|
|
 |
Sean Peter.
 What
was it which lead Australian songwriter Sean Peter on the road
to cabaret and stage shows? After all, the boy had a normal
upbringing, as much as I can glean from that which he tells
me, attended a NSW university along with the boys from Grinspoon,
and then took a right turn into musical theatre. In fact, it
seems he'd always been that way inclined, if you know what I
mean...for his Cabaret Festival show spans his whole songwriting
career.
"It's really interesting going over such a large period of music for me," he mentions early in our interview. "The earliest song I've put in [the 'Suitcase'] was from when I was eleven. But the main body of work is from when I wanted to write seriously. So, from the end of uni onwards..." he explains, and goes on...
"I really struggled with coming up with a name - at one stage I considered calling it 'The Best Of Sean' Show, but I ended up with 'Suitcase', which, strangely enough was the title of a song I wrote when I was at uni. It's the type of song I've tried to move away from, but it's an ambiguous title and it seemed ambiguous enough not to mean much of anything. I just ended up with it and that's how it is."
The imagery of the title, as we discuss it, alludes to the bag of songs and also to the idea of a traveller criss-crossing the country with old carpetbag full of well-worn possessions. "That's definitely what I was referring to," he allows graciously, "it's these songs which have followed me wherever I go.
"I think everyone's got their trunk of songs, and for me these are the songs that get dragged around with me."
Adelaide audiences are an integral part of the Sean Peter story, for in a number of cases it is they who have been such strong supporters of his work so far. Some examples from the suitcase, then?
We know his work from the contemporary musical 'Everything's Fucked', which was performed in a limited scope as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre's 'InSpace' programme two years ago. The show itself, which Peter hopes is to be developed into a full production, is still in being worked up somewhere out of our sight, even though its progress has been stalled by other projects he's been working on, not to mention the birth of his first child.
"It did have to go on the back-burner for a little while, but we've just done a workshop on the video end of the show... came up with some really really nice effects. We're currently working at setting up production for - hopefully - next year. Fingers crossed."
He mentions the Festival Centre couldn't have been more supportive of the idea, which starred a number of the performers (Abi Tucker and Rodger Corser) he's bringing back to Adelaide this year to help him out with 'Suitcase'. Additionally, 'Suitcase' is being directed by Adelaide theatre producer Geoff Crowhurst, with whom Peter has built up a warm working relationship going back some years. On one of Crowhurst's shows, 'Scam', he picked up the job when another composer dropped out; the pressure was on and he performed admirably, so he went on to do 'Pink Files', another of Crowhurst's shows. It was this relationship with Crowhurst which ultimately saw the musical 'Everything's Fucked' turning up as part of the Inspace development program at the Festival Theatre.
Turning his attention back to 'Suitcase', Peter explains that "half the programme is more that traditional movie and theatre style of music, and half is moving into the poppy and rock thing. Hopefully that contrast will be really exciting for audiences and they'll see how one influences the other."
It's an area of particular concern for him - as a real fan of the genre he mentions that to his mind musicals have become stagnant over the last few years, and he'd like to reclaim the grandeur.
Firstly though, he and Crowhurst have to string all of this show together. How close are they to having a polished performance? "Hopefully I'm going to write brilliant blocks of dialogue which will string it all together," he admits with an easy laugh.
Alex Wheaton
 |
Sean Peter's 'Suitcase' plays at the Space Theatre from 22-23 June.
|
|
|
The latest issue
available now!
|
