Budgie smugglers and belly laughs!
By Heather Forbes
Fresh from the Adelaide Fringe comes Abbott the Musical for the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, a somewhat raw, and at times raucous, ‘retro’ musical parody and political satire. The show is very entertaining, at times hilarious, and otherwise mostly funny with its parody and satire of well-known characters, quotes and events from our recent painful political past.
The show’s original music and script are the product of the Adelaide–based comedy troupe George Glass which consists of three of the production’s actors: Dan Murnane, Alister McMichael and Nic Conway. Real musical and comedic talent energize the production, with songs such as “F*#k ‘Em” sung by a egomaniacal Joe Hockey (McMichael), and a highly sexually-charged “Won’t You Spill With Me” by Malcolm Turnbull (Murnane) and Julie Bishop (Lisa Harper). Conway as Abbott and Murnane as Turnbull steal the limelight as they take their well-impersonated characters into the realms of the absurd (moreso than the other actors). providing many belly laughs. However, the absence of Abbott’s foil or shadow character, Peta Credlin, is a disappointment, as her part in his downfall would have provided great fodder for these satirists.
The use of a ‘Quote’ light to highlight original quotations adds weight to the sharpness and punchiness of the show’s wit, and the magic of suspense. Unfortunately the show’s content is hindered by the limitations of the staging, the poor mixing of the music versus the lyrics at times, and the slackness of the scene changes. 3 & a half out of 5 stars– but still this reviewer had a good time!
Date: 23th March – 3th April
Venue: The Tuxedo Cat 293-299 La Trobe St, Melbourne.
Times: Tues – Sat 7:15pm. Sun 6:15pm
Ages suitable: 18+
Price: $10 – $27.50
Bookings : www.tixnofee.com or at the door
Theatre Press 