A moving tale, told in music
Oh My God I'm Black!
Devised by Maryanne Sam, Irine Vela and Patricia Cornelius
Performed by Maryanne Sam and Irine Vela
Budinski's Theatre, Carlton, until June 10
Reviewed by Bronwen Beechey
Melbourne Workers Theatre's last production, Home of a Stranger, dealt with identity, language and culture as experienced by non-English speaking migrants. These themes are also taken up in MWT's new production, Oh My God I'm Black!, but this time in the experience of indigenous Australians.
Maryanne Sam tells the story of Menan, born to a Torres Strait Islander mother and white Australian father. Following her mother's death and father's desertion, Menan and her sister are brought up in Melbourne by her grandmother.
As she grows up, Menan, feeling increasingly alienated, embarks on a quest to trace her origins back to her mother's home. Much of this is expressed through Menan singing songs her mother taught her, songs from the radio of her childhood and songs from the islands — all about departure, love and belonging.
Irine Vela, who provides musical accompaniment and who selected and arranged the songs, explains that while the show was a joint effort by herself, Maryanne Sam and Patricia Cornelius, it is Maryanne's story that is told. She says, however, that as a person from a non-English speaking background she identifies strongly with the play's themes of dislocation and the quest for identity. "It's similar to the experiences of many migrants in Australia, and also of course to many people in the Koori community."
The songs are mainly pop music from the '50s and '60s, which Vela said reflected both the music mostly sung on the islands as well as the songs that Menan grew up with.
The intimate, cabaret format of the show is perfectly suited to Sam's direct and simple telling of her story and powerful singing. While her story is often moving, it is also told with considerable humour. One notable feature is the portraits of strong women — Menan's mother, the white grandmother who raised her, her sister and of course Menan herself.