Cousens comeback: Floyd Collins will be staged

Peter Cousens will get his wish, albeit two years after originally intended.

The former Kookaburra boss and musical theatre mainstay will play the lead role in the musical Floyd Collins via a one-off concert performance in May.

It is understood that The Sydney Morning Herald will reveal tomorrow that Cousens along with Michael Falzon, Trisha Crowe, Phillip Hinton, Queenie van de Zandt, Nick Simpson-Deeks, James Millar, Peter Meredith, Elliott Weston, Andrew Conaghan and Philip Dodd will appear in the show at the City Recital Hall.

Cousens originally scheduled Floyd Collins as part of Kookaburra’s inaugural season but poor ticket sales forced its Sydney Theatre season to be canned.

Original musical director Anne-Maree McDonald will be at the helm of the production.

Based on a real life character, Floyd Collins, a happy-go-lucky but adventurous ‘spelunker’ (gold digging caver) from Kentucky finds himself firmly trapped beneath the earth after a landfall. Panic quietly sets in as repeated attempts to free Floyd fail and a massive media circus gathers above ground.

The action oscillates between the practicalities of the rescue mission and the spiritual and emotional interaction between Floyd, his family members, and God. His eventual death underground is followed by an extraordinary epilogue, How Glory Goes, where Floyd finds true freedom and spiritual emancipation, his joyous voice echoing throughout the heavens as his spirit is released.

A combination of 13 singer/actors and a band of nine (string quartet, banjo, harmonicas, guitars, electric keyboards and grand piano) makes this work a unique musical and dramatic tour de force.

More details on the show will be officially announced tomorrow.