A new musical tells how Torres Strait Islanders broke the world record for railway building

The first Torres Strait Islander musical recalls an incredible, world’s-best feat performed while building WA’s Mount Newman railway.

The cast of Opera Queensland's Straight from the Strait. Picture: Jade Ellis

A remarkable tale of hard yakka, community spirit and brotherhood has become the very first Torres Strait Islander musical.

Many years in development, Straight from the Strait tells the true story of the men who worked on the Mount Newman railway construction project in Western Australia, smashing a world record that remains to this day.

A giant suitcase greets the audience on an open stage. It’s an ingenious, highly adaptable device that sets the scene for a yarn about travel and sacrifice. At the heart of the show are three brothers – Boyor (Paul Isakara Williams), Kusa (Harold Pascoe) and our charismatic narrator, Pinau (Vaughan Wapau).

Writer Norah Bagiri has given these central roles rounded, relatable characters, and the three performers savour the opportunity to upstage one another and wisecrack, often in Torres Strait Creole. (English surtitles are displayed whenever Pinau speaks, but much of the story is presented without translation. It can be followed, however, thanks to the knowing reactions of the language speakers in the audience).

Musically, the show seeks to tie diverse threads. The production begins with glorious, close-knit a cappella singing in traditional Torres Strait Islander style, before composer Rubina Kimiia experiments with various genres including hymn, jive and conventional musical theatre. The first act bursts with these brief musical vignettes, and they jostle with the book to establish a clear sense of rhythm and dramatic development.

It is the second act, anchored in the red dirt of the Pilbara, where the score and story unite. Soul and funk bounce throughout the auditorium as the railway workers express their camaraderie, and their desire to beat the world record for the greatest length of railway created in a single day. (On May 8, 1968, the men obliterated the existing mark after they laid, spiked, and anchored almost 7km of track). Bagiri makes pointed references about how the team succeeded despite a lack of proper footwear, and the program includes archival images that underscore their extraordinary achievement.

The creative team balances its duties well. Kevin O’Brien’s set magically transforms into a ship, a community hall and the corrugated iron dongas in which the workers live. Lighting designer Jason Glenwright evokes a cane field fire, a storm and a starry night with minimal fuss. The tight onstage band keeps the show humming, led by excellent percussion.

A world premiere musical takes a village, and the Yumpla Nerkep Foundation has worked in partnership with Opera Queensland, the Queensland Performing Arts ­Centre and the Brisbane Festival to realise their vision. In the late ’90s, dozens of the railway men and their families contributed to an oral history archive, which laid the foundation for this work and other creative outputs, including a documentary and exhibition.

Although some plot lines and songs require further development, Straight from the Strait meets its moment. As the audience left the theatre on opening night, elders were overcome with what they had witnessed. Representation and truth-telling matter.

Straight from the Strait. Playhouse Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane. Tickets: $81-90. Bookings: brisbanefestival.com.au. Duration: 2 hours and 20 minutes, including interval. Until August 31.