The Deb

The Deb burst onto the stage like a meteorite, igniting excitement at the humour, warm complex characters and exciting tunes – all in a brand-new theatre on Sydney Harbour.

There was even an after-show party (I’d forgotten what those were) with guest of honour Rebel Wilson – an alumnus of ATYP, who shelled out a million dollars to help build the company’s new 196 seat theatre and financed the musical.

In the first scene, fabulously frocked dancers descend the stairs like ballroom champions as part of the idealised vision of what a debutante ball should look like in the imagination of Taylah Simpkins (Katelin Koprivec).

Not fitting the stereotype of a dainty damsel, she is struggling to find a partner for the ball in her drought-stricken outback town, dominated by alpha males and competitive females.

Into her world comes cousin Maeve Brennan (Charlottes MacInnes) who has been freshly expelled from high school, for instigating a protest at an assembly that went viral and humiliated her headmistress mother.

The two worlds collide - the country town which values the institution of the Deb as a fun celebration of youth, and the city perspective that it is a throwback to when women were paraded around like stock at an auction.

There is a delicious mix of music and choreographic styles, from a dress swishing showgirl number (“A Girl Must Always Be A Lady”), to somersault hip hop with a Hamilton flavour, to a thrashing rock song set to a game of Rugby (“Score”).

A few tunes stayed in head – “In the Spotlight” and “My Own Kind of Me”.

The issues traversed ranged from the ever so contemporary social media humiliation to time immemorial challenges of being an awkward teenager.

What makes it interesting is that both cousins go on their own separate journeys, where there is a day of reckoning for their poor behaviour which is surprising and heart-warming.

And there are some touching minor character threads in the musical.

Tara Morice (Shell) who was the original Fran in Strictly Ballroom channels this production in the role of the ballgown seamstress, who is being wooed by the down-at-luck mayor of the town, Jason, played by Jay Laga’aia.

Almost stealing the show in the second act was Monique Sallé in the song “Ugly”, who was hilarious in the role of out-of-control show business mother Janette.

Eliciting just as many laughs was a surprising appearance by a certain high-profile politician in his Hawaiian shirt and ukulele.

The Australian Theatre for Young People wanted to make a big splash with their first production in their new home, and the long drought of Covid frustration has well and truly broken. 

Word around the after-show party was that Rebel Wilson is hot to make The Deb into a movie musical with a level of intrigue about what role would suit her?

Theatre goers should rush to see the stage version while they can.

David Spicer

Photographer Tracey Schramm