Melbourne Fringe: POP|PRESS

I’m still waiting for Will Hannagan to put out a gosh darn pop album already.

In lieu of this, he returns to Fringe with POP|PRESS, a brand new musical extravaganza.

When expatriate Aussie rapper Igloo Fantasia is kidnapped, all fingers point to wayward tween heart-throb and boy-band bad boy Heath Row.

Fusing candid podcast journalistic expose with corporate crime thriller, POP|PRESS is a hilariously satirical and surprisingly dark exploration of fame, scandal, and the dangers inherent in the corporatisation of Art.

Hannagan’s razor sharp wit is perfectly matched by Thibaud Mateos Hernandez’s masterful arrangements to create a score of artfully constructed and wickedly cheeky new pop classics, with hits like “Man Spread Shot You Dead” and “Just Keep Swimming”.

A stellar ensemble cast lend fantastic comic accompaniment and Charlotte Tooke’s tight, energetic choreography helps POP|PRESS transcend its Fringe festival reality and achieve the scale of a hyper-produced arena spectacular.