Muriel’s Wedding

Muriel’s Wedding – The Musical is a hoot and a half. Well, for the first half at least. If it loses steam in the second it’s because the plot takes a darker turn.

Based on the 1994 movie, the musical has been adapted by the film’s original writer P.J. Hogan who has cleverly updated the story with the leading character becoming insta-famous on social media. She’s still ABBA obsessed, and the homage to the Swedish group is a big part of the show with the band members becoming characters in Muriel’s dream-story, but she’s still the socially awkward, constantly put-down, fantasy living girl we all loved from the film.

The satire of small-town life is exuberantly mocked from the opening “Sunshine State of Mind” with the cast in swimmers with surf boards and sunnies, to Bill Heslop’s development in “Progress”, which included a block of units in the shape of a peeled big-banana. That’s just one of the visual delights in Gabriela Tylesova’s Pandora’s box of designs. But the big city doesn’t escape the satiric thrust with Sydney portrayed as a den of iniquity in this high-spirited musical of irresistible fun.

Although she has less stage time than Muriel, Stefanie Jones was a standout as bestie Rhonda. Wild and uninhibited as she partied, to strong and stoic as she negotiated her illness, it was a performance of depth aided by powerhouse vocals, especially the duet with Natalie Abbott’s Muriel, “Amazing”.

With Toni Collette’s iconic movie turn fondly remembered, Abbott had big shoes to fill as the wedding obsessed protagonist. That she quickly erased those memories was testament to her ability and Hogan’s musical reworking of the character. She earned the comedy in “Mr and Mrs Shkuratov”, the sequence when she finally marries her gay Russian swim-star, but it was the eulogy to her mother, “My Mother”, that brought the pathos.

As the father-from-hell, David James’ sleazy small-town politician Bill Heslop was a riot of brilliant one-liners as he held court in the local Chinese restaurant, whilst his squeeze-on-the-side Deidre Chambers was in excellent hands with Chelsea Plumley.

Laura Murphy’s Tania was way OTT, as were her cohorts in bitchery, Catty Hamilton (Cheryl), Rachel Cole (Nicole) and Imogen Moore (Janine), but it worked for the characters, making a meal of “Can’t Hang”.

Stephen Madsen’s buffed Russian swim-star oozed sex, and was a sympathetic partner in Muriel’s fantasy, whilst Pippa Grandison’s Betty came into her own with “SOS”, assisted by the ABBA Greek-chorus in a sea of mist, presumedly on their way to heaven.

Kate Miller-Heidke and husband Keir Nuttall’s score was poppy, with occasional nods to Katy Perry and Beyonce, while Isaac Hayward’s music charts seamlessly integrated the ABBA hits into the whole musical fabric.

Tylesova’s costumes were a primary palette of colour, Andrew Hallsworth’s dance moves were frenetic, and Simon Phillips directed with a sure and experienced hand.

At times euphoric, at others hysterically funny, it’s a pleasure to welcome Muriel to the stage.

Peter Pinne

Photographer: Jeff Busby