“So, this is not a standard political satire. It is an entertaining reminder of a time when we voted for social reforms and not self-interest.”
“Biggins brings his consummate experience as a satirical reviewer to structure the 90 minutes into a memorable journey.“
Kate Stratford
4 visions of Arcadia
SOH: Playhouse
Sydney
4 – 23 Jun 2024
I miss the Keating. I miss the statesmanship he brought to politics and the notion that although you might have a working-class background, you could still enjoy well made clothes and art and music and “nice things”. That the enjoyment of all the loveliness in the world should be the provenance of the 95% as much as it is of the 5%. Australia’s master of political satire, Jonathan Biggins returns as Paul Keating — visionary, reformer and rabble-rouser in The Gospel According to Paul. The show has been doing the rounds, on and off, for a few years now. But its appeal to “the faithful” is strong. Biggins may give us a sort of warts and all version of Keating, but it is an affectionate portrayal and we are left with a vivid sense of Keating’s deeply felt beliefs and towering intellect.
Semi-autobiographical in nature, we spend an evening with Paul Keating in his office. The office itself is a grand homage to western culture. The encounter reminds us not only that “leadership is about imagination and courage: imagination to think of the big picture and the courage to see it through”, but what statesmanship looks like. Because we have not seen statesmanship since. And it reminds us what we have lost when politicians chase the latest social media moment instead of focusing on what really matters. Things such as loving the emotional space music gives us. The pleasure in something well made. The appreciation of beauty. The importance of taking care of all. And the need to say what needs to be said, even where there is nothing to be gained (“not a single vote”) as in the Redfern Speech. The need to have a vision for what we can be.
So, this is not a standard political satire. It is an entertaining reminder of a time when we voted for social reforms and not self-interest. Biggins brings his consummate experience as a satirical reviewer to structure the 90 minutes into a memorable journey. Even the vocal inflections and gestures provide a little trip down memory lane. He also acknowledges source material from Keating himself – the question time ripostes, the off-the-cuff witticisms. The moments of self-reflection when tragedy or sorrow hit are dropped in with meaningful silences. Biggins gives a lesson in how to pace and deliver a script.
There are a couple of song-and-dance numbers which serve to add texture to the script and exemplify Keating’s values. It made me want to see Keating! The musical again. For how many Australian prime ministers have an eponymous musical? For now, The Gospel According to Paul fills the need for the faithful to touch base with those times of promise.
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
