Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

It sounds like it’s going to be a parody, or a front for something else. But no, Wool! A History Of Australia's Wool Industry: The Musical, is exactly what its title promises.

In focussing on the pioneers of a newly-colonised nation, this could be Australia’s Hamilton. But instead of a flamboyant titan of the financial, military and publishing worlds, it’s about a sheep farmer.

Kit Richards claims her story of John Macarthur and his wife Elizabeth is ‘about 70 per cent historically accurate’, though it feels educational enough to be more, even if some aspects of their story are skimmed over. Not least the taking of the land, which is acknowledged, but superficially.

Richards has an agenda too – always useful in art – in trying to make sure Elizabeth is given full credit for her important work, since 200 years of patriarchy has underestimated her contribution to the industry on which this nation was founded.

There’s also a pivotal conflict betweenJohn Macarthur and  governor William Bligh, before he was mutinied against on the Bounty, though the drama of this flashpoint could be played up more than Richards can manage alone (even with the accompaniment of on piano and occasional counterpoint lyrics)

It’s not the only part of the story that could that needs to be drawn out more, making this version feel like something of a work in progress. As, too, does Richards’ patter between the songs, which fills in some of the story as well as sharing her feelings on the choices she and her director made in realising the show and musing on her life in general. These pseudo-stand-up sections, not delivered with full confidence, feel underpowered and often irrelevant, though they do establish her as a winsome personality with earnest enthusiasm for her obscure subject matter.

But the songs are entertaining and musically strong, with sweet melodies and a witty flair to many of the lyrics and rhymes. There are no super-catchy numbers and not much variation in style, but it’s all very entertaining.

Richards clearly has ambition to do justice to these early settlers, and it’s easy to imagine how this musical  could eventually be realised as a full work, with more voices than her own covering the roles and her placeholder monologues replaced by more firmly scripted scenes. I’m seeing a chorus line of dancing ewes already…

Review date: 11 Apr 2019
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival