A Wonderfully Funny & Reverent Musical Telling The Story Behind The Song, The People, The Hype, The Humour, & The Passion For Our Great Game Of Football – From Armstrong Studios To The MCG On Grand Final Day. Written & Directed By Peter Sullivan.
“Up There Cazaly” is a 1979 song written by Mike Brady, to promote Channel Seven’s coverage of the VFL. It was first performed as the Two-Man Band, a duo of Mike Brady and Peter Sullivan, and has since become an unofficial anthem of Aussie Rules football.
The now legendary song refers to early-20th-century ruckman Roy Cazaly, who was known for his prodigious leap. Cazaly formed a famous ruck combination with South Melbourne teammates Fred “Skeeter” Fleiter and Mark “Napper” Tandy. It was ruck-rover Fleiter who was the first to call “Up there, Cazaly!” when the ruckman flew for the ball. The catchcry was soon adopted by South Melbourne supporters and eventually entered the Australian lexicon as a common phrase of encouragement.
Released independently on Fable Records, the song became the highest-selling Australian song of all time, with Brady & Sullivan included in the Guinness Book of Records for the song. To this day, it remains synonymous with football, mateship, having a ‘go’, and Australian sporting culture.
Written by Peter Sullivan, Cazaly-The Musical features Russell Robertson as the young Roy Cazaly, Shannon Scott as the young Mike Brady, Steve Wade as Channel 7’s Gordon Bennett and George, the 70’s Ad Man, Angus Burchall as 70’s advertising guru Herbert, Peter Sullivan as Channel 7’s Ron Casey and the old Roy Cazaly, and Franz Madlener as Channel 7 deal maker Gary Fenton.
Music featuring Peter Sullivan on the Grand Piano, Steve Wade (Little River Band), Andrea Lees, and Adrian Scott (Air Supply).
Production Director Adrian Scott is one of Australia’s finest musicians and continues to have an illustrious career as a writer/producer/musical director. Adrian has toured the world with such acts as Air Supply, The Little River Band, Dragon and a 10-year contract as Kylie Minogue’s musical director during her world tour in 1990.
A funny, retrospective, and very Australian theatrical performance, Cazaly – “The Musical” traces the story of how Up There Cazaly became the highest-selling musical jingle of its time, the story of Roy Cazaly, and an insight into the machinations of the Channel 7 boardroom in the 70’s, finding “that” song, to make its way from Armstrong Studios South Melbourne, to the famous first bounce of a Grand Final at the MCG in 1979.
