If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why something being “the shit” oddly means good instead of poop, then Kenny is the prime example. Starting life as a popular and critical hit mockumentary co-written by and starring Shane Jacobson – with his brother Clayton contributing to the screenplay and directing – it cast him as the eponymous porta-dunny installer. A cheery guy with a colourful vocabulary, he mined unexpected pathos from smelly business. It became an instant Australian cinematic classic.
Now, we're pumped like a septic tank for Kenny's overflow onto the stage as part of Sydney Festival. Opening at Ensemble Theatre on the edge of the harbour at Kirribilli, this number two take has been adapted by playwright Steve Rodgers and will run from January 15, 2021, until February 27.
Time Out’s review at the time the original film came out noted that while it was, “full of deft character turns (most notably Shane Jacobson’s mesmerising, total-immersion tour de force in the title role) and some delightfully outré (though never crude) comic touches in the script, Kenny has nothing but respect for its central character, and it’s all the better for it.”
In the Sydney Festival iteration, Ben Wood (The Big Time) plays the dunny man with a big heart to match the size of his wrench and a bottomless bucket of true blue one-liners. Sometimes you have to take a good look at your business.
Pumped for Sydney Festival's return? Check out our go-to guide here.
