Admittedly my expectations for “Keating!” were high before I walked in. After all this was the show that had cleaned up at the 2005 Melbourne Comedy Festival awards, taking out several gongs including the coveted Barry.
In terms of seeing an entertaining show I wasn’t disappointed. This was a show full of infectious tunes, covering a gamut of genres, from rap to the blues. These numbers were delivered with conviction and skill in front of an energetic and accomplished ensemble backing band.
The major performances were strong, with the standout being Mike McLeish in the lead role, where he sparkled with the kind of charisma that was typical of Paul Keating himself. The most developed of the characters, Paul Keating was presented as a smooth, charming, “man of the people”, albeit in Italian shoes.
My main concern before going to this show had been that I wouldn’t pick up the political subtleties in the material. However, the opposite situation seemed to present itself. Many of the numbers relied heavily upon stereotypes, becoming, at times, little more than one gag songs, padded out by repetition into full musical numbers.
During the course of the show we see the character of Keating all but beatified, whilst John Howard is whittled down to a single dimension, that of a power hungry force for evil. Like most of the characters in the show these are caricatures of the people they represent, set up to play off each other for comedic effect. Writer and co-director Casey Bennetto presents us with a very simple scenario: Saint Paul was our saviour whereas Howard was and is the very devil himself. However, comedic constructs or not, these broad characterisations leave little room for true political commentary or incisive reflection.
There were, however, littered throughout the show, moments of true comic pleasure, with some of the physical gambits providing the most unexpected moments of hilarity, Paul Keating tap dancing being an early highlight.
There is no doubt that this is an enjoyable show. However it’s reputation as a must see comedy show seems a little unfounded. This show is accomplished but lacks the incisive wit I was hoping for. This is not a show which I would describe as “comedy”. Rather, this is a fun musical with a few good laughs along the way.