Warne-ing: A musical with spin
 
MUSICAL: SHANE WARNE THE MUSICAL
REVIEWED BY LEXI LANDSMAN
WHO would have thought that the words “musical” and “Shane Warne” would appear in the same sentence?¬†
Enter Shane Warne The Musical, an Australian-made musical about the life of cricket’s most adored and maligned hero as he battles fame, failure, fidelity and the ferocious Australian media.
The show opened last week at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney, and runs for a shorter-than-planned season until June 7.
It paints Warne in his various guises over the years: from the Aussie battler from Black Rock, to the rising star of the pitch.¬†It continues as his Australian Dream falls backward, only to later have him emerge from “the Ashes” as a champion.
A sizzling live band and an exceptional cast, with comedian and performer Eddie Perfect as Warne, bring to life a brilliant score, which fuses soul, gospel, rock, power ballads, drum, bass, opera and even a touch of Bollywood.¬†Eddie Perfect is “perfect” for the role -— one that almost seems as if it were written for him, which in fact it was -— by him.¬†
Perfect is a masterful comic performer with a vocal range that makes watching him on stage an experience in itself. There are many throwaway lines that will have you doing double takes. The song lyrics are hilarious and particularly brave.
A memorable moment (though I’m sure not for the feminists) is a scene where Warne’s head pokes out of a giant white sheet spread over the stage in an oval shape, to which he exclaims in a drunken state: “I’m a giant ovary”.¬†A favourite sequence occurs after Warne is down on his luck and his mum (Sally Bourne) sings to him about how he has burnt his career and all that’s left is “the Ashes”, which he can rise from. A brilliant play on words follows in the routine.
Credit must be given to Jewish choreographer Gideon Obarzanek, who hails from Melbourne, where he is the artistic director of contemporary dance company Chunky Move.¬†Obarzanek’s works have been diverse in form and content, including stage productions, installations, site-specific works and film, from which he has garnered much acclaim here and abroad.¬†
He doesn’t usually choreograph for musical theatre, but was approached by Perfect and the show’s director Neil Armfield -— both of whom he admires.¬†Though not a sports fan, Obarzanek proved his versatility as the master of all styles with choreography stretching from batting and bowling, to Bollywood dance sequences, marches and even to gospel revival movement.
Perfect has taken a gamble making a show about an Aussie sporting hero with a penchant for bad behaviour.¬†Maybe if it weren’t straight off the bat of the Matthew Johns scandal -— where the attitude of sportsmen towards women was thrown into the spotlight -— it might have had a lighter reception.¬†
Criticism aside, it is an incredibly well-written musical, with fresh material (though not so savoury), laugh-out-loud jokes and carefully delivered satire.¬†But Warne-ing: this is not a musical for the easily offended. So if you’re not inclined to laugh at blondes singing solemnly: “Is the sun the moon?”, or if you’re offended by swearing and men using cricket pitches in daring gestures, this musical is not for you. It doesn’t play to all tastes.
But, on another hand, this is the perfect musical for a bloke who has been waiting to take his girlfriend out for a night of theatre and enjoy the show just as much as her (although probably more). Shane Warne The Musical is a high-energy show from beginning to end. It is a welcome addition to the local theatre landscape with its innovative, creative humour delivered by superb Aussie talent. Shane Warne the Musical runs until June 7 at the Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Road, Newtown. 
 
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