THEATRE: tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalz!
Ramone t-shirts outsell Ramones albums by ten-to-one, and Jonny Rotten is a reality TV star. Punk is dead, right? Mike Packer’s play introduces us to tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalZ!, an ageing punk band who never quite made it. But old punks die hard, and when big business wants to use their song to advertise credit cards they have to balance principles with the need for cold, hard cash. Some of the comedy depends too much on British cultural references which falls a little flat with the Sydney audience but the characters are universally recognisable, from drug-addled rockers to an ambitious PR girl. Well-judged timing and a comically dark script keep the laughs coming throughout and live music, performed with real energy by the cast feels authentically punk. A scandalous amount of swearing, bad taste jokes and poignant plot-twists all come with a suitably in-your-face delivery – riotous good fun.
Sep 8-Oct 13, Darlinghurst Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Potts Point, $20-37, darlinghursttheatre.com
BY TOBY BOON
