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'The original work on which this production is based is the classic Australian play, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. This play put Australian theatre on the international map in the 1950's, and remains a seminal work in the Australian canon with its evocative rendering of lost time. Playwright, Ray Lawler, gave permission for Jacqui Carroll to reconfigure his most famous work as a theatrical fantasy. This work has a mystical aura through the use of imagery that is both cartoon-like and surreal. Ninety percent of the dialogue has been replaced by movement and music that is entertaining, poignant and witty.
'Olive, Roo, Barney, Pearl remain as the dreamy main characters and, surrounded by the vocal and musical chorus of the three probing realists, they continually search for past happiness in a world that has changed forever. In this production the Doll has morphed into a life sized fairy that flits in and out, casting her charming, eccentric spell over everyone.'
Source: Artfilms website, Doll Seventeen entry: http://www.artfilms.com.au/Detail.aspx?ItemID=2096.
Sighted: 03/03/ 2015.
Notes
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Doll Seventeen is a blend of dance and traditional Japanese theatre in the tradition of Suzuki.
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Excerpt from director's statement: 'It is my intention not to present the play, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, but a designed impression, a fantasy of the play driven by the language of the senses. I offer here an intuitive impression, rich in movement and music. Olive, Roo, Barney, Pearl and the Kewpie Doll all drift through enmeshed in their dreams and nightmares. Surrounded by the vocal and musical chorus of the three probing realists, the main players continually search for equilibrium in a tilting world. Popular songs, movie themes, tangos, mambos, blues, etc. intersect throughout with the principal protagonists' world allowing them time for reflection on their interior life.'
Source: OzFrank website: http://www.ozfrank.com/index.php?MMID=25&SMID=29.
Sighted: 03/03 2015.
Production Details
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Performed as part of the Energex Brisbane Festival at the Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse, 18-25 September 2002.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Doll Drama
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: Westside News , 17 September vol. 24 no. 38 2003; (p. 15) -
Engaging the Audience
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: Muse , July no. 230 2003; (p. 5) -
Saved by a Classic Cut and a Cartoon
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 27 September 2002; (p. 18)
— Review of Doll Seventeen 2002 single work drama ; The Tale of Monkey : His Magic Journey to the West. 2002 single work drama -
Festival Fair
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 25 September - 1 October 2002; (p. 6)
— Review of The Holden Plays 2002 sequence drama ; My Love Had a Black Speed Stripe 2002 single work drama ; Kingswood Kids 2002 single work drama ; Doll Seventeen 2002 single work drama ; The Tale of Monkey : His Magic Journey to the West. 2002 single work drama ; The Aunt's Story 2001 single work drama -
Aussie Classic Gets Dolled Up
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 July 2002; (p. 36)
-
Festival Fair
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 25 September - 1 October 2002; (p. 6)
— Review of The Holden Plays 2002 sequence drama ; My Love Had a Black Speed Stripe 2002 single work drama ; Kingswood Kids 2002 single work drama ; Doll Seventeen 2002 single work drama ; The Tale of Monkey : His Magic Journey to the West. 2002 single work drama ; The Aunt's Story 2001 single work drama -
Saved by a Classic Cut and a Cartoon
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 27 September 2002; (p. 18)
— Review of Doll Seventeen 2002 single work drama ; The Tale of Monkey : His Magic Journey to the West. 2002 single work drama -
Engaging the Audience
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: Muse , July no. 230 2003; (p. 5) -
Doll Drama
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: Westside News , 17 September vol. 24 no. 38 2003; (p. 15) -
Aussie Classic Gets Dolled Up
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 July 2002; (p. 36)