WEBVTT - You’re not dreamin’ – The Castle is coming to the stage

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<v Speaker 1>We all kind of identify a little bit with Darryl

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<v Speaker 1>saying to sell you know.

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<v Speaker 2>What if all this life's chicken, what's on it?

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<v Speaker 3>Got something sprinkled on it?

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<v Speaker 1>Seasoning?

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<v Speaker 4>Seasoning From The Australian. This is the weekend edition of

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<v Speaker 4>The Front. I'm Claire Harvey. It's the endlessly quotable film

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<v Speaker 4>that captured Australia's soul almost thirty years ago, and now

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<v Speaker 4>The Castle is hoping to capture the hearts of a

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<v Speaker 4>new generation. The Kerrigan families Fight for their beloved home

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<v Speaker 4>is coming to the stage in a new play from

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<v Speaker 4>the Castle's creators. They say there'll be a few modern updates,

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<v Speaker 4>but it's the same story Australians know and love. Tim

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<v Speaker 4>Douglas is The Australian's chief culture correspondent. Tim, I've known

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<v Speaker 4>you for a long time. I can't believe I've never

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<v Speaker 4>asked you this. What's your favorite line from The Castle?

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<v Speaker 1>Great question, Claire. It's a topical one because it involves

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<v Speaker 1>beef Wellington. But when Conn and Trace go to Thailand

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<v Speaker 1>on their honeymoon, someone asked what they had to eat

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<v Speaker 1>on the plane and they say it was beef Wellington

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<v Speaker 1>and sal the mother explains what beef Wellington is and

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<v Speaker 1>con says and it was an absolute credit to the airline.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think the delivery of that line is just

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<v Speaker 1>so perfect and says so much about Australia at that

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<v Speaker 1>time and Middle Australia especially.

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<v Speaker 4>My favorite, which I get asked a lot at home,

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<v Speaker 4>is what do you call it?

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<v Speaker 2>And she says results.

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<v Speaker 4>Everybody cooks results down.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but what do you do with It's what you

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<v Speaker 2>do with it. It's what you do with it. It's

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<v Speaker 2>so true.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, No, And I think that people perhaps of our

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<v Speaker 1>era grew up in a time where rissolts were a

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<v Speaker 1>regular thing at dinner, and there's a real slash of

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<v Speaker 1>Australia that perhaps doesn't exist in the same way anymore.

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<v Speaker 4>One of the beautiful things about the Castle was that

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<v Speaker 4>it managed to actually that suburban life and that the

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<v Speaker 4>little moments of suburban life without being patronizing or feeling

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<v Speaker 4>sort of like the inner city elites kind of sneering

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<v Speaker 4>at the suburbanizes, didn't it. And that's wide appeal to

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<v Speaker 4>people who did actually live in the suburbs.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the magic that is hard.

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<v Speaker 4>To capture for people who, let's face it, are fear

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<v Speaker 4>to kids, you know, drama students, theater actors making a

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<v Speaker 4>show about real Australians.

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<v Speaker 3>That's right.

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<v Speaker 1>I've bean such a delicate balancing act to get that right,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think they did get it right. But you know,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, a bunch of university graduates and as you say,

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<v Speaker 1>theater kids taking on middle Australia, perhaps in Australia that

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<v Speaker 1>didn't belong to all of them might have been a

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<v Speaker 1>risky play. But when I spoke to the cast this week,

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<v Speaker 1>they're very keen to remind me that most of those

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<v Speaker 1>stories come from the families, particularly of the Chelaro family,

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<v Speaker 1>Santo Chillara's family, he of course is of Italian heritage,

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<v Speaker 1>and Rob Sitch's family.

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<v Speaker 5>The Chillara family has been a huge part of our

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<v Speaker 5>professional lives. I mean half the stories came from well.

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<v Speaker 6>He's pointing it me half of them came from In fact,

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<v Speaker 6>that was a great thing about the film. It contained

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<v Speaker 6>so many of our personal family stories and again now

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<v Speaker 6>to bring that to the stage is a great privilege

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<v Speaker 6>for us.

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<v Speaker 1>And Rob Sitch has spoken before about his father being

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<v Speaker 1>a great inspiration for Daryl Kerrigan and sitting around the

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<v Speaker 1>dinner table and you know, pumping up his family in

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<v Speaker 1>that very optimistic way that we see in a film.

