There’s something funny about bums. We all have them, polite society doesn’t like to talk about them, children are endlessly fascinated by them, and, for reasons to do with the Global Financial Crisis, The Bugalugs Bum Thief likes to steal them. I’ll be the first to admit that this musical adaptation of Tim Winton’s children’s book of the same name is an outlier in my theatre experiences this year. However, one would have to be a truly curmudgeonly bum thief to not find joy in this high-energy and utterly charming production.
The premise is fairly simple: The town of Bugalugs has woken up one day to find that everyone’s bum has been stolen. Hijinks ensue as Skeeta Anderson (Ziggy Resnick), Mick Misery (Madeline Li) and Billy Marbles (Toby Blome) work together to solve the mystery of the missing glutei. Director Jessica Arthur and Musical Director Glenn Moorhouse have created a show that feels vibrant and enthusiastic, with Percussionist Stef Furnari never far from the action as she adds sound effects, humour and a rollicking drum beat to the handful of songs that are dotted through the performance.
Bugalugs, a totally unremarkable coastal town, is brought to life through set and costume design by James Lew. The clever use of shadow theatre brings big laughs from the audience, particularly when the missing bums are found. The stage is constantly in a state of transformation, changing from a home to a school, to the beach without changing much at all. That being said, a pile of suitably coastal detritus standing in for a tip did elicit confusion from pint-sized audience members around me, as the main trio bemoaned the missing bums only to ignore the golden mannequin bum behind them. Of course, a bit of pantomime ‘he’s behind you’ never hurt performance, and this show does lean into the farce. The main cast is fitted with fishing waders in primary colours, reminding us that this is a coastal story, and keeping the three main characters colour-coded and easy to remember. As may be expected when one has lost their bum, these waders fall, and the accompanying cheeky slide whistle and cartoonish boxer shorts elicited giggles every time.
The show would be nothing without a solid group of actors. Ziggy Resnick as Skeeta is an engaging and very entertaining performer. She works hard to make Skeeta fun to hang out with, a task that was accomplished very quickly - Skeeta is very proud of his home town of Bugalugs and Resnick has her comedic timing down to a science. Madeline Li and Toby Blome round out the cast, both playing multiple roles with quick costume changes. Li is charming as Mick Misery, particularly when asked to share news in front of the class. Blome similarly stands out in this scene as a beleaguered teacher with a, do I need to say it, missing bum. The highlight for me was watching the three interact with the younger audience members -hometown Blome has a teacher voice that would make any educator proud. The cast works hard throughout the show, never flagging in energy and working seamlessly as they pull off quick changes and rearrange set pieces. Part of theatre magic lies in not seeing the sleight of hand you know is there. The opening musical number makes great use of fake bums to pad out the costumes and, while I knew the fake bums would have to vanish (I read the title of the show), I was still delighted when the padding disappeared and Skeeta despaired.
At a tight 60 minutes, this show is a no-brainer for younger theatregoers, and there are more than enough jokes to keep everyone laughing. I recommend this show for anyone keen to be educated, through song, on the importance of your bum.
Photos credit of Phil Erbacher
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