Theatre / “Pride in Prejudice”, The Wharf Revue, directed by Johnathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe. At The Playhouse until November 5. Reviewed by JOE WOODWARD.

ANOTHER full house and some of the loudest laughs one has heard at “The Wharf Revue” over more than 20 years of performances!

Text and very sharply nuanced performances of superbly drawn characters ensured a most unforgettable night’s theatre. The Wharf Revue has become more than a simple revue; the satire and the lampooning are cleverly targeted at political, social, cultural trends and currencies. This can be enough to evoke laughter while making the audience squirm in parts.

The injected serious commentaries on race and gender sometimes veer into didactic territory with no political side escaping attention with some issues highlighted by a departure from the comedic presentation.

I sometimes wonder though, if the revue format limits the potential for some really exciting and penetrating theatre as was the case with “The Gospel According to Paul” by Jonathan Biggins.

Theatregoers praise and lament the wit of such luminaries as Oscar Wilde while possibly ignoring the incredible writing and performances of Australia’s Wharf writing and performance team.

“The Wharf Revue” is an iconic institution within the Australian entertainment scene. This 2023 “Pride In Prejudice” presentation is as good as it gets; it is funny, comically tragic and very targeted for an enthusiastic audience.

Much of the comedy was featured on a screen with clever musical numbers featured and a guest appearance by Kevin Rudd, played by one of the show’s creators and long-time performer/musician, Phillip Scott.

Jonathan Biggins, Mandy Bishop, Drew Forsythe, David Whitney and Andrew Worboys worked with a devastating intensity of a highly tuned ensemble. Visually, there were stunning images on screen and stage and occasionally with some big surprises such as the robodebt robot.

So where to from here? The average audience age on the opening night was certainly over 60. While the price is within the range of acceptable theatre packaging, one must ask the question as to where is the young audience? Is “The Wharf Revue” with its totally exceptional talent now dated in style and format and so limited to an audience where wordplay, puns and satire resonate only with audiences who have trained in the use of irony and paradox and who actually read news.

Are the characters being presented (such as Jacqui Lambie) even known to younger audiences, who may see them as basically irrelevant to their lives and to their future? I doubt many people under the age of 25 have even heard of The Wharf Revue; let alone the style of its presentation. This is a pity, because what is performed on that stage is very high-quality performance.

This is a challenge for the artists who create and present the work.

“The Wharf Revue” needs to be seen by everyone with a concern for our culture, politics and society while also needing a laugh and an understanding of the absurdity of it all. Perhaps it is time for the team to consider spin-offs that might find a way to shape the material and content for younger audiences. Is there any reason why the initial “Pride in Prejudice” scene that opened the Revue couldn’t be conceived as a comedy play in its own right?

So with full houses and loud, echoing laughter, what more could The Wharf team do? Perhaps it is time to seek additional vehicles for presentation while not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. How might the work be made more relevant and accessible for younger audiences?