Gallipoli - A New New Zealand Musical

By Holly Meyer

Contact Kate at the MTNZ library for perusal material and further information

In brief, the show follows the story of the people involved and affected by the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. Not only does the show focus on the soldiers and their terrible experiences at Anzac Cove, but also all the mothers, lovers and sisters who have lost their loved ones to the war. The musical manages to capture many of the tragic aspects of the war, and the grief of Juliana and Elaine when they lose Jake to the war (Elaine’s You Stare At Me; Juliana’s What Did You Do To Us, Child?). The soldiers are all excited about the ‘Great Adventure’ at the beginning of the play, but the belief of an adventure are soon put to rest when they finally land on the beach on that fateful day.

The main themes of the show deal with courage, love and, inevitably, death. The musical is very long with thirty-nine main numbers (22 in Act One and 17 in Act Two), and has many opportunities for the cast from the leads to the chorus. The main leads include Juliana (the mother of Jake and Elaine, wife of Wayne); Elaine (a war nurse-sister of Jake, daughter of Juliana), Mary (lover of Jake, daughter of Melissa), and Melissa (Mary’s mother). There is much tragedy, yet the show manages to have a few more uplifting moments, such as Oh Dunedin So Fair late in Act Two. The show ends with the company in a memorial garden a whole year after the landings at Gallipoli, assuring the audience and themselves they will always remember the men who fought and died at Gallipoli.

SYNOPSIS OF GALLIPOLI

ACT ONE

New Zealand, September 1914 Many boys are enlisting eagerly to fight in the “Great War” and strong, jingoistic fervour brews across the country. Fearing the war will be over before they are old enough to fight overseas, many boys enlist underage. Jake, eighteen years old, is one of these boys (Prologue). By October or November, the war, said to be over by Christmas, looks set to be raging long after 25th December. Meanwhile, the Anzac troops are about to leave their respective countries to fight in the war. New Zealand is in nationalism’s powerful death grip and fiercely stands by Britain’s side (For Empire). At dawn on the day Jake leaves to fight overseas, the family-Jake, Elaine (a war nurse and Jake’s sister), Juliana (the mother of Jake and Elaine) and Wayne (the father of Jake and Elaine) farewell each other. (A Place In My Heart). Upon arrival at the docks, Jake is about to step onto the transport when his girlfriend, Mary, calls out his name (One Last Kiss). They promise they will see each other again, and finally Jake and the other soldiers leave New Zealand behind, to the sound of a huge patriotic crowd bidding farewell (Do Your Nation Proud).

Gallipoli, Turkey, 25th April 1915 After many months of training, the NZ troops land ashore, and are greeted by the sight of many wounded or dead Australians (who had come earlier) on the beach (Blood in the Water). The sight of so many casualties is only the beginning. We drift through the last few days of April and take a roundabout trip first to the Casualty Station where a British field nurse, Zoë, is reflecting on the war (I Look Into Their Eyes). From there, we see, for the first time, the nurses working in an Egyptian hospital, working diligently around the clock to heal the soldiers to the best of their abilities (Day By Day).

Gallipoli, May 1915 It is barely dawn on May 19th and the soldiers are about to go “over the top” (Time Keeps Ticking On) at Cape Helles (Fight at Cape Helles). Wounded and dying men litter No-Man’s Land after the brief but fierce battle (Never Again). Meanwhile, whilst all this was happening, John Simpson is fatally shot by a Turk Sniper, and is found dead by a couple of stretcher bearers. At the end of the day, the soldiers have all learnt of Simpson’s death. On 24th May, a truce is called to tend to the dead in No-Man’s Land, some of whom have been lying there since April 25th itself. The Turkish remind the allies that they are fighting for their country, and fighting to protect it (How Would It Feel?). By now, Jake has fully realized the true, sickening horrors of war, and is no longer the same excited young boy he was before he went to war (Slowly, Dreadfully).

Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli, August 6th to 10th The Company, Greek Chorus style, explain through song what is or has been happening at Chunuk Bair since the fight for that strategic hill began back on 6th August (Chunuk Bair). It is August 10th when they tell of the Wellington Battalion going off to fight. Act One is closed by the four major allies and Turkey encouraging their soldiers to carry on (Keep on Fighting).

