There's nothing more Australian than a barbie on Australia Day. Or is there? Set in 'the typical little Aussie country town of Coriole', Johnathan Biggins' 'Australia Day' shares the shenanigans of a small community's Australia Day committee.
The play tells a familiar story about what it means to be patriotic and how we fit into a culture of groups who are all battling to have their voices heard (though all the while forgetting that as much as we are different we are all the same). Chris Betts, Paul Bishop, Louise Brehmer, Barbara Lowing, Lap Phan and Bryan Probets do a sublime job of bringing life to their cultural caricature roles while being able to transition flawlessly between the light and heavy moments.
The characters are bold, laughs are aplenty and in what could be described as a typically Australian manner, humour is utilised to soften the blow of some heavy-hitting political and social issues (lines like “There are more people working in cafés than mines!” and “Yeah, but we aren't selling blueberry muffins and lattés to China”).
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At its roots, ‘Australia Day’ is an hilarious, yet poignant, satirical critique on social/ cultural constructs and stereotypes — using sharp humour that often cuts both ways. The big personalities and their carefully crafted script play off subtle, lighthearted colloquialisms against the darker side of who we are as a nation without ever showing any particular bias. ‘Australia Day’ is a joyous, confronting and heartwarming story that should definitely be seen before the season ends.
