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PO Box 738 [email protected] MODBURY SA 5092 ABN : 93 297 960 525

SHANE WARNE - THE MUSICAL Cabaret Festival Her Majesty’s Theatre Until 9 June 2012

Review by John Wells

When Steve Waugh retired from , he averred that cricket was only a game and not something really to be taken seriously. But Waugh, with his steely gaze, obdurate will and unrelenting aggression, never played cricket as if it were a game. His every sinew suggested it was a matter of life and death. played cricket as if it were a beautiful, flirtatious, ever-changing game. A game that rewarded skill and calloused diligence, but a game rich with serendipity.

Warne was a sublime cricketer. Rare it is that the word can be applied to a chubby boofhead with peroxided locks (yeah yeah), a penchant for baked beans and big-boobed blondes with an ever-present durry, but sublime he was. It was not just the skill – the delicate variations, the bull-roarer fizz of the spin, the brilliant tactical nous – it was the sense of possibility. With the ball in his hand, anything could happen. As he stood at his mark, gently tossing the ball from hand to hand, looking around, before the deliberate walk-run and the grunting whirl, anything could happen. It was the possibility that made you linger by the radio or watch one more over. Just in case. On the field, he was in control, unhurried, respected and exacting. Warne played with confidence, ebullience and charm.

Eddie Perfect’s musical is equally sublime. This is an almost flawless production. Leaving aside the technical excellence, the first and greatest success is that the musical embraces Shane Warne in all of his complexity. It is neither a hatchet-job nor a hagiography. This is an intelligent and deeply-self-aware show that is both critical and forgiving. The critical gaze extends beyond Warne to the cricket industry, the media and the community.

The book and lyrics use both broad comedy and detailed, intelligent word-play. There is a bit of Oscar Wilde and a bit of Rodney Rude in Eddie Perfect – high-falutin’ rhymes like “Brotherhood of St Laurence” with “the River Torrens” sit easily with the low-brow “my dick is like a dingo with rabies eating your babies!” (It made sense at the time.) While there are no signature tunes you will hum on the way home, the music is engaging, embracing many styles from sparse ballad to torch song to Bollywood to Paul Robeson spirituals. Musical director Iain Grandage has arranged Perfect’s score for the Adelaide Art Orchestra with wonderful effect.

The book is episodic and selects the land-marks in Warne’s life – his chequered time at the AIS in Adelaide, his relationship with Terry Jenner, the “Gatting Ball”, meeting Simone, the SMS shenanigans and his latter-day manifestation as a derma-braised Liz Hurley accoutrement. There is a brilliant balance between the rollicking production numbers and the quiet moments. Particularly moving are the songs between Warne and Terry Jenner which hover close to sentimentality but achieve a simple and stark solemnity.

Eddie Perfect leads the cast with gusto and vigour. It is a focussed, powerful and stellar performance. His abundant and relentless talent is a joy to watch. He is assisted by an energetic ensemble cast. Some of the ensemble step out of the chorus to play specific roles: Lisa McCune as a sweet and wide-eyed Simone Warne, Shane Jacobson as Warne’s sympathetic mentor Terry Jenner and Christie Whelan Browne, outrageous as über-posh Elizabeth Hurley.

www.theatreguide.com.au Supporting live theatre in South Australia

PO Box 738 [email protected] MODBURY SA 5092 ABN : 93 297 960 525

Simon Phillips has directed this third iteration of “Shane Warne - the Musical”. His sure directorial hand shows: the pace never lets up, the stage-craft is simple and unfussy and the detail is never lost in the bombastic fun of this magnificent production.

This is an Australian musical of the highest quality.