney Festival until 22 January.
