Gold Coast theatre director anxious about having to shut down the show after Covid concerns rise
Gold Coast theatre director has the same anxiety he did this time last year when he postponed Mamma Mia! due to Covid restrictions.
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INDEPENDENT Gold Coast theatre producer Matt Ward has been here before.
Just 12 months ago he iced his plans to stage ABBA-themed Mamma Mia! musical when the pandemic peaked in Australia and in Queensland.
He’s used to the uncertainty once again hanging over the reborn show which launched last Thursday and runs until July 11 at The Star Gold Coast. But it doesn’t make it any easier.
“There are many people dependent on the success of this season so I don’t think I will truly relax until after the closing show,” he said yesterday, hours after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reinstated some distancing restrictions and put the state on alert due to Sydney’s worsening outbreak and an infected flight attendant touching down on the Gold Coast.
“With a production of this scale, we have everything on the line,” he said.
It’s not quite the S.O.S stage for Mr Ward and the production with 22 main cast but he’d sure appreciate it if someone was able to Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! some certainty.
Speaking last week ahead of Thursday’s launch after preview shows, he said – now rather poignantly – of Covid uncertainty: “I try not to think about it. But you have to. We know we could close just like that – what do you do, you have no control.
“I think I need to cry. There is so much to release – we are finally here and I still can’t be excited yet. Yesterday’s performance I sat back and went ‘We’re here, there’s a show’’. I’m not allowing myself to feel it yet, the past is still haunting me.”
Recalling through tears being forced to pull the pin in early 2020, he said: “I felt like I was failing but it was out of my control. I am someone when I give my word, I deliver. I’ve got friends in musicals in Melbourne who have had to postpone. I’ve made this commitment and investment and I want to make sure the season will happen.”
He admits it was an emotional time and has been ever since not just for him but the entire arts and theatre sector.
“I know a lot of artists who have had very successful careers on stage who have now pivoted and are doing something totally different because they realise they can’t rely solely on the entertainment industry at the moment.’ The Southport School alumni, who is a world-class vocal coach having trained in New York and worked in London theatre, says: “I questioned it for myself. Is this what I want to do? Is it secure enough? I think my passion for what I’ve got overrides it. You don’t make money.”
In the meantime, he urges people to enjoy Mamma Mia! while they can, feeling it’s just what people need right now: “The show must still go on as long as it is deemed safe. I’m watching every Covid briefing. We thank our audience members for their patience and understanding as we respond to daily changes.
“People are wanting to go and have a good time, be around that energy that live performance gives. Mamma Mia! last year would have been well received but now I think it is the perfect time. It’s upbeat, the music is incredible, the cast phenomenal. It’s a fun night - that’s what people are wanting: forget what’s going on, even if it’s only for two hours and 20 minutes.”
Radio star to lead Gold Coast’s MAMMA MIA!
A GOLD COAST radio personality will belt out some of ABBA’s top hits when she plays a lead role in the upcoming production of MAMMA MIA!
102.9 Hot Tomato’s Breakfast Show co-host Emily Jade O’Keeffe will transform into the vivacious Tanya in the world-renown play coming to The Star Gold Coast.
The self-confessed drama nerd said it was a dream come true to take to the stage and was “tickled pink” when producer Matt Ward approached her for the role.
She said her character was a rich, three-time-divorcee and one of the three best friends who shaped the story on stage with “frivolity and flair”.
“It’s a dream come true. I’ve always been inspired by ABBA and can’t wait to bring this magical and uplifting musical to life,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“It’s pushing me to use my creative side and I’m really enjoying immersing myself in a character who is all about living it up.”
The full cast of 21 performers will tell the much-loved story of a young bride-to-be whose quest to discover the identity of her father draws three men from her mother’s past back to a Greek Island on the eve of her wedding.
The beloved musical is set to the toe-tapping songs of ABBA and will be onstage at The Star Gold Coast from June 19 to July 11, 2021.
Tickets for the show are on sale now at ticketek.com.au or thestargoldcoast.com.au
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