ACT TWO

New Zealand, August 10th 1915 Mary begins the second act with her big solo. She reminiscences on the past and wishes Jake was back home (Do You Remember?)

Egypt, Afternoon, same day Elaine is rolling some bandages on a break in her shift, looking somewhat disturbed. Even though she had a lot of strength in the face of so much suffering, she is unsettled by a dream (Did You Ever Dream?)

Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli, same day The Wellington Battalion return from their battle on Chunuk Bair, exhausted (They Don’t Know What It Means), cueing the Otago Battalion, which Jake is a part of, to relieve the tired battalion at Chunuk Bair (Fight at Chunuk Bair). During the battle, Jake is wounded and is comforted by his best friend, Peter, as he slips into unconsciousness (Haziness). A few days later, he dies in the hospital after slipping into a coma, not recognizing or realizing it’s his sister, Elaine, who sits beside him (You Stare At Me).

New Zealand, August 13th 1915 Juliana is chatting to her best friend Cherie when there is a knock at the door, whence the mother inevitably receives the news of her son’s death. Women the world over mourn their own lost sons (Too Soon, Too Young). Back in New Zealand, Juliana asks Cherie to tell Melissa, Mary’s mother, about the news. But at that moment, Melissa does arrive at Juliana’s home and subsequently learns of the death. After Melissa has flown out of the door, Juliana mourns her only son (What Did You Do To Us, Child?).

Early December, 1915 Some citizens gather together at The Cook, near the Otago University, to forget the war for a night (Oh Dunedin So Fair). Mary, having grown fatally ill with grief, in her dying hour, asks Jake to take her “home” (Welcome Me Home).

Mid-December 1915 The winter is now bitter at Gallipoli, and the allied soldiers are waiting for the evacuation, and together they reflect on how the war has changed their view of what war is really like (How Could We Have Fooled Ourselves?) The Turkish ultimately have respect for the fighting ferocity that the Allies have had, and promise that they too will remember them. Together, with the war nurses, they comfort the war weary soldiers (This You Gained; A Place In my Heart Reprise).

New Zealand, 25th April 1916 Mourners and soldier veterans alike come together in a memorial garden to mourn the men who never came home (Never Forget Them). As the song ends, the ghosts of the dead gather against the breaking dawn. The mourners slowly lift their heads to gaze heavenwards as if they really can see their beloved sons and loved ones who died at Gallipoli. As they sing the last note in harmony, the sun breaks over the horizon, a symbol of courage and the beginning of a new tradition.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHIES

Juliana: Juliana is the mother of Jake and Elaine, best friend of Cherie, and wife of Wayne. She is unique amongst early 1900s women as she has the confidence and daring to disagree wth her husband if she so feels the need to. While other women then would’ve gotten a harsh reprimand for daring to disagree with their spouse, Juliana’s views are respected by Wayne. Juliana is a nurturing parent who cares deeply for her family. Juliana’s major personality strength is her steadfast courage, and her ability to keep being motivated and strong even in the hardest of times. She also has a lot of composure and dignity, and we see this in the scene where she receives the dreaded telegram noting her son’s death. On the contrary, Juliana receives the telegram without any undue drama-maybe she sends off the telegram boy with a sharper voice, but she is not hysterical with bereavement at all. However, strong as Juliana is with her courage, the woman also has her limits. After it has really sunk in after What Did You Do To Us, Child that her son is dead, she breaks down completely into tears, letting hall her grief out. She is the only one with two solos-the other being Soon You Will Be Gone where she reminiscences on the pre-war past, and finally accepts that her son really is going off to war on the other side of the globe.

Wayne: Wayne is the husband of Juliana and the father of Elaine and Jake. He respects and admires Juliana’s ability to stand up and speak for herself, even if he disagrees with her initial views. He, unlike Juliana, views the war as a Great Adventure. Initially, he does realize that the boys are all somebody’s sons (Somebody’s Son), but his view that the war would be a great adventure is not budged. Much as he respects his wife’s opinions, he still maintains the typical early 20th Century role as the head of the household and the money-bringer.

