Recently, I saw Shane Warne the Musical and returned home a bit disappointed. Not that it lacked in energy. The storyline was accurate, warts and all, and the cast gave their all.
Recently, I saw Shane Warne the Musical and returned home a bit disappointed.u00a0 Not that it lacked in energy. The storyline was accurate, warts and all, and the cast gave their all.
Actor Eddie Perfect projected the Warney image with passion and sympathy. Warne came out as a lovable Ozy with a weakness for fast food, beer and women.
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PLAYING WARNE: A scene from a dress rehearsal performance of "Shane Warne The Musical" at the Athenaeum theatre in Melbourne, with Warne played by Eddie Perfect (left), who is also the writer of the show. PIC/AFP |
Eddie, aka Warne, started with an F-word and hardly stopped. I counted up to 87 and then stopped counting. The final score would have been close to the number of Test wickets Warne took, 708.
An occasional expletive is acceptable. Nobody appeared shocked but is it necessary? I mean at the drop of a hat? Apart from the first few Fs which provided giggles, it became ho-hum.
And the fuss sports writers and administrators made last January regarding the innocent M (monkey) word during the acrimonious Australia - India Sydney Test!
Shane Warne u2013 the Musical was crude but funny in parts.
The Warney story had a bit of Bollywood when an Indian bookmaker tempts him with cash.u00a0 The actress who appealed to me the most was his Mum. Strong and caring, she informs Shane, then an AFL player, that there is a phone call from the Australian Cricket Board that he should join the Cricket Academy. But the teenaged Shane is too tired and sleepy after over-eating. She is frustrated but helpless. Till Terry Jenner lends a hand.
Jenner, a former Test cricketer and later his bowling coach, comes out brilliantly. I mean the actor who plays him. He inspires a lazy pizza-eating, beer-swilling and belching Warney to become a Test bowler. And Jenner does it by telling his own tragic tale of gambling, money problems and being jailed.
The appearance of Simone adds a touch of romance. He proposes to her in a song and she accepts his proposal. After intermission there are crises galore: bribery allegation, drug-taking (it was only a diuretic his Mum had given him to make him look less of a slob!), being banned from the 2003 World Cup, Australia losing the Ashes in 2005, his fingers doing a lot of texting to female admirers and his marriage breakdown.
Despite all the trials and tribulations, Shane Warne ends his Test career on a high.
The acting and dancing was superb by everyone on the stage. However, the music did not catch my fancy. On my way home I could not hum a single tune.
The author is a Sydney-based Indian cricket writer
