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| The cast of Driftwood |
Firstly, it is a new Australian production in all aspects. The production, script, lyrics, music were all done in Australia. It is great to see a new Australian musical! Hopefully this will be the first of many new musicals the production company will produce.
The musical is about a true story in history, but it is more than just about history. It is about people, family, creativity, perseverance, love, survival.
It is based on the memoirs of Eva de Jong -Duldig "DRIFTWOOD - Escape and Survival Through Art" published in 2017.
The talented producer and creator is Tania De Jong, who performs one of the characters in the musical. More about this later.... The musical's Director Gary Abrahams, Producer, Craig Donnell, Designer Jacob Battista, do a splendid job in presenting this production on stage.
Driftwood covers three generations of the one family and their movement over three continents. It tells how a family moves from Europe and settles in Australia and the adventures and struggles they had on the way.Driftwood is a story of a Jewish family from the viewpoint of Eva, the daughter of Slawa and Karl. She asks for more information about letters and photos she comes across and her families past comes to life.
Slawa was an artist, and something I did not know, invented the folding umbrella. Slawa is beautifully played by Tania de Jong. What is amazing about this production of Driftwood is that Tania is actually the grand daughter of Slawa, and daughter of Eva, who wrote the book.
Karl was an acclaimed sculptor, and is played by Anton Berezin. Both Karl and Tania are excellent actors and singers, and extol all the emotions of the different scenes perfectly.
The three other actors in Driftwood bring the story to life. The daughter, Eva, is played by Bridget Costello. Rella, the sister of Slawa, is played by Michaels Burger. Nelson Gardner plays the multiple roles including Ignaz, Marcel and Gauleiter. Their extensive background in musical theatre shows in the stunning performances they give.
The music is provided by just three people who play on stage. The keyboard, violin, and cello provide the wonderful mood setting background music.
The set is simple and is based what was important to the families life and journeys - art, sculpture, folding umbrella, letters. At appropriate times photos are projected o a screen above the stage.
Seeing this musical sent me on a roller coast of emotions as I sat through the 2 hour performance. So many thoughts went through my mind as I responded to each scene portrayed in this families amazing life. A good musical not only revokes a response while watching it, but should also prompt you to action after seeing it. Seeing Driftwood did this for me. I now want to get a copy of Driftwood and read it. I also want to visit the Duldig Studio - Museum and Sculpture Garden next time I go down to Melbourne.
Driftwood will be playing in Sydney at Riverside Parramatta from 31 May to 4 June, then at Eternity Playhouse from 7 June to 18 June. Don't miss it!
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