The Dismissal

The Dismissal Gough WhitlamAward-winning music theatre powerhouse Squabbalogic brings the dark intrigue, larrikin humour and larger than life characters of The Dismissal to the Seymour Centre stage this June in a vibrant, exuberant and rage-filled new Australian musical.

In 1975, the unelected Governor General and representative of the Queen, Sir John Kerr, sacked the democratically elected Labour Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, and installed Liberal leader Malcolm Fraser in his place, causing Australia’s biggest constitutional crisis.

Written by Jay James-Moody and Blake Erickson, with music and lyrics by Laura Murphy, The Dismissal centres on one of the biggest political crises in Australian political history. The all-star cast includes Matthew Whittet (Girl Asleep) as Norman Gunston, Justin Smith (AFI nominee for his work on ABC’s Bastard Boys) as Gough Whitlam, Marney McQueen (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Sir John Kerr and Andrew Cutcliffe (Calendar Girls) as Malcolm Fraser.

They are supported by a powerhouse ensemble including Blake Appelqvist, Georgie Bolton, Christian Charisiou, Jodie Harris, Monique Salle and Bishanyia Vincent.

The Dismissal is an iconic Australian moment in history and I’ve always been surprised the larger-than-life characters and incredible story have not been dramatised in a major theatrical production,” said Director Jay James-Moody.

“I’m thrilled to be exploring the potential of this production with such an extraordinary team and we hope to bring audiences something between Keating! (but maybe not as satirical) and Hamilton (but maybe not as earnest). Everything you will see in this show actually happened exactly the way we present it… including the singing the dancing.”

Director: Jay James-Moody Featuring: lake Appelqvist, Georgie Bolton, Christian Charisiou, Andrew Cutcliffe, Jodie Harris, Marney McQueen, Monique Sallé, Justin Smith, Bishanyia Vincent, Matthew Whittet Choreographer: Chiara Assetta Musical Supervisor: Steven Kreamer Musical Director: Andrew Worboys Set Design: Sean Minahan Costume Design: Elizabeth Franklin Lighting Design: James Wallis Sound Design: Aubtin Namdar AV Design: Kenney Ogilvie Production Manager: Kaleigh Wilkie-Smith


The Dismissal
York Theatre – Seymour Centre, Corner City Road & Cleveland Streets, Chippendale (Sydney)
Season: 18 – 22 June 2019
Information and Bookings: www.seymourcentre.com

Image: The Dismissal – courtesy of  Squabbalogic