Bakersfield Mist

Two legends of Australian TV - Blue Heelers alumni John Wood and Julie Nihill –are the lead players in Stephen Sachs’ Bakersfield Mist at QUT Gardens Theatre.

Based on a true story which was also the focus of a 2006 documentary, Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?, Bakersfield Mist is a hilarious collision of cultures and class attitudes that goes beyond the subject of painting to be an exploration of the nature of authenticity in art and in life.

Maude (Nihill), a fifty-something unemployed bartender, has bought a painting for a few bucks from an op-shop. Despite almost trashing it, she now thinks it’s a Jackson Pollock worth millions. In fact, she’s certain it is. But when renowned art expert Lionel Percy (Wood) flies over from New York and arrives at her trailer park home in Bakersfield to authenticate the painting, he really has no idea what he’s about to discover.

Who gets to decide what is art? Who determines its values? Does art matter? These questions evolve into a more personal battle of classes that examines the authenticity and worth of human beings and the discovery that Maude and Lionel have more in common than they first realised.

With one of the most recognisable faces in Australian entertainment, Gold Logie-winner John Wood is best known for his roles as Michael Rafferty in Rafferty’s Rules and Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon in Blue Heelers, alongside Nihill. His most recent role was the semi-regular ‘baddie everybody loves to hate’ Patrick Tyneman in The Doctor Blake Mysteries (ABC TV).

Best known for her role as publican Chris Riley in the multi-award winning Blue Heelers, Julie Nihill most recently appeared on Australian television in House Husbands (Channel Nine).

In a nutshell - Powered by Wood and Nihill’s odd-couple rapport, Bakersfield Mist is “a thoroughly entertaining 85 minutes of quipping, arguing, boozing, opining, fist-fighting and soul-baring” (The Times).

Nice to know - Bakersfield Mist is presented by The Tasmanian Theatre Company and Straightjacket Productions in association with the Karralyka Centre, as part of Gardens Theatre’s 2017 Theatre Season.

Need to know - Opening Monday 10 July, 7.30pm. Social photographers welcome. Join the stars post-show for a meet and greet. *Schools (Group of 10+) - $25.

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