NEW DISCOVERIES - Nutcote has been instrumental in uncovering numerous works by May Gibbs that we wouldn't otherwise know about. In October 2000 we were visited by Mr. and Mrs. Brian Wright from Chichester In England who gave us a copy of their portrait of Bessie De Groot. Bessie was the wife of the famous De Groot who cut the ribbon at the opening of the Harbour Bridge, displacing the Labor Premier. He was a friend of May's husband, James 0. Kelly and often visited Nutcote. Not surprisingly, May painted his wife's portrait. She is a striking dark-haired woman wearing a blue patterned kimono and a long string of amber beads. Bessie and Francis De Groot were the great Aunt and Uncle of Mrs. Joyce Wright.

NUTCOTE VISITORS BOOK - Comment by Melissa Kidd of Sydney and Anne Woodside from Melbourne: "We hope Nutcote will still be here when we have kids".

SNUGGLEPOT AND CUDDLEPIE - THE MUSICAL
Young People's Theatre - Newcastle NSW - March/April 2001. Toowoomba Philharmonic Society - Queensland - Oct 26/27/28, 2001 and possibly Chinchilla the following weekend.

Ruth Banfield and Yvonne Hyde attended separate performances of the outstanding Newcastle production. You may wish you had too, after reading this review, but we did give advance warning in the December 2000 Nutcote News. The musical was reviewed for the Newcastle Herald by Ken Longworth and we will reproduce it in part for our readers.

Peter Combe had never read May Gibbs' classic Snugglepot and Cuddlepie when asked to write a choral adaptation for the 1992 Adelaide Arts Festival. But from the moment he opened the book he became a Gibbs enthusiast. 'There are so many interesting characters and the songs came oozing out of them' he said.

Peter and his wife Carolyn flew from their Adelaide home to see the world premiere of the latest version, having added linking dialogue and action to the show's 40 songs, at the request of Young People's Theatre.

Peter is hopeful it will attract commercial interest. 'Producers are conservative when staging musicals, particularly Australian ones' he said. The Combes put $50,000 into producing a compact disc (and tape) of the songs when record companies turned it down, despite its initial success in Adelaide.

The Director, Barbara Delaney discovered the original cast recording on a visit to Nutcote, where it is stocked in our shop and highly recommended. (CD $32.95 / Cassette tape $19.75 + postage). Cast members from the resulting Newcastle production visited Nutcote recently.

Ken Longworth was right when he said that adapting a beloved children's novel for the stage can be fraught with problems, but fans of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie should be in gumnut heaven while watching this delightful production. Writers Peter Combe and wife Carolyn have stayed true to Gibbs' characters, story and conservationist philosophy, as has the cast and crew.

Despite constant changes of place and introductions of new characters, the narrative remains clear. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and other gumnuts are very much as Gibbs drew them. The Banksia men, played by adults, look so grubby and ragged not even their mothers could love them and the soiree-giving Mrs. Koala is a society matron in a smart grey fur jacket.

The costumes are splendid with a 1920s look in the Fish Folks Ball sequence, which has the shimmering white gown of Queen Obelia dripping with pearls. The set and lighting designs aid a swift move from bushland to ocean floor, and scenery-flying equipment is employed in an attack by the giant (prop) octopus. In a large cast of adult and junior players, the exuberant Banksia men steal the show. But there isn't a weak link right down to the stick insect and cicada who have 15 seconds of stage time.

<= Turn back to page 8

Return to Nutcote News

=> Turn over to page 10