‘Amplified’: An Electric Love Letter To The Rebel-Queen Of Aussie Rock

It’s impossible to tell the full story of a person who lived a life as varied as the iconic frontwoman of Divinyls in under two hours, but I can scarcely think of a better way to capture her portrait than in Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett, returning to the stage after a thoroughly sold-out season at Belvoir St Theatre. 

Spearheaded by the creative trio of writer/performer Sheridan Harbridge, director Sarah Goodes and musical director Glenn Moorehouse, Amplified truly lives up to its name as an exquisite reflection of, history lesson about and love letter to Chrissy in all of her rebellious glory. 

Compared to other tribute shows to historically beloved musical acts, Amplified feels different from the beginning. This is distinctly not a concert, but a cabaret – a fact solidified as it begins with Harbridge taking to the stage in her first of many charming reflections on Chrissy as an artist and icon. 

It’s impossible to avoid becoming immediately endeared to Harbridge, already one of my favourite Australian artists creating work for the stage, as a performer from the moment that Amplified begins. Rather than try to truly become Amphlett, Harbridge feels more like an appropriately foul-mouthed scholar on the subject of the Australian rebel-queen who instead chooses to channel her energy through a mosaic of facts, stories and adoration that create a beautiful artwork about this utterly singular woman. 

This framing is exactly what makes the show so special, and is Harbridge’s greatest achievement as both writer and performer: she’s able to convey what made Amphlett such a singular force in Aussie music history by making her influence feel self-apparent. In a sense, she’s able to let Chrissy speak for herself. 

Amplified lets Chrissy Amphlett speak for herself

It also helps that Harbridge and her accompanying band are absolutely stellar at performing these songs. Lacing spoken word and musical performance together in perfect synthesis, the performers know that this music is always best played loud. The truly stunning renditions of stone-cold classics like Boys In Town and Pleasure and Pain, are made all the better by an exceptionally talented band led who help Harbridge make these songs transcend the barriers of space and time. 

And although Harbridge doesn’t try to replicate Chrissy’s style exactly – she does an excellent job throughout explaining exactly why no one truly can – she nonetheless replicates some of her performance antics with remarkable accuracy. I hesitate to spoil them if you’re yet to go, but expect some audience participation if you’re at the front of a stage or in an aisle seat, to put it mildly!

I feel it’s practically impossible to avoid enjoying Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett purely as performance, but what you may not expect this show is just how thoughtfully outrageous it is in depicting an icon of Australian music. 

Anchored by Sheridan Harbridge’s incredible performance and script, Sarah Goodes’ direction of her and Glenn Woodhouse’s musical prowess, Amplified is an utterly brilliant show in all facets and a must-see for anyone with an interest in the myth of Chrissy Amphlett, the history of Australian music, or the performing arts in general – the appeal is that broad! 

Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett is playing at the Seymour Centre until April 25th.