Kelly is a 2012 Australian play by Matthew Ryan about bushrangers Ned and Dan Kelly.
Ryan started writing the play in 2008.
Ryan said "It was really the desire to tell a story about two men in a jail cell with one about to be executed while the other gets to walk away as a free man. The idea of it being the Kelly brothers just popped into my head one day. I grew up in Kelly Country as a kid so I was already well-versed in the mythology."
The play was acclaimed and toured extensively.
Premise
"Ned Kelly is about to hang for his crimes. But his final night in prison is interrupted by the arrival of his brother Dan, disguised as a priest. Supposedly killed at the Siege of Glenrowan, Dan is intent on moving north to Queensland and forgetting his past. To do so, he needs Ned's blessing and forgiveness. But the last time they saw each other, Dan tried to shoot Ned dead."
References
- The Kelly Gang Returns at Scenestr
- "Matthew Ryan, playwright, Kelly". Weekend Edition. 5 March 2015.
- Play description at APT
External links
- Kelly at AustLit
- Review of 2012 Brisbane production
- Review of 2015 Geelong Production
- Review of 2015 Brisbane production
- Review of 2015 Canberra production
- Review of 2019 Brisbane production
