The musical adaptation of Madeleine St John’s 1993 novel, The Women in Black, is coming to The Queensland Theatre Company this week in the world premiere of Ladies in Black.
The world of F.G. Goode’s department store will be brought to life by internationally-acclaimed director Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Love Never Dies) with original music from superstar Crowded House singer and musician, the amazing Tim Finn.
The wonderful novel, The Women in Black, on which the production is based, is about the seemingly ordinary lives of women in 1950s Sydney. As Sydney crosses the threshold from the stuffy repression of the 1950s to the glorious liberation of the 1960s, bright-eyed, bookish school-leaver Lisa joins the sales staff in the city’s most prestigious department store. In that summer of innocence, a world of possibilities opens up as she befriends the colourful denizens of the women’s frocks department – including her new mentor, the exotic European Magda, mysterious mistress of the gowns.
The women in black are the department store workers, it’s the Christmas rush and they’re run off their feet. There’s still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme.
With a dash of comedy and a touch of glamour, Ladies in Black is a magical modern-day fairytale set in a city on the cusp of becoming cosmopolitan, and it marks the triumphant return of musical theatre to Queensland Theatre Company’s stage.
The play will run at the Queensland Theatre Company Mainstage from 14 November until 6 December. Visit The Queensland Theatre company website to find out more or book tickets.
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Sounds wonderful , reminds me of my late mother in law who worked in David Jones in Sydney in the 60s in the material department . Loved the stories she told me.