When The Wharf Revue had its first season, Australia was less than halfway through the Howard years. As the program for this final edition, aptly called The End of the Wharf As We Know it, says “we’ve seen seven Australian Prime Ministers, eight British leaders, five US Presidents and, funnily enough, only two Russian Presidents”.
The show itself has been through changes as well. The creators – Jonathan Biggins, Phillip Scott and Drew Forsythe – have been the mainstays, but they are no longer at the Sydney Theatre Company’s wharf theatres that gave the show its name (this year they are the University of Sydney’s Seymour Centre). They are also not alone, joined in this final rendition by Mandy Bishop (who has participated previously and whose pitch perfect Julia Gillard spawned a TV show) and David Whitney.
The year 2000 feels – and is – a long time ago, but the fundamentals of Australian politics have changed surprisingly little. A song about the climate wars featuring Peter Dutton as Homer Simpson being manipulated by a Mr Burns-esque Rupert Murdoch made me reflect that climate change has been topical every year the revue has been performed.
Several of the impressions in this show, including Paul Keating, Pauline Hanson and John Howard, can equally have been performed in any of those years. This is not meant as a criticism. If this revue is sometimes used as a final opportunity to bring out some of these impressions, that is impossible to resent. Biggins’ impression of Keating in particular is so iconic that it spawned a successful one-man production of its own.
The quality of the five performers is beyond question. Even impressions that only last a moment or two – Alan Kohler or David Marr, for example – are pitch perfect. In previous years the quality of the writing has not always been equal to the quality of the performances – some degree of unevenness is probably inevitable in sketch comedy – but in this last outing, The Wharf Revue is going out on a high.
That is not to say that every sketch is equally strong. One about Miriam Margolyes filming a travel series in the outback only to encounter other British celebrities also filming travel documentaries is an amusing concept that perhaps outstays its welcome. However, the hit rate is remarkably high and as well as being funny, there is plenty of nostalgia and pathos.
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This final show also allows itself at least one moment of genuine poignancy. It is hard to believe by the end that it is all over. This is one Australian political institution that will be missed when it’s gone.
The Wharf Revue: The End of the Wharf As We Know It
Seymour Centre
Writers: Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Philip Scott
Directors: Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe
Producer: Jo Dyer
Lighting Designer: Matt Cox
Sound and Video Systems Designer: Cameron Smith
Costume Designers: Hazel and Scott Fisher
Video Designer: Todd Decker
Musical Director: Philip Scott
Performers: Jonathan Biggins, Mandy Bishop, Drew Forsythe, Phillip Scott, David Whitney
Tickets: $50-$95
The Wharf Revue: The End of the Wharf As We Know It will be performed until 23 December 2024
