Digital Program The Gospel According to Paul
4 – 23 June 2024
Run time
This show runs for approximately 90 minutes, without interval
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for 15+ due to strong language
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
A masterclass in satire, The Gospel According to Paul is an insightful portrayal of one of Australia’s most loved – or love to hate him – prime ministers. Through his wit and imagination, Jonathan Biggins embodies Keating, from the pitch-perfect idiosyncrasies to the scathing humour, wielding both to great effect. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Jonathan back to the Opera House as part of his final tour treading the boards as one of our nation’s most unforgettable leaders.
Ebony Bott
Head of Contemporary Performance
Sydney Opera House
Director: Aarne Neeme
Soft Tread Enterprises Producer: Jo Dyer
Actor/Creator/Co-Producer: Jonathan Biggins
Sound & Video designer: David Bergman
Lighting designer: Verity Hampson
Set, Props & Costume Design: Mark Thompson
Technical Director: Marcus Kelson
Stage manager: Tanya Leach
Head of Contemporary Performance: Ebony Bott
Senior Producer: Harry Prouse
Producer: Eleanor Ryburn
Programming Coordinator: Athena Vlotis
Marketing Manager: Adelaide Garner
Marketing Specialist: Emily Edgar
Marketing Coordinator: Ashley Santos
Senior Communications Manager: Amity Harrold
Communications Specialist: Kelly Geater
Communications Manager: Emily Cook
Senior Creative: Rohan Cain
Senior Creative - Content: Julia Kenny
Event Account Manager: JK Power & Mel Colvin
Production Manager: Sarah O'Brien
SOHP Ticketing Specialist: Ryan Court
Head of Operations and Business Management, SOHP: Kate Di Mattina (former), Phillippa Martin Reiter
Business Analyst, SOHP: Alison Levingston
Corporate Counsel: Jordana Rowley
Writer, Director, Performer
Jonathan Biggins is an award-winning writer, director and performer, perhaps best known as one of the creators and performers of Sydney Theatre Company’s long-running and much loved annual political satire, The Wharf Revue. As an actor Jonathan has also worked with all of the major theatre companies, including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company and the State Theatre Company of SA, and has appeared on multiple comedy shows on the ABC. He is the winner of two Australian Writers’ Guild awards for The Republic of Myopia (with Drew Forsythe and Phil Scott) and for a new libretto for Orpheus in the Underworld (with Phil Scott), and a Helpmann Award for Best Director for Avenue Q. His two full-length plays, Australia Day (2012) and Talk (2017) both premiered at Sydney Theatre Company before touring nationally.
For me; a touch of irony, some hint of self-deprecation and the fun of throwing Liberals around like rag dolls – saved one from the deadening experience of dealing with earnest careerists, corner-cutters and consummate under-achievers.
Fantasy and imagination were the sole liberators - influences the great bulk of the colleagues could neither measure, catalogue, box or most of all, emulate.
Peter Pan-like, flying above, around and through the jostling scrum, while leaving behind a trail of gold for ordinary folk and true believers was always my idea of what the job was about. And doing it all with as much mocking and hilarity as one could reasonably get away with.
Jonathan earnestly seeks to do me justice and has sharply picked up upon the compelling trait of needing to do good – the trait that has always electrified me – given it all a purpose.