Stormy Weather
In 1955, a company of shabby, over-the-hill vaudevillians arrives at the tiny Australian town of Towaninnie, beginning the novel’s adventures that take place over the course of one rain-soaked day. Meehan transposes The Tempest to this dreary town and, echoing Shakespeare’s characters, sketches the inner turmoil of his own. For example, in the guise of Prospero is the compere whose schemes both on stage and off keep the fragile troupe together. Another more intriguing character is the rabbiter, i.e. Caliban. This orphaned, oddball native lives a reclusive life with his mangy dog Spot at the edge of the local swamp. The town folk loathe and fear him because of his relentless pranks, which include attempting to sabotage the troupe’s performance by booby-trapping the theater. Finally, the central character of the novel is the transformative power of art, which is marvelously executed throughout by Meehan’s extraordinary lyrical prose, climaxing in the extended scene of the evening’s performance.
As the author notes, this is based on the real-life Blind Concert that performed in Australia for 30 years raising money for the blind, but ceased in 1956 with the introduction of television. This is an exceptional novel that deserves a second read.
