Alana’s Score: 4.5 feather dusters
You enter the glorious Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent and take your seat. Betty Blokk-Buster takes the stage in all her saucy hausfrau glory. “I vant to mek you heppy!” she cries. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d gone back in time to 1975 and that Reg Livermore himself was up there wielding a feather duster…
Instead, it’s the sensational Josh Quong Tart in this reimagining of Livermore’s groundbreaking Betty Blokk-Buster Follies that took Sydney by storm in the 70’s. It’s brought to the stage (and updated) by Red Line Productions, who’ve incorporated some of Livermore’s original content and engaged writers Mary Rachel Brown and Louis Nowra to bring it into the 21st century.
Directed by Craig Ilott, the show is undeniably a triumph. It’s a full-on cabaret romp, with Quong Tart embodying various Aussie battlers in skits that are interspersed with stunning musical numbers.
It’s clear that this production takes its cues from the original, with many elements hinting at the show’s predecessor – Brian Thomson’s set includes a fake proscenium covered in coloured globe lights, and costumes by Tim Chappel include unforgettable items such as Betty’s ranchy maid outfit and various sumptuous capes. Trent Suidgeest’s lights are spectacular and take the whole thing to the next level.
And while many of Livermore’s original tunes have been kept in (Billy Joel’s Captain Jack and Leo Sayer’s The Show Must Go On) the carefully chosen contemporary musical numbers are really what bring it forward for today’s audience. There’s Kate Bush’s Wow, Macy Gray’s Sexual Revolution, and an incredibly powerful rendition of Johnny Run Away by Tones and I.
Musical Director Andrew Worboys heads a fabulously tight band who are on top form. Quong Tart is supported by a trio of dazzling singer-dancers – not that he needs support. His vocals are spot on, at once moving and powerful, vulnerable and fragile.
It’s a staggering performance. See it if you can.
Alana Kaye – Theatre Now
Photography Credit: Kate Williams
