Amplified at Belvoir St is Sheridan Harbridge’s exhilarating homage to legendary Australian rock icon and Divinyls frontwoman, Chrissy Amphlett. Written and performed by Harbridge (Prima Facie), directed by the award-winning Sarah Goodes (The Weekend) with musical direction by Glenn Moorhouse (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Amplified enters the annals of Australian music historiography.
Part biography, part autobiography, part cabaret, part live concert, part tribute, Amplified is electrifying from the moment the band takes their places and Harbridge enters from the audience wearing knee length boots, a black leather mini skirt and a black trench adorned with silver glitter. She immediately owns the stage.
The show opens with Harbridge asking the audience to tap into their own experiences of seeing school-tunic wearing Chrissy on stage. The band then comes in with ‘I’ll Make you Happy’ and the audience responds. Cheers and applause fill the theatre and the energy is palpable. It’s a terrific and uplifting rendition.
Harbridge doesn’t try to imitate the unique and sublimely defiant Chrissy Amphlett, rather she uses music and stories told by Amphlett herself, and those who knew her, to keep the memories alive and, in doing so, evokes a sense of immortality surrounding the singer.
Amplified tells of Amphlett’s childhood in Geelong and of the circumstances that moulded her into the fierce, feminist, rebellious frontwoman she became.
To those who saw Divinyls on stage in their ‘80s and ‘90s heyday, the experience was unforgettable. Amphlett was unapologetically brash, raucous, overtly sexual and subversive, upending the then Australian music industry dominance of male lead singers. Harbridge showcases Amphlett’s bold stage persona, explores her vulnerabilities, and delves into her long and complicated relationship with Mark McEntee, the band’s co-founder.
This reviewer went to many Divinyls gigs and remembers one in particular at Caringbah Inn in the early 1980s where Amphlett spat on her, which felt like a badge of honour at the time. One never knew what Chrissy might do next!
Like Chrissy, Harbridge teases the audience, but, unlike Chrissy, does so in an unthreatening manner. She takes an unwitting patron’s handbag and empties it on stage; she interacts with the audience, bringing to life the icon’s bad girl persona in all its hilarious brilliance. This is definitely not a production for children.
The stage is backlit by blue lighting with several spotlights centred on Harbridge. The floor seems to be etched in silver swirls and circles emanating around the mic stand like a galaxy of stars, which evokes, in this viewer, the chaos and frenetic energy of Amphlett standing at the centre of her universe.
The four-piece band comprises accomplished musicians Glenn Moorhouse, Ben Cripps, Dave Hatch, and Clarabell Limonta. Their polished execution of songs and divine back-up vocals elevate Harbridge’s storytelling. Harbridge’s vocal range is impressive: from the guttural to falsetto, she doesn’t miss a beat. She uses a recurring motif to tease the audience, which I won’t reveal, have them wanting more and it works to great effect. The background music to Harbridge’s narration is low-key but performative to the story. The tempo walks with each particular narrative then explodes into song.
Sheridan Harbridge is an actor and writer of extraordinary talent. Her comedic timing and ad-libbed moments are things to behold. With Goodes and Moorhouse as collaborators, she has created a wonderful production that surely tugs the nostalgic heartstrings of theatre-goers across Australia.
To book tickets to Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett , please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/amplified/.
Photographer: Brett Boardman
