Thunderous new musical about Vietnam
Image: Rolling Thunder Vietnam, 2016 production. Image: website
Rolling Thunder was the name of an operation conducted by the US Air Force, US Navy and Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) Air Force against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. From 1965 to 1968, the South Vietnamese alliance sustained an ever increasing aerial bombardment campaign over North Vietnam, destroying infrastructure and key facilities but, thanks to bureaucratic incompetence in Washington and a gross underestimation of the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese defence, the operation ultimately failed.
Rolling Thunder Vietnam is an homage to the soldiers, front-line workers and civilians who lived through and were impacted by the Vietnam War. It takes the historical Rolling Thunder campaign as a theme, rather than a plot.
Written by Bryce Hallett, Rolling Thunder Vietnam is a mix of rock concert, spoken-word memoir, and digital immersion. Its characters represent an experiential arc of the Vietnam War – conscription, protest, fighting, disillusion, returning home.
The Vietnam War was the first to be televised. It was more immediate, more real to a faraway audience than any war previously. What really preserved the emotion of this war is the soundtrack created by the most prominent songwriters and singers of the time.
Some of the biggest hits of the 1960s and 1970s were inspired by the war and, conversely, influenced the way the war was regarded.
Rolling Thunder Vietnam is a curation of the most influential and enduring songs from this era; songs by songs by Steppenwolf, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight, Billy Thorpe, Edwin Starr and Paul Simon which include: Magic Carpet Ride, Fortunate Son, The Letter, Black Magic Woman, Help Me Make it Through the Night, War, People Get Ready, Killing Me Softly With His Song, and Bridge Over Troubled Water.
This is an Australian conceived, Australian produced and cast musical featuring some of this country’s most impressive young talent: Tom Oliver, Brittanie Shipway, Jerrod Smith, Christian Charisiou, Imogen Moore and Sam Richardson.
