” a great piece of new Australian musical theatre.”
Beth Spencer
4 Stars
Melbourne Fringe Festival Festival Trades Hall
At Your Service Theatre Co.
Even if you’ve never heard of Jack Karlson before, it doesn’t matter. Prepare for a fun, crazy, and laugh-out-loud night at the theatre at this delicious musical.
This wildly funny piece with book, music and lyrics by Rick Butler and Kate Stewart is based on a 1991 incident that later became one of Australia’s first viral video memes. In a case of suspected credit card fraud, Jack Karlson was arrested as he left a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. As he was bundled into a waiting police car he delivered a rousing speech containing several now immortalised phrases including “Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest”, “I’m under what?”, and “Get your hand off my penis!”. In the heat of the moment Jack maintained it was a case of mistaken identity exclaiming “What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”.
The contents of this now-famous speech have provided inspiration for this very funny and chaotic musical that was a hit with the opening night audience at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. The audience were taken on a journey through Jack’s life story leading up to that fateful day, including his abusive childhood, his numerous brushes with the law, his escapes from custody, and his meeting the love of his life. Throw in several references to Judo, a few nods to classic musicals, and a veritable buffet of Chinese meal puns, and you have a highly entertaining and energetic piece that kept the audiences enthralled and laughing throughout.
As Jack Karlson, Rick Butler delivered a fantastic performance, transforming in Eliza Dolittle style from an ocker Australian to an eloquent fraudster coached by Max Newstead in his role as Jim McNeil, Jack’s prison friend. Max’s beautiful and soaring voice was a highlight of the show as he mentored Jack to become a more dramatic and sophisticated criminal. Hot on their trail was Constable JJ, played by Melissa Glinn, who combined witty dialogue and physical comedy in her pursuit of Jack. Victoria Luxton provided a seductive and strong presence as Eve Karlson and Kate Stewart portrayed the corrupt Captain Richard Richardson with determination, despite struggling with a not quite adhesive moustache. A standout in the cast was Tisha R. Kelemen who played “Everyone else”. She transitioned from character to character between scenes in a comical and clever way, as well as hitting some very impressive high notes.
With musical direction by Vincent Huynh and accompaniment by Jeremy Kindl, the music was original with the occasional nods to the musical theatre canon. The transitions between scenes were very effective and the staging and lighting helped to keep the pace of the piece moving. Clever use of props and costumes enabled the cast to transition between multiple characters in this tale of Jack’s life.|
This was a great piece of new Australian musical theatre. The cunning way that Rick Butler and Kate Stewart have woven the elements of Jack’s viral speech into this musical story of his life makes for a very entertaining way to revisit this infamous moment in Australian history.
4 out of 5 chow meins
Beth Spencer, Theatre Now
