Bran Nue Dae will always hold an important place in the history of Australian theatre as the first Aboriginal musical staged – a joyous show, written by Jimmy Chi and the band Kuckles, that subtly infiltrates its exuberant songs with plenty of barbed references to the appalling treatment of Australia’s First Nations people by white society.

Marcus Corowa and Teresa Moore. Photograph © Prudence Upton

In one of the show’s catchiest numbers, Nothing I Would Rather Be, the performers sing: “There’s nothing I would rather be than to be an Aborigine, and watch you take my precious land from me”, encapsulating the feel-good-while-serious tone adopted by Chi. Dispossession, land rights, the Stolen Generation, and deaths in custody are all invoked in a similar way.

“Is this the end of our people?” sing the cast in the more melancholic song Listen to the News. The gentle resilience and good-natured optimism used throughout the show fills your heart.

Bran Nue Dae had its world premiere at the 1990 Perth Festival. Directed by Andrew Ross, it proved to be a huge success. Touring in 1991, it played at the Riverside Theatre, Parramatta as part of the Festival...