The 1982 Australian rock musical extravaganza Starstruck is Gillian Armstrong’s second feature after My Brilliant Career.

Judy Garland loving, scriptwriter Stephen MacLean based the story on his own childhood growing up in a pub with his single mother and sisters in the 1960s.

Theatre designer Brian Thomson perfectly encapsulates the irreverence of the early 80s pop scene, suffused with new-wave aesthetics and a stick-it-to-the-system punk mentality. Perhaps best known for his work on both the film and original stage productions of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thomson’s sets are eye-wateringly over-the-top, matched only by the lurid costuming of Terry Ryan and Luciana Arrighi and fabulous set decoration by the Hall’s very own Lissa Coote.

These combined design forces form a memorable base for the musical sequences, with their film clip direction, manic choreography, and memorable foot stomper songs by Split Enz’s Tim Finn.

Starstruck is one of those rare titles that you love or – you simply haven’t seen yet. It has all the makings of one of the most iconic Australian films ever made. It is a neon lightning-bolt wrapped up in gaudy tourist memorabilia and plastered with love letters to a skew-whiff memory of Hollywood's ‘let’s get a show together and get it on the road’ genre.

In 2019 it was adapted into a stage musical by Mitchell Butel (Artistic Director STC) and Hilary Bell (Playwright).

What a hoot!