SONGS FOR THE FALLEN
There have been books, films and operas based on the life of French courtesan, Marie Duplessis, the party girl who died of tuberculosis shortly after her 23rd birthday. And now Songs for the Fallen tells this tale of rags-to-riches in a style that is an intriguing mix of vaudeville, punk opera and pop culture.
Sheridan Harbridge not only wrote the play but will star as Duplessis. “She was quite famous and a Diana of the time,” Harbridge explains. “I love that she was able to cross classes. It’s a story that is common now because we have celebrities and you don’t need an education but she was one of the first to do it.”
Audiences can also expect an electric score by one of the actors, Basil Hogios. “At the time it was written, opera was the popular music so we wanted to parallel that. It’s so strange to put pop in the theatre.”
Harbridge, who has won Best Cabaret at Melbourne Fringe and been nominated for a Green Room Award, describes this four-hander as a tragic comedy and a big, fun sexy romp. “I want [audiences] to have the extremely good time,” she says. “It’s about not wasting a second of life.”
Nov 30-Dec 15, The Old Fitzroy Theatre, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo, $21-33, 9365 0147, rocksurfers.org
