Evie May (musical)

Evie May is an Australian musical by Hugo Chiarella (book and lyrics) and Naomi Livingston (music and lyrics). Set in 1966 on the evening of the last ever Tivoli performance in Sydney, the show follows veteran variety star Evie May as she recalls the events that lead her from obscurity in regional Western Australia to the bright lights of the Australian variety circuit - and the many sacrifices made to get there.[1]

Evie May
MusicNaomi Livingston
LyricsHugo Chiarella and Naomi Livingston
BookHugo Chiarella
Productions2018 Hayes Theatre, Sydney

Synopsis

1966. The evening of the last ever Tivoli performance in Sydney. Veteran variety star Evie May recalls the events that lead her from obscurity in regional Western Australia to the bright lights of the Australian variety circuit - and the many sacrifices made to get there.

Forced to run away from home at a young age, Evie has spent her life trying to escape the pain of her past. As the final curtain comes down on the Tivoli - and everything that has come to define her - Evie struggles to find her place in a world that no longer values the very thing she has spent her life pursuing.

Evie May offers a compelling take on memory, motherhood, and the fascinating characters populating Australia’s rich theatrical history.

Productions

Chiarella and Livingston began collaborating on the show while they were touring in the Australian cast of Les Miserables.[2] In 2016, the show was picked up for development by New Musicals Australia and secured a season at the Hayes Theatre in Sydney in 2018 with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts.[3][4]

The original Australian production of Evie May opened at the Hayes Theatre on the 12th of October 2018. The show was directed by Kate Champion, with musical direction and orchestration by Steven Kreamer, musical supervision by Max Lambert, design by Anna Gardiner, lighting design by Sian James-Holland and sound design by Nate Edmondson.

Original cast

Musical numbers

Reception

In her review for Stage Noise, critic, Diana Simmonds wrote of the show, "Evie May is rude, funny, sad and humane in its portrayal of lives and times now gone; yet when it comes to women’s place in the world, there’s much that’s familiar. And in a musical setting, with sharp, smart lyrics, the poignancy and politics are heightened and vividly coloured. This is a remarkable addition to Australian musical theatre".[5] Judith Greenaway wrote for ArtsHub, "Evie May ends in a bareness of space, an echo chamber of those limited choices that empowered a modern movement. This is an entertaining, crafted, timely and relevant work."[6] In his review for Stage Whispers, Peter Gotting wrote, "When the lights go up on this new Australian musical, there’s a sense of maturity - Sydney’s Hayes Theatre is now producing premieres of variety and accomplishment rarely seen in this country before."[7]

Recording

In 2019 a live cast recording of the show was released featuring the original cast. The recording was made with the support of The Russell Mills Foundation and The Ron and Margaret Dobell Foundation.[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hugo Chiarella and Naomi Livinsgton.

No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Here I Am"Amanda Harrison3:40
2."The Only You"Loren Hunter, Jo Turner4:05
3."How The World Happened"Tim Draxl2:58
4."The Life of a Woman"Bishanyia Vincent, Loren Hunter4:01
5."My Story"Amanda Harrison, Loren Hunter3:24
6."Oh Baby Be Nice"Amanda Harrison, Loren Hunter, Bishanyia Vincent2:28
7."Bindy do the Lindy"Loren Hunter0:44
8."The Curtain"Loren Hunter, Bishanyia Vincent2:15
9."Who Is That Girls"Amanda Harrison, Loren Hunter, Bishanyia Vincent1:02
10."They Say I Am Too Young"Amanda Harrison, Loren Hunter, Bishanyia Vincent3:23
11."Forgetful Sod"Amanda Harrison, Jo Turner4:27
12."The Great Australian Digger"Loren Hunter2:42
13."From This Day"Loren Hunter3:21
14."And It Turns"Amanda Harrison, Loren Hunter, Jo Turner, Tim Draxl4:40
15."One Last Chance"Keegan Joyce3:56
16."Show Me Where to Stand"Amanda Harrison, Loren Hunter3:52

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2018 Glug Awards[9] Most Outstanding New Australian Performed Work Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical Tim Draxl Nominated
Sydney Theatre Awards[10] Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Musical Loren Hunter Nominated
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Bishanyia Vincent Nominated
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References
  1. "Evie May". Hayes Theatre Company. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. Pinne, Wylie Johnston, Peter, Peter. AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL : from the beginning. ALLEN & UNWIN. ISBN 1760529664.
  3. Tongue, Cassie (24 October 2018). "New Australian musical Evie May is part of Hayes Theatre's mission to cure the crisis in our industry - ABC News". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  4. Atkey, Mel. A million miles from Broadway : musical theatre beyond New York and London. Friendlysong Books. p. 364. ISBN 0991695704.
  5. Simmonds, Diana. "Evie May | Stage Noise - Diana Simmonds". www.stagenoise.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  6. Greenaway, Judith. "Review: Evie May, Hayes Theatre". ArtsHub Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  7. Gotting, Peter. "Evie May | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  8. Desk, BWW News. "Live Australian Cast Recording Of EVIE MAY To Be Released On iTunes". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  9. "GLUGS". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  10. Desk, BWW News. "2018 Sydney Theatre Award Nominations Announced". BroadwayWorld.com.
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