show-stopper \ Performer Wendy Grose wears many hats, but all of them are for entertaining, writes Gail Thomas
Grose domestic product F
rom the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent at Barwon Park in Winchelsea, where she also sang, and Garden to the world stages of Europe, soprano, we have toured it around Australia and in the US.” actor and musician Wendy Grose has hit all the Along with theatre and acting roles, including high notes. television credits for Kath & Kim, Sea Change, Grose also devises, writes and performs Neighbours, Marshall Law and Blue Heelers, Grose is her own shows, often taking on the personas of also a marriage celebrant. “I find it an honour to do notable performers. name-giving ceremonies, weddings and funerals. I can She wrote A Different Hat, which celebrates the life use all my talents dealing with people, writing the of opera singer Marjorie Lawrence. ceremonies and utilising my languages of Italian, “Marjorie Lawrence grew up in Deans French or German if required,” she says. “she Marsh before the family moved to For next month’s Torquay Festival, Grose Winchelsea. She played to great acclaim at is devising, directing and writing a brought the Palais Royal in Geelong and won the production about the Joseph H. Scammell, more than Sun Aria in 1928, then travelled to study and a ship that was wrecked off Point Danger in 50 hats” perform overseas,” says Grose. Torquay in 1892. “She married an American and in later life The ship had been at sea for 114 days on its contracted polio so turned to teaching. She died in way from New York to Melbourne, carrying a the US in 1979. massive cargo of some £60,000 worth of goods, when “I chose the title for the show because the first time it hit rough weather. On board was Captain John A. she returned to Australia as the famous prima donna in Chapman, his wife, daughter, a stewardess and crew. 1939, she brought more than 50 hats with her as she had “I am narrating the piece from the point of his grey to have the perfect hat to go with each outfit. Persian cat, Jimmy,” says Grose. “There is debate about “Her father built the Globe Theatre in Winchelsea what happened that night as it was misty, with a wild, for her to perform in but sadly he passed away before squally storm. It’s unsure if he didn’t think it would be she returned from overseas and didn’t see her perform safe to go into port, or if he mistook a beacon here for there. I presented the show at the Globe Theatre and also Port Phillip heads and tried to enter. “A local fisherman
saw the ship but couldn’t get out to it, so he set a bonfire on the beach to let them know he was there. He got out briefly at first light and luckily everyone managed to get off the ship before it foundered.” Soon afterwards the ship broke up and the cargo washed up on shore. Customs and police officers put up roadblocks between Geelong and Torquay to try to stop looting. The shipping manifest listed an amazing array of goods, including pianos, printing paper, tobacco, leather, machinery, medicine and 25 organs. “The deck house from the ship came in intact and was relocated to Pride Street, Torquay, where it became a house,” says Grose. “There was an auction on the beach later to try to recoup some of the costs but the captain was disgraced – he’d been captain of three ships and two of them had sunk – so he went back to the States.” \ gthomas@theweeklyreview.com.au
Surf and song: Wendy Grose at Point Danger, Torquay. (gail thomas)
» Torquay Festival is on December 7 and 8. For details visit Facebook and search for Torquay Festival. » Wendy will sing at St Mary’s Basilica, Geelong on December 20 with Ben and Elaine Mitchell reading excerpts from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Visit: www.musicatthebasilica.org.au NOVEMBER 14, 2013 \ The weekly review 21