New Australian musical to open NYC festival
It has been announced in New York that ERROL AND FIDEL, a new musical written by four Sydneysiders, will open this year’s New York Musical Festival, one of the most prestigious showcases for new work in the musical theatre world.
The musical was selected for NYMF from hundreds of submissions from around the world, and is the only overseas production to make the cut. It will open NYMF on the night of July 10 on 42nd Street, and will be performed five times during the festival.
ERROL AND FIDEL tells the story of the bizarre (but true) relationship between iconic movie star Errol Flynn and Cuba’s “numero uno” rebel, Fidel Castro, at the height of that country’s revolution. Born in Hobart, Flynn was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars during its Golden Age, and also one of the most internationally famous Australians who ever lived.
The musical was written by Boyd Anderson and Guy Anderson, with music by Peter Kaldor and John Kaldor and the lyrics by Boyd Anderson. It is the team’s first attempt at a musical, and is based on Boyd Anderson’s 2010 novel Errol, Fidel and the Cuban Rebel Girls. It includes 21 original songs in a mix of styles, from Cuban mambo to MGM showtune to Doo-Wop.
The musical captures a restless Flynn in the fading twilight of his film career as he chases a lost dream to be a genuine, real-life hero. Being Flynn, it all starts with a woman. He follows the mysterious Lola, who lures him into the wild Cuban mountains to meet rebel leader el Gigante. As revolution rages around them, the stage is set for an explosive encounter.
Co-writer Boyd Anderson said, “ERROL AND FIDEL blends the mythology of Flynn and Castro with a dash of Hollywood romance and adventure, a good slug of CIA skulduggery, and a swordfight for good measure. It’s a story with two heroes, but of course there is only ever room for one.”
Choreographer Justin Boccitto will create and set the movement for the NYMF production.
For more information on NYMF, visit www.nymf.org.
Image (top): ERROL AND FIDEL logo. Photo (left): Actors (from left to right) David McNamara, Ray Chong Nee, Michael Cormick, Laura Burzacott, Lachlan Woods and Adam Lyon at the workshop’s reading in Melbourne last year. Photo (right): Co-writer Guy Anderson presenting a copy of the source material for ERROL AND FIDEL to NYMF Director Michael Bello in Manhattan. Images courtesy of Boyd Anderson.