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<v Speaker 4>The Castle, Australia's most beloved movie, is now to become

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<v Speaker 4>a stage play. It's a little bit of a scary

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<v Speaker 4>time to be launching a new stage production in Australia.

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<v Speaker 4>Just in recent months we've seen Beetlejuice, Back to the Future,

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<v Speaker 4>even aida another musical Call Waitress kind of have to

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<v Speaker 4>wrap up their seasons early or be canceled altogether. Why

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<v Speaker 4>do you think they're confident that this is going to

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<v Speaker 4>work well?

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<v Speaker 1>This stage play has been in the offering for thirty

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<v Speaker 1>years and so they've been working on it for a

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<v Speaker 1>long time, especially the last two years. Theater probably was

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<v Speaker 1>in the bounce back after COVID two years ago. As

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<v Speaker 1>you say, there have been three major productions this year,

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<v Speaker 1>including Beetle Juice, which was produced by Michael Castle Group.

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<v Speaker 1>Our Castle Group is putting on The Castle. When I

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<v Speaker 1>spoke to Tom Glarser about this being a potentially risky

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<v Speaker 1>commercial move, he said, basically, well, all art is a risk,

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<v Speaker 1>I think, and they think this too. Seemingly that there's

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<v Speaker 1>enough love out there for this production, this film, this

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<v Speaker 1>story that ticket sales will be pretty strong.

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<v Speaker 3>And we just love people, as Jane said, not even

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<v Speaker 3>not just your diehard theater goers, but people who maybe

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<v Speaker 3>don't often go to the theater to come and celebrate

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<v Speaker 3>all that is Carrigan with us.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, my gut says that it's going to sell really well.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sure my family will want to go.

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<v Speaker 4>Might have some results beforehand at the cafe around the corner.

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<v Speaker 4>What will the Castle on stage in twenty twenty six be?

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<v Speaker 4>Is it going to a remake of the movie or

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<v Speaker 4>is it going to be updated?

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<v Speaker 1>So when I first heard about it, I thought it

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<v Speaker 1>might have been The Castle thirty years into the future.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not that it's the story we know and love

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<v Speaker 1>set in modern day framework. And so, as Tom said

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<v Speaker 1>to us this week, Darryl is still a truck driver,

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<v Speaker 1>but he works three days a week from home. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>we might expect con the kickboxing champion to be an

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<v Speaker 1>MMA fan, now, you know, will Dale Kerrigan be diggy

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<v Speaker 1>holes in Minecraft? Who knows? They didn't want to give

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<v Speaker 1>too much away, but there are so many great references

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<v Speaker 1>that I think it'll be really interesting to see it

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<v Speaker 1>transplanted into a modern day situation.

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<v Speaker 3>And that's the sort of. That's the sort of fun

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<v Speaker 3>we've had right throughout the script, and we actually think

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<v Speaker 3>the fact that people many people know it so well,

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<v Speaker 3>every little flip and piece of inventiveness will be hopefully

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<v Speaker 3>a delight.

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<v Speaker 4>Australia is so different to the country of thirty years ago,

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<v Speaker 4>certainly in the kind of university educated arts, the elite world.

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<v Speaker 4>But let's be honest, the people who normally go to

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<v Speaker 4>theaters in habit Who do you think is going to

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<v Speaker 4>be the audience for this.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a great question because I think one of the

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<v Speaker 1>interesting things about The Castle is whether the true thread

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<v Speaker 1>of the story is nostalgia or whether it is the

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<v Speaker 1>prevailing theme of the story itself, which is about the

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<v Speaker 1>battle of taking on big corporations or big governments. And

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<v Speaker 1>so I think certainly there's a lot of nostalgia for

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<v Speaker 1>this film. I think the idea that it was made

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<v Speaker 1>in ninety seven, a really interesting time for Australia. We know,

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<v Speaker 1>floated the dollar, we're kind of emerging from the recession

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<v Speaker 1>of the nineties. There's a lot of optimism, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was still ahead of the dot com boom, and so

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<v Speaker 1>there was a real innocence to it that I think

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<v Speaker 1>we lost within five years of this film actually premiering,

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<v Speaker 1>and by the time we're in the noughties. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>the film on constant reruns on Saturday nights and it

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<v Speaker 1>was a big part of Australia.

