Mister Brisbane: Solo one | Gospel truth? | Comics at sea | Radio activity | Coffee break | Funny footy

In your inbox every Tuesday because that’s how I roll!

Thanks to everyone who signed up for this newsletter last week, and especially to those who helped spread the word. The response exceeded my expectations and has encouraged me to do it all again. So, here we go with the difficult second newsletter...

LIKE CATS AND DOGS…

Which domestic animal reigns supreme? To me, the answer is so obvious* that I’m surprised somebody has turned it into a show. But Brisbane theatre company Act/React have, and Puppies Vs Kittens is having its world premiere at the Fringeworld festival in Perth tonight (Tuesday, January 28). The show certainly has a good pedigree (see what I did there?). It stars Amy Currie and Natalie Bochenski (pictured, below), who’ve taken their much-enjoyed previous show Love/Hate Actually around Australia and to the Edinburgh Fringe. I’m pretty sure the new show will be coming to Brisbane in due course, but Act/React’s next local performances will be a return season of Speed: The Movie, The Play from February 28 to March 22 and This is Your Trial on March 7 and 8, both at the Powerhouse as part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival.

RADIO REWIND: 4BH IS BACK

I can’t exactly say that I had a scoop in my first newsletter last week, but I was certainly well on the money in tipping a major change at 882 on the AM radio band. How was I to know that, just hours after I pressed the button to release my missive into the ether, Nine would announce its plans for reviving 4BH? Along with 2UE in Sydney and Magic in Melbourne, BH will be back with a music format that Nine managing director, radio Tom Malone says will be “built around the best of the 70s, 80s and 90s”. The news prompted 2GB/4BC morning announcer Ray Hadley to say   that he’d be hosting a night-time country music program on the new network. That turned out to be Ray’s idea of a joke, but it does point to Nine’s big challenge. If it’s a networked thing, which it almost certainly will be, it will require professional, relatable voices for audiences in the three eastern capitals and in Perth, where it will be broadcast on DAB+ only. Of course, it’d be great if at least some of those voices – not just the news and traffic reporters – were based in Brisbane. Who would you like to hear on the air?  

NOT THE MESSIAH: PAUL’S RESURRECTION

All politicians are divisive during their terms in office. Paul Keating certainly kicked a few heads and had his fair share of enemies, even in his own party, when he was prime minister from 1991-96. His dry wit and cutting delivery made him Australia’s most quotable leader since Gough Whitlam. Keating’s image has mellowed somewhat in the years since, and his public statements are infrequent, but he’s the subject of continued commentary. While other political figures, notably Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Bob Hawke and Tony Abbott, have been portrayed on stage and screen with a fairly broad brush, Keating has been the object of more nuanced parody. First there was Keating! The Musical (which got away with rewriting history) and, more recently, The Gospel According to Paul. Jonathan Biggins will reprise the performance he gave to great acclaim last year. It will run from April 28 to March 2 at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre, which will be also be the venue for a return season of Mother, Daniel Keene’s one-woman play written for and starring Noni Hazlehurst, from March 4-14. Tickets for both shows are now on sale here or 136 246.

A SINGULAR ADVENTURE

The BBC has been investigating changes in Japanese society, and this video focuses on ohitorisama, the relatively new social phenomenon of going out on your own. We tend to think of Japan as a group culture, where every activity is done in the company of friends or workmates. But the reality is that about 30 per cent of Japanese households contain just one person, and an increasing number of people are going solo on the social scene. There are even bars that ban couples and groups, and small rooms for solo karaoke (which, to my mind, should be the only kind). I often go out on my own, and I do sometimes feel self-conscious about it. I’d love to hear from places in Brisbane that go out of their way to cater for single folk – especially those that are not just “meet markets” for young people – and from people who are comfortable with just their own company.

IS DUNKING DISORDERLY?

I was out and about again last week, this time in a car driving down Coronation Drive, which always makes me think about biscuits. Brisbaneites of a certain age will remember the lovely odours wafting from the old Arnott’s factory on the edge of the CBD. Inner-city industrial baking may be a thing of the past, but Arnott’s biscuits remain a thing of the here and now. And that leads me to the big question: does anybody dunk any more? My favourite dunking biscuit is the Scotch Finger. In fact, I had a dunk a few days ago just for old time’s sake. I used milk, but milky tea is also good. As with so many things, the key is in the timing. Take it out too early and it’s still stiff, but leave it in too long and it’s soggy and useless.

