It’s a wonder that our 28th Prime Minister and everybody’s favourite onion enthusiast ever made it this far. That’s the feeling production team George Glass gives us in Abbott! The Musical as it arrives in Melbourne after a sell-out season at Adelaide Fringe earlier this year.
Complete with music performed by a live band, the material has been skilfully rewritten to account for the September 2015 spill. George, PR advisor to the then-PM and the play’s straight man, delivers the opening monologue following Abbott’s ousting from office. Then we jump back in time to 2013 and business as usual, with Nic Conway’s eerily on-point Tony Abbott. It’s almost a shame that we’re seeing the end of Abbott just as we’re given the impression we’ve all been waiting for – complete with prosthetic nose and an appetite for onions.
But the material helps soften that blow, reminding us of Abbott’s love for three-word slogans and his tendency to confuse the terms ‘woman’ and ‘housewife’. The team pull big laughs with a clever ‘quote’ sign that lights up whenever Conway quotes Abbott verbatim. A minimalist set focuses attention on the strong script and performances.
The ensemble play on our preconceived impressions of the cabinet, giving us a malicious Peter Dutton, a Julie Bishop miffed at the idiots around her, and an elitist Joe Hockey. Alister McMichael injects Hockey with visceral energy in the show-stopping ‘Fuck ‘Em All’, and the band impress with their range.
The ending is a little anti-climactic, returning rather abruptly to the departure of Abbott and George from their offices. A closing number in which Turnbull ascends to the top job would’ve been a welcome denouement. Then again, we wouldn’t want to pull material from anything that George Glass might treat us to next year.
Impressive in its currency, cringe-worthy in its accuracy, and cathartic in its irreverence, Abbott! The Musical is a must-see for anybody still shaking their head at the 28th Prime-Ministership that was.
Abbott! The Musical will be at Tuxedo Cat – The Atrium from Sep 21-27 at 6pm, Oct 1-4 at 11pm. Tickets $20-$25. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.
