The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular

Last updated

The Man from Snowy River:
Arena Spectacular
Music Bruce Rowland
Lee Kernaghan
Garth Porter
LyricsLee Kernaghan
Garth Porter
Book David Atkins
Ignatius Jones
Basisthe Poem The Man from Snowy River , by Banjo Paterson
Productions2002 Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia

The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, based on Banjo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River , was a popular musical theatre production which toured Australian capital cities twice during 2002. Kevin Jacobsen and David Atkins were the executive producers for the show. David Atkins and Ignatius Jones were co-directors and co-writers. Extra dialogue was written for the show by Jonathan Biggins and Phillip Scott.

Contents

The stage musical has no relationship to the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River , or the 1988 sequel The Man from Snowy River II , or the television series The Man from Snowy River .

All poetry narrated in the musical was written by Banjo Paterson, including the lyrics to the songs "Waltzing Matilda" (with music written by M. Cowan), and "As Long as Your Eyes Are Blue" (the music to which was "Clancy's Theme", which was written by Bruce Rowland for the film The Man from Snowy River ).

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

Cast members

Plot

On John Conroy's property, the 2-year-old colts and fillies are mustered and brought to the homestead for horse breaking. Two of the colts are of very good stock, especially the beautiful and spirited colt sired by the famous racehorse Regret (John Conroy says that the colt is worth a thousand pounds (£1000) and that he wants the colt to eventually be the stud horse for the property).

Jim Ryan arrives at John Conroy's property following the death of his father. When he and Conroy's daughter, Kate, see each other, it is love at first sight for them both.

Jim, however, finds resentment at his presence at the station, both from John Conroy, the owner of the property, and the station's stockmen and station hands, with Dan Mulligan (the leading hand), disdainfully commenting "We don't want any swagmen here". Saltbush and McGinness McGee also make disparaging remarks about Jim Ryan's horse, with Saltbush sarcastically asking Jim if he bought his horse from a Mark Foy's catalogue, and McGinness McGee commenting that it was more likely that the horse had been saved from a glue factory.

John Conroy also comments that they have enough men working on the property already. Kate pleads with her father to give Jim a job at the property, and he finally relents, saying that Jim can help break the horses. John Conroy resents it when Jim Ryan says that he knows of a better way to break horses than the horse-breaking method being used at the property. However, John Conroy says that Jim could prove his expertise in horse-breaking by breaking the colt from Regret.

During the night, the Brumby herd gallops close to the homestead, and the colt from Regret breaks free from his tethers and joins them. John Conroy is furious at the loss of his prized colt, and unfairly blames Jim for what has occurred. Conroy decides to get all the crack riders (expert horse riders) from the stations near and far to muster at the homestead and hunt for the Brumbies, offering a reward of £1000, and angrily orders Jim to leave the property first thing in the morning.

The crack riders gather at the homestead the following morning, including Harrison, who made his fortune when Pardon won the cup (a reference to the President's Cup, a lesser known race held in Manindie, New South Wales). Another crack rider at the homestead was Clancy of the Overflow (who was a friend of Jim). Jim shyly turns up to join in the ride to hunt for the colt and Brumbies, but finds that, apart from his friend, Clancy, he is not wanted by anyone on the ride. Clancy convinces the others that, as both Jim and his horse were mountain-reared, they would be of great help in the ride.

The Brumbies are too quick for the riders and, when it becomes too steep and dangerous with wombat holes (burrows, where a horse could break a leg), all riders stop short of the dangerous descent apart from Jim, who continues to chase the Brumby herd - finally bringing the herd (including the colt) back to John Conroy's property.

John Conroy is delighted to have his colt back again, and gives his approval to Jim marrying Kate. A concert and country dance, as well as a superb equestrian pageant, are then held in celebration and recognition of Jim's deed, and all ends happily.

