14 – 18 JAN
SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY, WHARF 1 THEATRE
BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN
(THE SMITHS SHOW)
New York cabaret trailblazer Salty Brine delivers the latest chapter in his collage-cabaret cult-hit Living Record Collection with a bravura mash-up of high drama, indie rock and memoir.
Bigmouth Strikes Again is a fever-dream fusion of The Smiths 1981 album The Queen Is Dead, Shelley’s Frankenstein, and his own lived experience – this is literature and live music with great lashes of camp.
Pussy-bowed, frocked up and unleashing his incredible voice, Salty’s idiosyncratic tapestries of storytelling intertwine tales from his own life with Victor Frankenstein’s chilling creation – and Morrissey's own melodic melancholy.
From sold-out runs at Joe’s Pub (NYC) to Soho Theatre (London), Salty Brine’s genre-bending shows dazzle and disarm. He’s taken on Adele, The Beatles, even opera – now, he welds post-punk anthems to classic literature and sparks something new. It's alive!
★★★★★ “A brilliant night out…five stars for this just aren’t enough”
THEATRE AND TONIC
★★★★★ “Deeply moving and hilariously funny.”
THE STAGE
★★★★ “An extraordinarily beautiful monster mash-up.”
EVENING STANDARD
★★★★ “A self-made monster hit”
THE GUARDIAN
“Outrageously talented”
TIME OUT NEW YORK
Salty Brine is the creative force behind The Living Record Collection, a dazzling expedition into the heart of popular music, imagining track lists as blueprints for evenings of musical mayhem. Salty deftly weaves together iconic, popular albums with major cultural touchstones from classic literature to opera and beyond; performing each album with a live band and his own unique brand of memoir-esque storytelling.
“‘The outrageously talented Brine takes classic pop albums - from Joni Mitchell’s Blue to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack - and weaves their songs into funny, perceptive tapestries of storytelling. The shows are highly addictive.’”
THE BIGMOUTH TEAM:
Created and Performed by Salty Brine
Directed by Shaun Peknic
Scenic and Lighting Design Christopher Bowser
Costume Design Kate Fry
Arrangements by Jeff Cubeta
Music Directed and Performed by Emily Whitaker
Stage Managed by Kristy Bodall
Co-produced by Renee Blinkwolt, Lucy Jackson & Devin McCallion Fletcher
“‘His performance is stunning… an artist at the height of his powers… a cabaret journey like no other.’”
Photography by Harry Elletson