Aussie musical provides some comic relief

What if the women of Australia went on strike to protest climate change? What if the ‘zero emissions’ strike meant the women would not sleep with their blokes? What if the blokes didn’t ‘give a rats’? And what if the women of Australia were led in protest by someone named Therese?

Rain is an outrageous Grecian take on Australian politics – a new musical in which elected (and unelected) leaders get the Olympus treatment and women attempt to use sex as currency in a warming world full of Internet porn.

With a number of international musical theatre productions landing in town over the next few months, Rain offers a topical and very Melbourne perspective on the current pillars of Australian democracy. A spoonful of sugar may make the medicine go down but for grown-ups the truth is often a little harder to swallow.

Rain is biting political satire inspired by Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The new musical features an array of hilarious songs including Julia’s ‘Deliberately Barren’, Therese’s ‘What Will I Tell My Children?’ and Tony’s showstopper ‘Loan This Land Your Uterus’, with lyric commentary supplied by a Greek chorus of mere Aussie mortals.

The cast of Rain features Karen Van Spall (Oz Opera), Meredith O’Reilly (The Producers), Anton Berezin (Wicked), Vivien Davies (Menopause the Musical), Amanda Levy (Virgins) and Josie Lane (Avenue Q).

Crammed with wicked humour, beautiful music and questions, questions, questions, Rain will tackle and tantalise. A new Australian musical theatre show for right now.

Written by Theresa Borg (Book and Lyrics) and Greg Mason (Music) and directed by Jonathan Mill, the show opens at the Trades Hall in Carlton on July 29.

Bookings: (03) 9650 5699 or www.bellaunion.com.au.