‘Dusty the Musical‘ portrays the life of Dusty Springfield and her transformation from the shy, awkward, Catholic school-girl Mary O’Brien to the glamorous world-famous soul singer. Her childhood is tempered by comparisons with her supposedly more talented brother. ‘Dusty’ is out to set the record straight.
Like many singers, Dusty lived a turbulent life. Facing personal and career highs and lows along the way, she battled with depression and self-doubt, drug addiction, alcoholism, and breast cancer.
As a public figure, she was pursued and scrutinised by the media, which was one cause of her many insecurities. The casting of a gossip columnist voicing regular updates on her life represented this in a clever yet amusing manner.
The consistent theme is Dusty’s inability to leave Mary O’Brien behind. This is very effectively represented by the dual casting of Dusty and conversations/duets between the two.
The strength in this production lies in the songs, the lyrics of which are so poignant to Dusty’s experiences. Remember ‘I only want to be with You’, Wishin and Hoping’, and ‘You don’t have to say you Love Me’? My personal favourite of the night was ‘What Have I Done to Deserve this?’, one of Dusty’s come-back songs with the Pet Shop Boys.
The costumes, dancing and staging are fitting of the era, with glamour all-round. The star casting, led by Amy Lehpamer and Todd McKenney, set a high standard and the vocal performances are solid.
I did not know prior to the show that Dusty was a lesbian, which despite the swinging sixties was certainly frowned upon by her conservative family. Her relationship with Reno is sensitively depicted.
Whilst the story itself has many tragic elements, this is offset by humorous characters, particularly Dusty’s side-kicks, hairdresser and general dogsbodies, Peg and Gerard. They turn out to be her closest allies in her times of need.
This is an excellent production portraying a timeless singer, depicting Dusty’s many challenges and triumphs.
– Rachel
Celebrating four years living in Melbourne, Rachel is a fan of theatre, food, the outdoors and all things new and exciting.
‘Dusty the Musical‘ is plays 12 November to 4 December 2016 at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne. Book tickets now.
This venue is accessible.
