''Manning Clark's History of Australia – The Musical'' is an Australian musical by

Tim Robertson Tim Robertson is an Australian actor and writer. Early life Robertson was born in 1944 in Braintree, Essex, in the UK. He relocated to Australia in 1952. He is a graduate of the University of Western Australia (1965). After graduating, he ta ...

and

Don Watson Don Watson (born 1949) is an Australian author, screenwriter, former political adviser, and speechwriter. Early life Watson was born in 1949 at Warragul in the Gippsland region of Victoria, and grew up on a farm in nearby Korumburra. Academia ...

with

John Romeril John Henry Romeril (born 1945) is an Australian playwright and teacher. He has written around 60 plays for theatre, film, radio, and television, and is known for his 1975 play ''The Floating World''. Early life and education John Henry Romeril ...

with music by

Martin Armiger John Martin Armiger (10 June 1949 – 27 November 2019) was an Australian musician, record producer and composer. He was one of the singer-songwriters and guitarists with Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from August 1978 to late 1981, whic ...

and

George Dreyfus George Dreyfus AM (born 22 July 1928) is an Australian contemporary classical, film and television composer. Early life and orchestral career Dreyfus was born to a Jewish family in Elberfeld, Wuppertal, Germany. He was the younger of two sons ...

with David King. Written to coincide with the

Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...

, the musical interweaves the life of historian

Manning Clark Charles Manning Hope Clark, (3 March 1915 – 23 May 1991) was an Australian historian and the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume ''A History of Australia'', published between 1962 and 1987. He has been descri ...

from 1915 to 1988 with Australian history from 1788 to 1915, utilising drama, melodrama, music, song, comedy and circus.

Development

Watson, Robertson and Romeril began working on a stage adaptation of Clark's (then) five volume ''A History of Australia'' in 1983.

Production history

The original production opened at Melbourne's Princess Theatre on 16 January 1988, produced by John Timlin with investors including the Hoyts Corporation and

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

, as part of

celebrations. It was directed by John Bell with choreography by Mark Daly and musical direction by David King. Negative initial reviews and poor ticket sales resulted in the musical facing closure after three weeks. In an effort to continue, the cast agreed to forgo wages, the theatre owner waived the rent and Hoyts provided free publicity. ''History of Australia'' finally closed in late February 1988, well short of initial expectations and without proceeding to a national tour. A

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage Musical theatre, musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the ...

produced by

was released by

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

in 1988.CastAlbums. (1988)
''Manning Clark's History of Australia: The Musical > Original Australian Cast''
/ref>''Manning Clark's History of Australia – The Musical''

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Cast

* Terry Bader as de Quiros,

Jack Ketch John Ketch (died November 1686) was an infamous English executioner employed by King Charles II. He became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentioned in broadsheet accounts that ...

, Captain Gilbert, Jesus, Quong Tart, Bold Jack Donohue, Tom Roberts. *

Jonathan Biggins Jonathan Martin Biggins is an Australian actor, singer, writer, director, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage and television as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programmes. Early life and education Jonathan Martin Biggi ...

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James Co ...

, Captain Arthur Phillip, D'Arcy, WC and Billy Wentworth,

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1903 to 1904, 1905 to 1908, and 1909 to 1910. He held office as the leader of th ...

, the Unknown Soldier. * Terry Brady as Ensemble, chorus and understudy. *

Tina Bursill Tina Bursill (born 24 July 1951) is an Australian actress. She played Louise Carter on the television series '' Skyways'' (1979–1981) and Sonia Stevens on ''Prisoner'' (1983–1984). She played Meryl Knight in the Nine Network drama series ' ...

Elizabeth Macarthur Elizabeth Macarthur (14 August 1766 – 9 February 1850) was an English-born landowner and businesswomen who was wife of John Macarthur. Early life Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Bridgerule England, the daughter of provincial farmers, Rich ...

, St Peter,

Caroline Chisholm Caroline Chisholm ( ; born Caroline Jones; 30 May 1808 – 25 March 1877) was an English humanitarian known mostly for her support of immigrant female and family welfare in Australia. She is commemorated on 16 May in the Calendar of saints (Ch ...

, Kate Kelly, Lady Carrington. * Darryl Emerson as

Ned Ludd Ned Ludd () is the legendary person to whom the Luddites attributed the name of their movement. In 1779, Ludd is supposed to have broken two stocking frames in a fit of rage. When the "Luddites" emerged in the 1810s, his identity was appropri ...

, Wharfie,

Edmund Barton Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton (18 January 18497 January 1920) was an Australian politician, barrister and jurist who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, before ...

, understudy. *

Michele Fawdon Michele Fawdon (1947–2011) was an English-born Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles in TV serials ''Matlock Police'' (1971–1974), '' The Unisexers'' (1975) and '' A Country Practice'' (1980, 1985, 1992). In 1979 she won ...

Dymphna Clark Hilma Dymphna Clark (née Lodewyckx; 18 December 1916 – 12 May 2000) was an Australian linguist and educator. She was married to the historian Manning Clark. Biography Born in Melbourne of Swedish and Flemish ancestry, Clark was educated at ...

