This year’s production of The Wharf Review, entitled RED WHARF: BEYOND THE RINGS OF SATIRE, is bright, funny and very entertaining.

This is the thirteenth season of The Wharf Review. The current Revue team of Jonathon Biggins (only on video), Drew Forsythe, Phillip Scott, Amanda Bishop and Josh Quang Tart deliver a polished performance.

There is plenty of sharp satire and brilliant caricatures and some humour that is crass or corny to fill in the gaps. The well chosen music and dancing sparkles.

The show opens with a big production song and dance routine called Carbon Tax, where we are informed, “This is how the planet ended, not with a bang but a tweet”.

This is followed by one of the show’s many highlights: Star Wars. A conscientious Malcolm Turnbull is represented by Luke Skywalker. John Howard is portrayed as a befuddled Yoda. Christopher Pyne is seen as C-3P0 and asks if you think it is easy being this annoying on Q & A. Julie Bishop, in Princess Leia mode, does the death stare. We are told you must embrace powerful friends in the west: Gina the Hutt. The Tony Abbott/Darth Vader character is absolutely wonderful.

There are thirteen acts in the show and you are treated to such pleasures as Cardinal Bolt, assisted by Sister Mirabella, versus the scientists. In the Wake Of Finnegan tells the story of a young Dubliner, Alan Joyce, and an airline called Qantas in language in the style of James Joyce. It is fast and very clever.

Farewell to Old Kabul Forever tells the tale of Afghani refugees and the struggles they face to reach somewhere like Botany Bay. The Same Sex Marriage of Figaro has hilarious operatic singing and Monsignor Pell to preside at the marriage. There is a call of The Peter Slipper Handicap with the phrases of the race caller transposed to the political world: badly injuring Turnbull’s Pride; Slippery Pete’s going the whip. It might be better if he didn’t use it on himself.

Several songs from Mary Poppins are adapted. In one of several very funny ones we hear that just a sound-bite from Julia made the opinion polls go down. It is lots of fun.

I caught The Wharf Review at the Glen St Theatre, where it runs until 20th October and I thoroughly recommend it. It then moves to Canberra and then on to the Sydney Theatre Company.

© Mark Pigott

11th October, 2012

Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- RED WHARF: BEYOND THE RINGS OF SATIRE, The Wharf Revue Team, Glen Street Theatre, Sydney Arts Guide, Mark Pigott.