AUSTRALIA DAY

Inspired by events during his time as an Australia Day Ambassador in NSW, The Wharf Revue’s Jonathan Biggins has written a hilarious new play that asks one of the most important questions of our time – is the beloved sausage sizzle too monocultural? Australia Day is set in a small country town and takes a satirical swipe at the grassroots politics of a typical organising committee behind and during the big day celebrations. Cleverly scripted in the great Australian tradition of self-deprecating comedy, the play opens up the sensitive debate on our national identity. Using the cringingly believable dialogue between the central characters, it is a lighthearted platform that prompts the audience to ask much deeper cultural questions on what it is to be Australian in a multicultural society. The production has brought together a strong cast of seasoned comic actors, many of whom opened the play in Melbourne, including the quintessential Australian Geoff Morell as the Mayor and Wharf Revue regular Valerie Bader as the CWA representative. Witty and insightful, Australia Day is a timely, or should that be timeless play, which resonates long after the curtain has dropped.

Aug 22-25, Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market St, Parramatta, $35-59, 8839 3399, riversideparramatta.com.au