The audacious musical theatre piece, The Hollow Cause, which had its Australian premiere in Fremantle is a and powerful production. Sited in the Naval Supply Store, the building with the big octopus mural that welcomes travellers from the old wooden traffic bridge, it certainly isn’t like your normal night at the theatre.
For a start, early arrivals interact with cast members for an hour in a representation of a World War II partisan camp in the Polish forest.
One character is a fortune teller with a deck of cards. With eyes closed and serious demeanour, he sifted the astral realm for me to provide predictions about people who would survive the Nazi horrors and emigrate to Australia. Among others, he mentioned Richard Pratt, who established Visy Industries, Frank Lowy, chairperson of Westfield Corporation and Sir Zelman Cohen, the former Governor General of Australia.
• The Hollow Cause wasn’t your usual night out at the theatre.
I gently mentioned that many Jewish refugees who came to Australia after World War II became leaders of the Communist movement. I asked if they were in his pack of cards. Staying in role, he closed his eyes and searched the void but had to admit that those stories were not coming through.
The Hollow Cause starts with a potent acknowledgement of country referencing Aboriginal leader William Cooper’s 1938 protest to German authorities condemning Kristallnacht. The acknowledgement links the Australian genocide of indigenous people with the Holocaust, declaring: “Never again!”
Having “never again” spoken while a genocide was proceeding in Gaza without including the Palestinian people raised a question about the moral universe that The Hollow Cause inhabits.
However, if you can leave such thoughts at the door, along with quibbles about historical accuracy then the theatrical experience is tremendous. Writer/director Keshet Kesh assembled a cast of top-notch singers backed by a 22-piece orchestra to pump out a blend of contemporary classical music, jazz, gospel, Latin and contemporary pop fused with exotic music of Mizrahi, Klezmer and Folk music.
Lead singers Morgan Cowling, Vin Trikeriotis, Andre David, Kelsy Cruse, Sam Rabbone and Sarah McCabe all have mighty voices and with a sizable ensemble of back-up singers really belt out the songs. The narrative of Jewish partisans on the run from Nazi pursuers unfolds at a cracking pace.
The musical’s marketing synopsis promises an examination of fighting “for a cause that seems increasingly hollow” and how “does one find meaning and purpose in the face of overwhelming despair?”
To produce dramatic tension, Keshet Kesh is very free with historical fact. That creates a gripping narrative with improbable twists, but somewhat obscures the promised existential depth.
No doubt this production will find a national audience and further mature. It deserves a future.
by BARRY HEALY
The Hollow Cause
The Naval Store, 141 Queen Victoria St, Fremantle