Blue will be shining through this January when The Sapphires opens at the Playhouse Theatre thanks to a very special cast. The likes of Christine Anu, Casey Donnovan, Hollie Andrew and Aljin Abella will be singing up a storm in this feel good piece of theatre which fuses Motown music with fabulous fashion.
Set in 1969, The Sapphires tells the real life story of the McCrae sisters, a set of four singers from country New South Wales who had their hearts set on Motown fame. But of course, life has a way of serving up the most interesting variations of what you desire and in no time the girls find themselves in the heart of The Vietnam War, entertaining the troops.
And with this bygone era comes a collection of costumes that would make even the most stoic queen gush. Behind all the beehives and bustiers is Tim Chappel, a man who has made clothes for the likes of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the stage version. So what goes into making a gorgeous Motown gown?
‘A lot of love and a handful of glitter!’ exclaimed Chappel, fresh from doing a group photo shoot of all the girls to promote The Sapphires. ‘(The gowns are) very, very glamorous and we try and set the tone and colour palette to the mood of each number, because the music expresses lots of different things.
‘There’s moments where they’re right in the middle of war and there are bombs going off and it’s very dangerous, so we do this whole black and white number for that and there’s one where they sing a song for their mother over the telephone and it’s a really touching song, so that one’s all beautiful ochres and golds. We play with colour there a lot.
‘The show’s set in 1969 so we’ve stayed very strictly to the period. The girls are very inspired by The Supremes, the original Sapphires, and as you know it’s a true story. So we’ve taken a few Supremes references; some of the Supremes’ really classic looks. But I’ve tried to make it kind of contemporary as well; a modern sort of take on 1969. There’s lots of sparkles, as well.’
In this production of The Sapphires, Chappel explained that all up there are five kilos of Swarovski crystals and over 70 metres of sequins in one set of dresses alone. And that’s just in one set!
‘Well, I’m kind of known for sparkle and glamour,’ Chappel laughed. ‘Tits and glamour is really what I do and I’ve got them all out. There’s something for the dads to look at.’
Not just the dads, Tim.
The Sapphires opens Saturday January 23 and runs until Wednesday February 10 at The Playhouse Theatre. Tickets are available now. www.bocsticketing.com.au
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
