Tim Minchin hopes ‘people feel lightened’ by new Sydney Opera House song – Sydney Morning Herald

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.
This was published 7 months ago
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Performer Tim Minchin wasn’t born when the Sydney Opera House opened on October 20, 1973.
But even on the other side of the country, growing up in Perth, the 48-year-old comic musician and composer of Matilda the Musical, knew about the “big white sails in faraway emerald city”.
Stills from the video for the song written by Tim Minchin for the Opera House’s 50th birthday.Credit: Damian Bennett
“It is hard to quantify what the Opera House means to us all, but it is not just an icon on a million tea towels,” he told this masthead. “It is the most extraordinary building. No matter where you go in the world, everyone knows it. No matter what angle you look at it from, it’s a piece of art.”
Minchin has penned a musical tribute to the Sydney Opera House, now internationally recognised as a symbol of Australia, which officially opened 50 years ago this Friday.
With his trademark humour, Minchin’s Play It Safe is an ironic salute to the visionary experiment that became the World Heritage-listed Opera House, launched as a music video ahead of its birthday celebrations.
“A big thing about art and a building like the Opera House is it needs to be brave and push boundaries, which is what I hope I do in this little song,” Minchin said.
The song also features Jimmy Barnes, drag performer Courtney Act, Bell Shakespeare founder John Bell, singer Kira Pura, Indigenous singer Ziggy Ramo and didgeridoo player William Barton.
Performers from the eight resident arts companies, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, feature in the clip, which took four days to film, including six hours of dancing on the monumental steps.
Sydney Theatre Company is represented by actor Zahra Newman, Opera Australia’s Cathy-Di Zhang join dancers from Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Dance Company in the music video directed by award-winning filmmaker Kim Gehrig.
Tim Minchin and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.Credit: Damian Bennett
“I adore the Opera House – playing in and around this beautiful building has been one of the great honours of my creative life,” Minchin said.
“I was hugely flattered when I was invited to write something special for the Opera House’s 50th that celebrated it as a monument to what is possible when we think big. To remind us that our not-entirely-mythological ‘larrikin’ spirit is the same spirit that allows us to be bold and brave and not care too much what other people think.”
The four-minute film clip is richly illustrated with events that have occurred over the past half century at the Bennelong Point site: Nelson Mandela’s appearance in 1990, the same year he walked free from 27 years in jail, the time it was daubed with red paint declaring “No War” in 2003, and when photographer Spencer Tunik assembled 5200 bare backsides for an installation for the 2010 Mardi Gras.
Jimmy Barnes and Tim Minchin in the video made to celebrate the Opera House’s 50th anniversary.Credit: Damian Bennett
Critical newspaper pieces and voice-overs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, when the prevailing view was that the “uproar house” was a waste of money, are interspersed with Minchin’s playful lyrics.
Minchin, known for his protest songs like Come Home (Cardinal Pell) and Prejudice as much as his sentimental ones like White Wine in the Sun, says this new song is a combination of both – a rousing anthem to the power of possibility and a potent message about the importance of defying conventions and taking risks.
“It starts as a sad ballad about playing it safe and living by the rules, then kicks into a joyous party song – like a show tune on the Opera House steps.
William Barton plays didgeridoo atop the Opera House sails as part of the video which celebrates the building’s 50th anniversary.Credit: Damian Bennett
“I hope people feel lightened by it, given it’s landing in the middle of some dark times,” he said.
Sydney Opera House chief executive Louise Herron said: “Imagine if the creators of this magnificent building had played it safe. Imagine what we would not have. Their bravery forever changed our nation … this song celebrates what’s possible when you think big.”
In November last year, Minchin kicked off the building’s year-long 50th birthday celebrations with a concert performed on the Forecourt.
He is currently touring and performing at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre, returning to Sydney’s State Theatre next month, when the Artful Dodger, which he appears in, will screen on Disney +. His musical Groundhog Day will premiere in Melbourne in January.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
Copyright © 2024

source