Kiwi movie-musical ready to bloom on the big screen
Some of our most-loved Kiwi songs form the soundtrack to a homegrown musical to be released next year. James Croot reports.
The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody. This has been a stellar year for the movie musical and the above quartet are all looking set to be among the biggest earners of 2018 at the New Zealand box office.
However, for Kiwi fans of the genre, there’s even more exciting news. Next year, we’ll finally be getting our own homegrown big-screen musical.
Based on the popular stage show of the same name, Daffodils is set to debut in New Zealand cinemas on March 21. Written by Rochelle Bright (the author of the original play, which was first staged in 2014), who was inspired by her own parents’ love story, it will feature some of Kiwi music’s most beloved songs, from artists such as Crowded House, The Muttonbirds and Bic Runga.
The cast includes iZombie’s Rose McIver, Home and Away’s George Mason and Kiwi popstar Kimbra.
Speaking after the release of the movie’s first trailer on Wednesday afternoon, Daffodils’ producer Richard Fletcher admits it was funny how ‘‘all the stars have aligned’’ for the movie, with viewer interest in cinematic musicals currently sky-high.
‘‘It’s extraordinary, because when we started developing the stage show as a film [in 2016], we had no idea this would happen. La La Land hadn’t even come out.’’
Filming took place at Wellington’s Avalon Studios, in the Wairarapa and parts of the Waikato over eight weeks last summer. Fletcher described it as broadening, but in no way changing, the essence of the much-loved play.
‘‘Obviously the stage show was essentially a two-hander, with the only other character the narrator – the one Kimbra plays in the movie.
‘‘We’ve added in a lot more characters – friends, the leads’ parents – to create a wider pool and wider storylines, but it’s still very true to the play.’’
Assisting that, Fletcher believes, was having Bright onboard as screenwriter and Lips (Stephanie Brown and Fen Ikner), who were also part of the original stage show, looking after the movie’s score.
‘‘So there’s been great continuity. We have 17 songs in the film, three of which are originals from the Silver Scroll-winners, Lips.’’
When asked how easy it was to licence Kiwi classics like Chris Knox’s Not Given Lightly, The Dance Exponents’ I’ll Say Goodbye, The Swingers’ Counting the Beat and Dave Dobbyn’s Language, Fletcher says relationships established by the stage play gave them ‘‘a head start’’.
‘‘At least when we were going to the music publishers, they knew what was involved.’’
Having worked closely with director David Stubbs (Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses), Fletcher says, rather than been inspired by bigbudget Hollywood musicals, the movie version of Daffodils was influenced by Irish indie hit Once and Ryan Gosling romantic dramas Blue Valentine and The Notebook.
‘‘While there are a lot of songs in it, our focus has been very much on the drama and the romance of the story as well. This is not good-old ‘jazz hands’. The songs are very much part of our story and there are only three characters who sing.’’
Paying tribute to his leading trio, Fletcher says they were incredibly lucky that all of them were prepared to come home to do the movie. ‘‘When
she’s not in Vancouver, Rose is based in the States, Kimbra is in New York and George is Australiabased. They all leapt at the opportunity.
‘‘Rose and George’s roles are pretty unique. Not only is there a lot of drama for them, but they also sing for a good chunk of the film, which is an exciting, but daunting prospect for any actor. We really pushed them and they absolutely rose to the challenge.’’
And while Daffodils has been made ‘‘first-and-foremost’’ for a New Zealand audience, Fletcher admits they all have global ambitions for it. An Australian release later the year is already on the cards and he won’t rule out the film debuting at either the prestigious Sundance or Berlin film festivals early in the year.
‘‘It’s one of those classic cases where it’s a story that is so local, it’s universal.’’
While excited at the prospect of sharing his ‘‘baby’’ with the world, Fletcher admits to feeling the pressure of not only being New Zealand’s first fully-fledged movie musical, but also coming out amid the current flurry of Hollywood examples of the genre.
‘‘There is a very high bar and because there is no local comparison, people will naturally compare us with international productions – as they should.
‘‘Also, the music we’ve used is very iconic, so people will have strong feelings and affiliations with those songs.
‘‘But I think the time is right for this, in terms of the subject matter and given how well the stage show was received and the following it had.’’
‘‘The stage show, above, was essentially a two-hander. We’ve added in a lot more characters but it’s still very true to the play.’’ Daffodils’ producer Richard Fletcher