The Beast

The Beast Cast - Australian TourMurder! Lies! Cows! The Beast is an organic, free range, jet-black comedy written by and starring Eddie Perfect, that holds a hand-crafted chef’s blade to the throat of modern Australia.

When three tree-changing couples flee their dark past, they quickly find country life is not all (locally sourced) peaches and (hand churned, bicycle-delivered) cream. For these city dwellers, living an ethical and sustainable life in the country, raising vegetables and lowering carbon footprints, is a means to atone for past sins.

But when a fourteen month old Angus calf is purchased for a respectful, face-your-food, nose-to-tail dinner party, the reality of life on the land is more confronting than any of them could have imagined. Lies are exposed, illusions shattered, and suppressed secrets leaked like chocolate sauce from a perfectly cooked fondant.

Directed by Simon Phillips, Perfect’s confronting, disturbing and hilarious play gleefully tears apart middle-class trends, social climbers, foodies, wine-snobs, helicopter parents, self-serving do-gooders and self-righteous gardeners. There will be blood. There will be food. There will be perfectly matched wine. It’s the worst dinner party ever. And you’re invited!

“I’ve always relished black comedy, but I was genuinely surprised by the impact The Beast had on Melbourne audiences,” said Perfect. “It gave me heart that the rest of the country might also enjoy a night of bloody and twisted comedy.”

“The central conceit of The Beast is based on an actual dinner party I attended in the Yarra Valley, an hour outside of Melbourne. A 14-month old, 450kg female Angus calf was purchased for an evening of nose to tail eating. But after the mobile butcher injured his hand and was rushed to emergency, it made me wonder just how far I’d be prepared to go in order to face my food.”

“I’m delighted to once again be teaming up with Simon Phillips, the busiest and best director on the planet, who has miraculously found time in his schedule to corral an A1 cast of comic actors (and me). We’re determined to bring Australian audiences something truly hilarious, confronting and unforgettable.”

Eddie Perfect is one of Australia’s most diverse, respected and prolific writer/composer/performers, having made his mark in the fields of comedy, music theatre composition, playwriting, screenwriting, classical music, jazz and acting for stage and screen.

Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mick Holland on Ten’s Offspring, as a judge on Australia’s Got Talent, and as the new host of Play School, Eddie has won multiple awards for his work both as a performer and a writer, and is currently co Artistic Director of Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

“Funny, heartbreaking and politically incorrect: Eddie Perfect’s first play is a winner.” – Crikey

Director: Simon Phillips Featuring: Heidi Arena, Alison Bell, Christie Whelan Browne, Peter Houghton, Rohan Nichol, Eddie Perfect, Toby Truslove Set and Costume Designer: Dale Ferguson Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest Composer: Alan John Writer: Eddie Perfect

The Beast
Drama Theatre – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Season: 27 July – 21 August 2016
Bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Season: 25 August – 4 September 2016
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Lyric Theatre – QPAC, Cultural Precinct, South Bank (Brisbane)
Season: 15 – 18 September 2016
Bookings: www.qpac.com.au

For more information, visit: www.thebeastplay.com for details.

Image: The cast of The Beast (supplied)