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<v Speaker 6>In summing up, it's the Constitution, it's Marbo, it's justice,

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<v Speaker 6>it's law, it's the vibe, and no, that's it.

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<v Speaker 3>It's the vibe.

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<v Speaker 6>I rest my case.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think that nostalgic effect is very strong. But

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<v Speaker 1>I think there are still some notions of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the David and Goliath notions of this film that resonate

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<v Speaker 1>with Australians today, even if it's on a very nascent level.

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<v Speaker 1>As you say, Australia's a very different place and certainly,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, houses a five times what they were in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen ninety seven. Today there's a lot more difficult for

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<v Speaker 1>you a family to make their home. Their castle might

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<v Speaker 1>be someone else's castle, their renting and so the you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the parallels exist, but the story is very different. So

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<v Speaker 1>I think Gen X's and baby Boomer is going to

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<v Speaker 1>love this. But I think the idea is to open

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<v Speaker 1>up the castle and this great story of optimism and

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<v Speaker 1>justice to a new generation I think is really exciting.

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<v Speaker 4>Coming up. Could The Castle get a new generation going

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<v Speaker 4>to the theater?

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<v Speaker 2>There is a new generation going back to the movies.

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<v Speaker 4>Now we're seeing gen Z's show up at cinemas in

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<v Speaker 4>ways that they were not doing five or six years ago.

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<v Speaker 4>That's really exciting. Maybe this will get them back to

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<v Speaker 4>the theater as well, along with Mum and Dad.

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<v Speaker 2>I hope.

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<v Speaker 1>So, I mean, their Working Dog Team seems to think

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<v Speaker 1>it's a great kind of family event, and I think

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<v Speaker 1>given that shift in time, you know, they kind of

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<v Speaker 1>almost Nolan like idea of transposing his story into the

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<v Speaker 1>future might work on a cross generational sort of platform.

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<v Speaker 4>So this is the Working Dog Team probably one of

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<v Speaker 4>the most successful creative partnerships Australia's ever seen. They have created,

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<v Speaker 4>at least for deeply beloved TV shows.

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<v Speaker 2>The Castle is a film, an incredibly enduring success. Was

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<v Speaker 2>The Castle their peak? Do you think they peak early?

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<v Speaker 3>You know?

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<v Speaker 4>It was the work that they did after was with

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<v Speaker 4>Utopia and Kapin Kim and Frontline.

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<v Speaker 2>Able to live up to that certainly commercially.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, this is a film that was made in

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<v Speaker 1>ten days on a budget of seven hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars and it grossed ten million dollars at the

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<v Speaker 1>Australian box office. It's hard to beat, especially, as you say,

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<v Speaker 1>when they're in there, you know nascent form as filmmakers

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<v Speaker 1>and TV show makers. Of course they follow it up

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<v Speaker 1>with the dish are very sensitive and moving Australian story.

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<v Speaker 2>Still not flat enough, Glenn, I'll give it a tweak.

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<v Speaker 2>We're going to drop it down a couplic click's probably unnecessity.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think the really interesting part about Working Dog

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<v Speaker 1>is just I mean there's a clue in the title.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean they are hard workers. The work ethic is incredible.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean Rob Sitsch said to us this week, this

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<v Speaker 1>script they've had for thirty years. They've been sitting on

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<v Speaker 1>it because they've been procrastinating.

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<v Speaker 5>We wrote a draft of a stage play like twenty

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<v Speaker 5>five years ago and then rewrote it twenty years ago,

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<v Speaker 5>and it was always fun to come back to. So

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<v Speaker 5>it was it was probably more disorganization.

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<v Speaker 6>And also going back even before then, we all met

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<v Speaker 6>on stage. I mean stage was our first love. It

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<v Speaker 6>is where we first built out all our stories, so

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<v Speaker 6>it was it feels like it's the right way to

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<v Speaker 6>go back.

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<v Speaker 1>As you alluded to before, they've put out so many

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<v Speaker 1>fantastic shows and such deep and clever and thoughtful programs.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the work that has come after the Castle

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<v Speaker 1>has been a lot more intellectual in a way. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>things like Utopia and The Holloman etc. Really kind of

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<v Speaker 1>skewer a very narrow idea of Australian politics and government.

