Evie May (musical)

Evie May
Music	Naomi Livingston
Lyrics	Hugo Chiarella and Naomi Livingston
Book	Hugo Chiarella
Productions	2018 Hayes Theatre, Sydney

Evie May is an Australian musical by Hugo Chiarella (book and lyrics) and Naomi Livingston (music and lyrics). Set in 1966 on the evening of the last Tivoli performance in Sydney, the show follows veteran variety star Evie May as she recalls the events that lead her from obscurity in regional Western Australia to the Australian variety circuit - and the many sacrifices made to get there.^[1]

Productions

Chiarella and Livingston began collaborating on the show while they were touring in the Australian cast of Les Miserables.^[2] In 2016, the show was picked up for development by New Musicals Australia and secured a season at the Hayes Theatre in Sydney in 2018 with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts.^[3][4]

The original Australian production of Evie May opened at the Hayes Theatre on the 12th of October 2018. The show was directed by Kate Champion, with musical direction and orchestration by Steven Kreamer, musical supervision by Max Lambert, design by Anna Gardiner, lighting design by Sian James-Holland and sound design by Nate Edmondson.

Original cast

• Amanda Harrison as Evie May
• Loren Hunter as Evelyn
• Bishanyia Vincent as June
• Keegan Joyce as Cole
• Tim Draxl as Heaney
• Jo Turner as Barlow

Musical numbers

Act I At The Tivoli – Full Company Here I Am – Evie Ain’t No Dope – Bob, Barlow The Only You I’ve Ever Known – Evelyn, Barlow The View – Evelyn How The World Happened – Heaney The View (reprise) – Evelyn, Heaney The Life Of A Woman – June My Story - Evelyn, Evie Oh Baby Be Nice – June, Evelyn, Evie Bindy Do The Lindy – Evelyn The Curtain – June, Evelyn Belong – Evelyn Who Is That Girl – June, Evelyn, Evie They Say I Am Too Young – June, Evelyn, Evie Belong (reprise) – Evelyn

Act II Forgetful Sod – Evie Great Australian Digger – Evelyn Curtain (reprise) – Evie This Child – Evie, Evelyn How The World Happened (reprise) – Evie, Evelyn, Heaney And It Turns – Evie, Evelyn One Last Chance – Cole Show Me Where To Stand – Evie, Evelyn

Reception

In her review for Stage Noise, critic, Diana Simmonds wrote of the show, "Evie May is rude, funny, sad and humane in its portrayal of lives and times now gone; yet when it comes to women’s place in the world, there’s much that’s familiar. And in a musical setting, with sharp, smart lyrics, the poignancy and politics are heightened and vividly coloured. This is a remarkable addition to Australian musical theatre".^[5] Judith Greenaway wrote for ArtsHub, "Evie May ends in a bareness of space, an echo chamber of those limited choices that empowered a modern movement. This is an entertaining, crafted, timely and relevant work."^[6] In his review for Stage Whispers, Peter Gotting wrote, "When the lights go up on this new Australian musical, there’s a sense of maturity - Sydney’s Hayes Theatre is now producing premieres of variety and accomplishment rarely seen in this country before."^[7]

Recording

In 2019 a live cast recording of the show was released featuring the original cast. The recording was made with the support of The Russell Mills Foundation and The Ron and Margaret Dobell Foundation.^[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hugo Chiarella and Naomi Livinsgton

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Here I Am"	Amanda Harrison	3:40
2.	"The Only You"	Loren Hunter, Jo Turner	4:05
3.	"How The World Happened"	Tim Draxl	2:58
4.	"The Life of a Woman"	Bishanyia Vincent, Hunter	4:01
5.	"My Story"	Harrison, Hunter	3:24
6.	"Oh Baby Be Nice"	Harrison, Hunter, Vincent	2:28
7.	"Bindy do the Lindy"	Hunter	0:44
8.	"The Curtain"	Hunter, Vincent	2:15
9.	"Who Is That Girls"	Harrison, Hunter, Vincent	1:02
10.	"They Say I Am Too Young"	Harrison, Hunter, Vincent	3:23
11.	"Forgetful Sod"	Harrison, Turner	4:27
12.	"The Great Australian Digger"	Hunter	2:42
13.	"From This Day"	Hunter	3:21
14.	"And It Turns"	Harrison, Hunter, Turner, Draxl	4:40
15.	"One Last Chance"	Keegan Joyce	3:56
16.	"Show Me Where to Stand"	Harrison, Hunter	3:52

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2018	Glug Awards[9]	Most Outstanding New Australian Performed Work		Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor in a Musical	Tim Draxl	Nominated
	Sydney Theatre Awards[10]	Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Musical	Loren Hunter	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical	Bishanyia Vincent	Nominated
2021	APRA Professional Development Award	Music Theatre	Evie May by Hugo Chiarella and Naomi Livingston	Nominated

References

1. "Evie May". Hayes Theatre Company. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
2. Pinne, Wylie Johnston, Peter, Peter. AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL : from the beginning. ALLEN & UNWIN. ISBN 1760529664.
3. Tongue, Cassie (24 October 2018). "New Australian musical Evie May is part of Hayes Theatre's mission to cure the crisis in our industry - ABC News". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
4. Atkey, Mel. A million miles from Broadway : musical theatre beyond New York and London. Friendlysong Books. p. 364. ISBN 0991695704.
5. Simmonds, Diana. "Evie May | Stage Noise - Diana Simmonds". www.stagenoise.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
6. Greenaway, Judith. "Review: Evie May, Hayes Theatre". ArtsHub Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
7. Gotting, Peter. "Evie May | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
8. BWW News Desk. "Live Australian Cast Recording Of EVIE MAY To Be Released On iTunes". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
9. "GLUGS". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
10. BWW News Desk. "2018 Sydney Theatre Award Nominations Announced". BroadwayWorld.com.

External links

• https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/evie-may-a-tivoli-story/