You only need to play a few bars of Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home and people will start humming or singing along to this classic by one of the best composers and performers that Australia has ever produced. From humble beginnings in Tenterfield, New South Wales, to performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Peter achieved more than most people know.
This coming Friday, 25 November, at the Regal Theatre, Australian cabaret super-star Michael Griffiths will be performing a new cabaret with the music of Peter Allen. Michael has performed musical theatre and cabaret both in Australia and overseas, and is a very sought-after performer and music director. Recently, Michael was in the stunning State Theatre Company of South Australia’s production of The Normal Heart.
“The whole cast identified as gay and it was interesting that the youngest member of the cast had no idea about the period of time the show was set, forty years ago. I remember when the Grim Reaper ad came along on the TV and AIDS became very topical. Working on The Normal Heart, these memories came flooding back. It was a scary time as lots of people were sick and passed away. This current generation is not fully aware of these themes, so it is really important that shows like The Normal Heart keep the conversation rolling and show audiences what really went on. Thankfully with medicine, behaviour and knowledge things have changed, but it was a period of time that should not be forgotten,” Michael told me when we caught up.
As a musician, I personally love how Peter approached writing music, and I was keen to hear from Michael what drew him to Peter’s songs.
“Funnily enough, when I first started doing cabaret, Peter Allen was someone that I really resisted as I didn’t think I personally had anything that I could bring to it. Obviously I knew who he was, and there are some of his songs you just can’t escape, but I never thought that I was a fan, and I wasn’t aware of things about Peter’s life other than the obvious. It was more when I started working with Carlotta in 2015, because she insisted that I sang some Peter Allen. So it was she that gave me a strong motive to start looking into his music further. Shortly after that I created Livvy and Pete with Amelia Ryan, which came out of Carlotta pushing me. I realised in that process what songs of Peter Allen’s are beyond the obvious and found how amazing his music is. I found a song called Just Ask Me I’ve Been There and, as a gay Australian, I couldn’t believe I had never heard it before. It has such a strong message that resonates with me.
“He also has this wonderful old-school approach where he doesn’t finish a song where it started. We are so used to pop songs these days presenting themselves at the same tempo all the way and not really going anywhere, it’s more about the sound or style. He has this wonderful theatrical approach where there is a turning point in his song. They often start as a whisper and finish with a roar, which is this wonderful arc or narrative. They can be so dramatic which, for a performer, is exciting.”
On Friday November 25 at 8pm, Michael will be bringing his brand new cabaret on the music of Peter Allan to the Regal Theatre, thanks to local promotor Markus Hamence.
“I will be joined by two long-time collaborators for this show: Felicity Freeman on bass, who I have worked with for a number of years now, and Steve Leske on drum kit, who I have only been playing with for a short time. They are both Adelaide-based seasoned professional musicians and we have such a great time working together. They are used to me going off and doing the unexpected, and they just follow me. They know that when we get in front of an audience, they don’t know what to expect and that’s how I tend to work. I did a show at the Cabaret Festival this year and I had a saxophonist play as part of that show, because after watching some Peter Allen on YouTube, I found so much of his music has saxophone throughout it. So I’ll also have Emile Ryjoch joining us. It will really be the icing on the cake having him join us.”
Michael Griffiths Sings Peter Allen is on for one night only, Friday November 25, 8pm at The Regal Theatre. Further information can be found at https://markushamence.com/shows-and-events/ .
Interviewed by: Ben Stefanoff
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