A CRITICALLY acclaimed Australian musical headlines the Spring line-up of entertainment at City of Coffs Harbour’s Jetty Memorial Theatre (JMT).
“Waltzing the Wilarra” is set in a mixed-race dance club in post-World War II Perth and is HIT Productions’ third First Nations musical production after the phenomenally successful “The Sapphires” and Wesley Enoch’s “The Sunshine Club”.
Written and composed by David Milroy, Waltzing the Wilarra stars Lorinda May Merrypor (Juliet in “& Juliet”), Shaka Cook (Hamilton) and Lisa Maza (Stingers), with the play backed by a live band.
They will perform at the JMT from 8pm on 27 September.
“The Jetty Memorial Theatre is such a treasured asset for our community and its ability to continually attract a diverse range of entertainment speaks volumes,” Mayor Nikki Williams said.
“The character and intimacy of the venue makes every performance such an experience.”
Waltzing the Wilarra centres on the characters of Charlie, Elsa and Fay in a time of curfews, and the threat of arrest for consorting.
Despite this, white and black manage to form their own club; a space where people can sing, dance, listen to music and with a little luck, find some romance.
Forty years on, as the club faces demolition, the three leads stage a musical reunion and protest to save their old stomping ground.
As they reflect upon loves lost and found, old arguments and alliances resurface, as do dark secrets.
Waltzing the Wilarra is directed by Gumbaynggirr and Turkish storyteller Brittanie Shipway.
As well as writing for ABC Radio and SBS Voices, Shipway directed the Tony Award-winning musical Once On This Island at The Hayes Theatre Company.
She has also made her mark as a performer.
“Australian press critics have hailed Waltzing the Wilarra as a ground-breaking production and we’re delighted to bring it here to Coffs Harbour,” City Planning and Communities Acting Director Ian Fitzgibbon said.
“This promises to be a thought-provoking play with an underlying message that reconciliation is so much more than just saying sorry.”
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