If there’s one way to get excited for this year’s Melbourne Cup, it’s by going to Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical, a delightfully witty and heartwarming (though deeply unserious) production centred around the legendary horse’s life.
Never did I think I’d witness a Magic Mike-meets-cabaret mashup starring Phar Lap and his whip-thrashing jockey, as they learn to work together, but I’m not mad about it. This is just one of the hilariously creative scenes that occur in Steven Kramer’s hilarious new production, Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical.
Written by Kramer during “peak COVID”, the musical tells the story of legendary New Zealand-born racehorse Phar Lap, and his monumental rise to fame and glory alongside trainer Harry Telford. In what Kramer calls “the true underdog story”, the audience sees Phar Lap’s growth from a scrawny, thick-accented Kiwi, fresh off the boat, to a dominating, speedy thoroughbred.
The horse puns are rife throughout the play, from the opening announcement (“Please turn your phones off, any bright lights or noise will spook the horses”) to the side-splitting quips about ketamine and glue. Kramer’s book is both dynamic and gloriously cheesy, while the intoxicating jazz number, steeped in 1920s flair, gives the show an irresistible toe-tapping rhythm.
Opening number “The Race That Stops The Nation” sets the scene for a high-energy, hilarious commentary on horse racing and gambling, with the Announcer (Manon Gunderson-Briggs) delivering her lines with powerhouse confidence, moving the story along with excitement and the perfect amount of urgency. The anticipation for the musical is sky high in the beginning, as black and white projections of twentieth-century racers and bookies light up the stage while Gunderson-Briggs’ commentary fills the theatre. And they’re off!
READ MORE: Phar Lap The Musical gallops into Hayes Theatre, and we got a sneak peek
The mane attraction
It’s hard to pinpoint a favourite character in Phar Lap: The Musical. Joel Granger (who you may recognise from Australian productions of The Book of Mormon and West Side Story) was perfect as the titular character, whether he was whining in a Kiwi accent about “having a stetch” or whinnying and galloping around the stage.
The loveable horse’s bond with trainer Harry Telford (Justin Smith) is captured beautifully, with both performers highlighting Telford’s unwavering faith in Phar Lap, long before anyone else believed in him. The pair’s connection shines through in the heartwarming (yet hilarious) number, “We’ll Stick Together Like Glue”.
A special shoutout has to go to Shay Debney as high-pitched jockey Jim Pike and Lincoln Elliot as Phar Lap’s “half-brother” Nightmarch. These two were delivering laugh after laugh, and Jim Pike’s entering number, “I’m Gonna Ride You”, had the audience whooping and giggling throughout. Nightmarch’s physicality was spot-on, a swaggering bad boy who made ‘lil bro’ Phar Lap quake with nerves. Elliot couldn’t have delivered the line “clip, clop bitch” any better.
Amy Hack played the manipulative betting woman, Madame X, based on a real-life punter by the name of Maude Vandenburg, who won over 150,000 pounds in her career. Her grating voice and snobby demeanour made her the perfect villain, especially when paired with Phar Lap’s American owner, David Davis (Nat Jobe). The two plotted to use Phar Lap’s success to win big, with their lack of care for the horse juxtaposing Telford’s sincerity.
Another standout element of the production is its choreography. Elen Simpson masterfully blends tap, jazz and ballet into the show, from Phar Lap’s clumsy-to-graceful training montage to the infectious, pulsing dances during the chaotic “Hoof Doof” dance. Granger’s graceful and fluid movements are another reason he makes the perfect Phar Lap.
READ MORE: Opera Australia adds an extra week for Phantom of the Opera
Showcasing Aussie creativity
Phar Lap: The Electro Swing Musical is the feel-good evening we all need. Not only is it genuinely hilarious, driven by a hugely talented cast, but it also showcases Australian theatre and creativity at its finest. Kramer stresses that Australia is “so quick to import our art and culture”; however, productions like Phar Lap prove that there’s plenty of homegrown talent right here in Sydney.
Kramer told us at one rehearsal, “We are committed to changing the dominant narrative: that with rare exceptions, only imported productions of musicals can be commercially successful in Australia.”
I encourage you to go see Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical before it ends its run at the Hayes (on November 22). Not only will you leave in a better spirit than when you went in (with a stomach that hurts from laughing), you’ll also be supporting a show that deserves a lot of love and accolades.
So this is your sign: get off your high horse and head to the Hayes.
Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical
Where: Hayes Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point NSW 2011.
When: October 17-November 22.
Price: From $60 per person.
