Under the Covers

Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham doesn’t mind telling people his problems. This is the champion diver’s second autobiographical cabaret, where he talks and sings about his struggles, admitting to depression, past drug addiction and plenty of bad decisions. He’s written a book about himself too.

This show is conceived as a therapy session, where he confesses everything to his sidekick/ therapist, the drag queen Spanky (Rhys Morgan) - and the audience. As Mitcham himself jokes, who would have thought such a ridiculously good-looking and successful person could have low self-esteem? 

It’s not as if his personality gives it away. On stage, he’s bubbly, always smiling and happy to note when he and his co-stars “nail” a song. He clearly loves performing and has a sweet voice and impressive ukulele skills.

The audience seems disappointed when Mitcham points out early in the show that, despite its name, Under the Covers isn’t sexy. His first cabaret Twists and Turns showed skin but here, he’s dressed in black throughout the short show (it runs an hour). The focus is on his chirpy storytelling and songs, as well as plenty of jokes.

Mitcham has interesting stories to tell, from how he told his coach he was quitting diving, to his not-so-successful appearance as a TV host at the Rio Olympics. He doesn’t flinch from criticism, reading out harsh comments posted on social media about his TV vehicle “Buzz in Brazil”.

The songs are light and breezy. A medley of TV theme songs (from The Golden Girls to Friends) is fun if predictable. The high point is a slow version of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. In moments like this, Mitcham and Spanky, together with talented pianist Matthew Ogle, hit all the right notes.

On opening night in Sydney, some of the songs and performances lacked polish. This should come. Of greater concern is the writing: while many gags hit the mark (Spanky is particularly funny), others are actually flagged but still miss their targets. His timing needs work.

Mitcham believes that athletes should be better supported when they retire from professional sport and he’s now helping others “transition”. His brutal honesty and chutzpah deserve admiration, as does his charm. But he should try turning his attention to people other than himself. I suspect he’d have very interesting observations on others as well.

Mitcham is very likeable. He needs more professional help though, not so much in terms of therapy but as guidance on how to make this show sing. 

Peter Gotting