The dream I dreamed

The Australian: "WHEN he was 18, Michael Orland sat down in his flat in Newtown, in inner-city Sydney, and began to write some songs. It was 1975, and he hoped one day to stage his own original musical. Thirty years passed. He married, had three children and built a successful sound hire and installation business. On his 50th birthday he decided it was time to act. Orland found a director and cast, hired an orchestra and secured a venue. In July this year, after a gestation of 35 years and a personal investment of almost $400,000, Beaudy, a contemporary adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty tale, debuted at Sydney's Parade Theatre with a cast of 17, a 12-piece band and 20 original songs.