Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett

Chrissy Amphlett was never the kind of artist who could be confined neatly between stage wings. To capture her spirit requires something equally uncontainable, messy, eclectic, playful, and defiant. Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett, co-created by Sheridan Harbridge and Sarah Goodes, succeeds in doing exactly that. This new cabaret is not a straight biographical retelling, nor is it a jukebox concert. Instead, it’s a richly woven piece of entertainment that balances scholarship with swagger, honouring Amphlett’s legacy while refusing to tame her.

The writing is intelligent and poetic, with imagery such as a striking crow metaphor threaded through the narrative, culminating in a finale that feels cathartic and electrifying. The dramaturgy is smartly structured: instead of traditional biography, Harbridge and Goodes offer a kaleidoscopic portrait shaped by songs, anecdotes, and re-enactments. It’s a history of Australian rock and roll royalty refracted through performance, not pinned down by it.

Perhaps the most striking quality of Amplified is its research depth. This is no hollow “greatest hits” tribute. Instead, it is rooted in Amphlett’s own words, contextualised within the cultural battleground she entered and reshaped. That grounding gives the show both weight and integrity, and positions it as more than nostalgic entertainment. It genuinely feels like an important act of cultural remembrance.

Harbridge is magnetic at the centre of it all. She resists the easy trap of impersonation, instead opting for a loving homage, capturing Amphlett’s essence without carbon-copying her. Her charisma is undeniable: one moment she’s a commanding rock vocalist, the next a wry storyteller, then suddenly a fragile figure offering startling intimacy. She moves seamlessly between comedy, pathos, and raw physicality, and her rapport with both audience and band is palpable.

The music, under the direction of Glenn Moorhouse, is as dynamic as the storytelling. Some numbers stay faithful to the Divinyls’ originals, satisfying the diehard fans in the crowd. Others are stripped back, slowed down, or reimagined acoustically, allowing the lyrics and Amphlett’s emotional core to surface. The result is a concert-theatre hybrid that continually surprises. Moorhouse himself is a standout, delivering dazzling guitar work (his solo in Boys in Town is sensational) and providing a supportive presence opposite Harbridge.

The ensemble is tight and characterful. Clarabell Limonta’s keyboard playing and crystalline backing vocals bring delicacy and texture, while Dave Hatch (drums) and Ben Cripps (bass) keep the energy pulsing with rock-solid rhythm. Together, they form a band that feels like more than accompaniment, and much like collaborators, sharing easy camaraderie with Harbridge and feeding off the audience’s delight.

Design elements elevate the production without overshadowing it. Paul Jackson’s lighting evokes the grit and spectacle of classic rock gigs, while also sculpting moments of intimacy, ensuring focus always lands precisely where the storytelling demands. The transitions between modes, from concert to confession, anthemic to delicate, are handled with fluidity by Goodes’ direction, keeping the pace lively and the energy shifting.

This show totally rocks, but it also resonates. There is a special exaltation in watching long-time Divinyls devotees light up at the first chords of beloved songs. Harbridge and Goodes have crafted a cabaret that is affectionate without being reverential, entertaining without being frivolous, and ultimately, as fearless as its subject. Amplified celebrates a woman who refused to play by the rules, and in doing so, it reminds us why Chrissy Amphlett still matters.

Kitty Goodall

Photography by Pia Johnson