The Standard Remains High

A good friend of mine who works extensively in television in different locations around the world, recently brought up the subject of the dumbing down of standards across the board in every area of entertainment.

He talked in great detail of the golden age of Australian television, where variety shows were world class, where Don Lane, Graham Kennedy were as sharp and entertaining as any hosts anywhere in the world. We also talked of the great news programmes, of Ray Martin in his prime and the high budgets of show such as “Midday” with the standard of entertainment, comedy and hard news for which that expensive show became reknown. We then got onto Australian movies, and of the golden age in the seventies, of films such as Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, My Brilliant Career and how the film industry seems to be going out backwards these days only producing the odd piece of quality and that a mini series like the upcoming Cloudstreet was the exception and only produced for an elitist small cable market.
Some years ago, Cloudstreet would have been the norm on commercial television, along with shows such as of A Town Like Alice, Water Under the Bridge, The Dismissal, etc etc. We talked about the appalling nonsense of all these hyped, manipulative talent shows  and pieces  of television such as The Biggest Loser and how shows as appalling as these actually create a market that expects rubbish, wants rubbish and is confused when it is not fed rubbish!!
He asked me if theatre had gone the way of lowering standards and teaching people to expect less, I had a think about it and was pleased to say ”no it hasn’t”. The Australian theatre scene thrives and continues to thrive. Many of the subsidised theatre productions of plays are utterly world class. We see productions taken overseas to New York and achieve international acclaim.
Thankfully audiences are not subjected to a theatre version of The X Factor/Australian Idol or whatever is the latest piece of tripe (though I am sure there are versions out in club land somewhere). Our mainstream theatre scene is respected around the world, it creates actors – many of whom go onto international acclaim – and it attracts international names such as William Hurt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman to come to Australia to act and direct.
Nowhere is the high standard more on show than in musical theatre. Our productions of overseas shows have always been world class, how often have I seen a production of a show in New York or London which doesn’t even come close to the local version. At the moment we are about to see a new Australian version of Love Never Dies, a show I found almost abhorrent in London, From what I hear, the Australian team are about to re write history with the local production, I am expecting great things and looking forward to it. Rock of Ages is a show that gave me a pain where I should have pleasure in New York, but here, despite the somewhat irritating nature of the book, the Australian cast has done a great job livening everything up and playing it at a blazing and hilarious pace. 
Mary Poppins is better here than anywhere else in the world, the cast is stronger, and the attention to detail is utterly on display in this show. 
Opening night of Poppins in Sydney was another extraordinary evening and the show is in great shape (sadly minus Judi Connelli who was ill). Poppins is the living breathing example of what happens when a strong international producer takes a specific interest in the Australian production and knows the local market well. Cameron Mackintosh has had offices in Australia for many years and still regularly produces here. He knows Australian talent and keeps a very vigilant eye on the casting and it shows in the final product.
Could any other producer in this country have lured Marina prior, Philip Quast, Judi Connelli and Debra Byrne to play second fiddle to the flying nanny? Yet the contribution of these true stars of music theatre both locally and (in some cases internationally), add that extra luster to this show. Similarly Mackintosh takes specific care in casting young up and coming performers and is now making a star of the glorious Verity Hunt Ballard in the central role. I have never seen the show look as good as it did here on opening night, pacing, style, everything gelled. It was an exciting and inspiring occasion.
As long as we have Cam Mack and some of our other valiant theatre producers in this country (John Frost, Rodney Rigby, Louise Withers et al) standards wont drop. This is not to say that there wont be the occasional theatre misfire or flop or a hit show will lose out and fail, but the standards are high. Theatre has yet to succumb to the great Australian style of dumbing everything down and as a result our audiences are choosy, specific and know what makes a great evening in the theatre. Bravo!!