The musical scenes, songs and poetry

Act I

Scene 1 Prelude

instrumental music: "Waltzing Matilda" (Traditional version)
poem: "Prelude" (narrated by Steve Bisley)

Scene 2 Mustering the Colts

instrumental music: "Snowy River Suite"

Scene 3 The Homestead

song: "Spirit of the High Country" (sung by Lee Kernaghan)
poem: "The Melting of the Snow" (narrated by Charles "Bud" Tingwell and Steve Bisley)

Scene 4 Jim's Entrance The Man Arrives

song: "Southern Son" (sung by Martin Crewes)

Scene 5 Breaking the Colts

song: "Snowy Mountains Buckjump" (sung by Lee Kernaghan)

Scene 6 The Horse Whisperer

instrumental music: "Jessica's Theme"
song: "The Rope That Pulls the Wind" (sung by Martin Crewes)

Scene 7 The Breakout

poem: "Brumby's Run" (narrated by Steve Bisley)
instrumental music: "The Breakout"

Scene 8 The Confrontation Jim's & Kate's First Kiss

song: "Kosciusko Moon" (sung by Martin Crewes and Georgie Parker)

Scene 9 The Cracks Gather Musical Ride

instrumental music: "The Man from Snowy River Theme"
song: "Boys from the Bush" (sung by Lee Kernaghan)

Act II

Musical Entrácte

instrumental music: "Waltzing Matilda" (Queensland version) (sung by Lee Kernaghan)
poem" "Daylight Is Dying" (narrated by Steve Bisley and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell)

Scene 1 Tall Stories

song: "Pull the Other One Mate" (sung by Lee Kernaghan, Simon Westaway, James Rutty and Steve Jefferys)
instrumental "Eureka Creek"

Scene 2 The Man and Kate A Kiss for Luck

song: "As Long as Your Eyes Are Blue" (sung by Georgie Parker)

Scenes 3, 4 and 5

poem: "The Man from Snowy River" (narrated by Steve Bisley during scenes 3, 4 and 5)
Scene 3. instrumental music: "The Man from Snowy River Theme"
instrumental music: "The Departure"
Scene 4. instrumental music: "The Ride"
Scene 5. instrumental music: "The Return"

Scene 6 The Concert

song: "You Rock My World" (sung by Lee Kernaghan)
song: "Electric Rodeo" (sung by Lee Kernaghan)
song: "Cobar Line" (sung by Lee Kernaghan)

Scene 7 Musical Ride

song: "Southern Son" (reprise) (sung by Lee Kernaghan)

Scene 8 The Finale

instrumental music: "The Man from Snowy River Theme"
song: "Spirit of the High Country" (reprise) (sung by Lee Kernaghan)

Scene 9 The Swagman Returns

instrumental music: "Waltzing Matilda" (Traditional version)
Epilogue: "A Singer of the Bush" (narrated by Steve Bisley)

Interval entertainment

Woodchoppers: Sean Harper, Lindsay Hewill, Mal Windley and Peter Windley

Notes about the musical

Although also based on The Man from Snowy River (poem), the arena spectacular has no connection whatsoever with either the films or the television series of the same name.

Steve Jefferys and Ammo
The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular (advertisement) Arena Spectacular ad-Steve-Jefferys.jpg
Steve Jefferys and Ammo
The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular (advertisement)

Screen images

Poetry

Horses, riders and drivers

Whipcracking and ropes

Cast album

The CD, which was released by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2002, won the 2002 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA Music Award) for Best Cast/Show Album. [1]

Bruce Rowland, who composed the instrumental music for both the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River film and its sequel 1988 film The Man from Snowy River II (which was released in the United States of America under the title: Return to Snowy River - and released in the United Kingdom under the title: The Untamed), composed special arrangements of some of his music for the musical.

Lee Kernaghan and Garth Porter wrote the music and lyrics for the country songs. Lee Kernaghan also sang some of the country songs (which he had already recorded on some of his albums), during the concert scene.

DVD release

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 2002 Boondall-Entertainment-Centre.jpg
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 2002

The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular was performed at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall, Queensland, Australia, for both of its Brisbane runs (in 2002), with the musical being filmed, for DVD and videotape release, at the entertainment centre during its second run in Brisbane in October, 2002. Extra dancers and acrobats were hired for the finale of this recording. The DVD and VHS recordings of the musical were released on 26 January 2003 (Australia Day).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banjo Paterson</span> Australian journalist, author and poet

Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. Paterson's more notable poems include "Clancy of the Overflow" (1889), "The Man from Snowy River" (1890) and "Waltzing Matilda" (1895), regarded widely as Australia's unofficial national anthem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Man from Snowy River (poem)</span> 1890 poem by Andrew Barton Paterson

"The Man from Snowy River" is a poem by Australian bush poet Banjo Paterson. It was first published in The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine, on 26 April 1890, and was published by Angus & Robertson in October 1895, with other poems by Paterson, in The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses.

