Review: Bright and Wholesome, GEORGY GIRL Reconnects Audiences With The Fabulous Music Of The Seekers

Wednesday 6th April, 7pm, State Theatre, Sydney

Hit songs of the 60's are recreated in GEORGY GIRL - THE SEEKERS MUSICAL as the scandal free history of The Seekers is recounted. The new Australian musical delighted the Sydney opening night audience, from an older generation that enjoyed reconnecting to their past to younger viewers given a taste of the first Australian music group to achieve UK and US chart success.

Director Gary Young has bought the story of the Seekers, written by Judith Durham's brother in-law Patrick Edgeworth, to the stage with a bright, cheerful, somewhat kitsch, feel good night of entertainment. Presented in the style of a 1960's talk show retrospective by Adam Murphy as Judith's late husband Ron Edgeworth, the story unfolds on Shaun Gurton's split level set. The illuminated paneled walls taper to a narrow rear wall which houses an upper level, reached by a simple, mobile, metal staircase and backed by a screen that provides a changing backdrop with archive footage and images.

Gurton has teamed with Costume Designer Isaac Lummis and Lighting Designer Trudy Dalgleish to take the audience from a more restrained 1962 Melbourne to the cutting edge London and beyond with a changing palette of conservative tones and patterns to the psychedelic patterns and bright colors. The exports keep a somewhat conservative style, reflective of their mild image and antipodean origins, even when the body conscious Judith finally embraces London fashion. Set apart from the story, jazz singer and pianist Ron Edgeworth remains for the majority of the show in an elegant velvet tuxedo jacket allowing him to move around the edges of the story as the narrator and host.

The show is unapologetic about its lack of scandal as Ron introduces the show with the acknowledgement that The Seekers were not the kind of band that you'd expect destroyed hotel rooms from, but rather, tidied up and left better than when they arrived. Their wholesome history does make it hard for the usual plot twists found in a show with the only real scandal relating to Judith's decision to leave the band in 1948 and her relationship with ex-boyfriend, Tour Manager, John Ashby (Ian Stenlake).

The story serves to link the songs as they were presented on concert stages, recording studios and television broadcasts, focusing on the combined effort and the band's relationship with their manager. Aside from a greater focus on Judith, there is limited reference to the personal lives of the individual band members which does restrict how much the audience learns about the characters but given the focus is on the music, there is enough of a plot to hold the work together. It pokes fun at the era from its dancing, fashion, attitudes and stereotypes of the places The Seekers visit. Aside from Judith's ongoing focus on the battle with her weight, a mirror to the movie Georgy Girl for which the title song was created, and her eventual acceptance of her shape, Edgeworth and Young have chosen to accept the social norms of the era and present them as they were, refraining from passing judgement.

Edgeworth has drawn on songs The Seekers had sung, with varying levels of involvement in their creation from being the songwriters, co-songwriters, arrangers/adaptors, and songs by other songwriters and composers that they performed during their careers as part of the band and solo. References to Paul Simon and Tom Springfield, who both wrote some of the works that helped them to success are also thrown in with a degree of comic 'shelving'. Importantly, Young has ensured that he has selected performers who can also play the instruments that Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Athol Guy played as well as sing and act.

As Judith Durham, referred to throughout the show as Judy, Pippa Grandison is superb at creating the pure sweet sound that packs a punch. She captures the sweet, innocent, naivety of the not yet 21 Judith at the start of the show. As we see her grow over the 6 years that the band was together, Grandison ensures that Judy retains the pure, sweet, girl next door image whilst giving her more confidence following her acceptance of her shape. As the work is narrated by Judy's eventual husband, the story does center more on her after the breakup of the Band and the realization of the romance between Judy and Ron is presented beautifully and the depth of the love is felt in the poignancy of his final moments.

Glaston Toft portrays Double Bass player Athol Guy, with a degree of gravitas as the anchor of the group. Mike McLeish creates guitar player Bruce Woodley who acts as more of a leader to the quartet. Phillip Lowe plays the 12 string guitar player Keith Potger who always seemed to be chasing girls, forming another of the show's running jokes. The trio work wonderfully with Grandison to create The Seekers' "sound" and express a growth in the characters from the wide eyed exports to the excitement of touring and being successful and the later disappointment and hurt at the dissolving of the band. Their final number, I Am Australian, is presented beautifully with weight and emotion as a follow on to the news that Judy had suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2013 and the hanging question of whether she would regain her ability to sing.

As narrator and host Ron Edgeworth, Judith's Musical Director and husband, Adam Murphy is charming and helps set the tone of the show. He injects humor into the recollections as well as poking fun at himself before his place in the storyline becomes apparent and heartbreaking. As Judy's sister Beverley, Sophie Carter is delightful in her energy, enthusiasm and vocals and the post breakup scene where she seeks to cheer up her sister is sweet in its cheesy style. Eddie Jarrett is presented by Stephen Wheat who captures the tenacity of the Band's Agent. The weak link in the core performers is Ian Stenlake's portrayal of the Band's Tour Manager, John Ashby. His movement is over-exaggerated, unnatural and awkward and his vocals are decidedly weaker and fluctuate in accent.

Accepting that GEORGY GIRL - THE SEEKERS MUSICAL is a jukebox musical based on a band that had a 'kids next door', good, clean image, this is a lovely, bright, "shiny" feel good trip down memory lane. For those that grew up with the music, this is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the hit songs that took the UK and the US by storm. For younger generations, it's an opportunity to be introduced to an iconic Australian band and an era when music didn't need to be unintelligible or crass to become popular.

Photos: Jeff Busby

GEORGY GIRL - THE SEEKERS MUSICAL

State Theatre, Sydney
2 April 2016 - 27 May 2016
www.ticketmaster.com.au/georgygirl or 1300 723 038

Crown Theatre, Perth

8 July - 24 July 2016

www.ticketmaster.com.au/georgygirl or 1300 723 038