Composer Peter Farnan

Librettist Shaun Charles

A Night at the Pink Poodle tells the story of Icarus, the number one penthouse salesman on the Gold Coast. Set in the early 90s, the Goldy is on the cusp of great change. The rampant capitalism of the 80s is over, and the property bubble is bursting. The nation is hurtling towards the recession we had to have. Icarus, however, believes he is immune from such historical forces.

He has a new girlfriend, the powerful Japanese property hostess, Yuko, and he has a slate of deals in play, some on the table and some definitely below. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before it all starts to collapse. And like his Ancient Greek namesake, Icarus flies too high.

Composed by some of Australia's most celebrated musicians, this pop-opera is both comic and nostalgic. Yet it is also very much of our time, exploring our aspirations and our relationship to the land which we buy and sell. It’s about coming to terms with what we’ve done, and where we might be heading.

a night at the pink poodle creative development credits

Cast: Isabel Yamazaki, Tom Oliver, Lizzie Moore & Shaun Kohlman

Additional music by Richard Pleasance

From the co-Artistic Directors

Belloo has been working closely with Shaun Charles for a few years now. We were on the road together filming for our Rovers’ webisodes when he first mentioned A Night at the Pink Poodle and we were immediately hooked! Pop opera? Peter Farnan? The Gold Coast in the nineties? We could see it straight away and we knew this was a project we had to jump on board for.

A Night at the Pink Poodle will be like nothing you've ever seen from Belloo before. A heightened pop fantasia of the perils of greed and consumption with a hint of Greek mythology and a killer composition, this is going to be one to watch out for.

Caroline Dunphy & Katherine Lyall-Watson
Co-Artistic Directors

Photographer: HOTA, Home of the Arts.

SUPPORTERS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A Night at the Pink Poodle Creative Development 2023 is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and HOTA, Home of the Arts.