, Rose, Miss Macarthur. *

Bob Hornery Robert James Hornery (28 May 1931 – 26 May 2015) was an Australian actor. He won both the Helpmann Awards and the Equity Awards lifetime achievement award, with a career spanning 60 years, in both Britain and Australia. He was well known for h ...

as Cheng Ho,

Frank the Poet Francis MacNamara (c. 1810 – 28 August 1861), known as Frank the Poet, was an Irish writer and poet who was transported as a convict to the penal colony of New South Wales. While incarcerated, he composed improvised verse that captured convi ...

, Bishop Broughton,

Lord Carrington Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secreta ...

, Archbishop Mannix. * Geoffrey Jenkins as Lenny the Spoons,

Joe Byrne Joseph Byrne (21 November 1856 – 28 June 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw and member of the Kelly gang, referred to as leader Ned Kelly's second in command. Byrne was born in country Victoria with an Irish Catholic background. He ...

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923. He led the nation during World War I, and his influence on national politics s ...

. *

Ivar Kants Ivar Kants (born 19 July 1949), commonly credited as Ivor Kants or Ivar Kanz, is an Australian actor of Latvian descent who has played numerous roles in film, television and theatre. Early life Ivar Kants was born on July 19, 1949, in Adela ...

Reverend Marsden Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society. He played a leading role in bringing Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden w ...

, Judge Barry. *

John McTernan John McTernan (born 1959) is a British political strategist and commentator. He has been a political adviser to the Labour Party. McTernan was Prime Minister Tony Blair's Director of Political Operations from 2005 to 2007. He then worked on ...

Captain Cook Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He complet ...

, Peter the Possum,

William Bligh William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the Muti ...

Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and the longest-serving non-consecutive Premier of New South Wales, premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in ...

. * Linda Nagle as Nance the Ferret, Mrs Wentworth,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. * Helen Noonan as Lara, Mrs Cooper,

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

. * Ingrid Silveus as Ensemble, chorus and understudy. *

Greg Stone Gregory "Greg" Jonathon Stone (born 23 June 1961 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian actor who has appeared in films, television and on stage. Early life Stone was born in Perth, Western Australia to parents Roy and Jennifer Stone a ...

as Isaac, the Judge, John Macarthur,

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...

, Roper,

Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European land exploration of Australia, European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the ...

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period ...

. * Carmen Tanti as Hicks, Luddite, Sheila bandicoot, Barmaid and understudy. * Jenny Vuletic as Chartist,

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

Louisa Lawson Louisa Lawson (née Albury; 17February 184812August 1920) was an Australian poet, writer, publisher, Suffragette, suffragist, and feminist. She was the mother of the poet and author Henry Lawson. Early life Louisa Albury was born on 17 Februa ...

, Mrs Parkes. * Ross Williams as

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch sea explorer, seafarer and exploration, explorer, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first European to reach New ...

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, Marine,

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

, Wharfie,

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...

George Reid Sir George Houston Reid (25 February 1845 – 12 September 1918) was a Scottish-born Australian and British politician, diplomat, and barrister who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1904 t ...

Critical reception

The musical received a mixed critical reaction. In Melbourne newspaper ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', theatre critic Leonard Radic said the musical gave an overall impression of "patchiness and a failure of imagination". Playwright

Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (12 April 1940 – 30 August 2024) was an Australian playwright best known for his plays '' Dimboola'' (1969) and '' A Stretch of the Imagination'' (1972). He was also a physician. Biography John Charles Hibberd was bor ...

called Radic's review "disrespectful, captious and harsh" and "choked with terrible misjudgements".

Musical numbers

*"One Story" *"We Are They" *"Sons of Enlightenment" *"Nance the Ferret" *"The Wentworth Samba" *"The Cricket Song" *"There Is No Love" (inc. "Inaugural Orgy of NSW") *"We in the Shadows" *"Spirit of the Place" *"Gold" *"Parp Parp" *"The Kelly Gang Song" *"Reedy River" *"Louisa's Song" *"Tailoresses" (inc. "Faces in the Street") *"The Unknown Soldier" *"Gallipolli" *"Louisa Underscore" *"Song of the Republic" Musical numbers taken from the

. Orchestrations:

, Sharon Calcraft, Duncan Cameron,

Ashley Irwin Ashley Irwin is an Australian born composer, conductor, orchestrator, arranger and music producer. Irwin has composed, conducted, arranged, and orchestrated music for numerous movie soundtracks. He has collaborated with Clint Eastwood, Bill Cont ...

, David King, Derek Williams. In addition to a

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm ...

, the lineup included two

Kurzweil K250 The Kurzweil K250, manufactured by Kurzweil Music Systems, was an early electronic musical instrument which produced sound from sampled sounds compressed in ROM, faster than common mass storage such as a disk drive. Acoustic sounds from brass, ...

s that replaced the different orchestral sections with sampled sounds.

References

External links

''Manning Clark's History of Australia''
at

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

"We in the Shadows" from ''History of Australia'' performed by Geraldine Turner on YouTube"The Unknown Soldier" from ''History of Australia'' performed by Philip Quast on YouTubeA History of Australia The Musical, A History
(website by Tim Robertson about the musical including the libretto) {{DEFAULTSORT:Manning Clark's History of Australia - The Musical Australian musicals 1988 musicals Musicals set in Australia