AUSTRALIA’S two best-loved bards, Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, are headed to Merimbula for a performance of Dead Men Talking, a play written and performed by veteran actors Max Cullen and Warren Fahey.
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The poets find themselves in the Leviticus Bar and Grill, Heaven’s Gate, where they recite, sing, celebrate their literary legacies and discuss their infamous war of words in The Bulletin magazine.
Premiered a year ago the play has been a surprise hit for the two actors who notched up more than 40 performances in 2015, before Cullen had to retire gracefully to perform a three-month stint in the Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear alongside Geoffrey Rush and Robyn Nevin.
Cullen has traded in his duke’s costume and is back in the skin of his favourite character, Lawson.
Both Cullen and Fahey have a strong bond with the bush.
Cullen was born in Wellington, NSW, and is a descendant of “Narromine Ned”, the legendary drover.
When not acting he lives in the town of Gunning where he and his wife, the artist Margarita Georgiadis, run an art gallery in a restored picture theatre.
Fahey, one of Australia’s most celebrated cultural historians, has written 30 books on Australian history and has been a familiar voice on ABC radio for more than 45 years.
In 2005 he edited the centenary edition of AB Paterson’s classic Old Bush Songs and is probably the only person who still knows the melodies to the complete bush song collection.
He has been honoured with the Order of Australia, Prime Minister's Centenary Medal and, in 2010, Australia's highest award for services to music, The Don Banks Music Award, but prefers to say he is a graduate of the “Dingo University of the Outback”.
Dead Men Talking unashamedly appeals to older Australians who remember the time when most people could recite at least one or two Lawson or Paterson poems.
“Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson left extraordinary legacies to Australia and they should never be forgotten,” Fahey said.
“They both took the old bush stories and songs and gave them back to us in a colloquial literary catalogue that bridged the gap between bush and city.
“They gave us a unique voice that still rings true blue today and that, I believe, is why this play is as appealing to so many.”
Cullen, 75, and Fahey, 70, seem to have endless energy and have committed to another solid six months of touring Dead Men Talking.
The 90-minute, one-act show will play at Club Sapphire on Friday, May 13 at 1.30pm. Tickets are $29 and can be purchased by calling 6495 1306.
