‘Beaconsfield: A Musical in A-Flat Minor’ Not Getting Rave Reviews From Actual Beaconsfield Miner Todd Russell

Dear oh dear… who would’ve thought that the affable Foo Fighters-loving Todd Russell would be up in arms over a harmless little Fringe Festival production called Beaconsfield: A Musical in A-Flat Minor, eh? Well, erm, actually anyone who stopped and considered that a friend of Russell’s, Larry Knight, died in the disaster and perhaps the ‘A-Flat Minor’ touch was slightly insensitive… Either way, Todd Russell is not pleased with the man behind the production Dan Ilic, claiming to be “disgusted” by news the mining disaster had been turned into a musical comedy. Also not happy? Larry Knight’s family.

The widow and family of Beaconsfield mine accident victim Larry Knight are distressed and appalled by a new musical comedy, Beaconsfield: A Musical In A-Flat Minor.

The play, to be performed at the Melbourne Fringe Festival from tomorrow night, is being marketed as the “feel good piss-take of the year”, but is generating outrage.

Family members of Mr Knight, who died in the 2006 Anzac Day rockfall at the northern Tasmanian mine, say the comedy “makes a mockery” of their loss.

“The whole concept of it is wrong,” Mr Knight’s brother Shane told The Australian earlier today.

“Making comedy out of someone’s death might be alright if it happened a long, long time ago, but not when the family still (grieves).

“We haven’t even finished the inquest yet and they’re making a mockery of it.”

Dan Ilic was unrepentant when he spoke to LIVENEWS’ Tim Brunero (yes, the very same!), stating:

But Mr Ilic has told LIVENEWS.com.au the show is not disrespectful to either the late Larry Knight or the two survivors.

“The play is actually all about the poor way the mine was managed and the hypocrisy of the media response to mine management,” he said. “This play is actually very much on the side of the workers and very much on the same side of the miners and the relatives. We actually treat Larry Knight very respectfully.”

Perhaps in the play itself you treat his death respectfully, but the play’s title leaves a little to be desired.

Which is probably why Dan has bowed to pressure to change it:

Dan Ilic originally named his play, to debut at the Melbourne Fringe Festival tomorrow night, Beaconsfield: A Musical in A-Flat Minor, but today changed it to Beaconsfield: The Musical.

Ilic said he had changed the play’s name “out of respect” for the family of miner Larry Knight who died in the 2006 Beaconsfield rockfall.

“I had no idea they’d be so offended by it,” he said.

OH REALLY? “A-FLAT MINOR”? God bless your innocence, Illic. As of this afternoon, Dan “totally” gets it.

“I totally understand I have offended a family… in fact today we’re going to change the name of the show to Beaconsfield: The Underground Smash Hit of the Fringe Festival, so that’s pretty exciting,” Mr Ilic later told Sky News.

Gracious. I’m not sure the “so that’s pretty exciting” was entirely necessary!

The play title isn’t the only thing Dan Ilic has changed his mind about.

The play also devotes a song, Carleton Cardiac, to journalist Richard Carleton’s fatal heart attack at the mine scene.

“The only death we haven’t treated respectfully is Richard Carleton’s,” Ilic told Fairfax newspapers yesterday.

But today he had changed his mind.

“We have treated his death with respect,” he told AAP.

When I read in The Age today the quote “The only death we haven’t treated respectfully is Richard Carleton’s”, I couldn’t help but wonder why. Was Richard Carleton so bad a bloke? I’m all for Wrongtown comedy, so I’m a little torn about this. There’s been a massive media beat up over this story, but that doesn’t mean the claims of insensitivity are incorrect.

God. This is horrible. When did I develop a conscience? I mean, back in 2006 when Clem Bastow and yours truly hosted a radio show together where we’d put together themed Top Tens, we did a ten song tribute to the Beaconsfield miners which was a playful look at the journey of Todd Russell and Brant Webb, but upon looking back, we really didn’t think about the fact another man had actually died in the disaster. Which may be due to the media frenzy which seemed to focus intently on Russell and Webb’s rescue – and it’s that very focus I’m sure Dan Ilic is trying to mock in his production, and not the loss of Larry Knight.

Meh. I may just have to go and see the show and decide for myself. Something I’d recommend currently outraged journalists do as well.

MORE: Family of dead miner Larry Knight distressed by Beaconsfield musical comedy (The Australian)
Beaconsfield – The Musical creator admits: ‘I am a sick bastard’ (LIVENEWS)
A-Flat Minor Beaconsfield musical changed (AAP)