''Eureka'' (also called ''Eureka!'') is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with music by Michael Maurice Harvey, book and lyrics by

Gale Edwards Annette Gale Edwards (born 14 November 1954) is an Australian theatre director, who has worked extensively throughout Australia and internationally. She has also directed for television and film. Professional career Edwards began her career at ...

and John Senczuk and original book and lyrics by Maggie May Gordon. The musical is set in Victoria during the

Eureka Rebellion The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British administration of the Victoria (Australia)#Colonial Victoria, colony of Victoria, History of Au ...

of 1854, covering the tensions between immigrant gold miners from many cultures and the British colonial authorities. The original Australian production played in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 2004 at

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. It was nominated for the

Helpmann Award for Best Musical The Helpmann Award for Best Musical is a musical theatre award, presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) at the annual Helpmann Awards since 2001. The award is for a production in Australia, and is open to both new musicals and revivals. Th ...

in 2005.

Development

Maggie May Gordon, a bush poet and writer from Trangie in outback

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, developed the original book and lyrics for ''Eureka'' during the 1980s and 1990s. Gordon approached composer Michael Harvey to collaborate with her in 1999. Harvey had been suggested to Gordon by singer

Normie Rowe Norman John Rowe (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He rose to national prominence in the mid-1960s as a pop star and teen idol, backed by The Playboys. His 1965 double A-side " Que Sera Sera"/" Shakin' All Over" w ...

. In November 2000, they held a 2-day workshop in Sydney with a cast including Barry Crocker (who later featured in the full production). Further readings and rewrites were followed by a concert version produced by Harvey that visited theatres in Queensland regional cities over two weeks from 12 to 24 August 2003. Positive reactions to the concert tour assisted in raising the investment for the Melbourne production. Simon Gallagher joined Michael Harvey as co-producer. The addition of

as director led to considerable further development through re-writing, revision and workshops. Edwards and co-writer John Senczuk delivered a first draft of a revised book, based on the original work of Maggie May Gordon, in January 2004. The new book fleshed out the relationships, introduced new characters, and expanded the storyline, which necessitated several new songs. Large-scale revision of book and score continued through 2004, including through a 3-week workshop in March 2004 and a further 2-week workshop in July 2004.

Production

Following previews beginning 28 September 2004, ''Eureka'' opened in Melbourne on 8 October 2004 at Her Majesty's Theatre, produced by Harvey and Gallagher as part of the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts. Gale Edwards directed with choreography by Tony Bartuccio and musical direction by Michael Tyack. The main cast included Ian Stenlake (

Peter Lalor Peter Fintan Lalor ( ); 5 February 1827 – 9 February 1889) was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician, who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Austra ...

), Trisha Crowe (Bridie O'Malley), Simon Gleeson (Sean Flynn), Rachael Beck (Alicia Dunn), Barry Crocker (Paddy O'Malley), Amanda Muggleton (Mercedes Cortez), Peter Carroll ( Sir Charles Hotham), Nancye Hayes (Lady Hotham), Michael Cormick (Commissioner Grey), Yang Li (Long Tu) and Pauline Whyman (Kardinia). Due to weak ticket sales, the musical closed early on 28 November 2004, a week before the 150th anniversary of the battle of the Eureka Stockade.

Reception

Critical reception was mixed to positive. ''

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 ...

'' stated that "this distinctively Australian subject, with heroes and villains, oppression and revolution, romance and sacrifice, well acted, staged with flair, set to pleasing music and featuring some exceptional singing, has something for just about everyone". "The book...sketches the miners' revolt against crippling licence fees in big, bold strokes and moves at a cracking pace under Edwards' disciplined, assured direction. ...The score, for which ''

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'' was undoubtedly the template, is more than serviceable music theatre, running the gamut from robust choruses to love songs and music hall ribaldry, a wonderful Toorak Waltz to a lively Irish jig." '' The Bulletin'' said that "with never a dull moment and leaving not a dry eye in the house, the creative team ... has excelled at making personal entanglements carry broader issues without trivialising either. ... This is a ''Eureka!'' for our times, wearing its

black armband A black armband is an armband that is coloured black to signify that the wearer is in mourning or wishes to identify with the commemoration of a family member or friend who has died. In sport, especially association football, cricket, and Austral ...

with dignity, never despair, pointing through how we once were to what we might make of ourselves." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called the musical a "blandly generic epic" that "despite its considerable technical merits and stellar performance highlights ...seems unlikely to enter the annals of Australian musical theater as a great discovery".

Cast

Ian Stenlake, Rachael Beck, Nancy Hayes, Simon Gleeson, Michael Cormick, Trisha Crowe, Barry Crocker, Amanda Muggleton, Peter Carol, John Lidgerwood, Gary Files, Queenie Van Der Zandt, Belinda Parsons (née Allchin), Verity Hunt-Ballard, Anna Daicos, James Millar, Luke Stephens, John O'Hara, Han Lim, David Spencer, Teneel Van Zyl, Alexis West, Christopher Tomkinson, Kent Green.

Original November 2000 workshop cast

Barry Crocker, Katy Manning, Rob Guest, Kara Lane, Mark Lee (incomplete)

Awards

''Eureka'' was nominated for the 2005

. Amanda Muggleston won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. ''Eureka'' was also nominated for six 2004 Melbourne

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are Australian peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre companies, independent theatre, musical theatre, contemporary and experimental performance, and opera. The awards, which were established in ...

for music theatre, with Trudy Dalgleish's lighting winning for Technical Design. Other nominations were for Choreography (Tony Bartuccio), Musical Direction (Michael Tyack), Male Artist in a Leading Role (Ian Stenlake), Male Artist in a Supporting Role (Barry Crocker) and Creative Design (Peter England, set design).

References

External links

*{{AusStage, event/66018, i=yes
''Eureka''
at David Spicer Productions (performance rights) 2004 musicals 2000s Australian musicals Musicals inspired by real-life events Musicals set in the 1850s Musicals set in Australia Eureka Rebellion Cultural depictions of the Eureka Rebellion