Don’t have time to read the full review? Click here for a quick summary of the who, what, where and wine of this production.
Fun loving and fearless, with a soundtrack as moving as it is groovy, this new musical appreciates, pokes fun at and examines with a critical eye the many varied Australias that exist in 2023.
When Donald Home wrote the book The Lucky Country, it was 1964 and he meant it as an insult – a suggestion that Australia’s successes to date were based on dumb luck. Now it’s mostly a positive saying about the opportunity and good naturedness of Australians, percieved and actual.
Varya Makan’s The Lucky Country acknowledges both and more; an Indigenous boy who struggles with the reverence given to colonisers in school history goes on a journey of discovery, meeting, among many, a silenced war veteran, a refugee child whose new community has embraced her family, and an aspiring Byron Bay nudist sick of running his dad’s Chinese restaurant.
Director Sonya Suares’ impeccable pacing and Makan’s balanced plotting of Australia’s highs and lows create a dynamic performance of roaring laughter and reflection. The range of Australian people and experiences do not feel pitted against each other, as they so often are in media and politics, but rather are allowed to exist without comparison, competition or denial. A backdrop displaying animated videos based on the score leads us through each new chapter, a simple but effective constant to bring together the many vignettes that make up the story.
Makan’s composition of this earworm-filled score sets an energetic and open-minded tone. The punchy 65-minutes comprises comedy songs that dig endearingly at Aussie idioms, food and behaviours, emotional ballads that confront Australia’s unacceptably high rates of violence against women and discrimination, and ensemble numbers that energise and entertain, including a Miss Universe Australia number in which the local contestant’s red-sequinned dance moves are as deliciously dangerous as the native animals she sings about. The showstopping finale, in which the audience is wholeheartedly invited into the story of The Lucky Country through the language of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation (now known as Sydney), will stay with me for a long time.
The Lucky Country is a hopeful and mature representation of the jigsaw puzzle that is this country’s history and present-day. It encourages us to celebrate the right, acknowledge and seek to right the wrong, and move forward united.
Purchase your ticket to The Lucky Country here.
Shiraz | Wine Pairing
Shiraz is one of Australia’s oldest and most prolific wine varietals, grown right around the country, so it’s only fitting to pair it with an Aussie musical.
My Pick: Munda 2021 Syrah, Kaurna Country Blewitt Springs, SA
Munda Wines produces wines in Kaurna Country, Ngadjuri or Peramangk Country, Aboriginal countries located just south of Adelaide, South Australia. Their winemaking philosophy aims to showcase the history of these counties and Indigenous agricultural and sustainability methods, including minimal intervention and early bottling to maintain the freshness of the fruit and flavours.
Their 2021 Syrah boasts flavours of blueberry and dark cherry, with gentle notes of cacao and white earthy spice.
The Lucky Country, Hayes Theatre Co. | Tasting Notes
| Aussie Season | 26 May to June 17 2023, Hayes Theatre Co. |
| Ticket $ | $60-75 |
| Writer | Vidya Makan |
| Director | Sonya Suares |
| Theatre Type & Genre | Musical |
| See it if you like | Australian stories of all shapes and sizes |
| Wine Pairing | Shiraz |
| Criteria for Wine Pairing | Bold, full bodied, notes of eucalyptus |
Toasting Aussie Theatre 