Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical: A Comedy Festival must see
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

13.04.2023

Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical: A Comedy Festival must see

1 / 6
Words by John Gorski

I’m no psychic, but I’m 100% confident that no human being hears ‘musical’ and thinks ‘elephant man.’ That’s about to change. Following its sell-out run at the 2023 Adelaide Fringe, the utterly hilarious Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical is coming to Melbourne’s Chapel off Chapel. Next stop: Broadway.

Most modern musicals fall into two categories: those so long-running they’ve become household names (Les Miserables, etc) and those that highlight the shortcomings of these shows and the theatrical traditions that produced them (& Juliet, etc). Both categories are fit to burst with brilliant productions – Six and Come from Away to name two – but the Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical is nearly impossible to categorise.

Explore Melbourne’s latest arts and stage news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

The producers call it a ‘dark gothic fairytale,’ which it is… but you could just as easily call it a ‘bawdy Victorian rom-com.’ Reviewers have described the show as ‘Beauty & The Beast meet the Book of Mormon and Rocky Horror Picture Show seducing Gene Wilder’s wonderful 1974 movie Young Frankenstein, as told by Billy Connolly!’

So what is The Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical? I’ll tell you what it is: it’s the original Australian production that stole the show at this year’s Adelaide Fringe, the winner of the much-vaunted 2023 Critics Circle Award and – most importantly – a Victorian fuck ton of fun. Few people had heard of Elephant Man before this year, but when you look at the cast and crew, the show’s rise and rise begins to make sense.

The original script and score was written by a team of Melbourne-based professional musicians: Marc Lucchesi of Vaudeville Smash, plus Jay and Sarah Nandagopan. The trio had been working on the musical on-off since 2018, but the lockdowns gave them the trumpeting-space they needed to bring it to completion.

While the ink on the scripts was still wet, the show debuted at the 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. There it was discovered by entertainment entrepreneur and independent filmmaker, Chris Mitchell, who introduced it to the production’s new Olivier award-winning co-director, Guy Masterson.

The cast is impressive too. Opera Australia’s Ben Clark and Kanen Breen bring their considerable vocal firepower to the titular protagonist and dastardly antagonist roles. Meanwhile, Annelise Hall plays the appropriately named Nurse Hope with tear-jerking earnestness. No review has gone without mentioning co-creator and cast member Marc Lucchesi’s turn in literally all of the best bit parts in the show, and mine is no exception.

From the irreverent opening number at the freakshow, to the nail-biting finale in the hall of mirrors, the show is well-acted, beautifully-sung, and tightly-choreographed by none other than Eden Read. The show I attended at the Adelaide Fringe ended in a standing ovation. Not the kind where punters stand up because they feel like they should; the kind where everyone stands up spontaneously. It’s that good.

The only negative thing I have to say about the Marvellous Elephant Man, is that it’s only in Melbourne for a week. Joseph Merrick will tread the boards at the wonderful Chapel off Chapel in Prahran, from the 18th to the 23rd May 2023. Better still, the Victorian run features two new cast members: Tod Strike and Troy Sussman, who are legends of the Aussie musical scene.

Despite having watched Elephant Man twice (I enjoyed it so much in Adelaide, I decided to go again), I’m still no closer to working out how to summarise the show. Given the austere Presbyterian arches and stained glass triptychs of Chapel off Chapel, it’s tempting to conclude my review with the ‘gothic fairy tale’ description used by the producers. But instead I’ll say this. If you see one show this year, make it Elephant Man. And if you see two shows this year, go twice.

★★★★★

Tickets selling fast for this one-week only show! Buy them here.