It’s such a pleasure to write the phrases ‘new Australian musical’ ‘superb night at the theatre’ in the one sentence, but the new musical, Castro’s Children, deserves that acclamation.
Created by its director, Peter Fitzpatrick and musical director Simon Stone, it explores a little-known period of Cuban American history, Operation Pedro Pan (sharp-eyed readers will note the reference to JM Barrie’s story Peter Pan), where more than14,000 Cuban children were sent to America to avoid the excesses of the regime of new dictator Fidel Castro. It was assumed that Castro’s rule would be over in a year or so and the children could return; the reality was that Castro lasted 50 years and most of the parents and children who were supposedly sent to safety never saw each other again. And as we have heard with other operations designed to save children by sending them away, neglect, abuse and the damage done to children was a feature of Operation Pedro Pan.
Castro’s Children introduces us to some of the children who were sent away, and their parents who wanted the best for them. We first meet them as excited youngsters and then in the second half we meet the adults they become. Along the way, we see the torment the adults felt at being cut off from their children, the cynical but comic influence of the CIA, and the well-meaning but flawed priest and school principal who are the architects of Pedro Pan.
While the story may sound gloomy, and there are certainly tragic elements, like all good musicals, there is also a lot of sharp comedy, and it is a pleasure to meet these characters and follow their journey. As director Fitzpatrick explains in the program notes, this is a universal story and we are challenged to ask ourselves what we would do in the same circumstances. It’s easy to see the damage that is done to our young protagonists by Pedro Pan, but at the time the alternative of keeping them in Cuba seemed a disaster. Hindsight shows us things we can’t imagine – and these parents, the priest and the school principal were mostly motivated by love and care.
By the end of the show, while we have lived through the tragic aspects of Pedro Pan, and feel quite chastened that it happened, we are heartened by the courage of the now-adult child survivors, and their determination to keep living and making a better life for themselves. This avoids us walking out of the theatre feeling depressed; instead, we feel admiration for their courage and hope for the future, despite the terrible experiences some of them had.
This show is a triumph both dramatically and musically, with an excellent band, and Fitzpatrick and Stone should be in line for theatrical awards. Stone’s music is superb, with its group harmonies and soulful solos, and the cast do it justice. Fitzpatrick’s direction is faultless, and both the adults and young charges have responded to his sure hand and those of assistant directors Laura Fitzpatrick and Sarah Davies.
The performances are uniformly good, but there are a few vocal standouts: jazz supremo Fem Belling brings her powerful rich voice to the role of Mrs Herrera, while, as Father Walsh, Tom Green’s beautiful voice had me totally focused on him whenever he opened his mouth. Madeline Fetherby as adult Olivia has a beautiful solo scene where she hits her straps both dramatically and musically – a fine performance. Tod Strike’s school principal James Baker is another knockout performance; I lived through his agony at the results of Pedro Pan with him, and he has the vocal chops to thrill an audience. Bryce Gibson as the tragic adult Pepe deserves a special mention for the way he touched our hearts with his story. As the other adult versions of their child selves, Gabrielle Ward, Daisy Valerio, Drew Lane and Paul Watson give us impressive and believable performances. In the small role of CIA Agent Frost, Noah Szto draws the eye and shows his flair for comedy.
The six principal children are delightful and each one of them is a competent singer and actor, which bodes well for their future as performers. Stephanie Adamson, Bessie Blaze, Archie Mendelssohn, Lira Mollison, Daniel Nunan and Campbell Van Elst should be very proud of the performances they turned in on opening night.
As a side note, it’s worth buying the program both for the historical notes and the delightful biographies of all the children – all written by director Peter Fitzpatrick!
Castro’s Children is a must-see musical. Twenty-four hours later, I’m still reliving it in my mind. It runs at Gasworks Theatre in Albert Park until July 13.
Photo credit: Teresa Madgwick
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Julie Houghton reviewed “Castro’s Children”, presented by Music Theatre Melbourne at Gasworks on July 5, 2024.
