All that glitters: The Sapphires returns to Canberra

Posted on 19 May, 2026

When set designer Richard Roberts was a child, a visit to a puppet maker changed everything.

“I was entranced by the creation of another little world that could transport audiences to another time or place,” he says.

From there, a childhood fascination with building miniature sets and writing plays was born. Decades later, that same passion is what continues to bring Richard’s sets to life, including this month’s highly anticipated Canberra Theatre Centre and Queensland Theatre Company co-production of The Sapphires.

The multi-award-winning musical, which was also turned into a hit film, is based on the incredible true story of writer Tony Briggs’ mother, following four young Aboriginal women – Gail, Cynthia, Julie, and their cousin Kay – who leave their mission community in the late 1960s to audition as singers. Under the guidance of talented but unreliable Irish musician Dave, they transform into a soul group, navigating personal, racial and romantic struggles to travel to war-torn Vietnam to entertain American troops.

Photography: David Kelly

Directed by theatre legend Wesley Enoch, the musical features 1960s soul classics including Respect, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss) which will leave audiences filled with nostalgia, says Richard.

“Music has such a powerful way of conjuring memories, it all just floods back,” he says.

“I was a child at the time, and much of the audience may have been too. It’s such a joyous show and every time the audience’s reaction is wonderful to see.”

Richard has collaborated with Wesley over 10 times throughout his extensive career as a set designer, and this marks the third time he has designed for The Sapphires, having designed the original 2004 production and the 2010 tour.

It’s no easy task to move from scenes in rural Australia to war-torn Vietnam along with capturing all the glamour of the stage, but Richard says this time around, they could make a few extra additions.

“I grew up during the Vietnam War, and for the first time we saw it on our TV live with these visceral images. So one of the first things Wesley and I decided is let’s lean into the TV footage and images for the set, now that they are more accessible than they were when we did The Sapphires 20 years ago,” he says.

Photography: David Kelly

For the first time, Richard is also behind the costume design, which he approached with care, collaboration and meticulous research.

“Early on I said to Wesley, ‘let’s not make this a parody of the 1960s with beehives and heavy makeup of the 1960s.’ I didn’t want to accentuate the extremes of that period, I wanted to approach the look with a sense of affection,” he says.

“My approach to costuming is, the clothes you offer are to portray a character and support the cast.”

Photography: David Kelly

As a designer who has spent a career privileged to help tell vital Indigenous stories, including the acclaimed play Stolen in 1998, Richard says revisiting The Sapphires came with “enormous responsibility.”

“It’s such a joyous and powerful story about Indigenous people rising above, and the racism and hardships they endured,” he says.

“I admire the Aboriginal positivity in the face of such hardship and it’s a testament of their resilience.”

For Richard, the most “thrilling moment” of a production is seeing it all come together after months, or sometimes a year, of hard work.

“It’s that moment where we’ve built the set, they bring the costumes down, the lighting’s on, and it’s the most fabulous moment. Then the most crucial element: the audience comes in, and you listen and watch their responses, and hope it all pays off. I love that about live theatre.”