Year: 2003,
Instrumentation: Soloists, chorus, flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet in B flat, electric keyboard, guitar, electric bass guitar (or double bass), percussion (2 players including drum kit), strings (2.2.2.2 – no double bass), kazoos for ‘Dinsdale’ and the chorus.,
Duration: 90 min.,
Difficulty: Medium — AMEB Grade 6 and above.
Commission note: Commissioned by Charles Darwin University for School of Music, CDU & Centre for Youth Music (CYM)
First performance: Dec 04. University Theatre, CDU, Darwin, Northern Territory
The work is available through the Australian Music Centre – score, parts and piano reduction
Click here for the link to The Australian Music Centre
Work Overview
A Gecko’s Tale is an Australian musical that has appeal for people of all ages from age 10yrs and up.
It is a satire, in the spirit of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and uses the microcosm of small creatures living in a Darwin house to explore the wider social issues facing refugees and asylum seekers. Although the story deals with these serious themes that affect so many people world-wide, it is told with plenty of humour and the audience is invited to become caught up the more personal stories of the main protagonists. Stories of love, friendship, jealousy and betrayal run in parallel to the main theme.
The musical is set in Darwin, in Australia’s tropical north. It is at the hottest time of year, the ‘wet’, when dramatic electrical storms accompany the afternoon monsoon.
The houses are made for the heat with louvered windows and ceiling fans. Because the houses are so open, many creatures live inside, including the geckos whose loud chirping is part of life in Darwin.
Everything thrives in the tropics, including the cockroaches.
At the time of writing, cane toads (feral toads) were just starting to be found in Darwin gardens. There was much concern that they would destroy the local frog population and various ways of disposing of them was a hot topic for conversation.
The musical runs for about 90 minutes. There are 5 main characters and another 8 supporting roles. The chorus numbers could vary but would work best with at least 10 singers. This was initially written for a children’s chorus but could be adapted easily for adult voices.
The musical uses a wide variety of modern musical styles, including a rap number, blues, and Latin beats.
The musical is scored for a small pit orchestra – strings, flute, oboe, clarinet, guitar, bass guitar (or double bass), keyboard player and 2 percussionists.