Elaine: 23-year-old Elaine is the daughter of Wayne and Juliana, close friend of Bronwyn, and sister of Jake. Like her mother, she possesses a strong ability to be able to keep her courage strong, regardless of what the fates fling at her. Like her father Wayne, and just about everybody else in the nation, she also views the war as a Great Adventure. A strong supporter of the Empire, Elaine is elated to have finally accomplished her dream of being a nurse-or more precisely, a war nurse. However, she can also be quick to anger if ticked, and ticking her off when she has just witnessed the death of a close family member is not a good idea. On the other hand, she also knows when she is about to get out of control and quickly makes her exit after her brief tirade at her attacker to take a few deep breaths and get back into control.

Jake: Jake is the son of Juliana and Wayne, brother of Elaine, best friend of Peter and boyfriend of Mary. Jake, like practically every other young male in the nation, views the war as an adventure, and is excited to be among the soldiers heading overseas to fight. Of course, like the others, he quickly discovers that the war is not an adventure: it is bloody, gory and unromantic. Melissa: Melissa is Mary’s mother and quite different in personality to Juliana. She is the quieter, more reserved type who would accept anything her husband (whom we don’t see in the musical) would say. A stay-at-home housewife, Melissa has several other children besides Mary. Unlike Juliana, when Melissa hears of bad news, she tends to panic rather than remain calm and composed. She does not fight for anyone, but instead accepts whatever the fates throw at her; she does not confront challenges like her counterpart. Melissa and her family, it should be noted, are extremely wealthy for their time (especially war time), but are known for their kindness, even if they do seem intimidating at first.

Mary: Mary is the daughter of Melissa, and girlfriend of Jake. She is a very romantic type who enjoys romantic books and relationships alike. She comes from a very wealthy family and is not afraid to flaunt their riches through her accessories and clothing. Though genuinely loving toward Jake, she can also snub those not as rich as she is, especially very poor families. Her one weakness is her total dependence on others that make her tend to cling ton to those she loves such as her mother and Jake. Her big solo in the musical is Do You Remember? where she recalls good times with her boyfriend pre-war. She also has an unusual view of the war: to her, so long as Jake is alive, the war is not bad (but not fantastic either). But if he dies, then the war, for her, would be bad, simply because of the death of Jake.

Cherie: Cherie is the loyal, childhood best friend of Juliana. Like Juliana, she does not stay silent and let the men do all the talking. Like her friend, she has the courage to speak up when and if she wants to do so. She has no sons whatsoever, but the woman does have five daughters. Nevertheless, Cherie is deeply grieved by the death of Jake. Having no sons, Jake was like a son to her-the son she never had. Economically, Cherie is quite well off, but not quite as rich as Melissa and her family. Even though she has the money to be able to buy expensive clothes, Cherie is above flaunting and disapproves strongly of such tactics. Instead, the woman would prefer something comfortable for the sake of comfort, and keeping warm in a the chilly Dunedin winter…

Renee: Renee is French and was named after a great-aunt who was living at the time of the 1832 student uprising in France. Renee is the mother of seven children, the youngest just a few months old. Renee is also extremely poor (like many French citizens were at the time). She is also a very maternal sort who cares deeply for her children and was disturbed deeply when her eldest son (only 20 years old) died at Gallipoli on the very day of the landings itself.

Laura: Out of all the Too Soon, Too Young ladies, Laura is the most deeply disturbed by the horror of war to the point where she can’t bear to hear the whistle of messenger boys biking through her neighbourhood with telegrams. Seeing as she had already lost two of her four sons to the war, it is no surprise she becomes very worried whenever a telegram boy swings by, fearing it would be another telegram for her, bringing the news of yet another son’s death.

Josephine: Josephine is British and named after the character Josephine in Little Women. But she is more of a mixture of Meg and Amy: artistic like Amy, and humble but somewhat vain like Meg. Josephine has a large number of children as well. Her factory work enables Josephine to accumulate just enough money to keep a roof over her family’s heads and shoes on their feet. Josephine has also lost a son-only sixteen years old to the war-like so many other mothers.

Peter: Peter is the loyal, best friend of Jake, and, like him, part of the Otago Battalion A few months older than Jake, he had also enlisted underage for the war at the tender age of eighteen.

