The epic scale and technical mastery of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra's latest production could only have been inspired by one man — The Doctor.
It would be more accurate, of course, to say the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular has been inspired by 11 men — and all the people who have helped to keep the TARDIS running over the past 50 years.
Based on the recent Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Proms in the UK, the enormous production will see the QSO play spectacular music from the 'Doctor Who' series, accompanied by a big screen displaying specially edited sequences from the show. While they're on stage, 22 monsters — including Daleks, Cyberman and Silence — will roam the crowd, adding to the atmosphere.
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"It's crazy," marvels QSO's Director of Artistic Planning, Richard Wenn. "Firstly, it's a kids program that's been running for over 50 years, and yet it appeals to adults and now has a cult following. It's become part of a bigger culture with adult audiences who have TARDIS' or toy Daleks on their work desks, so it's in the psyche.
"I think what's kept the series together is reinvention. They've replaced the Doctor, they've replaced other people, they've replaced the monsters, but what's been really clever is that each of those characters have been given a theme tune and they've continued to develop those.
"We've now got a collection of music that spans over 50 years now. It's like a modern day opera. When a particular character comes on stage, you recognise their musical fingerprint. In the last five to ten years, it's left its roots behind and it's probably the biggest franchise the BBC has."
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While the music of Murray Gold — the musical director of the rebooted 'Doctor Who' since 2005 — will likely dominate the programme, the symphonic screwdriver will also be applied to the original 'Who' theme. Recorded long before the commercial availability of synthesisers, it's an innovative piece of electronic music and one of the most memorable TV themes of all time.
Appropriately enough, it was written by Ron Grainer, a Queenslander from the Atherton Tablelands. "A Queenslander wrote the theme," Wenn notes proudly, "and now it will be played in Queensland by a Queensland orchestra!"
The timing of the Symphonic Spectacular obviously couldn't be better, with a level of hype surrounding this weekend's 50th anniversary episode (and next month's Christmas special) usually reserved for a Daft Punk album release. Not only is David Tennant returning for this weekend's episode, but the Christmas special will mark the departure of Matt Smith and the introduction of Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor.
"It's a great build-up," Wenn says. "We've got an ongoing publicity machine fuelling the story! Even at this stage, we don't know what the full program is going to be because they're continuing to write music for these final episodes… we've still got things to come.
"We are yet to announce the artists and actors [that will feature in the show]. We're auditioning in Brisbane in February for people to perform with us as monsters. We'll be working with BBC choreographers, costume designers, dancers and actors, and Brisbane actors and dancers can be a part of that performance with us."
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Elaborate productions that tap into pop culture like this one are obviously one way for the QSO to stay relevant (the Orchestra will also stage Symphony Of Legends, a tribute to video games, this weekend), but Wenn doubts they'll ever abandon their roots.
"It's part of the future," he says, "but we will never stop playing Beethoven. We've always been a very versatile orchestra here. We play opera one week, ballet the next, we perform with The Beach Boys, and then we do a great big parlour concert with 120 musicians on stage.
"We're probably the most versatile orchestra in the Southern Hemisphere. Sydney and Melbourne don't have the alternative programs we do. We're constantly reinventing."
Regenerating, even.
The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular will be held at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday February 8.
The 50th anniversary 'Doctor Who' episode, 'The Day Of The Doctor', will screen on ABC1 this Sunday November 24 at 6:50am AEDT, 5:50am QLD, 5:20am NT, 6:20am SA and 3:50 WA. It will be repeated at 7:30pm, and will also screen in selected cinemas.
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'An Adventure In Space And Time', a dramatisation that travels back to 1963 to see how 'Doctor Who' was first brought to the screen, will screen on ABC1 this Sunday November 24 at 8:50pm.
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'Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide', a crash course in Who lore, will screen on ABC2 this Saturday November 23 at 8:30pm.
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'The Night Of The Doctor', a mini-episode prequel to 'The Day Of The Doctor', is online now.
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