The Man They Call the Banjo: Full production premières

The Man They Call the Banjo, a musical play about the writing of Waltzing Matilda, will première as a full-fledged production on April 17 and 18 at Mt Rothwell in Victoria.

The play’s previous incarnation as a concert-style presentation has now, under Wolf Heidecker’s direction, been fleshed out with sets and choreography.

But, says writer-composer Felix Meagher, this version has not attempted a razzle-dazzle style.

“We’re trying to tell the story raw, as it was,” says Meagher. “The music and tradition is deeply steeped in the style of the time.” Classically trained Meagher draws on his love of folk music to create a convincing sense of the era, place, and emotional impact of these historical events.

Banjo Paterson (played by Melbourne actor/director Chris Saxton) was a Sydney lawyer when he wrote the words to Waltzing Matilda just after the deadly violence of the 1894 Shearers’ Strike. On the cusp of literary renown, he had just published his first book of verse.

The lyrics for Waltzing Matilda, we now know, were written by Paterson and set to music by Christina Macpherson, during a visit made by Paterson and fiancée Sarah Riley to Dagworth Station near Winton, Queensland—a scene of bitter struggle during the Shearers’ Strike.

Perhaps the time Paterson and Macpherson spent together indicates a growing relationship. Whatever happened, Riley soon afterwards broke off her long engagement to Paterson. Neither woman ever married.

In this production, Fleur Murphy plays Christina Macpherson, and Cora Browne plays Sarah Riley, her school friend and Paterson’s fiancée.

Bush poet Colin Driscoll has a pivotal part as the ghost of the dead Swagman, who becomes a voice of conscience for Paterson.

Musicians Ewen Baker and Lou Hesterman play the music that is an integral part of the story.

Do Paterson’s lyrics reflect the struggles between unionized labour and rich landowners? The swagman steals a sheep; maybe that’s an allegory for the property damage caused by striking shearers, who burned woolsheds and destroyed fences. The “squatter mounted on his thoroughbred” strongly suggests the wealthy station owner, of course, who brings to bear the authority of the troupers “one, two, three”.

Or is it something altogether different? Perhaps Paterson’s words, “Waltzing Matilda my darling”, were flirtatiously addressed to Christina, despite the close proximity of his fiancée.

Meagher—who plays the Squatter—accepts that we will probably never know what Waltzing Matilda really means. “The key to its appeal is the mystery,” he says.

Then again, as director Heideker points out, the events of the Shearers’ Strike are themselves a mystery to most people. “The country was close to a civil uprising,” he says. “We know about the Eureka Stockade, but we don’t know much about the Shearers’ Strike. All of a sudden there was this idea of rights for the workers, and I guess the boiling point was reached.”

The Man They Call the Banjo will be presented at:

Mount Rothwell Estate, 985 Little River Ripley Road, Victoria, Friday April 17 and Saturday April 18. Drinks 6:30pm, show 7:30pm. April 17 bookings. April 18 bookings.

Warrawong Woolshed, 1200 Exford Road, Eynesbury, Victoria. Friday April 24. Dinner 6:30pm, show 8:15pm. April 24 bookings.

Warrnambool Golf Club, Younger Street, Warrnambool, Victoria. Friday May 1. Drinks 7pm, show 8pm. May 1 bookings.

Potato Shed, 41 Peninsula Drive, Drysdale, Victoria. Saturday May 2. Bookings: phone 03 52511998 or email mailto:potatoshed@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

Yarrawonga Uniting Church Hall, Yarrawonga, Victoria. Saturday May 23. Enquiries: email mailto:yarrawongaartscouncil@gmail.com