On a balmy night in Melbourne this week, large numbers of well-dressed women descended on the Regent Theatre for the opening night performance of Ladies in Black. The blockbuster production from Australian screenwriter writer Carolyn Burns and director Simon Phillips, with original music from singer–songwriter Tim Finn, attracted a cheerful audience that seemed to reflect the bright and bustling production on stage.

When plain-jane bookworm Lisa Miles joins the glamorous ranks as a shopgirl at F.G. Goodes, her coming of age coicnides with the magic of an era on the brink of social revolution at the end of the conservative 1950s. Lisa’s colleagues may all be dressed in the titular dark uniforms of the cocktail dress department, but they prove to be an exotic sales force. As these women encourage Lisa to alter her style, sense of self, and view of the future, much to their surprise she inspires major change in their own lives.

After an award-winning season in 2016, Queensland Theatre has brought their successful production back to Melbourne – arguably the fashion capital of Australia – by way of Sydney and Brisbane. The return season of Ladies in Black sees Sarah Morrison reprise her role as Lisa. She is rejoined by Carita Farrer-Spencer as Mrs Miles and Bobby Fox as Rudi; the latter provides a significant portion of the production’s comic relief.