About Face - A Fitting Tribute

There are two great moments in the history of flight. The first was the propelled flight of the Wright Brothers. The second was the flight of New Zealand's Julian Harp, who strapped on a set of wings and flew away. For the first time since Julian's ascent into history, the woman who lived with him reveals the story behind the myth.

– Publicity material for A Fitting Tribute

Barry's long hair and bizarre behaviour and apperance were later to go into my story 'A Fitting Tribute' in which the hero, Julian Harp, makes wings out of stolen umbrellas. . . Beneath the comedian and the clown Barry was an exceptional literary intelligence and sensibility, a serious reader, a natural critic...

– CK Stead on how his longtime friend Barry Humphries provided inspiration, in Stead's 2020 book You Have A Lot to Lose - A Memoir 1956 - 86, page 105

I wrote a fantasy, a short story called 'A Fitting Tribute' about a character I called Julian Harp, who solves the problem of engineless flight. He recognises that when a man lies on his stomach and flaps his arms, the wing-tips point forward instead of back like a bird’s: so he must contrive the means to fly lying on his back, and he succeeds, constructing models, and then his final set of wings, out of the struts of umbrellas which he steals  . . . The story is told by his girlfriend, who has had a child by him. She knows what he was really like and that the sanitised hero who is becoming a national icon bears no resemblance to the real Julian: but when she tries to tell the true story she’s not believed.

– Author CK Stead describes his original short story 'A Fitting Tribute', Newsroom website, 23 April 2023

For a long time I thought he had nothing on underneath.

– Nicky (Lucy Sheehan) recalls Julian Harp’s favourite outfit, an oilskin raincoat, in part one

I know that monologues are not meant to work on television  . . .  But I knew that if I found the right person, it'd go. And I found Lucy. She's a pretty zany character in herself. Her personality lent itself to the part.

– Director Greg Stitt on casting Lucy Sheehan in New Zealand's most ambitious screen monologue to date

I've done documentaries in the past, and my favourite subjects are people with obsession. I like to let them rave at length, because people are at their best when they're talking about things they care passionately about. 

– Director Greg Stitt on exploring obsession in his work on-screen, in the About Face press kit

Julian's letter writing campaign...he was obsessed with it. He somehow developed this theory that he could bring the government down over the right issue. His secret weapon was to invent a group of letter writers to the newspapers, and then have them stir up a controversy.

– Nicky (Lucy Sheehan) on her lost boyfriend Julian Harp's plan to cause controversy, in part one

Oh God, look at that one. What a goober!

– Nicky (Lucy Sheehan) mocks old film footage of failed attempts to fly, in part twoo

I became aware of every muscle on my face, and I guess the television audience will too, with my mug on-screen for half an hour  . . .  I was lucky with the director Greg Sitt and with the crew  . . .  It was like working with an ensemble. 

– Lucy Sheehan on the challenges of appearing in every scene of A Fitting Tribute, in the About Face press kit

Then it just hit me — they were bird wings, of course they bloody were! Julian was just delighted, he leapt up and he kissed me really passionately. And after that, we knew, he'd simply have to fly upside down...

– Nicky (Lucy Sheehan) recalls the moment Julian Harp shared his idea of solo flight in part two

Oh God, look at that one! What a goober!

– Nicky (Lucy Sheehan) mocks old film footage of failed solo flight in part two

Funny, isn’t it? I’ve still got a special feeling for umbrellas. Somehow I just can’t resist them…

– Nicky (Lucy Sheehan) on helping source Julian Harp's umbrellas in part two