Dallimore cranks up the bass

What is the first thing one does when turning on the stereo? You crank up the bass. But does anyone ever stop to think about the person behind the sound?

What is the first thing one does when turning on the stereo? You crank up the bass. But does anyone ever stop to think about the person behind the sound?

Chloe Dallimore asks that question in her show, The Double Bass, which plays at the Fringe Festival.

The play revolves around a weary musician growing frustrated with the solitude of life in the back of the orchestra pit. It explores the relationship between the musician and their instrument, but more importantly, the relationship that the artist has with herself.

In addition to her formidable talent as a singer, actor and dancer, Dallimore, who wowed audiences with her award-winning performance as Ulla in 2004’s ‘The Producers’, is also a trained double-bassist. She draws heavily on this experience in recreating this role, adapting  Patrick Suskind’s work to be performed by a woman for the first time in the show’s history.

“To me there is something so identifiable in this role,” said Dallimore.

“The universal theme is that of the unacknowledged ‘worker’ who feels undervalued. I think that’s something that everyone can identify with, not just artists.”

Patrick Suskind, best known for his critically-acclaimed novel Perfume, penned The Double Bass in 1980, and it was first performed in Munich, the author’s hometown. Since then it has been performed widely, notably by actor Henri Szeps at the Ensemble Theatre in 1990.

The Show plays at the Seymour Centre in Sydney from September 13.