In this delightfully unhinged tragicomedy set on the sunny Gold Coast during the wet hot height of schoolies, one young woman named Dido’s mission to get her estranged father to take her to Movie World (and also to lend her some cash) descends into chaos – by way of spicy money-making exploits with her new twink step-brother, a hot tub choppered onto a highrise roof, and a human head in a freezer.
A one-time winner of the Patrick White Playwright’s Award, Hot Tub comes from the mind of Lewis Treston, the mad genius behind Hubris & Humiliation (a memorable and fabulous farce set in post-plebiscite Sydney and mounted by Sydney Theatre Company as a highlight of Sydney WorldPride). Meanwhile, for some reason (many reasons, probably) Hot Tub has been considered “unproducible” for close to a decade. What a treat for willing audiences then, that independent producer Bub and director Riley Spadaro teamed up with Belvoir 25A to bring this larger than life show to the humble Downstairs theatre in Surry Hills.
Shamelessly crass and Aussie to the core, Hot Tub carries many of the great hallmarks which made Hubris & Humiliation such a hit. Pantomime-like-levels of camp and perverse parallels to the humour of Kath & Kim aside, Treston is able to pack in clever and unexpected deep cuts when it comes to commentary about the superficiality and greed that underlies modern life in Australia, as well as broader ruminations on the meaning of life. At the end of the day, life is just moving chips around the table (or you know, whatever Dido's dropkick dad said).
My favourite quotes include: “Your heart chakra is full of dead dolphins, do you know why that is?” (spoken by Dido’s dad’s new age-y wife), “Not to play devil's avocado…” (said by a roided-up gangster) and “Hmm, too many doths” (said in response to a Shakespeare-quoting, surfer tradie with legs for days).
Expect more confetti cannons than you'd ever think are necessary, surprise karaoke sing-a-longs, rousing group choreo, a flawless cast of seven actors (and more big personalities than that) and yes – even a crafty staging of a rooftop hot tub.
Hot Tub is playing until December 22, Downstairs at Belvoir St Theatre, Surry Hills. Find tickets over here.
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