2 weeks Ago By Jim Kellar
LET'S be honest. The odds are good you've never broken into song and dance at your local cafe. Login or signup to continue reading But that doesn't mean you haven't thought about it, or that you never will.
It only seems natural that Newcastle playwright Carl Caulfield has finally written a play with a cafe at the centre of it, given the amount of time he spends drinking coffee and observing people. Karma Kafe is Caulfield's new musical, opening October 3 at the Civic Playhouse during the New Annual cultural festival. It is funded in part by the City of Newcastle's Civic Theatre "Upstage at the Playhouse" grant to encourage local playwrights.
It's a light-hearted drama about a cafe and its characters, and the songs provide a way to gain an insight into their dreams, an alternative view of themselves you might say. Caulfield enlisted the services of Newcastle music producer, composer and working musician Gareth Hudson to bring Caulfield's lyrics to life on the stage, with 15 original songs in the play. Hudson took the challenge, fitting the songwriting around producing, composing, and studying for his masters' degree at the Australian Film School.
Hudson was clear about one thing when getting stuck into Karma Kafe songwriting: "The whole thing, even though there's a lot going on, if I went down to write a song, I just had to be in the zone, to just want to have fun. "I want everyone to be able to sing the melody easily, like a theme. If anyone in a cafe turns up, they can sing these tunes and have a good time doing it, even if it has a bit of soulful undertone, it makes you want to sing.
" Caulfield brought Hudson on board from the beginning, including him in the first reading of the play at Caulfield's Cooks Hill home, and providing plenty of texture about how he felt the songs should feel. "I can talk about the influences on the song," Caulfield says. "They could be anything, like the Clash, or Paul Weller.
It could be Syd Barrett [founder of Pink Floyd]. For each song I had a pretty good idea of the tone. I wasn't going to do a melody, cause I knew he'd be good.
" A sneak listen of three of the songs affirms the "folk-rock" direction of the eclectic musical. The Barista with a Beard begins with flamenco-style flourish, opening with the lines, " My job is about perfection, the battle to get the best brew. It's about connection, synergy between me and you.
" The echoing vibe of Rabbit Hole, is written for a character reminiscent of the late Newcastle street character known as 'Johnny Bongo', and includes the lines, " Broken brain...
crossed wires...
I fell down the rabbit hole...
Suddenly no longer whole...
suddenly a loser's score...
" And then there is the anthemic Universal Rip-off, where cafe-goers fight back against the impending end of time for their venue. The chorus includes, " It's the universal rip-off, where we get the kiss-off. We're ready to be sued, we're ready to get screwed.
" If anyone in a cafe turns up, they can sing these tunes and have a good time doing it, even if it has a bit of soulful undertone, it makes you want to sing. The actors have been learning the songs from backing tracks, while the five-piece band Hudson has put together has been practising for several weeks. Despite the pressure of time, Hudson has enjoyed every minute of the process.
"When I'm writing, it's not pen and paper," he says. "I'm playing with lyric. I might start with a chord progression and hear a melody from a chord progression, or just see it on the paper when I see the line.
"Piano is my main instrument. I played all the drums. I'm having so much fun, I don't get to do this a lot.
" Hudson admits he had to be "in character" when writing the songs. For him, that's the only way to work. And that's the expectation he has when producing anybody's music in his studio.
"I say to the singers: 'I don't believe ya.' If they're singing to me, if I can't understand the story..
. It's the story first with any song - could be a rock song, folk song, jazz standard," he says. "But if I'm not believing what they're singing.
.. could be the best thing I've ever heard, technique-wise.
I don't care. I don't believe them. That's my philosophy.
" The Playhouse is a challenging environment for a musical. With 13 actors and five musicians, there's not much room to move on the small stage. But Caulfield thinks the risk of the small venue is worth it.
"The good thing is, the intimacy of the Playhouse will work," Caulfield says. "You are in the cafe. I think it could be ideal.
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