Celebrating 20 Years of John Wikman’s Musicals

Celebrating20YearsThis show is a tribute to the wonderful stories, colourful characters, and memorable songs/music from the seven musicals of John Wikman Productions written and produced over the period 1992 – 2012.

Condensing seven shows (Fridge, Jack Be Quick, Billy Can, Portrait of Dorian Gray, Soundsations, Secret Travel Agents and The Gods) into one proved to be a massive undertaking as 16 cast members played 70 characters, performing 35 scenes and singing a selection of 41 songs connected by a witty chronological narration. With over 70 costume changes and 35 scene/set changes the show was manic fun for cast and crew both on stage and backstage.  Overall the show had a joyous vitality best described as a rollercoaster of entertainment for all ages.

This milestone show was also an opportunity to thank everyone involved as casts, crews, musicians, choreographers and workers on sets/props, front of house, sound and lighting, photography and costumes over the previous 20years.

Cast 

6 females and 10 males

Act 1

Show 1 – Fridge (1992, 1993, 2000) – A tasty morsel set in a refrigerator where a bad fish tries to get his fins on the formula for Magical Ice. This starts a food fight with puns galore involving eggs, a carton of milk, a peach, and lady finger bananas, plus a range of other fridge inhabitants.
 
A selection of Fridge songs
(Click on the song titles below from the live show performance)
  1. Fridge – Pete Milk, Peach Melba, Choc O’late, Lady Fingers
  2. Bone to Pick – Boris Schnapper
  3. In my Carton – Sunny Queen and Fellow Eggs
  4. Our Love – Pete Milk and Peach Melba
  5. The Banana Bunch – Lady Fingers
  6. Food for Thought – All Cast
Show 2 – Jack Be Quick (1997, 1998, 1999, 2005)
Life in the village, inhabited by a range of favourite nursery rhyme characters, turns to mayhem when local animals go missing including Queen Beryl’s pussy cat. She enlists a new guard, Jack, who works undercover to solve the mystery by the time the clock strikes one. 
 
A selection of Jack Be Quick songs
(Click on the song titles below for videos from the live show performance)
  1. Market Time – Peter, Mary Tommy, Queen Beryl, Curly Locks, Jack, Polly Flinders, Humpty Dumpty, Miss Muffet
  2. Do the Grab – Peter, Mary, Tommy
  3. I Love Shopping – Queen Beryl
  4. I’m Falling – Polly and Humpty
  5. Dancin’ Boys and Girls – All Cast 
Show 3 – Billy Can (2004 and 2007)
Described as an Aussie version of Peter Pan, Billy Can takes two kids for a billy cart ride to the outback.  They encounter two bushrangers and an evil pirate who try to steal Digger’s opals and gold.  Also keep a lookout for the scary bunyowcrocosaurus. 
 
A selection of Billy Can songs
(Click on the song titles below for videos from the the live show performance)
  1. Let’s Go With Billy-O – Billy, Janelle, David
  2. Round the Campfire – Digger, Billy, Janelle and David
  3. The Bunyowcrocosaurus – Digger, Billy, Janelle and David
  4. Prancy of the Neverflow – Lead Belly, Dame Nellie Brucilla, Terry Towelling
  5. Stealin’ Your Dreams – Lead, Brucilla, Terry
  6. Been to the Outback – All Cast 
Show 4 – Portrait of Dorian Gray (2000 and 2003)
Based on Oscar Wilde’s classic novel about a charming young man who is so spellbound by his own portrait that he utters a fateful wish for it to grow old while he remains young.  His wish is granted and over the next 18years events and relationships cause him to spiral downwards into ultimate self- destruction. 
 
A selection of Portrait of Dorian Gray songs
(Click on the song titles below for videos from the live show performance)
  1. Love at First Sight (concert style) – John and Ema-Lea
  2. Do it Again – Vonda Rose and Ladies
  3. All to Us – All Cast 

Act 2

Show 5 – Soundsations (2002 and 2006)
Life is a song worth singing for Major Von Maestro and his musical family until his evil identical twin brother Bass enlists some help to break-up the family to get the pieces of platinum record so he can take control of the Soundsations song catalogue.  This sudsy spectacular uses song titles to tell the story in lyrics and dialogue.  See how many you can recognise. 
 
A selection of Soundsations songs
(Click on the song titles below for videos from the live show performance)
  1. Music Makes the World Go Round – All Cast
  2. The One – Tempo and Fidelity
  3. I Believe – All Cast
  4. Naughty Girl – Rhapsody, Tempo, Bass and Choral
  5. Say You’ll Be Mine – Melody, Rhythm and Harmony
  6. We Stand – Riff, Choral, Tempo, Harmony and Fidelity 
Show 6 – Secret Travel Agents (2009)
Four ordinary Australians are enlisted to work undercover as secret agents travelling through many countries carrying bags and collecting strange items.  It sounds like a simple enough mission until three sneaky, not so bright, Russian spies try to stop them. 
 
A selection of Secret Travel Agents songs
(Click on the song titles below for videos from the live show performance)
  1. Secret Service Spy – Charlie, Leonard, Denise, Wanda and Jeffrey
  2. Moscow Rules – Nikita, Vladimir and Rokiya
  3. Treasures of the Desert – Vladimir, Rokiya and Wanda
  4. I’m Not Frightened – Leonard and Nikita
  5. Trip along the Autobahn – Denise, Rokiya  and Vladimir
  6. Aurora Borealis – Nikita and Jeffrey
  7. Secret Service Spy – All Cast
Show 7 – The Gods – a mythological squabble (2011)
The 12 Greek Gods of Olympus, e.g., Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, etc, have equivalent Roman Gods, Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Venus and so on. To prove who is the more powerful, Zeus and Jupiter set a challenge between their respective sons Heracles and Hercules to see who will be first to retrieve the golden apples from the Garden of Hesperides.  The Gods on both sides get involved in this mythological squabble which unleashes a multitude of tasks, fun and adventures. 
 
A selection of The Gods songs
(Click on the song titles below for videos from the live show performance)
  1. Working Out – Hercules
  2. Sport is My Life – Heracles
  3. Sow a Seed – Hera
  4. Medusa – Juno
  5. Take the Pressure Down – Atlas
  6. Gods of the Underworld – Pluto and Hades
  7. Time to Shine – All Cast 
Finale Song (from Soundsations)
(Click on the song title below for video from the live show performance)
  1. Soundsational – All Cast

Photo Gallery