Satango
Produced by Griffin Theatre Company, Wayne Harrison, Camila Rountree, Ross Mollison & Robert C Kelly

Cast: Simon Burke, Sharon Millerchip, Jaro Sanchez Rivera

Music & Lyrics: Stewart D'Arrietta and Justin Fleming
Book: Stewart D'Arrietta and Justin Fleming
Director: Wayne Harrison

Publicist: Mollison Communications

Australian Premiere: SBW Stables Theatre, Sydney. November 10, 2004.


The Lowdown:
Satango was a much-hyped production that brought two of the country's leading actors together - Sharon Millerchip and Simon Burke. The show's premiere season was a success at the SBW Stables Theatre and while some theatre-goers critisised its storyline, most admitted it was a much-needed change from the pre-packaged musical that was huge in Australia at the time.

The small stage at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross suited the production. The show gained some impressive reviews, while others were not so glowing.


AussieTheatre.com Review
We blame the evils of terrorism, war and murder on the barbaric people behind them. But do we need to look further? Are we really witnessing the work of the devil, or a force greater than man? Words towards the end of Stewart D’Arrietta and Justin Fleming’s Satango, spoken by Sofia (Sharon Millerchip), suggest this is what the new Australian musical is really about.

Satango is the best theatre production of the year by far, leaving the Australian producers who are obsessed with "disco musicals" with egg on their face. Locked away at the tiny SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross is this sensational show, featuring a witty script, excellent dancing and, surprisingly, no former Home And Away or Neighbours stars.

This 90 minute spectacle is more about seeing two of our best theatre performers in Sharon Millerchip and Simon Burke perform at their very best. These are the true singer, actor, dancers of this industry, and they prove it from the first scene through to the excellent finale.

Before sitting down to watch this show, I thought it would suit a bigger theatre. Not that the SBW Stables Theatre isn’t superb, in fact it’s probably my favourite independent theatre in Sydney, but I had it in my mind that this show deserved something bigger. But then, I realised how gifted I was - I get to sit in an intimate space and watch two of the best theatre talents this country has go around just metres from my seat. Ah, what the people watching the preview of Dirty Dancing or the Friday night performance of We Will Rock You are missing out on.

The story focuses on the devil, Luciano (Simon Burke) who, apart from living in hell, pretty much leads the life of a normal man: a lifetime subscription to Ralph magazine, hormones stocked up and the number for Pizza Hut memorised. Enter Sofia (Millerchip), who stumbles into hell by accident, or so we are led to believe. She reaches an agreement with Luciano: help her suffering dog, and she’ll teach him to tango.

Apparently, heaven and hell do get together sometimes. A huge ball is being planned and Luciano must take a partner, so the arrival of Sofia is perfectly timed. Getting this clean cut girl from the suburbs to go with him, however, will be quite a challenge.

More than a dozen new and refreshing songs grace this musical. Burke’s opening number, "Welcome to my Neighbourhood" is superb and allows you to breath a huge sigh of relief. I got home afterwards and checked my 1970’s and 1980’s greatest hits CD’s. Nope, not there. And thank god. How good it was to hear new, vibrant music in a musical. This is the true book musical, and it can’t be faulted.

"I Was Once an Angel" and "My Favourite Place To Eat" are two of the show’s best songs, but the dancing steals the show, particularly the final tango in which Millerchip enters the stage wearing a sexy red dress that would make any hot blooded male roll over and beg. That’s the thing about this show - everything about it is beautiful, perhaps excluding the rather "Charmed" style storyline. The dancing is beautiful, the songs are excellent and the actors are just something so special.

If we continue our obsession with the disco musical, we are leaving ourselves a great debt. These two superb stars of the stage deserve to be performing in big budget musicals constantly, and it is such a disservice to see them forced into smaller theatres because of the guts that producers lack.

Wayne Harrison directs this one and has done a wonderful job, while Tony Bartuccio’s choreography is timed so well that it looks like the actors have been working on the show for a year.

It’s time for a change to be made, and Satango is leading the way.


Production Shots:



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