Skip to main content

Article: Black Box a New Musical!

You don’t know him, but he may have saved your life

BLACK BOX is Queenslander Paul Hodge’s ground-breaking new musical based on the extraordinary true story of David Warren, the Australian inventor who created the black box flight recorder that is now on every plane around the globe, and it will have its world premiere at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre this May.

Driven by the death of his father in an unexplained plane crash when he was eight, BLACK BOX follows David as he fights for an invention that could record the final moments of a flight before it crashes – the black box. His obsession around this invention places his career, marriage and mind at risk. It’s a show about memory, and how we hold onto, and let go of, those we love 

BLACK BOX writer and composer, Paul Hodge, said, “David’s invention was inspired by his love of music. I wanted to create a theatre form that was as inventive as David’s idea, which led to the use of recorded voices and music, in the same way the black box gives recordings, to immerse the audience in David’s sound world.” Black box inventor David Warren will be played by internationally renowned singer and actor Michael Cormick, who has had leading roles around the world, including in Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast with Hugh Jackman. David’s wife, Ruth, will be played by Helpmann Award winner Helen Dallimore who as well as touring extensively throughout the UK and Australia was the original Glinda opposite Idina Menzel in the West End production of Wicked.

The auditory world that inspired David to create his life-saving invention shapes the audience’s experience
at BLACK BOX, which utilises pre-recorded voices and instruments to create a world of music and memory to tell his story. While Helen and Michael are on stage, the rest of the cast are present through a history- making audio experience. BLACK BOX is the first binaural musical with audience members wearing headphones that allow them to be totally immersed in a 360-degree world of sound. Binaural recording uses two microphones, arranged at the position of human ears to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the recorded actors and instruments. This world-premiere production will be directed by David Berthold.

Tickets on sale from qpac.com.au

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Picnic at Hanging Rock - Javeenbah Theatre Company

Written by Mark Rickell “The infamous picnic has become a faux Australian history that has haunted the Australian psyche for almost fifty years.” - Hunter Wall, Director This is the backdrop on which the story takes place, not that of the period in history, but in the present. In the effect of this story and what it means to Australians. Children study the text in schools, the name, and the mystery, is synonymous with Australian literature.  “Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction, my readers must decide for themselves. As the fateful picnic took place in the year nineteen hundred, and all the characters who appear in this book are long since dead, it hardly seems important.” - Joan Lindsay, Author This adaptation of the text is extremely true to the original material, and serves as an excellent example of the power of theatre as a way of bringing stories to life. This adaptation, expertly staged at Javeenbah Theatre, is a triumph of storytelling. It is clear that dire...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Cemetery Club - Tugun Theatre

Written by Rett Visser Meet the Cemetery Club! Three longtime friends in their late fifties to early sixties, who are now also united by bereavement. Meeting once a month to visit the cemetery where their deceased husbands lay, their friendship and love for their husbands form the cornerstone of ‘The Cemetery Club’. As in real-life, each woman is dealing with grief differently, as every relationship is different: Doris is struggling with losing the love of her life Abe, despite it being four years since his passing, Lucille is kicking up her heels and spending the inheritance left by the unfaithful Harry, and Ida misses her Murry but realises that she doesn’t want to mourn forever. When Sam, the widower meets the ladies whilst visiting the grave of his deceased wife, a shy attraction to Ida sees cracks in the friendships begin to grow. Efficiently directed by Julie Neumann, the space was well-considered enabling the audience to feel like they were included in the conversation as the la...
1 comment
Read more

‘Proof’ // Tugun Theatre Company

  Under the soft glow of the theatre lights, where emotions simmer and intellect ignites, Tugun Theatre comes alive, presenting a rendition of ‘Proof’. Against the backdrop of advanced mathematics and the profound importance of human connection, this production beckons us to embark on a journey through the intricate recesses of the mind while wrestling with the intricacies of trust, legacy, and the unknown future. Under the soft glow of the theatre lights, where emotions simmer and intellect ignites, Tugun Theatre comes alive, presenting a rendition of ‘Proof’. Against the backdrop of advanced mathematics and the profound importance of human connection, this production beckons us to embark on a journey through the intricate recesses of the mind while wrestling with the intricacies of trust, legacy, and the unknown future. At the centre of ‘Proof’ is Catherine, a brilliant yet troubled mathematician, grappling with her father’s legacy and her own potential. Navigating the delicate b...
Post a Comment
Read more