Quick facts – The Grumpiest Boy in the World

Who is the composer of The Grumpiest Boy in the World?

Joseph Twist is one of Australia’s finest composers, working across film music and concert music. His music crosses genres including ancient vocal music, opera, contemporary orchestral music, jazz, music theatre and cabaret.

Joseph Twist has received wide acclaim for his music for film and television including the successful animated series Bluey, as well as arrangements and orchestrations for many major motion pictures produced in Hollywood.

In 2023, Victorian Opera presents a new production of his 2015 commissioned work The Grumpiest Boy in the World at Arts Centre Melbourne.

What is the plot of the opera?

After the orchestra has tuned and we have welcomed the conductor by clapping, the stage lights come on and we see Zachary at his craft table drawing. Zachary is bored with the real world and wants to create exciting worlds where he is King, where it is always lunchtime at school, where he can tame a lion. His mum puts his artwork on the fridge which disappoints Zachary as his greatest story ends up in the kitchen and goes no where else. He wants more from life he wants his work to be celebrated in the great art galleries around the world.

At school, we see his class getting ready for their class photo and Zachary complains about how all the other students get talked about except him. Next, two scientists appear to explain why Zachary’s life is so ordinary. They go through the facts: he is aged 7 years and 4 months and lives in the 9th house on 10th street. In fact, he is so ordinary that his dreams are the same as all boys his age. He is very extra ordinary. Zachary’s Mum says being ordinary is very normal but reminds him that there are many different people out in the world. This inspires Zachary to return to his drawing to create a new and exciting world where he truly is extraordinary and the stage changes as Zachary’s imagination comes to life.

First in this magical world of Zachary’s we meet a giant. Zachary marvels at how different they are until the giant points out that they are wearing the “same blue watch with the button on top”. This starts to upset Zachary as he wants to be different and doesn’t want everyone to be so agreeable. As he calms down from his encounter with the giant, he meets a very hairy creature called Dot and she tells Zachary that everyone in this land has a beard! She sings very high and slides down low, she likes Zachary. All is well until it becomes clear that their mum’s say similar things. Zachary wants to be completely different and when the Teeny Weenies arrive, who are exactly like Zachary just smaller, it all becomes a bit too much.

Zachary climbs a hill to be by himself, until he meets two characters that appear completely different to him. The Sleepy Bird wakes from its snooze and tell Zachary about a dream where it was climbing a tree and then it saw a dog with a dinosaur head. The same dream that Zachary had. This makes him frustrated again. As he leaves the Sleepy Bird, he meets the Jelly Faced Squirrel Monkey, with roller-skate legs.

He tells this character that he is angry to which the Jelly Faced Squirrel Monkey replies that they are too! Is Zachary ever to find someone that is not like him?

In his frustration he walks until he then finds a place with lots of people, which makes him wonder if this place will be different.

This place is called Grumptown and Zachary finds that everyone is very grumpy and competes to be the grumpiest person. Zachary explains how he gets grumpy, and the town different and extraordinary – being the grumpiest.

When he returns home, he goes to his room and continues to draw.

Who are the main characters, and who are they played by?

Zachary Daniel Szesiong Todd & Josh Morton-Galea

Mum Saskia Mascitti

Dad Noah Straughan

Scientist 1 Chloe James

Scientist 2 Nicholas Beecher

Giant James Billson

Girl Breanna Stuart

Bird Lisette Bolton

Grump 1 Maria Woodford

Grump 2 Hartley Trusler

Squirrel Faced Monkey Amanda Hargreaves

What can I expect from this opera?

A family friendly work that runs for an hour, is sung in english and is full of wonderful music, has bright and fun production elements and features wild and wonderful characters.

By Evan Lawson.