MORE THAN A COFFEE SHOP

Names can be deceptive; sometimes in a good way. I recently visited one of the many Coffee Club outlets in Brisbane and paused to consider the chain’s success. As I noted in another place during another lifetime, the Coffee Club band has really taken off in Thailand, and it is expanding elsewhere in Asia. Not bad for a Brisbane business. It occurred to me that a great part of its success is that it’s not actually a coffee shop, or to be more exact, it’s not just a coffee shop – as, say, Starbucks essentially is (yes, there is food, but not a great range and it’s heated up rather than made fresh). The food is big part of the attraction at Coffee Clubs, with lunch (that’s mine above) for three at the Everton Hills outlet recently costing less than $60. One other thing that Coffee Club gets right is its longstanding slogan: “Where will I meet you?” That sets it up perfectly as a destination; a place to linger with friends, to eat and to drink well.     

OLD-SCHOOL CRUISE COMEDY

One of the things I like about cruise ships is the onboard entertainment. Most ships have excellently equipped theatres hosting a variety of events from historical talks to full-on, Vegas-style shows. Some of it is a little cheesy and all of it is aimed at a broad audience – not that there’s anything wrong with that. Nobody wants Shakespeare or Wagner when they’re on an ocean holiday. Most cruise itineraries include at least one big production show from the ship’s “house” entertainers. On my recent cruise on P&O’s Pacific Dawn, the program was thrown into disarray due to injuries affecting two cast members. The first show didn’t happen at all, and the second one was cut short when a dancer twisted her ankle. What it meant was less song and dance, but more comedy. We got two different shows from impressionist Danny McMaster (pictured above with some random); performances and an information session from hypnotist Anthony Laffan; and an adults-only gig by comedian Demo Simis. It turns out that Danny, who is best known for his comic voice-overs on the long-running Australia’s Funniest Home Videos show and for his family’s ownership of the Wallaby pub at Mudgeeraba, was roped to perform at the last minute. Nevertheless, his impressions and anecdotes were warmly received. Anthony used to be a globe-trotting stage magician but had a mid-life career change after remarrying. He sold off his huge props – “People thought I was dying,” he told me – and learned clinical hypnosis, then devised a show that he can perform just about anywhere, including, often, on cruise ships, with a minimum of baggage.

IT’S FOOTBALL, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

Talking of old Brisbane hotels, as I did in the last newsletter and will be often in the future, you can catch Super Bowl LIV on the big screen at the Story Bridge Hotel on Monday, February 3. I’m not much into American football, and I’m no longer into breakfast beers – but I know that a lot of people are. Doors open at 6.30am, with the game starting at 9am an finishing who-knows-when (I was shocked to discover that a gridiron game is only officially an hour long, it’s the stoppages that make it last forever). The biggest decision you’ll have to make after that is when to start tucking into the Buds, margaritas and build-your-own hot dogs. Bookings are advised.

FEEDBACK

Some of you may have heard me on Katherine Feeney’s show on ABC Brisbane on Friday. The interview can be found here; I come on at about the 12-minute mark . Thanks to Kat for giving this project a push, and thanks to everyone who sent me messages of support. If you have any suggestions, or complaints, don’t keep them to yourself. There’s a Mister Brisbane discussion group at Facebook, and I’m on Twitter at both @debritz and @misterbrisbane.

THINGS TO DO

+ Buy Sheppard’s new single, Phoenix. By doing so you’ll be supporting a Brisbane band and Australian bush fire victims who’ll benefit from sales.

+ Subscribe to La Boite’s 2020 theatre season. The deals begin with $141 ($120 concession) “Explorer’s Pass” that will get you a seat at three plays The Neighbourhood, St Joan of the Stockyards and Brothers Book Club. Details here or on 3007 8600.

+ Book to see Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios before its Brisbane season ends on February 23. The cast will be performing a special show at 4pm on February 20 to raise funds for the bush fire appeal. Tickets here.

FOOTNOTE

Just for kicks, I did a Survivor quiz on the 10Play website. Turns out I’m the kind of person who would be loyal and do my best to play a fair game, but my kindness might be my downfall. Survivor: All Stars begins on Channel 10 on February 3 at 7.30pm.

* It’s the cat, people!
Photos: QPAC, Act/React, BBC, Brett Debritz.