THE JINGLISTS

Tamarama Rock Surfers’ The Jinglists is a perverse yet delightful absurdist musical romp exploring the world of two jingle writers confined to one dingy room: the playfully unstable Leigh and Loman, played by co-writers Warwick Allsopp and Tamlyn Henderson. Crude and uplifting jingles are contrasted with the crippling tale of love, loss and emotional stagnation. The codependent half-brothers, who sleep huddled together after their nightly puffs of laughing gas, were abandoned by their mother as children and haven’t left the room they reside in for 30 years, ensuring surreal scenes depicting the duo’s dreamlike unreality.

While the production was originally directed by Darren Gilshenan before highly successful London and Edinburgh seasons in 2010, this reworking directed by Jo Turner had the audience in stitches, with the quirky set and brilliant costume design by Jemima Snars highlighting the fantastic chemistry between Allsopp and Henderson, slapstick extraordinaires. The result is undoubtedly silly, but witty and brutally moving at times. You are guaranteed to be shocked, laugh until it hurts, and come out feeling warm and fuzzy.

Until Feb 18, The Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Level 1, Bondi Pavilion Queen Elizabeth Drive Bondi Beach, $21-33, 8019 0282, rocksurfers.org

BY MARILYN HETRELES