February 17, 2004
OUR NATIONAL SHAME
Starring Marian Wilkinson and David Marr as Frederick and Mabel:
Moves are afoot to do a one-hour "Gilbert and Sullivan punk rock opera TV extravaganza" on the controversial Tampa affair.
TV scriptwriter and refugee activist Sammy Ringer said the Tampa story was so serious it could only be told as musical satire.
"It's sort of a cross between Pirates Of Penzance and punk rocker Marilyn Manson," she said.
"We are putting it together at the moment and hope to have it ready by the end of the year."
Which of course could be just before the election. Ms Ringer, who campaigned against the detention of refugees, sincerely hopes it will embarrass Prime Minister John Howard.
It will, Ms. Ringer. In fact, I think it will embarrass us all.
(Via Gnu Hunter, who locates the source of Sammy’s money.)
Posted by Tim Blair at February 17, 2004 12:40 AMTampa affair? Could they have rigged the series? I watched the game and I thought the spunkie Marlins won it fair.
As to the Tampa Buccaneers, who cares? That is last years news.
Since a clueless dolt decided to throw around outdated media buzz-names in a pathetic jab at sounding "hip".
Posted by: Russell at February 17, 2004 at 01:49 AMYes, that's usually the way I judge the seriousness of a news story: whether it lends itself to being made into a musical. How long before '9/11 The Musical'?
Posted by: David Gillies at February 17, 2004 at 01:52 AM"throw around outdated media buzz-names in a pathetic jab at sounding "hip"."
Yea, that was my first thought too. I mean, Marilyn Manson!?! That's like so 1996 and stuff! (And even then it was nerdy... pah...)
I've gotta stop drinking. This: "It's sort of a cross between Pirates Of Penzance and punk rocker Marilyn Manson," she said." just makes no sense...
Posted by: ushie at February 17, 2004 at 04:52 AM"It's sort of a cross between Pirates Of Penzance and punk rocker Marilyn Manson," she said.
Can there be a better argument against tampering with the laws of God and nature? One can only speculate on what kind of hellish mutant this will result in.
Posted by: Randal Robinson at February 17, 2004 at 05:57 AMWhy are these people still fighting the 2001 election? Hell why not do a musical about GST on tampons. That was 1998, but so what?
Posted by: Quentin George at February 17, 2004 at 06:30 AMJust in tyme for the election campaign? You betcha! Just watch the AB stupid C scramble for this one.
Posted by: Rod at February 17, 2004 at 06:46 AM"How long before '9/11 The Musical'?"
Well, the Titanic hit the iceberg in 1912, and "Titanic: The Musical" opened on Broadway 1n 1997, so I'd guess we can expect "9/11: The Musical" by 2086. Probably a lot sooner, though.
Posted by: Steve at February 17, 2004 at 06:51 AM"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson
Posted by: Rob Read at February 17, 2004 at 08:23 AMbloody hell Rob, i've never heard that one before and it's awesome. Do you (or Mr Jefferson) mind if I pinch that one for my web site ?
Posted by: Johnny Wishbone at February 17, 2004 at 09:03 AM
these people don't geddit it do they. it wont embarrass howard, it will probably delight him. anything that reinforces the tremedously popular policy on illegal migrants is too be welcomed. bring it on.
And when it fails, they'll blame the critics as they did when the appalling musical adaptation of the work of leftie history revisionist, Manning Clark's History of Australia - The Musical, bombed.
Posted by: ilibcc at February 17, 2004 at 10:07 AMMaking a Gilbert and Sullivan opera punk? HERETICAL BLASPHEMY!
Where is Bloody Mary when you really need her, dammit?
Posted by: Michael Lonie at February 17, 2004 at 01:36 PM