Keating!

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Keating! is a musical theatre production portraying the political career of former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating.

1 History
2 Plot
- 2.1 Act 1
- 2.2 Act 2
3 Recordings
4 See also
5 References

[edit] History

The show, written by Casey Bennetto and originally performed by the Drowsy Drivers musical group^[1], premiered as a low-budget show in a small venue (one of the rooms in Trades Hall), in March 2005 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.^[2] The show was the hit of the festival, winning three major festival prizes^[3] - the first time a show had ever done so.^[4]

A revised, two-act version of the show was devised by Benetto and director Neil Armfield for performance by Company B in 2006, with an extended sold-out season in Sydney. It was performed in this version at the 2007 Comedy festival in Melbourne, again to strong reviews,^[5] and has subsequently had successful seasons in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Darwin. The show is currently performing in Canberra.[1]

Mike McLeish has performed the role of Paul Keating in all incarnations of the show to date, but the supporting cast has varied from production to production. Bennetto himself has played the role of Keating's opponents in most productions; in later seasons Eddie Perfect played John Hewson and Alexander Downer, whilst Terry Serio played Bob Hawke and John Howard. Minor roles, such as Gareth Evans and Cheryl Kernot, are played by members of the backing band, who are on stage at all times.

In 2008, The Chaser performed a parody of the musical for their stage show, The Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour. Their parody was entitled 'Forde! The Musical', which portrayed Frank Forde, who is notable for being the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australian history. Andrew Hansen portrayed Forde.

[edit] Plot

Note: the following summary refers to the two-act version performed by Company B in 2006-07 at the Belvoir Street Theatre.

The musical/opera satirises aspects of Keating's rise to power in 1991 and his time in office, including the 1993 and 1996 elections.

[edit] Act 1

The first act features the following musical numbers:

The overture, which incorporates a number of musical themes present in later pieces.
My Right Hand Man, sung by Bob Hawke (Terry Serio), in the style of a 3/4 sea shanty or bush ballad, introducing the political situation of 1990 and describing Keating's mastery of the economy and his rather elitist hobbies - including listening to the "sounds of Mahler".
Do It In Style, by Keating (Mike McLeish), a swing tune in which Paul describes some of his life story, mentions his liking for Zegna suits, and describes his attempt to get Hawke to honour a deal to hand over power, known as the Kirribilli Accord (for the venue at which it was reached - Kirribilli House).
I Remember Kirribilli, a rock ballad vaguely in the style of Queen, is about Keating's desolation after Hawke reneges on the deal and Keating returns to the "back bench", and his resolve to challenge Hawke for the leadership.
It's Time (the lyric referring to a famous campaign run by Gough Whitlam in the 1970s) is a blue-eyed soul-style song sung by Keating and Hawke. It uses time, and Keating's hobby of collecting antique clocks, as a motif for Keating's belief that it was indeed time for him to take over the Prime Ministership.
Ruler of the Land, is a reggae tune. Keating sings of his ambitions for the nation, including a treaty with Australian Aborigines, an Australian republic, and to improve relationships with Australia's Asian neighbours (with a musical reference to Lazy Sunday by the Small Faces).
The Beginning Is The End, a minor-key Latin tune, is sung by Gareth Evans (played by Enio Pozzebon, who also plays keyboard in the band), Keating, and the off-stage ghost of Gough Whitlam (voiced by Casey Benetto). It alludes to the limited political life of a Prime Minister, after their extended efforts to reach the top job, and the importance of using the time available.
On The Floor is in the style of a freestyle rap battle between Keating and John Hewson (Casey Bennetto). Keating and Hewson argue over the merits of Hewson's "Fightback" policy platform, with Keating winning the battle due to his superior command of colourful invective. Hewson then challenges Keating to call an election, which Keating refuses because...
I Wanna Do You Slowly (a phrase actually used by Keating in reference to Hewson), is a slow Barry White-style funk number in which Keating's ambition to beat Hewson is comically interpreted in a sexual manner.
Antony Green is a pre-recorded musical track played over a short animation depicting the results of the 1993 election. The song is performed in scat over ukelele and the video features the crudely animated faces of Kerry O'Brien, Antony Green along with Michael Kroger (a Liberal) and Robert Ray from the ALP. This song - along with the reprise of Freaky - does not appear on the soundtrack.
Sweet musically and visually references Elvis Presley's famous comeback TV special, as Keating sings about the unexpected 1993 election victory as the "sweetest victory of all" - a famous phrase which, again, was actually used by Keating in his election-night speech.

