For many, the last weekend of September means football finals. For students at the University of Sydney’s St Paul’s College, it means taking to the stage to continue a tradition that began in 1964, long before they were born. On Friday night they will don their top hats, coattails, corsets and gowns for the 60th anniversary instalment of Victoriana , believed to be the longest-running theatrical production in the country.
Victoriana revives the sing-a-long music and comedy traditions of the British music hall from the Victorian era. Credit: Janie Barrett Part anachronism, part send-up and part knees-up, the college’s director of music Jack Stephens says “there’s really nothing like it” elsewhere in Australia. The show is based on the tradition of the British music hall.
After a well-lubricated three-course dinner and a toast to Queen Victoria, the audience – dressed to the nines in black or white tie – is treated to a camp rendition of classics from the Victorian era; think Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside, Where Did You Get That Hat and The Road to Mandalay. Surrounded by candelabras and British flags, attendees also receive the lyrics to the choruses on a printed card, and are encouraged – nay, required – to sing along. At the end of the night they wave sparklers and file outside into the St Paul’s quadrangle for a fireworks display.
“What makes it so unique is you’re transported into this other world,” says Stephens, 28. “It is one of the.