Matt Hawke’s comedy musical Beautiful Lies at The Substation in Darlinghurst is a cabaret packed full of colourful storytelling, with the theme of lies running through a myriad of original songs. Part of Sydney’s 2026 Qtopia Pride Fest, Hawke is clearly a deep thinker who knows how to involve the audience, by asking questions and getting them to self-reflect. His stories range from general family anecdotes, musings about mental health, sexual self-acceptance, genuine heartfelt personal stories, and the current worrisome state of the world.
He begins with examples of lies that parents tell their kids such as “carrots make your eyesight better” and expanding into those VIP characters that peppered our childhood like Santa Claus and The Tooth Fairy. Hawke delivers these stories melodiously singing and at times, talking to the audience during song, accompanied by his guitar or the keyboard. One of his first songs dedicated to one of his childhood heroes and crushes John Cena reminded me of the style of an early Guns and Roses and Bon Jovi song! This song was dedicated to John Cena after his younger self discovered that wrestling was not real and carried the anger of being lied to.
Alongside this song and the feeling of being duped by John Cena, some of Hawke’s songs were tender. Some were reflective and yet other songs had the upbeat feel of hilarity. Composing and performing such a wide range of songs indicated signs of an accomplished songwriter who understands his audience.
During his set, Hawke recalled stories from when he was dating people named Brad, Emma and Rosanna. He had the audience in stitches from these experiences which touched on a mix of topics that made some of us squirm! There was a moral to these songs, that sometimes for the sake of relationships, lies may be necessary – it can be a kinder choice to make.
The lighting by technician Katie deserves a shout out. In the small intimate space of The Substation, Katie created atmosphere with cleverly chosen lighting colours and focus.
Hawke had a way of smoothly switching from comedy into more serious topics and taking us with him, notably with one song that outlined the way humans tend to automatically default to telling lies. He’d answer “I’m fine” to his mum when she had asked how he was. However, his lyrics following those words outlined how not fine he was feeling. In this one song, it was the lyrics and how Hawke delivered them that stood out for a tremendously powerful ending.
Beautiful Lies was a well-rounded show which felt much more than just a stand-up comedy musical cabaret. Hawke examines the lies that others tell, lies we tell ourselves, and how lies impact our circles of family and friends.
Cheeky and honest, with a teeny-eeny sprinkling of Beautiful Lies, Matt Hawke’s signature musical comedy style is heading skyward. Be sure to catch his cabaret shows in the future!
The Substation, 136 Oxford Street Darlinghurst. Thursday 11 June 2026
Duration: 1 hour
To book tickets to Beautiful Lies, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Matt-Hawke-Beautiful-Lies.