Zoë: 27-year-old Zoë is a war nurse from Britain and proud of her English heritage. Zoë, like many other women, had volunteered for a nursing job in the war. She ended up not at a hospital in Britain or even Egypt, but found herself working frontline at one of the Casualty Stations at Gallipoli. Zoë is a hard-working woman who never lets anyone get too friendly with her until she knows them better. Despite her apparently ‘cool’ attitude, she is friendly and reassuring to the wounded soldiers at the Casualty Station.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn is the best friend of Elaine and signed up for the nurse training alongside Elaine back in 1913. Despite being a year older than Elaine at 24, they are the closest of friends. Bronwyn, like Elaine, very quickly sees the true horror of war at the Egyptian hospital and rapidly adjusts to the terrible wounds she sees nearly everyday.

Haley: Haley is the same age as Elaine, and was born in Melbourne, Australia. Haley is a shy young woman with a big heart, and though eager to be a nurse in the war, she had been a bit concerned she would not be able to cope with seeing the soldiers’ suffering nearly everyday. But to her surprise, Haley has found that she had somehow become stronger emotionally and mentally, and was able to cope just as well as any of the other nurses in the war hospital.

Special Note: John Simpson John Simpson was part of the Australian ambulance brigade. He had, from 25th April itself, helped upwards of 300 wounded soldiers to the Casualty Station, even though constant gunfire. He was apparently friendly to all, and liked by practically all the Anzac soldiers who were witnesses to his everyday, unfailing treks to and fro the casualty stations. On May 19th, he was shot by a sniper at the tender age of 22. When the other soldiers learnt of his demise, they were shocked and deeply grieved.

CASTING REQUIREMENTS

• No one needs any dance experience as there is a notable lack of dance whatsoever in the musical. Nevertheless some experienced contemporary ballet/classical ballet dancers are needed for the Transitional Ballet before Oh Dunedin So Fair. • All singers must have at least some professional training or suffiecent experience beforehand in singing. Same goes for the actors in regards to acting experience. • Rock, pop, jazz, rap, hip hop and country singers are not ideal for the leads. They may work with the chorus, but no solos. • Experience in musical theatre is strongly recommended for all actors. • Understudies for Juliana and Elaine are recommended due to their ranges’ demands. This is especial for performances that run for a long time (e.g. a month) or are on tour. • The ages are what the actor should appear onstage. The actors should be around the same age group, unless circumstances dictate (e.g. need a younger woman for Juliana). • The cast size for this musical is huge: a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 60 is a good guide to how many should be in the cast. Note that there are a number of doubles.

VOCAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NAMED CHARACTERS

Juliana Age range: 40s-50s Vocal range: High soprano (first B below middle C to the second A above middle C). Ideal audition song: A Place in my Heart (Juliana’s part). Remarks: Must be able to reach her highest notes for some time without sign of strain.

Elaine Age range: 20-24 Vocal range: Alto (first F below middle C to first C above middle C). Ideal audition song: You Stare At Me (especially first and last verses) Remarks: Must be able to reach her lowest notes for some time without sign of strain.

Mary Age range: 17-19 Vocal range: Soprano (Middle C to second B above middle C). Ideal audition song: Do You Remember? Remarks: The singer must have a strong, flexible voice with strength behind it. She should not be all soft and demure-she’s a strong, courageous young girl, not a modern day teenager-in-love stereotype. Her timbre should be warm and strong, not weak and breathy.

Melissa Age range: 40-45 Vocal range: Soprano (Middle C to first B above middle C). Ideal audition song: Still Alive or her part in Welcome Me Home.

Cherie Age range: 40s-50s Vocal range: Alto (first G below middle C to second D above middle C).

Bronwyn Age range: 20-25 Vocal range: Alto (same as Cherie’s range) Zoë Age range: 27-30 Vocal range: Alto

Hayley Age range: 20-25 Vocal range: Soprano

Wayne Age range: 40-45 Vocal range: Bass/baritone

Jake Age range: 18-22 Vocal range: Tenor

Peter Age range: 18-22 Vocal range: Bass

Timothy Age range: 20-24 Vocal range: baritone

Renee Age range: 40-45 Vocal range: Soprano

Laura Age range: 30-37 Vocal range: Alto

Josephine Age range: 35-45 Vocal range: Soprano