Adelaide Festival. Her Majesty’s Theatre. Ilbijerri Theatre Company. 14 Mar 2025
This is a story of family and of love, specifically of the Butcher brothers and their dream to play music together and be rock and rollers. The boys from Papunya formed the Warumpi Band in 1980; Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher on guitar, his brother Gordon Tjapanangka Butcher on drums, and Neil Murray on rhythm guitar and singer George Burarrwanga, a Yolgnu man who joined the family when he later married Suzina Butcher, sister of Sammy and Gordon. As is made clear in the narrative of this performance, the Warumpi Band existed first and foremost to satisfy the members’ craving to make music, and success brought tensions such as exist with many such groups, especially when success means long periods away from home.
But first, this is a theatre show based on the story of Warumpi Band. It is not a band performance, though that is largely the structure in which this performance is presented, and this allows the audience to fully become part of the show, calling and whistling and laughing along with the actors onstage. According to my companion “showtime is showtime” and she chided a professional theatre company for not being on time; simply the latest instance in weeks of late starts from professional companies. The audience didn’t mind, people were casually wandering in ten minutes after the advertised time – perhaps it’s becoming a circular argument. And what a crowd they were; the Adelaide crowd and family, friends and mob from all over the country, on their feet and enjoying themselves from the first song.
Co-Directors Rachael Maza and Anyupa Butcher have opted for a simple music structure for this performance, with short linking storytelling excerpts interspersed through the 100 minutes. This keeps the performers on their toes as the tale pivots quickly from music to introspection. One suspects having original Warumpi Band member Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher as musical consultant kept the cast on their toes also. There are six frontline performers, Cassandra Williams plays Suzina and all the female roles, Baykali Ganambarr plays Sammy Butcher, Jack Hickey plays Gordon, Corey Saylor-Brunskill plays Brian Butcher, a sometimes band member, Taj Pigram plays a vibrant George, Jackson Peele plays Neil Murray. All play and sing as part of the performance.
In addition to these frontmen there is the band in the background, lead by the musical director Gary Watling, on guitar. He is joined by bassist Malcolm Beveridge, drums and keyboard player Jeremiah Butcher and lead guitarist Jason Butcher (eldest son of Sammy Butcher). What it all means is the musical passages are covered by a very muscular band indeed, much more punk rock in sheer buzzing energy than countrified and easy-going. Most commonly there were three guitars working a riff, and with Taj Pigram bounding around and demanding the audience’s participation the evening became a celebration of the Warumpi’s music.
Of the music itself, those of us of a certain age will always remember Stompin’ Ground, Black Fella/White Fella, Stand Up and Be Counted, and, of course, My Island Home, a song written by Neil Murray for George Burarrwanga after a visit to the latter’s homeland, Elcho Island. The songs themselves, so naturally a part of Warumpis story since they show the band’s culture and agenda (land rights, demands to be recognised and taken for who they are), become the bedrock of the performance. In fact, there is one minor aspect which seemed to exemplify this perfectly, when in the narrative the cast recalls Warumpi performing at Hordern Pavilion with Midnight Oil, mimicking ‘the tallest white man they had ever seen’, fully aware that Peter Garrett was in the audience directly in front of them. Though the love and respect of the two bands for each other is well known, this was a Warumpi moment, and to his credit Garrett did not play up to it, remaining seated even during the acclaim and encore, which was boisterous.
This was such an enjoyable performance, as much a celebration of what the Warumpi band was and what they meant to their people as much as what might have been. The simple truth of a band who ‘might have been more’ yet fractured under pressure or wanted to be home with family more than they wanted fame and fortune resonated for me as strongly as their sheer joy in performance. A rare evening to be part of.
Alex Wheaton
When: Closed
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: Closed
