From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 24 July

One photograph reminded me! Fifty-years ago, almost to the day, I was at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, stage directing the Melbourne Theatre Company’s productions of The Cherry Orchard and An Ideal Husband.

THE Cherry Orchard was directed by the late John Sumner, founder of the Union Repertory Theatre which became the MTC. An Ideal Husband was directed by the late George Ogilvie – one of Australia’s finest stage, television (Body Line and Shiralee), and film (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome) directors. George was much loved of actors.

The two productions were headed by the incomparable Googie Withers and Frank Thring, and included Dinah Shearing (one of Australia’s best known radio actresses), Wendy Hughes (Careful He Might Hear You), Denis Olsen, Frederick Parslow (who developed kidney stones and was replaced by Simon Chilvers from Rafferty’s Rules as Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard, and Irene Inescort. Designed by Kristian Fredrikson and Hugh Colman, the season ran for three months and was sold-out.

Sadly, and for the most part, it is the style of theatre which has all but disappeared from our lives.

The 1970s in Melbourne were exhilarating. You could smell the theatrical excitement in the air – it was palpable. Harry M Miller Attractions were in the erstwhile Playbox Theatre, Exhibition Street; JC Williamson Productions at Her Majesty’s; Aztec Services – Kenn Brodziak, in Flinders Lane; Garnett Carroll productions, Princess Theatre, Spring Street; and the three MTC houses – Russell Street theatre, St Martin’s South Yarra, and the Athenaeum Collins Street; and not forgetting the cutting-edge, La Mama in Carlton, and clever, theatrical innovator John Pinder’s, The Flying Trapeze Cafe, and The Last Laugh Theatre restaurant Collingwood – which discovered and featured many comedians including Wendy Harmer, Mary-Anne Fahey, Brian Nankervis, Ian McFadyen, Peter Moon, Jane Turner, and Richard Stubbs. Many went from The Last Laugh to the television comedy shows, The Comedy Company, The Big Gig, Fast Forward, and The Late Show.

Theatre restaurants were thriving: Frank Baden-Powell and Coralie Condon’s, Dirty Dick’s, in Queen’s Road, and the long-running, Tiki and John’s in Exhibition Street, were sold-out – every night, with a waiting list!

Hocking and Vigo were much revered theatrical impresarios. They stood apart! Clifford Hocking and David Vigo were the two gentleman of an industry which is sometimes known for being loud and brash. Both Clifford and David were kind and gentle; totally trustworthy; producers of impeccable taste and theatrically discerning. Sadly, both have died.

The Comedy Theatre, where I have worked on some fourteen plays and seen more than I can recall, is the best drama house in Australia. In those times it was never dark. One play followed on the heels of another.

Pining for the days of yore – if indeed they ever existed – is a waste of time and energy. Looking back through the prism of 2022 it is impossible to recall the ethos with certain clarity; however, of one thing I am sure: much of the magic has been lost.

While musicals, brilliantly produced with the highest production values, continue to attract huge audiences, the same cannot be said for the straight theatre.

At its zenith, the Melbourne Theatre Company contracted, annually, a permanent company of 20 actors. With a four weekly turn around, they presented everything from the ancient Greeks to modern kitchen sink dramas. Actors honed their skills and tackled the various genres. Importantly, they challenged their audiences and the status quo. It was a mutually exciting and beneficial arrangement.

I fear we shall never see the like again.

Roland can be contacted via [email protected].