| Sing for St Ned | |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Subject: | Ned Kelly |
| Genre: | historical comedy fantastia |
Sing for St. Ned is a 1951 Australian stage play by Ray Mathew about Ned Kelly.
The play was described as a "fantasia". It was critically acclaimed, receiving special mention in the Jubilee Play Competition but struggled to be produced as was the case with many Australian plays of its era. Nonetheless, it is regarded as one of Mathew's key works.[1]
The play anticipated the musical satire of later Australian works such as The Legend of King O'Malley with its use of improvisation and Brechtian techniques.[2]
One writer called it "partly a parody of Stewart's Ned Kelly, and includes group asides, soliloquies, and direct audience address".[3]
Leslie Rees argued Matthews was "ahead of his time with" the play although he also felt it "did not quite 'jell'".[4]