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<v Speaker 5>So when you think of the Reserve Bank, what comes

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<v Speaker 5>to mind.

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<v Speaker 4>They meet on Tuesdays.

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<v Speaker 5>No, they got inflation wrong, yes, but no, they're independent,

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<v Speaker 5>thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>But they've always managed to maintain this insight into Australia

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<v Speaker 1>that I think there's no other team in the country

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<v Speaker 1>that can do anything like what they do.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, yeah.

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<v Speaker 4>Those political shows were kind of vicious satire of these

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<v Speaker 4>soulless people running the place. They managed to capture again

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<v Speaker 4>that kind of loving satire. I think with Frontline it

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<v Speaker 4>was a takedown of commercial current affairs television, but in

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<v Speaker 4>an incredibly well informed and I think really charming and

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<v Speaker 4>loving way. Maybe this is my perspective of someone who

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<v Speaker 4>works in the media, but it was so realistic and

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<v Speaker 4>it was so true, and they didn't stint from exposing

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<v Speaker 4>kind of the foibles of the people who work in

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<v Speaker 4>that sector. But it was also lovable and charming, wasn't it?

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<v Speaker 3>It really was.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I'd been interested in your insights and your

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<v Speaker 1>family has such deep connections to television and to present

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<v Speaker 1>you know, what was it like in the Harvey household

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<v Speaker 1>watching this show kind of skewer you know, this art form.

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<v Speaker 2>That's it was breathtakingly realistic.

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<v Speaker 4>I mean the fact that they kind of understood the

0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:17.640
<v Speaker 4>dynamic between kind of hard working, overlooked producers and you know,

0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:22.600
<v Speaker 4>presenters with massive inflated eCos who were obsessed with their

0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:26.440
<v Speaker 4>own image, and then kind of gritty executive producers who

0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:29.319
<v Speaker 4>all they really cared about was the ratings and behaving

0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:31.440
<v Speaker 4>badly in their kind of downtime.

0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.520
<v Speaker 5>Is anchor that announced the story and reflect what the

0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.880
<v Speaker 5>audience are thinking. I sort of crystallized their reaction.

0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:40.960
<v Speaker 6>Even when you haven't watched it in five Well.

0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:41.760
<v Speaker 3>That's part of the skill.

0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:46.400
<v Speaker 4>The characters that they created were so close to the bone,

0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:49.319
<v Speaker 4>they were so real. They were real people working in

0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:52.440
<v Speaker 4>Australian television at that time. I'd love them to do

0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:55.080
<v Speaker 4>it again now, you know, in the worlds of social

0:12:55.120 --> 0:13:00.160
<v Speaker 4>media and mainstream media, I haven't loved shows like Utopia

0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.240
<v Speaker 4>or Hollow Men. I've worked close to government and close

0:13:03.280 --> 0:13:06.800
<v Speaker 4>to the bureaucracy as well, and they seem to have

0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:11.120
<v Speaker 4>a bit of darkness that I've found hard to watch. Actually,

0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:13.720
<v Speaker 4>I didn't love Kapin Kim either. I found that tipped

0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:17.920
<v Speaker 4>into the mockery of working class people in a way.

0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:21.000
<v Speaker 4>They were so ridiculous that I felt it was it

0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:24.760
<v Speaker 4>had lost that kind of gentle honoring I suppose of

0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:28.520
<v Speaker 4>people who are guideless and innocent that the Castle had.

0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:32.960
<v Speaker 6>There guys selling a pair of joust and sticks.

0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:41.280
<v Speaker 3>Jost dad four point fifty but jousted sticks telling me dream.

0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:42.600
<v Speaker 2>What did you think of Kapin Kim?

0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:45.120
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think it's a good point. I think in

0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:48.440
<v Speaker 1>terms of the Castle, it's almost universally beloved of people.

