Steven Bradbury: Australia’s beloved accidental icon. George Glass has once again taken a household name and turned it into a piece of theatre that will amuse, enlighten, and leave you slightly concerned for the creators’ sanity. For anyone too young to remember to 2002 Winter Olympics (though I swear it was only a couple of years ago!), Steven Bradbury made history in the 1000m Speed Skate final when a mass collision wiped out most of the racers, allowing Bradbury, who was coming last, to sail past his opponents and win Australia’s very first Winter Olympics gold medal. George Glass’s reimagining of Bradbury’s historic race features a literal elephant in the room, enough product placement to keep a fading celebrity in brand-name clothing, and a cast of stress-induced hallucinations intent on giving Bradbury advice on how to win the race. After praying to the Gods of Skating, Bradbury is visited by skateboarder Tony Hawk and disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, offering increasingly wild and violent suggestions to help Bradbury win. This culminates in an unexpected journey to the womb, but I won’t mention any more at the risk of giving away spoilers — I’ll only provide a warning that anyone sitting in the front row will be in the ‘umbilical zone’. The script, though ridiculous, is well-constructed and well-paced, hitting the necessary beats at the right moments. The cast of three actors work well together and show great characterisation across the many characters they play, particularly the actor who played Tony Hawk, the Russian Devil, among others, who displayed an impressive array of accents. The show also featured original songs and live band performances, showing the multiple talents of these performers. One area I have criticised in the past with George Glass has been vocal quality, but it’s evident in Bradbury The Musical that they have worked on this, and the vocals of the team have definitely improved since Scomo’s Sunday Service. For a hilarious and very ‘fringey’ show, Bradbury The Musical is definitely a show you do not want to miss.