A Journey Through the Past is one hour of musical theatre with a twist. It is based on the book 'Neil and Me' by Scott Young (1918-2005), a well known sports and novel writer in Canada but perhaps less known here as the father of Neil Young, one of the most influential figures in popular music. The show opens with an actor portraying Scott Young seated at an old desk... battered typewriter at hand, surrounded by ice hockey pennants and sports trophies. He engages the audience with an intimate dialogue... he is the narrator of the performance... and slowly reveals many thought provoking insights into the parallels between his own fascinating life and times and that of his more famous son. It_x0019_ s Scott_x0019_ s story... his feelings, his regrets, his guilt, his feelings of connectedness with his son as a chance-taking maverick, his musing on his absence as a father affecting or even propelling Neil to be a great, original/non compromising artist (like father/like son!) in 13 concise monologues, no more than two minutes apiece. Each monologue segues into a song by Neil Young, chosen for its lyrical content echoing Scott_x0019_ s revelations. They are performed by 3 singers, 2 male and 1 female... to reveal lyrical nuances and insights not previously imagined... weaving in and out of Scott_x0019_ s memory and consciousness. All of some songs... just snippets of others. Some songs backed by a stark solo piano or solo acoustic guitar, some by a small intimate band of 4, all South Australian actors, musicians and singers of the highest calibre. This is NOT a Neil Young tribute show. The songs have been re-interpreted, re-arranged and presented in a fresh and dramatic light as a natural continuation and extension of the narrative. This show is about universal themes: fathers and sons, regret, guilt, marriage, the artistic temperament, unbridled ambition, family, illness and personal tragedy. It has fascinating collisions in history: Scott_x0019_ s work as a reporter in the seventies has dramatic tie-ins with Neil_x0019_ s music of the times, and heart wrenching insights. Scott reveals the cerebral palsy of his two grandsons, and with the recurring spectre of Neil_x0019_ s mother, Rassy, haunting Scott, the songs resonate with a whole new meaning and subtext, highlighted by sophisticated and contemporary musical and vocal readings.
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