The series remains firmly and comfortably seated in the zeitgeist – particularly at present: Lady Gaga’s cover of the Shirley Bassey classic ‘The Joker’ has much of the country excited about the pop superstar ‘covering the ‘Kath & Kim’ theme song’. . . And ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ royalty Trixie and Katya recently reacted to the show on YouTube.
After sold-out shows in Melbourne earlier this year, and further solidifying ‘Kath & Kim’’s place in our hearts, Thomas Jaspers’ ‘Fountain Lakes In Lockdown: A Drag Parody Play’ is hitting Melbourne Fringe. The show hilariously reimagines life in lockdown (remember that?), through the eyes of everyone’s favourite Fountain Lakes residents.
It’s a ‘yuge’ collection of ‘yumour’ packed into one fabulous night, starring Australian drag royalty Art Simone (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’, ‘Have You Been Paying Attention?’), award-winning comedian Thomas Jaspers (‘Granny Bingo’, ‘The Gays Are Revolting’), and Melbourne lockdown survivors Leasa Mann (‘Club Broadway’) and Scott Brennan (‘skitHOUSE’, ‘Comedy Inc’, ‘Neighbours’).
Kath is up to pussy’s bow in sourdough bread. Kim’s been asked to work from home. Sharon has had a severe reaction to all the hand sanitiser. . . So it’s just another day in the Knight-Day-Craig-Strzelecki world, really. . . Amplified two-fold by the dreaded pandemic.
Audiences can expect to see all their faves including Kel, Brett, Prue, Trude, Lorraine, Michelle & Ferret, The Daniels Andrews Dancers and even a cameo by a COVID-19 cell.
Before it’s time to crack open the Tia Maria and put on the footy franks at Melbourne Fringe, the cast of ‘Fountain Lakes In Lockdown’ reflect on five iconic, unforgettable, nice, different and unusual moments from ‘Kath & Kim’.
One
Kath & Kel’s cheeky airport honeymoon
We’ve all had an unplanned extended stay at an airport before, but this episode really shows how much fun a couple of foxy boomers can have when their flight is cancelled due to GST-related issues. Particular highlights include Kel going hell-for-leather at the business class bain-marie and Kath going insane in Sanity.
Image - 'Kath & Kim'
Two
Kath’s gay panic montage
One of the most meme-able moments from the whole show. All queens have a journey to becoming an ally and Kath’s is absolutely perfect. While it turns out Kim hadn’t thrown her handbag in the river, I think we’re all very glad to hear that Kath would have welcomed her daughter if she had turned out to be a dyke on a bike, if she liked.
Image - 'Kath & Kim'
Three
Epponnee-Rae being played by Kylie Minogue
We all lost our minds when it was announced the queen of pop would be donning a Charlene from ‘Neighbours’-inspired wedding dress and frizzy perm to play Epponnee-Rae. Perfect casting and a dream to see her on screen with Gina, Jane and Magda. It’s the Venn diagram of homosexual activity we all needed. Chardonnay, chardonnay, ya pack of chunts!
Image - 'Kath & Kim'
Four
Kath & Kim’s day at the races
From Sharon trying out a G-string to Rachel Griffiths in the Birdcage to the little bit of carrot getting stuck in Kath’s fascinator, this episode had it all. Extra snaps to Jane Turner’s character Damien the jockey, who Sharon had a brief but passionate affair with, and to the costume department for some particularly spunky fascinators.
Image - 'Kath & Kim'
Five
Does it make me a crim to keep myself trim?
And all the many, many puns, jokes and hilarious rhymes peppered throughout the show. Few TV shows are quoted 20 years after they aired as much as ‘Kath & Kim’, and that’s thanks to the brilliant writing. Any Australian would know exactly what you were talking about if you mentioned little baby cheeses, or that you wanted to be effluent, or told someone to ‘look at moi’. But there’s also so many subtle jokes – one of our favourites to quote on tour is Kath saying that she can’t elope whilst holding a cantaloupe. It’s nice! It’s different! It’s unusual.
Image - 'Kath & Kim'
‘Fountain Lakes In Lockdown: A Drag Parody Play’ plays The Alex Theatre (Melbourne Fringe) 1-20 October.
This story originally appeared on our sister site, scenestr.
