How to Kill the Queen of Pop | The Gold Digger | til Feb 11th | ★ ★ ★ ★

Melbourne theatre pals Samuel Russo, Tom Halls, Adam Ibrahim and Simone French bring a uniquely Australian show to this year’s Fringe World Festival – and just like a glass of Tia Maria with a side of Dunkaroos, it was a surprising treat.

How to Kill the Queen of Pop tells the story of Tami, Tiff and Toulfa, three best pals with aspirations to perform at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games with their girl group – the T-Boners. The ladies have but one obstacle… the reigning matriarch of Australian pop music.

Now who is the Aussie queen of pop you might ask? The obvious answer is of course Kylie Minogue, but these three ladies are aiming much higher. These girls have a beef with none other than the omnipotent tracksuit goddess herself; Vanessa Amorosi.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show. Being framed around the 2000 Olympics, I suspected Miss Strawberry Kisses (Nikki Webster) may be the target of assassination – but as the show’s plot unfurls and the gags start to fly, Amorosi was definitely the correct choice of antagonist.

The show alternates between the year 2000 and the girls’ childhood, slowly revealing the source of the girls’ motivation for fame and their shared need for vengeance against Amorosi.

Where the show really gave itself permission to shine was in it’s Aussie-centric jokes that would have slid easily into one of the better episodes of Kath & Kim. Props for getting the Popstars theme song back in my head, and revealing the true meaning of APIA (it’s not just insurance for old folks… you’ll see.)

The ladies also had some wicked moments of ultra-violent intensity when describing how they would punish Amorosi for her crimes, but my biggest laugh came from Amorosi’s introduction to the theatre. The girl knows how to make an entrance.

Though at times the jokes missed the mark and the ‘drag’ element of the show was limited to male-presenting actors in wigs, there were far more laughs than clunkers and the story was as wonderfully silly as it was well-crafted.

How to Kill the Queen of Pop is a strong piece of theatre that’s… well probably not for absolutely everybody, but you’re mad if you think I wasn’t dropping that in here.

How to Kill the Queen of Pop is in the Gold Digger until Sunday February 11th. Tickets and more information available from fringeworld.com.au

Leigh Andrew Hill