When Writer Bryce Hallett began discussions with Producer Rebecca Blake and Musical Director Chong Lim about a musical production surrounding the tragic Vietnam War, he knew one thing: it had to be authentic.
Hallett tapped into his previous experience as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and decided to hear about the Vietnam War from those who experienced it.
“You continuously hear stories of how they keep to themselves and have become introverted and how many have suffered from post-traumatic stress,” Hallett says. Eventually after making contact with three veterans including two from Sydney and one in Toowoomba, Hallett was able to hear their first-hand experiences which would ultimately shape the characters and narrative of ‘Rolling Thunder Vietnam’.
“They gave me so much insight into what it would actually be like for a young Australian to be thrown into such an alien environment,” Hallett explains. “That sense of comradeship came into play very early which becomes quite a thread to the storytelling. The one-on-one interviews added such depth and also this larrikin sense of humour.”
‘Rolling Thunder Vietnam’, which debuted in 2014 and is returning to the stage for a limited season in Victoria, Queensland, Canberra and New South Wales, follows Australian soldiers from very different worlds including the well-educated Andy from Sydney’s North Shore and Johnny, a country kid from Queensland, who find themselves thrust into the chaos and tragedy of the Vietnam War. As the musical ‘Mamma Mia!’ did with ABBA songs, ‘Rolling Thunder Vietnam’ uses some of the greatest anthems from the 1960s and 1970s including Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’, Santana’s ‘Black Magic Woman’ and Steppenwolf’s ’Born To Be Wild’ to progress the story along. “It’s not a history lesson, it’s not preaching or making judgements about anyone or anything, it’s simply releasing the humanity of it all,” Hallett explains.
Image © Jeff Busby
Hallett praises the band and cast members who bring these beloved anthems to life on stage. “We have the most amazing band in the show who have worked with John Farnham and Daryl Braithwaite. . . So it’s a real bonafide rock band and then to have these young performers that bring the vulnerability and fragility to these kids. . .”
The 2020 tour of ‘Rolling Thunder Vietnam’ marks the third tour of the production since it debuted in 2014 and Hallett insists the theatrical concert’s story is just as relevant for today’s audiences.
“Politically we are at such a time of uncertainty and I feel as though we really can’t tell what’s going to happen with the likes of Donald Trump. There is this parallel between ‘All The Way With LBJ’ that came about in the '60s where Australia pledges its allegiance to America that resonates incredibly well with what our Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his relationship with America is. . . You wouldn’t think history could possibly repeat itself but it’s amazing how often it does.”
In the same way Hallett learnt from the veterans he interviewed, he hopes new audiences will learn from the characters he wrote and be reminded of that age-old lesson that nobody wins in war.
“I think they’ll see the humanity of it and weep at the loss of so many people in such a terrifying way. . . And be reminded of the fragility of life and how things can turn on a dime and become out of control.”
'Rolling Thunder Vietnam' Tour Dates
13 March – Geelong Performing Arts Centre18 March – Queensland Performing Arts Centre
21 March – The Star (Gold Coast)
25 March – Hamer Hall (Melbourne)
27 March – Canberra Theatre
31 March-1 April – State Theatre (Sydney)
3 April – Coliseum Theatre (Sydney)
