The Wharf Revue team, one of the great innovations of Robyn Nevin’s time as Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company, are entertaining audiences again with their latest show, ‘Pennies from Kevin’, currently playing at the Sydney Theatre Company.

The show kick-starts with their skit, ‘Kevin Potter and the Lower Chamber of Secrets’, structured around Kevin Rudd’s stimulus package and featuring all the main political players including some golden oldies, John Howard and Paul Keating. The music is great and the barbs and one liners are better than ever.

From then on in it’s a madcap ninety minutes with plenty of highlights. There’s Jonathon Biggins playing it very droll and dull as Tasmanian Senator Bob Brown on banjo, in the skit well named, ‘Canberra’s Got Talent’. Drew Forsythe is hysterially funny as the licentious Italian PM Silvia Berlusconi in one skit and as the grandiloquent Bob Ellis in another. The very talented Helen Dallimore is great as Amanda Vanstone in the skit, ‘La Dolce Big Eater!’, and is joined by Jonathon and Drew who don flashy red dresses in a skit on Michelle Obama ala the Supremes. Helen also does a great turn as the formidable Penny Wong in the persona of a KD Laing like torch singer. Phil Scott as ever stars with his incredible dexterity tinkling away at the piano, especially with a great ditty about the perils of supermarket shopping. Phil is also great when he dons some great wigs and costumes and transforms into some of our more bellicose politicans.

The only down-times were a skit on the Democrats which felt more than a little predictable and passe, and a skit on Palestine and the Middle East conflict that grotesquely simplified the complex Middle East conflict, and its heaviness felt out of synch with the feel of the rest of the show.

The Wharf Revue- Pennies From Kevin’ season has been extended and is now playing until Wednesday December 16.