Evie and the Birdman

Evie and the Birdman, written by John Field, first showed at The Bondi Pavilion (Sydney) for a 2 week winter season. It then moved to the Mittagong Playhouse for another run a month later.

The cast for the Bondi Pavilion show were Anthony Cogin as "Lester's father", Benj Daddario as "the Birdman", Ryan Desaunier, Amanda Dolby, Sam Moran, Emma Pask, Katrina Retallick as "Evelyn", Alyson Standen as "Miss Yahwhohow" and Alicia Wolfe. For the CD, the part of Miss Yahwhohow was sung by Bernadette Cogin. It was directed by Jacqueline Fallon, choreographed by Jacqueline Fallon and Leeanne Ashley. Produced by Caspian Productions via Richard Fallon and Mark Mooney.

SYNOPSIS

Around the bar of the “Mud Bath Hotel”, in the small country town of Tullamana, a farewell party is being held for Lester and Evelyn . Lester is leaving to sign a recording contract with the business conglomerate “B.I.G.” and Evelyn is to be his manager. The board of business conglomerate “B.I.G” are up to their ears in insider trading schemes and decide to set Lester up to be their much needed share market disaster.To enable this, they unleash the luscious, sensual PR girl Miss Yahwhohow on to the gullible Lester. Our hero is seduced and bamboozled into choosing Miss Yahwhohow over Evelyn as his manager. Evie goes home heartbroken and stays in bed for six months, eating chocolate and watching the soaps.

Meanwhile, Miss Yahwhohow gives Lester the most ridiculous image possible- he is now to be known as the Birdman. The Birdman is a flop as planned, until an environmentally aware radio station puts the Birdman into the top twenty. B.I.G, fearing their share price will increase, sack Miss Yahwhohow, hold a press conference and publicly ridicule the Birdman. He becomes a public joke- press bashed and ridiculed till his father hits upon the idea of faking the death of the Birdman. Evelyn meanwhile, snaps out of her chocolate torpor and decides to “be someone”.

Act two opens five years later and things have changed. Evelyn is now a major TV personality with her own current affairs show - “Evelyn at Nine”. Miss Yahwhohow has become wealthy by founding a quasi religious “birdcult” dedicated to the worship of the supposedly dead Birdman. Using money from the birdcult, Miss Yahwhohow has bought control of B.I.G . She then outlines how B.I.G will demolish Tullamana to build a casino over Tullamana’s mud baths. They own the only bank in town and by calling in all loans, the town has no choice but to sell to B.I.G. In desperation Lester writes to the producers’ of Evelyn’s show. Via a letter, he is invited to appear, the whole town believe Evelyn must have pulled a few strings; however Evelyn is unaware whom she is about to interview. In shock at seeing Lester again after 5 years, Evelyn runs off her own show.

One week before the town is demolished, Evie and Lester meet to see if they can find a way to defeat B.I.G. In a climactic “Evelyn at Nine”, Lester dons the old Bird suit and rises from the dead in front of a shocked Bird cult and Miss Yahwhohow- who is now penniless. Ownership of B.I.G is now transferred from Yahwhohow to the very alive Birdman.Evelyn thanks the TV audience then attends to some long suppressed business with Lester......