Dan Kelly is perhaps the most elusive figure in Australian history, with numerous people claiming to be the outlaw post-Glenrowan. And Boy Girl Wall playwright Matthew Ryan's most recent theatrical production Kelly all but buries the myth.
“It's based on the idea that Dan Kelly actually survived the siege at Glenrowan, which has never been proven, but also has never been disproved," explains Steve Rooke, who plays Ned Kelly in the play. "There have been three or four people who've claimed to be Dan Kelly late in their lives and they were all based in Queensland. Matt took that one part of the story and ran with it. He took the idea that Dan escaped the siege and was getting ready to move up to Queensland and spend the rest of his life [there], but the story goes in our version that he couldn't leave without confronting Ned one last time and getting his blessing to leave.”
However, Steve remains sceptical on whether Dan Kelly executed an escape which would have had Harry Houdini envious. “I've read a lot of different things [about Dan] and it's difficult to imagine that he did escape, but it's also not impossible. For the sake of this performance I've made the decision that I think Dan got away, but if I was looking at it from non-performance eyes, then my opinion might sway to the idea that he didn't get away, that he did die at Glenrowan. There's so much speculation and so much mythology around this story that it's going to be a long time before we ever find out the truth.”
Whether the tales of Dan Kelly are fictitious or not, Matt studied the history of the bushrangers fastidiously to craft historically accurate characters. “With a story like this, it's such circumstantial evidence because all of Ned's words recorded were spoken to the police, and he was looking after his own benefits. Most of the other accounts are from the police and they were [also] looking after their best interests. There's a certain amount of decision-making that Matt had to make about what version of events he wanted to show on stage, and at the end of the day he wanted to put a character on stage and ask 'are you a good person or are you a bad person’? He's very well researched and that's one thing you can't accuse him of — of not being well researched.”
In fact, Matt began writing Kelly in 2008, but Steve explains the script has changed significantly over time. “The play was originally called The Life and Death of Dan Kelly and it was intended to be Dan's story rather than Ned's. I think as the process of writing the script went along, it became more evenly balanced. Matt was always aware he was wanting to tell Dan's story because everyone knows so much about Ned, and there's so little spoken about his brother. In parts of the play, Ned is the dominating character in it, but in other parts Dan takes over for a while.”
Leon Cain — a Matilda Award-winning actor for his role as Johnny in I Love You, Bro — stars as Dan Kelly in the play. “It's interesting," Steve says, "because I've never worked with Leon before and I've seen his work plenty of times, and he always gives wonderful performances. I think Leon brings intensity to everything he does so I've been having a lot of fun trying to match, and in some respects top, because Ned is the alpha male for most of the play.”
However, Steve says his portrayal of Ned Kelly offers a different side to the bushranger, somewhat challenging his stoic figure in Australian folklore. “He's been in prison for five months, he's got 30-odd bullet injuries in him and the physical state he is so famous for has probably withered a little bit. He's not quite that strong, imposing and physical character we know him to be, but he still has that mental sharpness and ability to charm and dominate people with his prowess. I don't feel like I have to live up to anyone's opinions of him really because this is a different side to the story and a different side to Ned.”
Kelly runs from September 15 - October 20 at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre.
