Bad Girls The Musical at Chrissie Parrott Arts

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Posted 2016-06-19 by groover ⇒ follow

Thu 28 Jul 2016 - Sat 13 Aug 2016

Bad Girls – The Musical at Chrissie Parrott Arts

The WA premiere of a musical following the lives of women in a British prison – and their relationships in a variety of traumatic circumstances – is the latest offering from Blak Yak Theatre this winter. Directed by Lorna Mackie at the Chrissie Parrott Arts space, Bad Girls – The Musical is based on the UK TV series featuring female inmates in the fictional Her Majesty's Prison Larkhall.

It is the story of new, idealistic Wing Governor Helen Stewart and her battles with the entrenched old guard of Officer Jim Fenner and his sidekick Sylvia Hollamby. A love story also develops between Helen and charismatic inmate Nikki Wade. The musical is written by the authors of the TV series, Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, with music and lyrics by Kath Gotts."While dark, the show is beautiful, touching and genuine," Lorna said. "It is also very funny with decidedly black humour. It has strong themes of domestic violence and rape but is ultimately a story of triumph over adversity."

Lorna said she faced a few challenges in presenting the musical. "The Chrissie Parrott Arts space, while perfect for the show, has no pre-existing audio-visual technology," she said. "It is literally a blank space and we are bringing everything into it for the show. The musical is also set in a British prison so a range of accents need to be portrayed effectively."

Involved in theatre since her mid-teens, both in the UK and Australia, Lorna had an initial career singing in a ladies' jazz and blues group before participating in a range of roles on and off the stage. She took several years off to study but soon rediscovered her passion for theatre and, in WA, has been involved with Marloo, Garrick, Blak Yak and Roleystone Theatres in a plethora of productions.

Lorna has scored numerous awards and nominations for musicals she has directed, including The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Avenue Q, Funny Business, Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens and Reefer Madness. Bad Girls – The Musical continues her love of alternative musicals."I relished the opportunity to direct a show primarily about women," Lorna said. "It explores a number of subjects such as violence, manipulation and more but from a very human perspective. While the show has its grand moments, it never loses sight of the human component. The show also has a truly beautiful score with witty and funny music."

Therese Cruise plays Crystal Gordon, a Christian kleptomaniac. "She believes everything she does is part of a higher power and that, even though she's in jail for shoplifting, she's better than all the others in with her," she said. "The main challenge with this show is keeping up with such a talented cast – there is so much talent in one room, it can be overwhelming."Bad Girls – The Musical appealed because it's dark, funny, serious and light-hearted all at once. It has amazingly beautiful music that's uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. The idea of an almost all-female musical attracted me immediately."

Bad Girls – The Musical plays at 8pm July 28, 29, 30, August 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 with a 2pm matinee August 7. Tickets are $25, $23 concession – book at www.blakyak.com.au . Chrissie Parrott Arts is at 4 Sussex Street, Maylands.