"Clancy of the Overflow" is a poem by Banjo Paterson, first published in The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine, on 21 December 1889. The poem is typical of Paterson, offering a romantic view of rural life, and is one of his best-known works.

Steve Jefferys was the lone rider in the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony. He galloped into the stadium on his 7-year-old Australian Stock Horse "Ammo", which reared, and then Jefferys cracked his whip to signal the beginning of the Opening Ceremony. This was followed by the entrance of a further 120 riders and their Stock Horses.

Martin Crewes is an Australian stage, television and movie actor.

Bruce Rowland is an Australian composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Bisley</span> Australian actor (born 1951)

Steve Bisley is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Mad Max (1979) and The Great Gatsby (2013). On television, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack Christey in Water Rats and Jim Knight in Doctor Doctor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockman (Australia)</span> Australian livestock herder

In Australia, a stockman is a person who looks after the livestock on a station, traditionally on horse. It has a similar meaning to "cowboy". A stockman may also be employed at an abattoir, feedlot, on a livestock export ship, or with a stock and station agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brumby</span> Feral horse in Australia

A brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although found in many areas around the country, the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region. Today, most of them are found in the Northern Territory, with the second largest population in Queensland. A group of brumbies is known as a "mob" or "band".

Elyne Mitchell, OAM was an Australian author noted for the Silver Brumby series of children's novels. Her nonfiction works draw on family history and culture.

<i>The Man from Snowy River II</i> 1988 Australian drama film

The Man from Snowy River II is a 1988 Australian drama film, the sequel to the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River, which was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

<i>The Man from Snowy River</i> (1982 film) 1982 Australian Western and drama film

The Man from Snowy River is a 1982 Australian Western drama film based on the Banjo Paterson poem "The Man from Snowy River". The film had a cast including Kirk Douglas in a dual role as the brothers Harrison and Spur, Jack Thompson as Clancy, Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig, Sigrid Thornton as Harrison's daughter Jessica, Terence Donovan as Jim's father Henry Craig, and Chris Haywood as Curly. Both Burlinson and Thornton later reprised their roles in the 1988 sequel, The Man from Snowy River II. The 1988 sequel film was later released in the United States by Walt Disney Pictures under the title Return to Snowy River and in the United Kingdom under the title The Untamed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie McKeahnie</span> Australian horseman

Charles Lachlan "Charlie Mac" McKeahnie was an Australian horseman born in Gudgenby, ACT to Alexander and Mary McKeahnie into a family of five sisters. He is believed by some historians to be the inspiration for the poem "The Man from Snowy River" by Banjo Paterson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMT (Australian TV channel)</span> Television channel in Australia

CMT Australia is an Australian cable and satellite music television channel owned and operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. It is the third and currently only country music video channel in Australia, created after the closure of MusicCountry from the Australian market, followed by its predecessor network.

The Man from Snowy River may refer to:

<i>The Man from Snowy River</i> (1920 film) 1920 film

The Man from Snowy River is a 1920 film made in Australia. The film was silent and filmed in black and white, and was based on the Banjo Paterson poem of the same name. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Man from Snowy River</i> (soundtrack) 1982 soundtrack album by Bruce Rowland

The Man from Snowy River is the original motion picture soundtrack from the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River.

<i>The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular</i> (original soundtrack) 2002 studio album by Original Australian cast of The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular

The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular is a musical by David Atkins and Ignatius Jones, based on the poem The Man from Snowy River, written by Banjo Paterson.

<i>The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular</i> (film) 2003 Australian film

The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular was a musical theatre production based on Banjo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River. The production was filmed at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, during October 2002, and was released on DVD and VHS in Australia on 26 January 2003.

<i>The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses</i> Collected poems by Banjo Paterson

The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses (1895) is the first collection of poems by Australian poet Banjo Paterson. It was released in hardback by Angus and Robertson in 1895, and features the poet's widely anthologised poems "The Man from Snowy River", "Clancy of the Overflow", "Saltbush Bill" and "The Man from Ironbark". It also contains the poet's first two poems that featured in The Bulletin Debate, a famous dispute in The Bulletin magazine from 1892-93 between Paterson and Henry Lawson.

References

  1. 1 2 "And the winners are..." The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 October 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  2. ARIA awards for 2002 - official ARIA website
  3. Outside the Arena Behind the Scenes extras section of the DVD release of the show