It’s always a joy to experience a new Aussie musical in the early stages of its genesis, especially one as rich and ambitious in scope and storytelling as STELLA – A New Australian Musical is.
Bursting with joy, vitality and spirit, STELLA is the brainchild of Australian composer and singer Monique diMattina and depicts the extraordinary life and career of Stella Miles Franklin, a groundbreaking author and feminist whose writing and activism at the turn of 20th-century Australia left a mark on the country that you can still see reverberating today, with her legacy remembered through the Miles Franklin Award, which continues to reward and honour Aussie authors.
Growing up on a rural New South Wales farm, Stella (played to perfection by Geraldine Hakewill) shows a prodigious talent for writing and yearns for a life beyond the homestead. We’re introduced to Stella’s happy but mundane life on the farm, surrounded by a loving family, including her kindly but disapproving mother (Johanna Allen), her warm-hearted Pa (Joe Kosky) and two rambunctious siblings (Shubshri Kandiah and Kaya Byrne).
But with some help from no less than Henry Lawson himself, Stella’s passion for the written word quickly sees her become the toast of the literary world with the publication of her debut novel My Brilliant Career in 1901, which sees her journey across the world to London and the United States to experience all that life has to offer and pursue a writing career.
But Stella’s path is a rocky one filled with unexpected detours, with continued literary success eluding her, and a rivalry forming between her and fellow writer Mary Gilmore (Allen), as she becomes heavily involved in activism of the day and and even works as a nurse during World War I.
But ultimately, this is a triumphant story that shines a light on an iconic Aussie that I regretfully didn’t know much about. The cast and crew have said in interviews that this very reason is what drew them to Stella’s story, and hope that this production will make her achievements more widely known and appreciated.
As previously mentioned, the scope of STELLA is epic and the level of talent that is required and amply displayed by the cast is nothing short of extraordinary. With superb stage chemistry and everyone except for Hakewill playing multiple roles, the cast never miss a beat as bringing dozens of unique and distinct characters to life, at times doing so with only the most subtle changes of voice and costume.
Especially good at this is Byrne, who plays Stella’s brother as well as the secondary character of her suitor Edwin, delineating the two characters so well that you might think at first it’s two different actors in the roles.
Kosky is equally impressive, offering superb support as a myriad of characters and is arguably the heart of the show as the affable and wise Pa.
Allen is given a plum role as Stella’s prickly and slightly tragic mum, with her second act number No One Left to Bother Me an emotional powerhouse.
Kandiah is a boundless ball of energy in all of her roles and lights up the stage every time she appears, especially as Stella’s wide-eyed sister Linda.
But it’s Hakewill’s performance that ultimately shines brightest. Having seen her in plays such as MacBeth and Gaslight in recent years, I knew she was an exceptional actor but I had no idea she was just as equally talented as a singer.
To hear Hakewill talk about the project in interviews, she is obviously as passionate about this show as any she has ever been involved in and it shows.
diMattina’s song score is unlike anything I’ve heard before in an Australian production, utilising a range of different musical genres in a cohesive whole that feels both modern and turn-of-the-century at the same time. Her book is exemplary as well, with some beautiful dialogue peppered in between the songs and the show being surprisingly hilarious at times.
The direction by Julia Robertson is top-notch, with not a second of stage time wasted and the show moving at a rapid clip as it covers many years and locations, but everything flowed beautifully from one scene to the next.
The set design (by Nick Fry) and lighting (by Sidney Younger) both deserve high praise. The set feels enormous and the cast use every inch of it, with the use of some elevated sections being put to good use.
The lighting effects range from the subtle to the more intense (such as the WWI sequence), but it never fails to enhance the show.
The only slight criticism I could make is that the show’s second act seems to lack the momentum and spirit that the first act has, with the show peaking with the show-stopping number Shook it Up towards the end of act one. But it’s a rare musical that has a second act that tops the first so this is only a minor criticism.
This current production of STELLA is a limited trial staging of the show, but if you’re able to catch it in its infancy you must do so, as this is sure to become a generation local production that you’ll be seeing staged for decades to come.
STELLA – A New Australian Musical is a masterclass of storytelling that announces diMattina as a powerful new voice on the Aussie stage, and shows that a local production can match the quality of any other in the world.
4.5/5 STARS
Playing at the Alexander Theatre, Monash Clayton Campus until June 20th.
Tickets and more information at stellathemusical.com
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 