Saturday: Bruschetta, Beefcake and Creampuffs
The Snook and I started off the weekend yesterday with a long walk over to the Farmer’s Market at the Entertainment Quarter. We hadn’t really intended to get anything in particular… but somehow we ended up lugging a big bag of stuff home. Afterwards we assembled our feast and sat out in the sun in the back garden. We had slices of fresh sourdough charred and rubbed with garlic, and then loaded them up with crushed fresh cherry tomatoes and basil. We also had two types of cheese – Roquefort and Wensleydale – along with organic salami and fresh strawberries. Bring on summer! We were so inspired I decided to give SSK a miss and we spent some time weeding in the garden. Now we just need some seedlings…

A quick shower later and then, at last, it was time for Amy‘s and my date with the Boy from Oz. (Amy’s friend Jacqui joined us.) We were seated straight out from the stage… just way, way far away. Luckily they had giant screens so we could see every last eyelash on Hugh’s face. He opened the show by descending from from the ceiling on a white grand piano dressed in a silver sequined suit, at which point Amy leaned over to whisper: “And I was worried he wouldn’t be gay enough!” Our boy Hugh, indeed, can camp it up with the best of them. The show was polished, slick, and highly entertaining. The acresses playing Judy Garland and Liza Minelli were pretty much spot-on, and I absolutely loved Liza’s transition into the “Cabaret” scene. MAGIC. But really, everybody was just there to see their boy Hugh. I can only imagine that the show has changed a lot since it was on Broadway. They were really playing to the local audience and a lot of the patter and expressions were very Australian. At one point, Hugh even emerged wearing a sleeveless Swans jersey with “Allen” bedazzled on the back. (That’s the moment at which Amy and I started arguing over whether his bum or his arms were more swoonworthy. Amy and the audience both preferred the bum, with one old lady actually telling him “Nice ass” as he worked the room.) The only problem for me was the lack of emotional resonance. I just didn’t really feel anything about the story. I don’t know if the problem is with the book or whether it was just that we were too darn far away from the stage, but I wanted to feel some tears welling up and I never did. Not even when his hot boyfriend (with the bad Texan accent) died. Maybe if they’d kissed… Who knows. So all in all an entertaining outing, but one that didn’t get beyond the superficial for me.

And the absolute highlight of the night? Amy brought us Beard Papa’s! I have to say, even cold and soft they kicked Puffy Cookie Puff Puff‘s ASS.