Jandamarra

I was at the opening night for this spectacular outdoor show on St Mary’s Catholic College oval in Broome last evening. It was a theatrical experience that will resonate with me for a long time. While essentially a professional production, the inclusion of local authentic countrymen and women make it more an event of community theatre at its very best. Playwright Steve Hawke has done an excellent job in telling the story of the man -described by some as the ‘Black Ned Kelly’ -with very little dramatic enhancement and few historic inaccuracies. Directors Phil Thompson and Kelton Pell have worked well together to keep the action flowing throughout and the mixture of dialects convincing yet understandable. The design is sensational, from the set which successfully conveys the impression of the boab savannah with a backdrop of limestone cliffs, the lighting which takes us from sunlit plain to shaded waterhole to underground cavern and back, the animations, so important to the magic realism moments and of course the very subtle subtitles. Jandamarra (aka ‘Pidgeon’) was said to have possessed supernatural powers, some of which are still too secret to be made public. Certainly, his power as a genuine Australian legend will live on long after the trans-Kimberley run of this show has ended. For more information, see: http://www.abc.net.au/local/reviews/2011/07/12/3267676.htm http://www.jandamarra.com.au/