What some of the audience members said

 

After the first run through with the band in the Sth Melbourne rehearsal studios last week  Geoffery Williams, ChamberMade's General Manager,bumped into Helen Garner at the tram stop. Helen was also at the band run and was talking animatedly on her mobile. She signed off, spotted Geoffrey and told him she was just phoning her agent in Sydney and raving about what she had just seen. She loved it! Phew! She wanted to ring Tim Winton  (a mate of hers and the next author ChamberMade is adapting) and tell him not to worry; being adapted can be wonderful.  THREE MOER SLEEPS TO OPENING!!

We have four charming and very excited children alternating the roles of Billy and Poppy but they have not been able to start rehearsals with the adults because the police checks (necessary these days when employing children) have taken weeks to come through. It seems that when an employer with a relatively common name of Geoffrey Williams wants to employ children police checks take much longer as all the other Geoffery Williams on the police files have to be accounted for. Taje notice all you John Smiths wanting to be producers.  However all is well. All police checks have been logged and the children join the adults for the first time on Saturday 24th May. Young Jackson Cairnduff, playing Billy, told the production manager, Bronwyn, that he was coming to rehearsal on Saturday no matter what.

An opera of a very Australian domestic story as Helen Garner's The Children's Bach is as far away from Aida as you can get. Although, come to think of it, sex plays a very important part in both. Yes, despite the name this is not a show for the kids.