BY ANTHONY SHERRATT
There are musicals and there are celebrations of music that steal your heart away. Queensland Theatre Company’s new production of The Sapphires is firmly in the latter camp.
Although it follows the tale of four sisters being discovered and entertaining the troops during the Vietnam War, this feels more like a Motown concert with the incredibly talented quartet belting out numbers like they were the pop stars they’re playing.
Given the charged political and social issues of the time, it would be incredibly easy for this to become a serious or preachy piece, but writer Tony Briggs and director Wesley Enoch deserve full credit for managing to maintain focus on the singing first and the girls second.
Instead we’re served up an exuberant jukebox of toe-tapping 60s hits that will have you humming long after the final curtain. Even more impressive is the fact both well-known numbers and obscure songs hit with equal impact whether the talented four-piece band is rocking out or pairing back heavily to let the ladies’ incredible voices do the heavy lifting.
In fact the best number of the evening is a mostly acapella traditional piece, Ngarra Burra Ferra sung in the Yorta Yorta language.
The four sisters are the heart and soul of the story and are incredibly talented actors who truly shine when they sing. Taeg Twist thrives as the outspoken eldest sister but the more subdued and emotional performances from Aurora Liddle-Christie and Tethys Makani underscore the true connection to the pressures of life at the time.
It’s left to Ruby Henaway as the outgoing and flirty sister to almost steal the show with comedic timing and a laissez-faire attitude.
It’s a lovely cross section of pressures that young women, and aborigines in particular, faced at the time and a celebration of music and Australian culture with the non-stop slang and loving mocking underscoring a turbulent time in the country’s history.
Wear your comfortable shoes as, the by the end of the show, everyone is on their feet singing and dancing along with this talented cast.
WHAT: Queensland Theatre Company’s The Sapphires
WHERE: Bille Brown Theatre, South Brisbane.
WHEN: Until May 24, 2026
TICKETS: Buy your tickets to The Sapphires here.
