Reviews
As we’ve said many times, nobody trusts media reviews any more. Even so, we must have been doing something right.
PROTOTYPE REVIEWS
“Destined to become this year’s major Australian cult musical, “Eurobeat” dazzles with kitschy brilliance and beguiles with its spoofy, all-embracing multicultural humor.
With its sweetly naive take on national stereotypes, “Eurobeat” is an epically delirious hoot, equally engaging for those unfamiliar with the subject it’s lampooning and for those merrily in the know.”
VARIETY
“Celebration of kitsch is a wicked delight. Eurobeat is immense, well-observed fun…tight yet authentically over the top dance and comedy routines that rival the real thing…costume, lighting, set and sound design are all spot-on and the multi-tasking cast are excellent”
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
“…simply sensational…they are having an absolute ball, as will you… It’s a winner, no contest.”
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (SYDNEY)
“Irresistibly silly lampoon if a universe beyond parody …funny, clever… priceless”
THE AUSTRALIAN
“…the ultimate interactive theatrical experience….overwhelmingly entertaining…. if the capacity audience’s response on opening night was any indication, it looks like Eurobeat is set to achieve cult status in its own right.”
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
BRISBANE 2009
“Eurobeat is funny, frivolous, and fabulously over-the-top….it’s a great night in the theatre, and without a doubt, the funniest production of the year.”
STAGE WHISPERS
“Is there enough time for the entire population to see this show, now playing at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC? Perhaps not, but prepare yourself, if you manage to get a ticket, for a night of singing, dancing, clackering, rewarding laughter and a respite from real life. Laugh? Yes, you will.
ARTS HUB
“The show gets you good from the moment you enter the theatre, you’re ready to have as much fun as can be had this side of Sarajevo…..the best thing about Eurobeat however, is that it’s an experience designed to be shared. So grab your friends, family members and workmates and vote for one of the best musicals to come out of Australia in years”
SCENE
“Eurobeat is less a piece of musical theatre, more an immersive life experience. Resistance is entirely futile.”
AUSTRALIAN STAGE
EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL 2007
“… a consistently amusing piece of musical mocker….with a spot-on new British cast, this gigantic tickle of an Australian import will almost certainly shift south of Edinburgh before too long.
ONSTAGE SCOTLAND
“…instantly, wonderfully funny….the audience participation angle is played for all its worth…. at the performance I attended the crowd seemed to be on a manic high even before the house opened.
The script is laden with broad but clever satire and withering innuendo. Between them, the show’s three choreographers have devised movement that is slick and camp. The songs, delivered by a versatile and tremendously spirited young cast, are hook-filled hoots.”
THE SCOTSMAN
“THIS show does, with affection, charm, and lashings of camp… this is a very silly show, perfect for a drunken night out, but it’s also a deceptively clever one, equally enjoyable sober. Trusting its audience to get the joke, it is almost never more OTT than it needs to be.”
EVENING NEWS
“Even Terry Wogan himself can’t disguise his love of Eurovision (telling the audience it’s his pension) and how could you? What’s not to love about it?”
Ten songs are performed, each one a winner if truth be told….but this is not just a comedy, nor just a musical, it’s perhaps the first interactive musical. Audience members, who have already been decked out with flags, badges and clackers in the queue, text in with their choice of favourite song. This multi-cultural spoof is fantastically over the top and gloriously kitsch. The creators have taken everything that’s bad about Eurovision and made it brilliant. A very, very long run at the West End is surely destined to follow.”
THE HERALD
“….the show plays out almost exactly like the real thing, but arguably with slicker performers and superior melodies. There’s the obligatory baffling performance plus cheeky send-ups of Bjork, Abba and Kraftwerk. Terry Wogan even puts in a pre-recorded appearance…”
THE METRO
”Oh God – a musical tribute to Eurovision? Yep, predictably this noisy, rabble-rousing spectacle – ten songs, a recorded introduction by Wogan, ridiculous outfits, voting by mobile to finish – is about as camp as Graham Norton listening to Bucks Fizz in a camper van.
The ten songs are cartoonish, shambolic delights: Russia have a boy band dubbed ‘the new kids on the Eastern bloc’, Italy’s combines opera, rap and The Twist; Iceland’s is just plain weird. Eat your heart out, Scooch – this show’s a winner.”
THE NATIONAL STUDENT
Finally… SONG CONTEST ALMOST EUROVISION crushing it in Melbourne
“Achingly funny …. the more over-the-top it got, the funnier it became… … a license for rampant partisanship, bribery and enthusiastic participation.”
HERALD SUN – 5 STARS
“…phenomenal performances … blew us away…trust us when we say it will be one of the best night’s out you’ll ever have….so much better than the real thing.”
VULTURE MAGAZINE
“The energy at The Alex Theatre to open Song Contest is unlike any I have ever felt before at a new musical… utterly hilarious… this is a laugh out loud musical gem”
THEATRE PEOPLE – 5 STARS
“There is no reason to believe that Song Contest – Almost Eurovision – like the real thing – won’t develop a cult following to perhaps (or perhaps not) even rival The Rocky Horror Show!”
THE BLURB
“Why is this parody of a parody so ridiculously enjoyable? … best of all Song Contest takes full advantage of the live experience”
THE AUSTRALIAN
“Don’t expect to stay quiet for this one…clever, naughty and delightfully cheesy night out. A breathless and infectious homage to Eurovision. Must not be missed, see a cult hit in the making – you certainly won’t be disappointed.”
ARTS HUB – 5 STARS
