Hands on buzzers because the RocKwiz Revue is on the road and heading to a town near you for a look back on the year that has been.
This November, Julia Zemiro, Brian Nankervis, Dugald McAndrew and the RocKwiz Orchestra will be live onstage in a raucous review of the events of 2018 while pulling punters up to test their rock knowledge.
After the success of previous live incarnations of the popular TV show, quizmaster Brian Nankervis says he can't wait to do it all over again.
“I'm a little bit excited because we did 31 live shows last year and really by the end of it we felt like we could do another 30, we were having so much fun. So I'm excited we're hitting the road again,” Brian says.
“There's something about touring, which is obviously wonderful fun, but there's also something about doing a run of shows.
"We found last year that by about the fifth or sixth show we had under our belt, we used essentially the same script but I changed the questions up each time because some of our performers are the same so you can't have the same questions. But because we use audience members, that makes it really, really exciting.”
A mix of quiz show, comedy, karaoke and concert, the RocKwiz Revue presents audiences with a chance to test their musical knowledge and enjoy live performances from a bevy of guest stars, all the while giving a good roasting to 2018.
“It's going to be looking back at 2018, obviously honouring anyone who has 'left the building', so to speak,” Brian says.
“We'll do that but we'll also have a whole lot of questions about the year, the major events, so it will still be music-based but there will be a few general knowledge things and we might roll in some politics. As the name suggests it's a revue, like a revue show, but it's also going to review the year.”
As for who will be appearing as a special guest this year remains to be seen, with Brian preserving the show's tradition of keeping them a surprise. “Part of the RocKwiz thing is to keep the guests a secret,” he says.
“At the start of the show Julia says 'alright, who can it be now?' and gives out the clues... we like to preserve that excitement. But I think what RocKwiz audiences have come to expect is that we will have a real mixture.
"We'll have a veteran or a heritage artist or household name, then we'll have an up-and-comer. It will be acts that they know, definitely, and then there'll be acts that perhaps are less well-known.”
As the man in charge of selecting the audience contestants, Brian tells us the best strategy for making sure you get a spot on the stage. “You find me in the foyer and you convince me that you have got what it takes, and I can do that,” he says.
“I have three sets of questions: the first set are for the foyer to get the twenty four [contenders], then I've got another set to get that twenty four down to four and then we've got the questions for the actual show, so it's quite a process.”
RocKwiz Revue Tour Dates
Fri 16 Nov - Civic Theatre (Newcastle)17-18 Nov - Anita's Theatre (Wollongong)
Mon 19 Nov - Canberra Theatre
Tue 20 Nov - Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
Thu 22 Nov - Thebarton Theatre (Adelaide)
Fri 23 Nov - Palais Theatre (Melbourne)
Sat 24 Nov - Costa Hall (Geelong)
Sun 25 Nov - Ulumbarra Theatre (Bendigo)
Sat 1 Dec - Fremantle Prison
Sun 2 Dec - Bunbury Stage One Theatre
Sat 8 Dec - Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
