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A Music-Drama by Gordon Gribbin |
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On the night of October 8th/9th 1891, the ceremonial mace was stolen from the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne and never seen again. Or was it? Rumour had it that the mace was taken across the road from Parliament and used in an unseemly manner in a notorious brothel. |
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Gordon Gribbin's musical, The Mace, fleshes out this story with some very colourful characters and some lively song and dance. |
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SONGS in .wav format and slow to download |
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SONG: Armpits and Crutch |
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SONG: Girls of the Night |
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SONG: A Couple of Could've Beens |
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SONG: I Remember |
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Annie (Sue Fratzak) and Madame (Cynthia Gribbin) 1989. |
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The brothel, owned and run by Madame Elsie Turner (with the protection and encouragement of Sir Henry Aspen, MP) is next door to Rickett's Music Hall. The chorus girls double is Girls Of The Night, and the action of the musical alternates between the brothel and the stage next door. |
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Girls of the Night, featuring some of the cast of first production, 1989. |
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Business girls open to offers |
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The stage songs are in the style of turn-of-the-century music hall, and the more personal songs in a gentle, lyrical style. Highlights are the chorus numbers: `Armpits And Crutch' and `Girls Of The Night' and Music Hall numbers `I Like It' and `Wee Willie Jones'. |
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David James as Ernie Earnshaw, 1989 |
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The principal characters are Madame and Sir Henry, failed comedian Ernie Earnshaw and a rather camp dresser, Annie the upcoming star, the unscrupulous MP, James Keller, Sophie the unsuccessful whore and Inspector Christie who loves her. The Usher from across the road is in love with Madame's assistant, Lucy, and the stage is rarely without a few scantily dressed girls of the night. |
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Madame (Cynthia Gribbin), Dresser (Keith Devonport) and girls. |
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| The Mace was first performed in 1989 and then, around the 100th anniversary of the theft of the mace, in October, 1991. |
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Smile and Smile |
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It is scored for strings (quartet or more), bass, piano, flute, clarinet and French Horn. |
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The Rude Noise Polka |
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I'm gunna show you, Dolly Henderson |
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MPs get three hundred pounds a year and all the girls they can eat. |
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Back to Main Page |
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Look at Gold Rush |
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Gordon Gribbin Bio |
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More Plays and Musicals |
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Look at `Wombat East' |
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Look at `Charleston Fever' |
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