Paul Keating made a trip to the Sydney Opera House last
night, but it wasn’t to take in a performance of La Bohème. Instead the former prime minister went to see his
political career interpreted through song, reports The Australian today (not
online), in a new show called Keating!
The country soul opera we had to have. Written by 35-year-old Casey
Bennetto, the opera comprises 14 songs ranging from country and soul to hip-hop,
reggae and swing, which document the tale of a “political superhero’s battle
against assorted mugs, dummies, dimwits, gutless spivs and scumbags.” Highlights
include Keating’s “I want to do you slowly” taunt to John Hewson,
says Ninemsn,
and characters based on Alexander Downer in the ubiquitous fishnet stockings
and terry-towelling bathrobe-clad Bob Hawke.

Keating had already met
the cast earlier this year after they scooped the pool at the Melbourne Comedy
Festival. And, according to The
Australian, he was “all smiles” during the Sydney
performance, which he described to friends later as “refreshing.” But Keating perhaps
didn’t enjoy the show quite as much as his ex-wife, Annita who, despite their recent
acrimonious split, was spotted in the audience the night before, leading the
standing ovation from her place in the front row, says the SMHSpike column. “Like most of the audience she took it as a funny
and sexy part of history,”Opera
House spokesman Chris Wynton told Spike.