Sydney Reviews

Left – Drew Forsythe. Cover – Jonathan Biggins. Photos – Brett Boardman

A dwarf review for The Wharf Revue just wont do, but without succumbing to spoilers, a short, sharp review of this short, sharp REVUE should give an unabashed thumbs up.

Drew Forsyth has the foresight of hindsight, as does Jonathan Biggins and Phil Scott, who tickles his ivories and our funny bones with master strokes intent on pianist envy.

Subtitled Patriotic Rag, this year's The Wharf Revue, serves up the expected excellence in satire, through sketch and song and sophisticated silliness.

Creators and curators of this time honoured template to the trends and tropes of the twenty-first century, Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phil Scott, are joined by Blazey Best in a ninety minute romp that wraps up a year with Trump in the White House, Abbott waiting in the wings like the ghost of Banquo, and Kim making disastrous Korea moves.

Blazey Best blazes as Jacqui Lambie, Michaelia Cash and Julie Bishop, and her Angela Merkel has a palpable poignancy as she sings new lyrics to The Gorilla Song from Cabaret.  

In a trans gender twist, Drew Forsythe nails Pauline Hanson, who “didn’t come in the last shower” and wonders if tickling the ivories is a form of oral sex, “I arks you!”

Phil Scott's rap ranting horror haircut hip hop Kim Jong-un is a terrifying treat.

There's a playful parody of the ABC panel show, The Insiders, and Clarke & Doyle, a fine tribute to the late John Clarke.

A series of historical video press conferences from the likes of Louis XIV and Vlad the Impaler, historical tyrants talking in Trump speak is inspired lunacy and strangely scary, while the show's finale has Jonathan Biggins as the Twitter tweeting twit, Donald Trump, presenting a late night talk show. His impersonation of the preposterous potentate POTUS is world class.

Lights by Martin Kinane and sound and video design by David Bergman enhance the mirthful ministrations of this quad of patriotic piss-takers.

By jingo, it's your patriotic duty to see it.

Sydney Theatre Company presents
The Wharf Revue 2017: The Patriotic Rag
Written and created by Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott

Venue: Sydney Theatre Company | Wharf 1 Theatre
Dates: 25 October – 30 December 2017
Bookings: 02 9250 1777 | www.sydneytheatre.com.au

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