EdFringe Review: The Emu War: A New Musical

---

The early 20th Century Australian Government’s military action against marauding Emus makes a great basis for a comedy musical. Absurd, tragic, and ripe with larger-than-life, long-dead historical characters who can’t sue for defamation, it’s an IP ripe with possibilities.

None of which guarantees any resulting musical will be any good. Fortunately, writer Lotte Pearl has crafted a splendid new show, richly comic, mad as a box of frogs, and rather touching. Toby Little’s memorable score holds the promise of what could be if this gorgeous little show is expanded.

I’d love to name and celebrate the cast, but such details are thin on the ground during Fringe time. Suffice it to say then that they are a very talented bunch. Whether bringing a line-up of singular characters to life, singing a storm, or sock-puppeteering an emu or two, they do it with style. We can only speculate why there are 7 actors on the poster and only 6 in the show.

The framing is simple but effective (as in most good theatre). Greg and Steve, two farming buddies, and Gallipoli survivors, face emu-facilitated armageddon of their vital wheat crops. They make the mistake of writing to the government for help: because they get it. Cue the appearance of Secretary of Defence Sir George Pearce, and his military side-kick, the trigger-happy Major Meredith. Early confidence turns to despair as the Emu’s outlast their supply of bullets. Faced with existential crises, Sir George loses his mind, while Meredith decides to join the enemy (yes, the emus.)

Yes, it’s insane, and over the top, but ‘The Emu War’ is also heartfelt. In an hour there’s not enough time to fully develop every theme, so they settle on some touching queer representation, the power of friendship, and the need to live with, rather than in conflict with wild animals.

The comedy is laugh-out-loud funny, whether it’s Steve’s well-timed ‘What’s? when bemused by the spiraling situation, or due to an invasion of very sassy emus.

Accordingly, there’s an ironic yet anthemic theme of ‘For Australia’ running through the score, whilst the avian-tunage reaches its peak with the rather wonderful ‘Me and Emu’. Steve’s broken-hearted remembrance of his wartime love ‘William’ in contrast, is simply lovely. I also doubt that either writer or composer ever dreamed of having such a brilliant sextet of performers to deliver their songbook. There isn’t a weak voice in the lot, and they all know how to perform a song, not just sing it.

That said, at 1 hour 10 minutes, there’s not quite enough time to bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion. That isn’t to say the finale isn’t big, bold and thematically appropriate, but it tries to pack too much in, in too little time. Conversely, Director Jessie Millson squeezes the absolute maximum from both the book and score. It’s pacey, but not harried.

So, watch out for ‘The Emu War: A New Musical’ in the months to come. There are no sure things in the performing arts, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see this fine new work being picked up and developed for bigger stages. Utterly entertaining and genuinely original, ‘The Emu War’ must be one of the musical theatre events of this year’s Fringe.

---

---