Musical Theatre

When you think of great Aussie (movie) musicals, some key films from the 1990s and 2000s come to mind: Strictly Ballroom, Muriel’s Wedding, Moulin Rouge!, Bran Nue Dae and The Sapphires. These films are often framed as “reviving” the musical genre for Australian audiences, due in large part to their box-office success.

While certainly fantastic films, there is actually a long history of Aussie musicals that have been popular with cinema audiences since the 1930s.

There are 73 films that have been classified as a “musical” or containing musical elements by the National Film and Sound Archive. They include comedies, children’s and animated films, dramas, revues, backstage musicals, biopics, dance films, rock musicals, soundtrack films, television musicals and live concert films.

The article goes on to talk about five films:

• Funny Things Happen Down Under (1965) - an adaptation of the Terrible Ten children’s television show, Olivia Newton-John's debut feature
• Oz (1976) aka Oz: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Road Movie, or 20th Century Oz on its release in the United States - a version of The Wizard of Oz as a rock'n'roll road movie set in the Australian outback
• Starstruck (1982) - a backstage musical set in 1980s Sydney
• Dogs in Space (1986) - set in the underground punk scene in late 1970s Melbourne, starring Michael Hutchence
• One Night the Moon (2001) - featuring singer-songwriter Paul Kelly