REVIEW BY ASHLEIGH SHEARMAN
EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT
Imagine it’s late, you’re out at a pub, the smell of stale beer and sticky floors fills the air. From the speakers, the sound of 80s Aussie rock is cut off as four acapella voices begin to intone the “Sanctus” of the Catholic Mass. “What the heck is going on?” you might ask yourself. The confusion only intensifies as a young woman, dressed in a schoolgirl outfit, struts out onto the tiny live music stage. Her eyes are daring someone to say something.
That is the energy with which Sheridan Harbridge kicks off Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett. It’s a rocking punk cabaret that reminds us not only why Chrissy, and The Divinyls, were so crucial to the Australian music scene, but to our culture as a whole.
Sitting in the Union Theatre before the show, looking around at the eager audience around me, I realised I might be the youngest person here! And more’s the pity as Harbridge invites us into a world that seems to be constantly on the verge of dying – the late-night live music scene in pubs and bars across the country. Everything from the low hanging backlight to the engagement Harbridge has with her band scream of being down the pub with some mates to watch some new local kids play you the songs they wrote in their garage.
That is not to say anything about Amplified is cheap or tacky. Harbridge engages the audience, talks to us and rolls effortlessly with the unexpected calls that are shouted back at her. She jokes and laughs with us at the absurdity of trying to fit the entire story of Chrissy Amphlett, a punk icon and idol for so many young women in the 80s and 90s, into a 90-minute show.
From the moment she rocks onto stage in a stylish red velvet suit to the moment the lights go out, Harbridge has us transfixed in the world of Chrissy. She skilfully charts Chrissy’s ill-fated comeback in the 2010s alongside her escape from Geelong and into the stardom that she would one day be coming back to. Along the way we’re treated to anecdotes and one-liners that hint at a greater wisdom behind the jokes.
But what most people are there for is the songs. With the thundering drums, bass, guitar and keys behind her, Sheridan’s voice soars over the top to deliver a gorgeous and powerful performance. I knew Amplified was rocking right when I could feel the bass vibrate in my chest, my chair rock with the drums, and the floor shake with the guitar and keys, all from the very first note. Like all big rock shows, it’s probably best to bring some ear protection with you, just in case.
And what is a big rock show without the atmosphere and lighting? The lighting of Amplified effortlessly navigates the shifts from big brash numbers full of colour and movement to the beautiful, reflective ballads that hold you in a moment of stasis.
Director and co-creator Sarah Goodes has done a fantastic job of steering this one woman show exactly where it needs to be. Amplified is full of energy, heart, humour, feminism, and punk.
The life of Chrissy Amphlett was not all rock, punk and stardom however, as Harbridge is not afraid to remind us. There was a lot of hurt and a lot of danger. A woman in the male dominated world of 80s pub music. A woman who wasn’t going to be the pretty, pink plaything for the men around her. Chrissy knew she could do anything they could do, and she would show them how it was done.
Sheridan Harbridge, along with co-creator Sarah Goodes, and music director Glenn Moorhouse, do just the same. They show us how cabaret is done, how it touches us and how it thrives on the world it lives in. Just like the rock and punk Chrissy Amphlett epitomised.
Amplified is plugged in and switched on. It is the monster you didn’t know you needed. The reminder that in this world, being yourself is the most powerful thing you can do.
Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett presented by UMAC and Jacardanda Productions as part of the RISING festival played June 11-13 at the Union Theatre.
ASH SHEARMAN (she/they) is a trans theatre maker originally from Sydney and currently studying a Masters of Theatre (Writing). Fostering theatre has been at the heart of Ash’s life having grown up around musicians, writers and performers. She is so incredibly honoured to continue that tradition with The Dialog this year.
EMMA PARFITT (she/her) is the Dialog’s head editor and has written Dialog reviews alongside studying towards her science degree for the past two years. She is a production manager, stage manager and producer on the Melbourne indie theatre scene and a veteran of student theatre at Union House Theatre.
The Dialog is supported by Union House Theatre.
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