The Ensemble (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
Picnic at Hanging Rock
By Joel Benjamin
In 1967 Australian writer Joan Lindsay wrote a disturbingly eerie novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock. Lindsay’s novel created a scenario that resonated with the public so strongly that most people believed it was a true story, bolstered by the lyrical 1975 Peter Weir film, which was hugely successful worldwide.
Now, the story has wound up, fifty years later, on stage at the Greenwich House Theater in Greenwich Village, a complex, flawed, but fascinating musical of the same name. Hilary Bell wrote the book and lyrics and Greta Gertler Gold did the music and arrangements; Portia Krieger directs.
In 1900, students at a posh Australian girls’ school, Appleyard College—middle-aged Mrs. Appleyard, headmistress (Erin Davie, brilliantly controlled)—take off for a much-needed outing to the eponymous peak on Saint Valentine’s Day, a chance to loosen their corsets and frolic.
Erin Davie and the Ensemble (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
They are chaperoned by their French teacher, Mademoiselle (a fine Marina Pires) and Mrs. Appleyard’s right-hand advisor, Miss McGraw, a disciplinarian with a heart of gold (Kaye Tuckerman in a complex performance).
Some of the students, led by the golden girl Miranda (a luminous Gillian Han), decide to hike up Hanging Rock. As they head up the path a change comes over them as if they were on a spiritual mission. The girls disappear, never to be seen again; only awkward Irma (a fine Tatianna Córdoba) survives, but in a state of shock, never able to tell all her desperate classmates, nor anyone else, what she witnessed.
Two men aid in the search: high-born Michael (Reese Sebastian Diaz, eager and touching) and working-class Albert (Bradley Lewis, full-bodied). Michael is seeking adventure and meaning in his life; Albert, his long-lost orphaned sister who turns out to be one of the Appleyard students. They search in vain, but are given several beautiful songs, particularly Albert’s “Bertie,” sung with the sister he sadly and tragically never meets.
Reese Sebastian Diaz (center) with the Ensemble (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
The plot of Picnic at Hanging Rock revolves around Miranda. The musical opens with “Open My Eyes,” the first of more than twenty numbers, sung by Miranda and her young, obsessively devoted roommate, Sara (Sarah Walsh, in an emotionally rich performance).
The profusion of characters, each with their own emotional agenda, makes for some confusion, but Krieger’s staging and pacing keep the interwoven stories flowing. Mayte Natalio’s choreography, which arises organically from the songs and dialogue, helps with the flow. Ásta Bennie Hostetter’s period perfect costumes, and Barbara Samuels’ intricate lighting add their own richness.
The songs, all beautifully sung and acted, range from the meditative (“Open My Eyes”) to character revelations (“My Path”) and on to the narrative (“Blood and Scandal”). What they all have in common is a multi-dimensionality that illuminates raw emotions under the upright façades.
The Greenwich House Theater is a small venue, but Daniel Zimmerman’s set design takes advantage of the entire space: stage, auditorium walls and even the aisles. A two-level construction provides space for the on-stage orchestra, subtly directed by Leigh Delano who brings out all facets of the score.
Picnic at Hanging Rock has an intensity and earnestness that, despite its flaws, rewards patience.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
At the Greenwich House Theater
27 Barrow Street
Running time: two hours 10 minutes, including one intermission
Through January 17, 2026
