Joh For PM

Joh For PM
Music & Lyrics: Paul Hodge. Book & Lyrics: Stephen Carleton. Director: Kris Stewart. Musical Director: James Dobinson. Choreographer: Dan Venz. Jute Theatre Company, Brisbane Powerhouse & Queensland Music Festival Production. Brisbane Powerhouse. 7 – 16 July 2017

Joh for PM reminds us that Australian politics, like the rest of the world. has always been a messy business – corruption, bribes, pay-offs, electoral fraud and corporate greed don’t have a time-stamp on them – what’s happening today sadly only mirrors what happened in the past.

Paul Hodge, who had great success Off-Broadway with Clinton – The Musical in 2015 is back in familiar territory lampooning politicians in this new musical co-written with Stephen Carleton which puts a satirical spin on the Joh Bjelke-Petersen era (1968-1987) in Queensland when he was nicknamed “the Hillbilly Dictator”.

Book-ended by a fund-raiser to send Joh to Canberra, the show roughly follows Bjelke-Petersen’s early life on the farm, his Lutheran religious upbringing, his courtship of Flo, his grab for political power, and his eventual ignominy and court case, escaping gaol time by a hair’s breath. It’s a large canvas but the authors negotiate it with punch, wit and a barrel load of laughs.

Joh is a perfect fit for stand-up comic Colin Lane, whose performance is way more than stand-up, bringing some humanity to the character, especially his awkward proposal to Flo in “Have I Told You?” Also good is “We Don’t Do That Nonsense Here”, which justifies his autocratic approach to the rights of almost anyone. Barb Lowing is a riot of fun as Flo and brings the house down with “Pumpkin Scone Diplomacy”, the show-stopper in the score. She also doubles as a funny Chief of Police.

Audience participation is used judiciously throughout with Chloe Dallimore’s turn as Nikki, host of the fund-raiser, stealing a multitude of laughs. Her lounge-singer opening in pink leotards, “Joh for PM”, assisted by Kurt Phelan and Stephen Hurst dressed also in pink spandex and with small prop pineapples on their crutch was hilarious. It was a funny routine (full credit to Dan Venz), as was the ensemble “Slush!” about bribe money paid in brown paper bags and “White Shoe Shuffle” which skewed Russ Hinze’s (Simon Burvill-Homes) Gold Coast developer scams.

The finale was also an audience hoot with the cast as Queensland politicians Pauline Hanson, Bob Katter, and Kevin Rudd et al draped in Aussie flags and singing about the Sunshine State.

Hodge has written some catchy earworm ditties and Carleton’s book is clever, with some good one-liners. Were the off-kilter staging frames of Anthony Spinaze’s set a subtle comment on the corrupt office? I don’t know but they certainly were effective. James Dobinson’s orchestrations gave the score a totally appropriate off-Broadway feel, Nathan Sibthorpe’s audio-visual work was a big plus in the overall look of the show, but the sound (no credit) was patchy with the ensemble voices frequently drowning out the lead singer.

The show lost steam midway in the first act, and the second-act ending was muddy, but Kris Stewart’s direction by and large kept it pacy and fast.

I have to say I enjoyed this one gigantic piss-take of a show, which hit the bullseye time and time again. Whether it has legs to play down South or even out of Brisbane who knows? It’s an enjoyable night out. Don’t miss it!

Peter Pinne     

Photographer: Stephen Henry      

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