The History

The 2006 Australian tour of Eurobeat, toured for six months to Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Sydney. Lots of hard work, late nights and deep breathing in order to stay calm.

“Destined to become this year’s major Australian cult musical, “Eurobeat” dazzles with kitschy brilliance and beguiles with its spoofy, all-embracing multicultural humor.” 
VARIETY

“With its sweetly naive take on national stereotypes, this show is an epically delirious hoot, equally engaging for those unfamiliar with the subject it’s lampooning and for those merrily in the know.”
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

“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”
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (SYDNEY)

“…simply sensational…they are having an absolute ball, as will you… It’s a winner, no contest.”
THE AUSTRALIAN

“Irresistibly  silly lampoon of a universe beyond parody …funny, clever… priceless”
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

So, we took the show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The largest Arts Market in the world. We were told to not take any merchandise, because “no-one buys merchandise at the Fringe, only tickets to shows and beer.” So we took 10,000 flags and clackers, re-cast the show in London with the delightful Mel Giedroyc in the lead role. We were the top-selling show of the Fringe with queues around the block every night. We sold nearly all the flags and clackers and got lots of interest from the like of Cameron Mackintosh. He wanted us to play in one his shiny venues in London! A bunch of UK regional venues also wanted the show, which was nice. We had a great team working day and night and the media reviews were killer:

“A consistently amusing piece of musical mockery….with a spot-on new British cast, this gigantic tickle of an Australian import will almost certainly shift south of Edinburgh before too long. …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 TIMES (FIVE STARS)

“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 

“Eurobeat 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 (FIVE STARS)

“Even 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 (FIVE STARS)

”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. Eat your heart out, Scooch – this show’s a winner.” 
TIMES ON SUNDAY

AT THE HIGHLY-POLISHED NOVELLO THEATRE

Timing is everything in show biz. We opened the same week as the opening week of the global financial crisis.
Did we care? Not at all! We had the marvellous Mel Giedroyc hosting with the divine Les Dennis as her co-host.
We were a bit concerned that the London Press wouldn’t like a show like ours, playing in one of their posh theatres, but we need not have worried.

“Eurobeat hits its target bang on… the most exuberantly enjoyable musical to have opened in the West End since Hairspray. As the sign outside the theatre promises: you’ll laugh until the tears run down your legs.”  
THE TELEGRAPH  

“…it takes camp to heights undreamt of.”
MAIL ON SUNDAY

“…this is a show that surprises you at every turn… both the script and score are blessed with an infectious wit that makes this the most surprising, intentionally derivative and yet original new musical of the year so far… its joyful perpetuation and celebration of nationalist clichés can’t possibly offend, because it is done with such knowing affection.”  
THE STAGE

“…well-honed, sharp-eyed and slickly performed… It brought tears to the eyes for all sorts of reasons… it’s a winner. ”  
THE TIMES

“ticks every Eurovision cliché going with sly asides and wit. Glittery, bitchy and hugely camp, Eurovision just got (genuinely) cool.” (five stars)
THE LONDON PAPER

“…spectacularly silly and enjoyable… The whole show’s better, tackier and funnier than the real thing…who’d have thought it possible? ” (FOUR STARS)
WHATS ONSTAGE.COM

In London, a delegation from the Executive of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) came to see the show. ThE EBU OVERSEE The Eurovision Song Contest every year, and they came to close us down if  they found we were infringing on Eurovision copyright.

Instead of closing us down, they bought us breakfast and invited us to perform the show at their annual Eurovision Conference, held in Lucerne. 

 All the delegates came to the show, Terry Wogan was there and he told us that we captured the very essence of Eurovision that he had loved for so many years and he could not thank us enough for putting on the show. 

A new cast, (most of the old cast had died) this time starring the wonderful Rhonda Burchmore, who was (and still is) a delight. Plus she came fully equipped with a bunch of her own gorgeous frocks!

“This show is 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

Starring the hilarious Bev Killick as the host, Bettina. The show is set in Minsk, Belarus and has a classically Eurovision score, hilarious characters and eleven new songs. Would it be as good as the prototype? To be honest, no, it wasn’t. It was heaps better! Better songs, better gags, better costumes and a delightful group of creative individuals working behind the scenes. 

“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 – The Almost Eurovision Experience – 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