''Lasseter'' is an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with book and lyrics by

Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer and former television presenter. Childhood From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an interest in the performing arts. Regular outings to ...

and music by Sandra McKenzie and Patrick Flynn. Described as a musical fable, it follows the spiritual journey of a disillusioned group of young people who leave the city and temptations of consumer society in search of a Utopia in the Australian outback. The title of the musical was inspired by the explorer

Harold Bell Lasseter Lewis Harold Bell Lasseter (27 September 1880 - 31 January 1931), also known as Harold Lasseter, was an Australian gold prospector who claimed to have found a fabulously rich gold reef in central Australia. Life Lasseter was born in 1880 at Ba ...

(but the musical is not about him). Reg Livermore later claimed the musical "didn't hit its mark (nobody's fault but my own I suppose; a script that was simultaneously earnest and ludicrous)."

Development

Livermore, best known at that time as an actor, started working on ''Lasseter'' about the same time he joined the cast of the Australian production of ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

''. It was the third musical written by Livermore, after '' West of the Black Stump'' (1964) and '' The Good Ship Walter Raleigh'' (1963). The musical has an eclectic rock score in the style of ''Hair''. Flynn and McKenzie were also involved in ''Hair'' as musical director and stage director respectively. Flynn described ''Lasseter'' as ""dramatic, but it has a lot of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously."

Productions

''Lasseter'' opened at the Parade Theatre in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 8 October 1971, produced by the

Old Tote Theatre Company The Old Tote Theatre Company (1963–1978) was a New South Wales theatre company that began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was the predecessor to the Sydney Theatre Company. ...

. The season finished on 6 November 1971. It was directed by Jim Sharman with choreography by Keith Bain, musical direction by Flynn and design by Brian Thomson. The production had a cast of 21 and five musicians. As well as Livermore, the cast included Jeannie Lewis, Drew Forsythe,

Helen Morse Helen Morse (born 24 January 1947) is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film '' Caddie'', and starred in the 19 ...

, Garry McDonald and John Waters and a number of other notable Australian performers.

Reception

Margaret Jones in the ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'' described the musical as "more of an all-out sensual attack than a theatrical production". She highlighted potential audience division: "If you think the rejection by youth of the values of a materialistic society is valid, and that peace, love and beauty are realisable ideals rather than impossible dreams, then ''Lasseter'' will touch you deeply. If you think the youth cult is ridiculous and drop-outs are only poseurs who will drop back in again as soon as they regain their senses, then you will find the play a load of old rubbish". Livermore and Flynn would go on to create the musical '' Ned Kelly'' together.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Lasseter''
at AusStage
''Lasseter''
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...

Australian musicals 1970s Australian musicals 1971 musicals Original musicals Musicals set in Australia