Dimboola (play)
Encyclopedia
Dimboola is a play
by the Australian author Jack Hibberd
. It premiered in 1969 at La Mama Theatre
under the direction of Graeme Blundell
. The whole action of the play supposedly takes place at a real wedding at which the actors represent the families of the bride and groom and the audience are "invited guests". The play is described in the program notes as Rabelaisian
and rumbustious.
's 1889 play The Wedding and Bertolt Brecht
's farce A Respectable Wedding
. The production at La Mama was supported by a grant of $1 250 from the Australia Council for the Arts (the predecessor to the Australia Council). The second production by the Australian Performing Group at the Pram Factory in 1973 was directed by David Williamson
.
More Australians have seen Dimboola than any other stage musical, comedy or straight play, and hundreds of productions have been mounted across the world. It ran in Sydney for two and a half years until the venue, the Whiskey Au Go Go, burned down
. In 1979, a film
was made directed by John Duigan
. In 1988, Pat Garvey adapted the play for a musical
which alone has played over 2 000 performances. In 2007, it was produced at the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
, with Max Gillies
and directed by Michael Kantor. In March and April 2008 it played at the La Mama Theatre, directed by Robert Chuter.
A novelisation of the same name appeared in 1978, written by Tim Robertson and published by Sun Books, Melbourne.
Hall in Dimboola, Victoria
. No holds are barred as the two families come together for the wedding which Jack Hibberd calls: "the testing of strengths of the newly conjugated tribes". The family members try to preserve social grace and dignity in the face of impending disasters. And disasters there are aplenty! After the drink has flowed a little too freely, mayhem and humour ensues when the families exchange insults and punches, as they resolve to come to terms with the situation.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by the Australian author Jack Hibberd
Jack Hibberd
Dr Jack Hibberd is an Australian playwright.-Biography:Hibberd studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Newman College and practised as a clinical immunologist in Melbourne from 1964 until 1973...
. It premiered in 1969 at La Mama Theatre
La Mama Theatre (Melbourne)
The La Mama Theatre is a theatrical venue located at 205 Faraday St, Carlton, Victoria. It opened in a former factory building on 30 July 1967 and still operates today under the direction of Liz Jones....
under the direction of Graeme Blundell
Graeme Blundell
Graeme Blundell is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer and biographer.Blundell was born in Melbourne; he grew up in Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne...
. The whole action of the play supposedly takes place at a real wedding at which the actors represent the families of the bride and groom and the audience are "invited guests". The play is described in the program notes as Rabelaisian
François Rabelais
François Rabelais was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He has historically been regarded as a writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs...
and rumbustious.
History
The play grew out of a reading in London of Anton ChekhovAnton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's 1889 play The Wedding and Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's farce A Respectable Wedding
A Respectable Wedding
A Respectable Wedding is a short play by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. The German title Die Kleinbürgerhochzeit literally means the petty bourgeois wedding.Includes nine characters,The Bride's Father,The Bridegroom's Mother,...
. The production at La Mama was supported by a grant of $1 250 from the Australia Council for the Arts (the predecessor to the Australia Council). The second production by the Australian Performing Group at the Pram Factory in 1973 was directed by David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
.
More Australians have seen Dimboola than any other stage musical, comedy or straight play, and hundreds of productions have been mounted across the world. It ran in Sydney for two and a half years until the venue, the Whiskey Au Go Go, burned down
Whiskey Au Go Go fire
The Whiskey Au Go Go fire was a fire that occurred at 2.10 a.m. on Thursday 8 March 1973, in the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia that killed 15 people...
. In 1979, a film
Dimboola (film)
Dimboola is a 1979 Australian independent film about a country wedding reception. It is based on the 1969 play of the same name by Jack Hibberd and was principally filmed on location in Dimboola, Victoria.-Cast:* Max Gillies* Natalie Bate* Bill Garner...
was made directed by John Duigan
John Duigan
John Duigan, is an Australian film director.Duigan emigrated to Australia in 1961, having been born to an Australian father...
. In 1988, Pat Garvey adapted the play for a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
which alone has played over 2 000 performances. In 2007, it was produced at the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of the Malthouse performing arts complex in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct....
, with Max Gillies
Max Gillies
Max Gillies AM is an Australian actor.Gillies was a founding member of the experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group, which was active throughout the 1970s....
and directed by Michael Kantor. In March and April 2008 it played at the La Mama Theatre, directed by Robert Chuter.
A novelisation of the same name appeared in 1978, written by Tim Robertson and published by Sun Books, Melbourne.
Plot
Dimboola is a celebration of the wedding of Morrie McAdam—a Protestant, to Reen Delaney—a Catholic in the Mechanics' InstituteMechanics' Institutes
Historically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men...
Hall in Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola is located in Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of Western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.Situated on the Wimmera River in the State of Victoria,the town of Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'.Following a survey conducted in late 1862 by...
. No holds are barred as the two families come together for the wedding which Jack Hibberd calls: "the testing of strengths of the newly conjugated tribes". The family members try to preserve social grace and dignity in the face of impending disasters. And disasters there are aplenty! After the drink has flowed a little too freely, mayhem and humour ensues when the families exchange insults and punches, as they resolve to come to terms with the situation.
Cast
- At the official table:
- Maureen Delaney (Reen), bride
- Morrie McAdam (Morrie), groom (Bruce SpenceBruce SpenceBruce Spence, born September 17, 1945 is an actor, having spent most of his career performing in Australia. Bruce attended Henderson High School in West Auckland....
) - Darcy Delaney (Darkie), father of the bride
- April Delaney (June), mother of the bride
- Angus McAdam (Knocka), father of the groom
- Florence McAdam (Florrie), mother of the groom
- Patrick O'Shea, parish priest
- Daryl Dunn (Dangles), best man
- Shirl, town bike & bridesmaid
- Astrid McAdam, flower girl
- Guests (invited)
- Horace McAdam (Horrie the Horrible), uncle of the groom
- Mavis McAdam, aunt of the groom
- Aggie McAdam, spinster cousin to the McAdams
- Guests (uninvited)
- Bayonet, local wit and drunk (Max GilliesMax GilliesMax Gillies AM is an Australian actor.Gillies was a founding member of the experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group, which was active throughout the 1970s....
) - Mutton, local wit and drunk (Graeme BlundellGraeme BlundellGraeme Blundell is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer and biographer.Blundell was born in Melbourne; he grew up in Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne...
)
- Bayonet, local wit and drunk (Max Gillies
- The Band
- Lionel Driftwood and His Piledrivers
- Others
- Leonardo Radish, reporter of the Mildura Trumpet – a caricature of the theatre critic and playwright Leonard Radic
- Original actors in brackets; other actors in the premiere production were Lindy DaviesLindy DaviesLindy Davies is an Australian actress, director and drama teacher. From 1995–2007 she was the Dean of the School of Drama at the Victorian College of Arts in Melbourne....
and John RomerilJohn RomerilJohn Henry Romeril is a contemporary Australian playwright.John Romeril was born and grew up in Melbourne where he attended Monash University. His first plays, I Don't Know Who To Feel Sorry For and Chicago, Chicago were written while he was still a student...
.