Review by Paul Towers, 22/4/25
Muriel’s Wedding, the musical by PJ Hogan, music & lyrics by Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier Nuttall. With additional songs by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus & Stig Andersson
Directed by Simon Phillips
Produced by Curve, Global Creatures & Sydney Theatre Company
At Curve til Saturday 10th May 2025
What a great way to spend an evening in the fabulously bonkers world of Muriel Heslop as she dreams about her ultimate fantasy of a big white wedding.
In 1994 this silly little Australian film, which sat alongside other antipodean musicals that made it worldwide like Priscilla and Strictly Ballroom, quickly became a cult classic. But it wasn’t until 2017 that it finally hit the stage in Sydney. Since then every opportunity to bring it over to Europe was foiled by one thing or another (mainly Covid).
So it is a huge achievement that it has finally landed in the UK and Curve is one of the co-producers.
Since its inception the musical has been tweaked but is now almost perfect.
Muriel Heslop (Megan Ellis), is a miserable girl stuck at home in a small town with the local mayor her corrupt braggart father (Darren Day), downtrodden mother (Laura Medforth) and three lazy siblings (Jacob Warner, Joseph Peacock & Lena Pattie Jones). To escape this drudgery she lives in a fantasy world where she lies constantly and the music of ABBA is her source of inspiration. Then one day she meets Rhonda (Annabel Marlow), a free-living spirit who says what she feels. This is the girl who teaches Muriel that anything is possible and together they move to Sydney.
In Muriel’s imagination ABBA (Bronte Alice-Tadman, Jasmine Hackett, Aaron Tsindos, Jamie Doncaster) constantly pop up and, using the lyrics of their songs, guide her through life. Her fantasy is to get married in a big white dress to her ultimate man (Stephen Madsen, a David Beckham look-a-like). Of course fantasies are never what they are cracked up to be and so it transpires.
This is a wonderfully bonkers production that redefines the word camp!
The opening number, Sunshine State of Mind, sets the tone for the affectionate joshing of Australians and their idiosyncrasies.
The set is a huge, versatile conglomeration of sliding panels and drop down edifices designed by Matt Kinley which makes full use of Curve’s extraordinary technical capabilities. This show deserves to tour but I doubt many theatres could stage it as it is. There is a great use of video by Andrzej Goulding.
Muriel’s Wedding runs til Saturday 10th May. Grab a ticket and have the time of your life.
Pics: Marc Brenner
https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/
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