0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:53.400
<v Speaker 1>People from those suburbs where that film is set loved

0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:55.240
<v Speaker 1>it because it tells their story. It tells a story

0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.120
<v Speaker 1>that's familiar to them. You know, as we wrote this week,

0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.800
<v Speaker 1>there's that familiar scent of two stroke they talk about

0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:01.800
<v Speaker 1>it in the film that still hangs above suburban and

0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.240
<v Speaker 1>Australia in a very visceral sort of way. Yeah, Cathink Kim,

0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:09.000
<v Speaker 1>as you say, leaned into a less sentimental and a

0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:13.840
<v Speaker 1>more ridiculous sort of idea of Australia. I mean, I still,

0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:16.080
<v Speaker 1>I mean I love I'm a big Warning fan, so

0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:20.680
<v Speaker 1>whenever Warn he made his cameo in that show. I

0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:22.840
<v Speaker 1>loved every minute of it. But I think there are

0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:26.480
<v Speaker 1>two very different lenses through which to see Australian culture.

0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.880
<v Speaker 1>One is a very real and almost natural sort of portrayal.

0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:34.040
<v Speaker 1>I can't watch it now, though probably it's probably fair

0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:37.120
<v Speaker 1>to say it's probably something that I don't as my

0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.840
<v Speaker 1>go to, yeah, but at the time I got to

0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:40.520
<v Speaker 1>kick out of it.

0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:43.120
<v Speaker 4>It's funny how fast I stand it's changed for television,

0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.760
<v Speaker 4>isn't it. You know, things date really quickly, although the

0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.680
<v Speaker 4>great classics of the eighties and early nineties haven't dated.

0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:51.960
<v Speaker 4>I've been on a jag of watching the the eighties

0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:55.480
<v Speaker 4>classics with my kids, you know, Beverly Hills, cop and Kindergarten.

0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.920
<v Speaker 2>Corp And Twins and all the big movies. I mean,

0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:01.520
<v Speaker 2>that was a golden age of cinema that certainly in

0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:03.680
<v Speaker 2>Australia we have not recaptured.

0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:06.960
<v Speaker 4>You know. The Castle came at a time when Australia

0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:09.640
<v Speaker 4>was making a lot of kind of great fun movies,

0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:13.880
<v Speaker 4>heist movies and great Australian stories that we're not really

0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:15.880
<v Speaker 4>doing now as far as I can see.

0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:16.440
<v Speaker 2>No, it was right.

0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.520
<v Speaker 1>And I think even with my kids these days, when

0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:21.840
<v Speaker 1>they watch a film, it's so loud and it's so

0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:26.080
<v Speaker 1>big and brash, and there's not a lot of soft, gentle,

0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:29.880
<v Speaker 1>thoughtful films that are made with especially with children or

0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:33.280
<v Speaker 1>families in mind. Everything's got swearing or something like my parents,

0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.160
<v Speaker 1>but you know, for sex and swearing and violence, and

0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:39.320
<v Speaker 1>I don't think it holds their attentions in a way

0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:41.800
<v Speaker 1>that it perhaps held ours. And maybe that's symptom two

0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:46.480
<v Speaker 1>of the sort of screen heavy lives our kids lead

0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:48.440
<v Speaker 1>these days. But now I think you're right. I don't

0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:51.160
<v Speaker 1>think there's been a film that approximates it in kind

0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.680
<v Speaker 1>of universality, since there's been nothing that has come near

0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:58.520
<v Speaker 1>the Castle Dale, I reckon we're the luckiest family in

0:15:58.560 --> 0:15:59.000
<v Speaker 1>the world.

0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:00.640
<v Speaker 6>Serenity.

0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:05.440
<v Speaker 4>Well, I hope it leads to a stampede of tickets.

0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:07.320
<v Speaker 4>I'll be lining up to get my seats, me too,

0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:15.320
<v Speaker 4>Thanks much. Tim Douglas is The Australian's chief culture correspondent.

0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.400
<v Speaker 4>You can read his story about the Castle's next chapter

0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:22.240
<v Speaker 4>at the Australian dot com dot au. This episode of

0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:24.880
<v Speaker 4>the Front was hosted by me Claire Harvey and produced

0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:28.880
<v Speaker 4>by Kristin Amiot. It's edited by Tiffany Demack. Thanks for

0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:31.240
<v Speaker 4>joining us on the Front this week. Our team also

0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:35.360
<v Speaker 4>includes Lea Sammerglue, Joshua Burton and Jasper League, who also

0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:36.440
<v Speaker 4>wrote our theme