[edit] Act 2

The Arse End Of The Earth is a ska track, serving a role as a patter song. Keating's private description of Australia serves as a touchstone for a song featuring both Evans and Keating complaining about the day-to-day issues of the economy getting in the way of their larger agenda, including republicianism, a new flag, and Aboriginal reconciliation. It also refers to Keating's belief in unfavourable media treatment from media outlets other than the ABC and SBS, and specifically refers to "pissing Rupert off".
Freaky - a funk number sung by Alexander Downer (Bennetto). Alexander Downer's short and unsuccessful turn as Opposition Leader is portrayed by Downer dressing up as Frank N. Furter from the Rocky Horror Show, alluding to an incident where a photograph of Downer posing in fishnet stockings for a competition set him up as a target for ridicule. Downer's infamous gaffe of referring to a domestic violence policy of "the things that batter" is also mentioned.
Heavens, Mr Evans - a love ballad sung by Evans and Cheryl Kernot (Kernot is played by Mick Stuart, electrical guitarist for the backing band). This refers to an incident where Evans and Kernot had an extramarital affair, while Evans was Foreign Minister and Kernot was the leader of the Australian Democrats. The song references "Sandy" from the film "Grease".
Redfern - an understated minor-key bossa nova, referring to a speech given by Keating to the aboriginal community at Redfern (a suburb of Sydney). Keating sings of the need to recognise and apologise for the damage done by white colonisation and subsequent subjugation of the aboriginal population.
Ma(m)bo - a much more upbeat mambo, about the Mabo decision by the High Court of Australia, and his attempts to use the decision to promote a reconciliation agenda.
Power - a menacing minor-key march, in which John Howard (Terry Serio) describes his intense desire for power as revenge for the petty humiliations put on him as a child.
The Mateship - a jaunty shuffle with a recurring maritime theme in which Howard sings to the nation about he is "just a bloke, a normal bloke", and how "Aussie blokes" (and no-one else) are welcome on "the mateship". The song, and accompanying changes in costume, allude to Howard's self-portrayal as a sports fan, friend of the Australian soldier, and farmer, though the song implies that these are only costumes. The song also refers to the Battle of Gallipoli, the "children overboard" affair, Howard's criticism of political correctness, and his use of immigration as a political issue. Some of these events occurred after Howard's subsequent election as Prime Minister.
Choose Me is a slow rock duet (vaguely similar in style to The Beatles' Oh! Darling) between Keating and Howard to the electorate, both beseeching the voters to "Choose me".
The Light on the Hill (a famous phrase coined by former Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley to describe Labor's overarching goals), is a country-influenced ballad in which Keating laments the trends in the 1996 election, concludes that he is doomed electorally, and sings of his unachieved dreams and with some bitterness at what he seems as the backward-looking message of his opponent. He refers specifically to the Division of Oxley, where populist anti-Aboriginal and anti-immigration candidate Pauline Hanson was elected as an independent.
Historical Revisionism is a recap, in which the election tightens dramatically and a single polling booth — the theatre in which the musical is playing — returns the final results, and the winner is Keating. Howard concedes with the line "Well I'm sorry...that I lost" (a reference to his decision not to support a formal apology to the Aboriginal people, and his unwillingness to apologise for any of his actions throughout his subsequent term as Prime Minister). The song segues back into a recap of "Ruler of the Land". As the title indicates, Keating did not in reality win the 1996 election.

[edit] Recordings

A live recording of the original version played at the Sydney Opera House is available through the Keating! Website.^[6] A full soundtrack recording of the revised version is available from Company B.^[4]