Reviews

Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly (December 1854 – 11th November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police murderer. By far our most famous bushranger, he is best remembered for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout with police, which resulted in his capture. Originally interred in an unmarked grave, his remains were reburied in the cemetery at Greta, Victoria on 20thJanuary 2013.

2019 has given the Wharf Revue creators – Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phil Scott – a wealth of material with which to work. Their sharp eyes and mischievous minds have crafted a revue that maintains the trademark of their brand: cutting satire interspersed with a few serious moments. Politics and parity loom large this year – and nothing is redacted!

Hard Sell is contextualised as form of auctioning of circus talent, where the performers are determined to outshine their competitors in the hope of being selected by talent scouts. The idea of creating a showcase which focuses on the pressure and importance of the graduating class performances is ingenious. This provides a great structure for the individual artists to own the stage and test their talents to the fullest.

It begins in traditional style: in the dead of night, two men – brothers - carry an eviscerated corpse wrapped in black plastic.  Their mother has ordered them to dump it in a mine shaft.  They don’t; they bury it in a shallow hole at Broken River.  We know the body will be found and somebody, besides this pair, will be in big trouble…