Acclaimed political satirists The Wharf Revue are back in Canberra, debuting their new show Can of Worms this week, much to the fanfare of their dedicated local following.
Performing at the Canberra Theatre until 20 November, their tenure marks the first performance at the venue since lockdown.
The Wharf Revue: Can of Worms is created by Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe, and Phillip Scott, and performed by the trio with Mandy Bishop.
This year’s performance, The Wharf Revue’s 21st, marks the first time they’ve independently produced a show, having previously worked with the Sydney Theatre Company.
Having long enjoyed performing for Canberra audiences, Scott told Canberra Daily the capital is an ideal place to premiere Can of Worms.
“This is where people are across politics, even if they don’t want to be,” he said. “Audiences here are always really supportive and have enjoyed it.”
Fans can expect all the usual political figures to appear over the course of the show, while the likes of Craig Kelly, Gladys Berejiklian, Anthony Albanese, and Joe Biden enter the firing line.
The ‘Wharfies’ will even bring a bit of local flavour this time around with Scott popping up ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr in a video about National Cabinet.
While the last year has certainly provided the Wharfies with more than enough material to choose from, curating a show requires determining the events that will have staying power over several months on the road to build the show around, while simultaneously keeping things fresh and up to date.
Recent changes that have been accommodated include the resignation of Gladys Berejiklian and the Scott Morrison – Emmanuel Macron theatrics of COP26 in Glasgow.
“Between us we know what people are talking about, also have to make a decision about what piece of current news is not going to mater in a couple of months’ time,” Scott said.
“As soon as you start to perform and hear people laughing you know what’s working and what isn’t.”
While the technical ramifications of removing an entire song or sketch make that process prohibitive, it does happen. Most of the time, however, they will simply rewrite or add elements to an existing number.
Scott said it’s important none of them are too precious about anything they’ve written, a lesson he learnt some time ago when working as a writer alongside John Clarke on The Gillies Report.
“I was a bit antsy because they were going to bump a piece of mine and John said to me ‘there are only two types of writers who refuse to have their work cut, a genius or an amateur, which one are you?’.”
The Wharf Revue: Can of Worms will be performed at The Canberra Theatre until 20 November; click here for more.
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