Lace 
Lace - The Musical

BACKGROUND: In 2000, I spontaneously purchased a piano.  I happened to be passing buy a second hand furniture store when I heard the melodic sounds of a live piano drifting out into the street.  I back tracked and went inside the store, and there, I saw a young man sitting by a golden brown piano playing a beautiful tune.  I knew somehow that this fine instrument would be mine even though I could hardly afford the deposit - within fifteen minutes I had made a deal with the store owner, a month later the piano was delivered to my house! I played whenever I could, magnetically drawn to be with my 'new love' content to compose random practice melodies which thrilled my heart and soul.

Then one day a friend challenged me to write something more than just a cute tune, he thought my melodies were pointless and were just nice sounds that would simply drift off into the ether somewhere...
Determined to prove him wrong, by the following week, I had composed my first real song 'Isabel'. It was an inspired tune dedicated to the memory of my mother who died at the age of 43 at a time when I was losing my sight. I sat at the piano pondering, 'What words of wisdom would my mother have spoken to last me a lifetime, what would a dying mother say to give hope to her blind daughter in her absence?" - the lyrics of Isabel hold the key...
 
Two years later, after composing several more heart felt songs for my musical "A Gypsy Heart' I met Harry Williamson, musician, composer, arranger and producer. He was keen to be my musical midwife and so together for the next nine months we worked on creating different scenarios, scenes, characters, a detailed Libretto, wrote new compositions  with a new project title - Lace. Harry adapted my piano tunes into wonderfully evocative orchestral arrangements, touched by the sentiment of the story to compose some of his own inspired music.

Even though our musical was not successful in obtaining the Grant we applied for in 2004, Lace mysteriously weaved her magical threads of wonderment into our personal lives drawing us closer together than we had ever dreamed possible...from intertwined threads of friendship and the creative spirit came Lace...a passionate story of courage, inner vision and triumph of the human spirit to overcome adversity.

 

THE SYNOPSIS

The musical is set in modern day Melbourne.

A Spanish migrant family own and operate a small sewing business, specialising in traditional flamenco dresses and hand made lace - the secrets of their craft, passed down through generations and through hard work and determination, they continue to keep their lace making tradition alive.

The musical focuses on the life of the daughter, Isabel, who has to face two major tragedies in a relatively short space of time: the unexpected death of her loving mother and the loss of her own physical sight...

Lace is her story - how Isabel intertwines the light and dark threads of circumstance, the bitter-sweet experiences of her life challenging her to see beyond the normal boundries of a sighted world and how she gains new insights to accept a new reality as she enters an unknown darkening world of blindness.

She weaves her life with hope, love and moments of despair but ultimately discovers a different   world as she accepts her life challenge.  

The core theme is one of courage in the face of adversity.  

By accepting her tragic losses, her spirit is transformed, the new hope she comes to find brings depth of meaning to her life touching those who love her - in the world unseen!

On her inspired journey, Isabel discovers new possibilities as a blind woman - life is about the choices she makes while accepting the cards she has been dealt.

However, Isabel must face the dark night of the soul - driven to summon her inner courage to discover real love and personal triumph of the human spirit!

When she finally changes her attitude to life, her life dramatically changes and she accepts the love she truly deserves...  

MUSIC SAMPLES

Click here:

Isabel

Carlos' Theme