(Confessions of the Quiz Guy…!)

SOCIAL MEDIA and REVIEWS

AUDIENCE SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE TO “WHO AM I…?”

“Just saw ‘Who am I…?’ Charming, delightful, joyous and all kinds of funny and wonderful! Seeing this show, THIS SHOW, this is why I love theatre and am inspired to create it. Go see the incredibly talented, extra extra ordinary Russell Cheek in this exquisite piece of theatre. Congratulations. Beaming! You are gold.”
Kellie Higgins

“This show is delightful and hilarious. The most fun I’ve had at the theater in a long, long time. Congratulations dear Russell Cheek. Get along to it!”
Liz Doran

“What a glorious tale …100% Russell Cheek, and BRILLIANTLY presented, of course. A real treat.”
Cate Peterson

 

“We were so impressed .. not only by his core strength .. but his fascinating story … it was hilarious and compelling. A must see!!”
Betsy Baker

 

 

 

“Mum sent me an email saying how much she and Ray loved your show, including saying ‘thank you so much for taking us’
I’m with them – I loved your show so much. You have such a profound way to take people on a journey, I felt it really deeply in my body. Completely present – just like the Kingfisher. A  joyful journey in all those emotions where you took us! SO terrific!!”

Sophie Howarth.

“We laughed till we cried!”
“The most fun I’ve had at the theater in a long, long time.”
“Lively, witty, hilarious, and I was on the edge of my seat!”
“We loved it. Insightful and laugh out loud hilarious.”
“Hilariously funny and genuinely insightful take on the make or break moments in life –
Russell Cheek and Steve Abbott are onto a winner! Book now, this will sell out”

“James Waites had told me about the brilliance of Russell Cheek. The skeleton of a story, really – something about being brilliant enough to have transformed his life in the 90s through winning Sale of the Century. I knew I needed to respect and revere anyone who could handle the rapid fire intensity of “fast Money”… after all my childhood was spent in silent, secret competition with the three contestants on the TV most nights of the week, hoping that one day that could be me wowing Mr Ridge or Mr Barber.
So when I heard that a show about this very story was being performed at my favourite Indie theatre by Mr Cheek, through the nurturing care of The Sandman, I was excited to see the legend at work.
(Besides having an incredible wit, and intelligence, Mr Cheek also has a devoted following of former-students who fawn over and grin broadly with him in foyers – quite the artistic cult following).
“Who Am I…?” is a one man show about resilience and transformation, as much as it is about competition, poverty, aspiration and perspiration. It is also an exciting and personal story which gives us a moment to pause to reflect on the current housing/wealth creation situation for most artists living in cities – that is, that it’s as unlikely and as impossible as winning over $300K in cash and prizes on a game show.
There is a natural open charm and kindness in the show – with a heavy dose of cheek and cheery linguistic gymnastics- yep Russell’s still got it!
It’s not just that the story is a contemporary Odyssey of Planes and World Book encyclopedias, but beautifully articulated in space – through lithe, well-tuned staging, fluid flourishes of gesture and punctuated with footage. This show is like the directors commentary on a DVD, for a time that didn’t have DVDs, nor shows that are available on DVDs- hence the need for it to be a theatre show, I suppose.
I was utterly charmed, completely on the edge of my seat, muttering answers to myself, and not wanting the show to finish – and that rarely rarely happens.
If it wasn’t in its final stages of the run, I’d force everyone I know to see it – but there’s two nights left, and no doubt its sold out… but should you hear of it doing the rounds, or remounting – do yourself a favour and indulge that game show fanatic within.”

Augusta Supple,
Ex-Theatre Critic and Blogger, now Senior Manager, Engagement, Partnerships and Development, Create NSW