I Can Hear Music: A 1960s Jukebox Revue

Events

I Can Hear Music: A 1960s Jukebox Revue

In Term 1, an enthusiastic cast of students from Year 8 to Year 12 participated in our College Musical. Like 2021s All That Jazz this year’s Musical was a concert revue that was filmed and distributed to our community. We have all become increasingly familiar with accessing live performances from home and this created an opportunity for the entire Brigidine community to enjoy the hard work of the cast and crew remotely.

I Can Hear Music: A 1960s Jukebox Revue comprised of 13 hit songs from the 1960s including the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations, Little Eva’s Locomotion and Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Amidst a backdrop of a larger-than-life jukebox and an oversized vinyl record, the students connected with these timeless tunes that have become ingrained in pop culture. The production numbers were choreographed by Class of 2020 alumni Chloe Jackett who helped our cast sing and dance their way through a decade of bright colours, teenage independence and music that set out to change the world.

These songs were accompanied by scenes that brought the real-life voices of record producers, radio disc jockeys, performers and 1960s teenagers to the stage for an authentic reflection on this significant time period. We even managed a brief trip to the infamous Woodstock festival in the form of some poetry that outlined the hopes and dreams of a generation. A half-century later, how many of those dreams remain the same for us living in 2022? In a flurry of psychedelic patterns and paisley print, I Can Hear Music reminded us of a past era that remains vivid in our collective memory. The jukebox reigned supreme and the radio was a source of comfort, soundtracking first love and first heartbreak with the sweet, unified harmonies of girl groups and teen idols. Youth culture drove a fascination with cars as teenagers everywhere sat behind the wheel and journeyed towards their adult lives. As ever, we hope the experience of the College Musical will generate strong memories for our students of their time at Brigidine as they too journey forward.

I’d like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the Maintenance team who helped to construct the fabulous set for the show. The Art Club and Hospitality also generously contributed to various aspects of the Musical experience. An exceptional production team of staff members gave of their time to ensure the smooth running of rehearsals and the filming: Mrs Roslyn Boyd, Mr Gareth Edey, Mrs Judith Allan, Mrs Emma Johns, Miss Libby Goode and Mrs Carmel McCudden. A thank you to the orchestra members, to Grainger Films for delivering a wonderful product that captures the spirit of the 60s and to the Director of Cocurricular Mr Owen Vale for his support.

We hope to invite live audiences back to the College for a brand new Musical production in 2023!

CHRIS RUTHERFORD DIRECTOR