A fading Sydney showgirl is up against the ceaseless march of gentrification on Kings Cross in Trevor Ashley’s new festive panto. If you’re in need of a good belly laugh from the queen of drag cabaret (rolled in glitter, with a heavy hand of rude jokes thrown in) to see out the year, Moulin Scrooge! is the night out for you.
Taking inspiration from a certain blockbuster musical that is currently lighting up the Sydney stage, this outing at the “Moulin Beige” has a fraction of the budget, a whole lot of cheek – and we would argue, ten times the entertainment value.
Co-written by Trevor Ashley and longtime co-conspirator Phil Scott, this madcap cabaret follows Ashley as showgirl Saton (as in “sat-on her face”), who is caught in a love triangle with penniless would-be composer and bogan from Brisbane You-in McGregor (Jarrod Moore) and the disgraced but rich AF Duke (of York) (Stephen Madsen). All the while, she is fighting a tickle in her throat, and fighting to save the old school Kings Cross strip club she calls home (literally and figuratively) from being shut down. The club is run by the glamorous mistress Astrid Zeneca (played by Les Girls legend and national treasure, Carlotta). With the addition of Jakob Ambrose (Frozen the Musical) as Too-Loose Lautrec, this all-singing, all-dancing ensemble is a delight to watch.
Like any good panto, this show is crammed with hyper-local references, and the seedy underbelly of Sydney’s own Kings Cross supplies ample ammunition (poor innocent You-in McGregor wasn’t aware that the bohemians have all moved on to Enmore). In addition to this, if you have any kind of current knowledge about the local theatre scene, the references packed into Moulin Scrooge! will have you in stitches. Special mention to Ashley’s number that parodies the arguably senseless use of Katy Perry hit ‘Firework’ in Moulin Rouge! The Musical; and the procession of wigs, moustaches and prop cameras enacted for director “Clip Williams’” ambitious vision for one-woman show “The Picture of Florian Gay”. That is a fine example of the high art of drag parody, right there.
The biggest drawcard to head to the Seymour Centre for this show, however, is the chance to see Carlotta doing what she does best. Following on from her turn in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on the Gold Coast, this true legend of the Cross, the stage and the telly is in fine form. Sporting an enviable wardrobe dripping in sequins and feathers, Carlotta dishes out hilarious songs, physical comedy and bogan-tastic one-liners. There's Kath and Kim-esque banter between Saton and Astra (banter that you’ll need to leave any qualms about fat-shaming humour at home for). It is clear that Ashley’s mission with this show is not only to stage a witty panto, but to platform the formidable woman who made what he does as an entertainer possible.
This show packs an impactful, self-aware slice of entertainment. Even a genuine technical malfunction on opening night became a moment of hilarious camp entertainment, as Saton struggled with a disruptive, crackling microphone. If you care more about the humour and the performances than dazzling, big-budget staging – and if you get the references – you’re in for a good time. And we pause to reiterate, the humour gets downright crude.
True to form, this show runs longer than it really needs to – all the best bits, including the dazzling choreo from burlesque performer Rhys Bobridge, could be condensed into one act. It would also be even better if Moulin Scrooge! was performed as a dinner show (nab one of the cabaret seating tables if you can) – but we’ll take it any way we can get it.
Moulin Scrooge! runs at the Seymour Centre until December 18, 2022. For more information and tickets, go here.