With the recent passing of David Bowie, local production 'The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust' will celebrate the life of one of pop culture's largest icons.
At the time of Bowie's death, the show was already in production. "Needless to say, we are all devastated by the news of Bowie's death,” Director James Lees says. “And it is even more magnified by being right in the middle of preparing this show. Back in December when we announced '...Ziggy Stardust' as part of the MELT Festival, we didn't have the slightest idea that we would be dealing with this situation.
“Through our shock and sadness, we are forging ahead though, and our show is now not only a celebration of Ziggy, but now a tribute to honour David Bowie himself. This is the spirit we are now proceeding with and this is what we will share with the audiences too – they are coming to grieve and to celebrate and we will share this with them."
With one show already sold out, two more performances have been announced; limited tickets remain.
Local musicians Brett Harris and Sahara Beck have both fulfilled a life-long dream by being cast in James Lees' production. “I've been listening to Bowie religiously all [last] year,” enthuses Sahara. “I was so obsessed with him and then I got the phone call about the show and I was like 'Yes!'”
Sahara Beck
Of his own admiration for The Thin White Duke, Brett opines: “It'd be a stretch to meet someone who doesn't like Bowie”.
Ziggy Stardust, alter ego of the enigmatic singer, holds a particular appeal for the performers. “I know a lot of musicians, singers and performers who don't feel 100 per cent confident in who they are, so they create this alter ego,” Brett says. “Ziggy Stardust is this god-like alien, I mean of course he is, it's Bowie, no-one else could have pulled off this incredible album except for this creature from another planet.”
Brett identifies with this, feeling it's his duty to “go over the top, to really push the limit”. Sahara agrees: “That's sort of what it's like when you perform. There's how you normally act, then there's how you imagine in your head how you’d perform if you were given the chance.”
Despite their singular enthusiasm, both vocalists stress the performance is a collaborative effort. Brett compares director James Lees’ job to “wrangling cats”. “We could all go off on tangents, Sahara could take a song and veer off to the left, shoot for the stars, then I'll take a song and do something else. Then you've got James coming in to go 'wait a second everybody'.”
But Sahara doesn’t think the collective of singers will cause James any grief. “I don't think there's any ego in this group at all, because there isn't one, main person. Everyone is trying to work together to make the show as a whole amazing.”
'The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust' plays as part of the MELT Festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse 6, 9 February 2016.
Ten per cent of profits from the shows will be donated to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.
