24 Hour Musical

Director Melty Tantiwanich and Producer Claire Millar looked thrilled but exhausted after the final applause for 24 Hour Musical. Beginning at 7:30pm the previous night, the writers are given some sparse stimulus, and the frantic writing, composing and casting begins. The cast were given the material at 7am, leaving them just 12 hours to learn their music, lines, moves, and get fitted for costumes. Asked how the team of collaborators got through the immense creative ordeal, the response was red bull, jager, and No-Doz. The overload of caffeine definitely paid off, as what emerged was a delightfully entertaining musical.

It begins in 1963, at St Peter’s Catholic Christian College for Girls. We are introduced to a group of young women, students who are approaching their final exams. The hilarious narrator, Kaleidoscope (played by Alexandra Smith), details the events in a voice that is simultaneously addled by drugs and incredibly perceptive. Her three best friends are the driven and intelligent Rubix (played by Christine Edmond) who is determined to be a doctor, Muddy (played by Cat Leonard), a sweet, closeted lesbian secretly dating her singing teacher, and Helmet (played by Laura Raiti), the hopeful romantic, who later finds out she is pregnant. The issues that each girl faces reflect the social issues of their generation in the 1960s, struggling to break free of expectations placed upon them. Muddy's heartfelt song, "Wouldn't it be Grand", reflects the difficulties in same-sex love in a society that is both crushingly conservative and dizzy with the possibilities of new freedoms. The witty dialogue simultaneously explores Helmet's difficult decision to get an abortion, and Muddy's frustration at not being able to express her love for her girlfriend in public. The plot takes a dark turn as Helmet struggles with the aftermath of her abortion, and as the other girls study furiously for their final exams, Helmet retreats dangerously into herself. The musical culminates with a tango between Helmet and a hooded figure Kaleidoscope identifies as Death, a dance that represents Helmet taking her own life. In the aftermath, Sr Mary Catherine announces that Helmet astonishingly received the highest mark, but having taken her own life, Helmet would now “have to receive the news from Lucifer in Hell”. A discussion between the remaining girls, reveals Rubix’s surprising decision to swap her final exam with Helmet’s to save her friends memory, and the possibility of love between Muddy and Kaleidoscope.

The dark, yet complex and satisfying plot and the fact that the main actors were engaging, raw and musically talented made for a highly successful musical. While the issues explored are real and heart breaking, the humorous use of props and Kaleidoscope's random hallucinations provide comic relief. The musical score was fresh, and the simple settings allowed the rich story and beautiful music to shine. Any forgotten lyrics were quickly forgiven by the audience, as it was clear the actors were enjoying themselves. A thoroughly engaging experience, made even more impressive by the knowledge that it took them a mere 24 hours to pull together. It’s not at all surprising that 24 Hour Musical won Best Mudfest Event.