The Dismissal: An Extremely Serious Musical Comedy lives up to its name as an engaging, compelling and hilarious retelling of one of Australia’s most (in)famous moments of the 20th Century - the Governer General’s dismissal of the Whitlam Government in 1975. Director Jay James-Moody has coordinated a balancing act of the absurd and the grounded.

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Sir Garfield Barwick’s machiavellian political manoeuvring runs right along his portrayal as an undead lich, the humanity lent by Octavia Barron Martin’s fantastic performance as Sir John Kerr is bolstered by his unabashed and gloriously queer crush on Malcom Fraser (Andrew Cutcliffe) - which presumably falls into the realm of artistic licence rather than historical accuracy. Presumably!

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There’s a wonderful synthesis at play here, the heavy stakes of a nation holding its breath as its economy is held to ransom pairing with Andrew Cutcliffe’s sublime depiction of Malcolm Fraser singing about how the world belongs to private school boys. Justin Smith, who shines as an incredibly human and evocative Gough Whitlam, manages to stay one step ahead of the nonsensical tempest that rages throughout the play. While his Deputy Prime Minister (Joe Kosky) and Minerals & Energy Minister (Georgie Bolton) are being swindled by a delightfully lecherous international loan shark (played by the supremely charismatic Monique Sallé - who stole almost every scene she was in) in an over the top vaudeville scene, Gough continues to play the straight-man as an a compelling and relatable protagonist for the show. His numbers are more focused on lamenting or contrasting the absurdity of Australian politics, not highlighting them like most of the production. The Dismissal doesn’t sacrifice the depth and seriousness of this landmark moment in Australia’s political history with its humour, but if anything, only enhances it. The clown-show that is Australian politics is all on stage here, as ridiculous now as it was then, only highlighted by the pre-show montage of recent political scenes from the last decade played through a delightfully period accurate 70’s TV. The stage, minimal but dressed with enough highlights to really help the performers and writing shine, is host to an incredibly engaging and supremely absorbing show. The Dismissal, equal parts a critique and showcase of Australia’s often absurd political scene, has got to be one of my favourite musicals of the year.