The Sapphires set to wow new audiences
Two decades after its first stage production, The Sapphires with a new Indigenous cast returns this month at the Queensland Theatre in Brisbane.
And Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch will return to direct to direct the show he first directed in 2004.
Written by Tony Briggs, the play has become a classic, and his return reunites the director with a story he says has only grown in relevance.
Key Points
- Quandamooka director Wesley Enoch returns to helm ‘The Sapphires’
- Revival features four debut performers in Queensland Theatre roles
- Story follows four Yorta Yorta women performing for US troops in Vietnam
- Enoch grounds the work in Laurel Robinson’s lived experiences
- Director cites post-2023 referendum uncertainty and ongoing resilience
- Motown-era soundtrack underscores nostalgia and cultural change
- Brisbane season set for 28 April to 24 May
Featuring ’60s soul classics performed live including Respect, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss), this joyous production transforms the intimate Bille Brown Theatre into an electrifying concert-style celebration — up close, personal and impossible to resist.
For more than 25 years, the multi-award-winning play — and the hit film it inspired — has captivated audiences around the world. At its heart, The Sapphires is a proud story of First Nations women whose talent, humour and resilience lit up a remarkable moment in Australian history — a story that, for many years, remained largely untold.
A new cast
This Queensland Theatre production marks company debuts for four performers, each taking on a lead role in the celebrated ensemble about a quartet of singers whose talent takes them from regional Australia to a wartime stage.
Principal cast and roles
- Ruby Henaway (Aboriginal/South Sea Islander) as Cynthia
- Aurora Liddle-Christie (Arrernte/Jamaican) as Kay
- Tehya Makani (Yawuru, Wadjarri, Pitjanjarra and Wadjuk Noongar) as Julie
- Taeg Twist (Birri Gubba and Ngāpuhi) as Gail
Mr Enoch said working alongside the younger cast had been one of the most rewarding parts of the revival, emphasising support and enablement over control as the next generation steps forward.
Storyline
‘The Sapphires’ follows four young Yorta Yorta women from regional Victoria. Their Supremes-inspired singing group is discovered by a city talent scout, and they ultimately travel to Vietnam to perform for American troops. The narrative draws on the lived experiences of Laurel Robinson and the women whose stories informed Tony Briggs’ script, connecting personal history to a broader arc of Indigenous excellence.
First staged under Mr Enoch’s direction in 2004, ‘The Sapphires’ has had a durable presence in Australian theatre. The original 2004 cast featured Rachel Maza as Gail, Ursula Yovich as Julie, Lisa Flanagan as Kay and Deborah Mailman as Cynthia. That lineage underscores the continuity between the work’s early champions and the new generation now stepping into the spotlight.
Season details and ticketing
‘The Sapphires’ — a Queensland Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre co-production — will play at Brisbane’s Bille Brown Theatre from April 28 to May 24. Tickets are available via the Queensland Theatre website.
