First up for the night was the Wharf Review, this time
called Looking for Albanese, obviously channeling Looking for Alibrandi. Also obviously with suggestions of a
tentative government, perhaps justified after 2019. Again the four Wharfies, variously musicians
and scriptwriters and singers and performers.
The themes are various characters in Australian and occasional International
political matters. The short sketches
are (almost?) always pop or musical numbers rethemed and relyricised. Oh, and a lengthy rhyme from Katy Gallagher
as Finance Minister. The whole started
with four singing dummies then through all manner of pollies. I noticed a preponderance of skits on Labor
matters, no doubt following the election that trounced Morrison and his
do-nothing spendthrifts. I don't think
Dutton, leader of the opposition, even appears (think Yepon/Yeppoon: I have no
idea of spelling but I'm not from Queensland unlike Dutton). Barnaby and Katter as apt. Jackie Lambie appeared as a boot-skooter to
introduce and sing at Tamworth. The
Greens got a spot as the alt.Wiggles.
Amusing if pretty obvious. There
was a fabulous scene of Gillard, Keating and Rudd at National Conference. Similarly, Albanese was consistently
believable. The night started fairly
tame, I thought, with limited laugh and applause, but finished with a take on
West Side Story and Albo and mates, with dance/song numbers from the Rumble and
Gee, Officer Krupke. Most impressive and
the biggest laugh and best received and apt as the last number of the
night. Not the belly laughs of previous Wharves
that I've seen, but they are a hoot.
Jonathan Biggins, Mandy Bishop, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott appeared in the Wharf Review called Looking for Albanese at the Canberra Playhouse.
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