Image: Fringe World
In our society, we admire people who are outstanding at some particular activity. Sportspeople who win Olympic medals are numbered among the elite, as are those who succeed in the entertainment industry. Matthew Mitcham accomplished the first while barely out of his teens: he is now making strides toward the second as a successful cabaret artist.
Of course, the former gave him a head start on the latter. People love to get close to their sporting heroes on and off the field, and it is a fair guess that a big percentage of Mitcham’s audience is drawn to his shows by admiration for his sporting prowess. For a novice Australian performer to have a background that includes something as iconic as Olympic success can only be a help in a career in the entertainment industry. Even a person of mediocre talent with a background like Mitcham’s would probably gain enough of a personal following to keep his larder well-stocked. And Mitcham’s talent is anything but mediocre.
Mitcham has a very pleasing, expressive voice with good range – he can sing tenor or a baritone as the music demands. He has also developed a nice line of patter based on his experiences, not only in sport, but as the child of a single mother with problems of her own and as a gay guy growing up in a straight world. His tales are funny and touching, dealing with parental expectations, sexual angst, the horrors of drug and alcohol addiction and the tragedy of being a fallen sporting hero. Yet this was not the tragedy for Mitcham that it must have been for his fans: it was, for him, a Damascene moment that made his realise his job was done and the mantle could now pass to other divers who had built on his own achievements.
Mitcham and his fellow performers make a fine team. He himself comes across as a fresh-faced, open-hearted young man, in contrast to his alter-ego, played by travestie artist Spanky. Mitcham describes Spanky’s character as ‘the voice inside his head’, the inner girlfriend who consoles and encourages him. Spanky comes up well in drag, his masculine appearance thinly disguised by a long purple wig, slightly tarty but very glamorous clothes, a layer of sophistication that Mitcham himself lacks (at least in his stage persona) and the highest heels I’ve ever seen. His knowing, girlish mannerisms are well thought-out and very convincing. Spanky and Mitcham are great foils for each other, and if Spanky occasionally upstages Mitcham it only helps us to better understand the fragile relationship between anima and animus that resides in us all.
The third member of the team is musician Jeremy Brennan, who arranged the music for the show and plays keyboards exceptionally well. Brennan has come up with a dozen or so musical numbers, largely drawn from the pop music repertoire, which fitted Mitcham’s life story as perfectly as if they were written for the show. The three performers sang in beautiful harmony from time to time, their voices blending very well. Mention should be made of Brennan’s solo keyboard performance of several numbers, including a couple of Satie’s Gymnopedies. Gymnopedie number two was in fact a kind of musical-visual pun as Mitcham danced his way through a perfect trampoline routine with controlled adagio grace. One almost regrets that he gave away the trampoline for the diving board.
Some of Mitcham’s memories are still quite raw, and he cried genuine tears at times. In one or two places this became just ever-so-slightly self-indulgent. It’s better to work though ‘stuff’ in the therapist’s office or on the meditation cushion, methinks, rather than onstage in public, especially if one is going to replay the old stuff night after night. A dose of Dr Stanislavski’s medicine might be called for here.
Overall, a very polished and entertaining show, well-suited to fringe festivals. Nevertheless, I’d like to see this trio expand their repertoire by exploring other possibilities. The memoirs of a sporting career have proved a good starting point, but it is several years now since Mitcham left diving behind and one cannot rest on such laurels forever. I hope he will gradually expand his repertoire and his abilities by trying out new material. He has it in him to become an extraordinary all-round entertainer with a lasting career. Incidentally, he closed the show by announcing that he intends to return to diving in the near future. I wish him luck. The cabaret circuit will miss him, but showbiz is a platform he can always return to, and I hope he will not be away from it long.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Matthew Mitcham’s Twists and Turns
WA Spiegeltent, The Pleasure Gardens
Fringe World, Perth
10-16 February
