Theatrical Kelly

Since Ned Kelly's siblings, Kate and Jim, appeared on stage at the Apollo Theatre the night of Ned Kelly's execution, the Kelly story has continued to haunt the stage. From the 1880s to the 1920s in particular, the exploits of Kelly and his gang appeared regularly within a genre of theatrical melodramas and films which drew on bushranging for their subject matter. One of the most significant Kelly plays of the twentieth century was Douglas Stewart's Ned Kelly. Originally broadcast on ABC Radio in 1942, the play was produced by Dolia Ribush for his company at the Union Theatre in Melbourne in 1944 with costume and set designs by Norman Lindsay. Another adaptation opened at the Elizabethan Theatre in Sydney in 1956, with sets and costumes by Desmonde Downing and additional backdrops by Sidney Nolan. This production was to have a season in Melbourne that year to coincide with the Olympic Games, however it was banned in the belief that it was inappropriate for an international audience. Melbourne audiences did get to see Ned Kelly in 1997 when Kickhouse Theatre presented Pam Leversha's adaptation of Stewart's play. Other important theatrical productions include the Borovansky Ballet's The Outlaw of 1951, Reg Livermore's rock opera of 1978 and a production by the Australian Ballet in 1990.