ADELAIDE FESTIVAL

RIVERBANK PALAIS

Russell on tour with his PERSONAL KINGFISHER….

“Who Am I? Is not for the faint-hearted, it is for those who love classic story telling, for those who are looking to delve into the life of another human being, sharing their thoughts, feelings and desires, and those who love suspense.

Russell Cheek is a master narrator. He takes the audience on a wild ride through the history, glamour and bad attire of 1990’s commercial television. The story follows Russell’s life as he recollects his experiences on Sale of the Century. Using his cutting wit and auditory skills, Russell recalls this bygone era and stressful, yet exciting time in his life.

The carryover champion’s story telling skills are incredible. His voice is calming and soft, his actions and gestures are those of a well-experienced actor. As the tension mounts the emotion is visceral. Russell conjured such creative tension that one audience member was so caught in the climax of the show that she stood up and announced that she “couldn’t bear the tension” any more. Ever the gentleman, Russell dashed off the stage and reassured her by whispering the ending to her, just in case. She stayed and gave a standing ovation at the end of the show.

Russell Cheek’s inspiring and hopeful tale reminds us of the power of goals and dreams. He will draw you in and you will share the joys, the tensions and the laughs as he recalls a very important time in his life.”

Rupert Hogen-Turner – “The Upside News”

Riverbank Palais

ADELAIDE FESTIVAL

Who Am I……?

(Confessions of the Quiz Guy…!)

SOCIAL MEDIA and REVIEWS

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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

“My Sydney Facebook friends, please treat yourselves to this show, you will enjoy a fabulous 75 minutes of smart and hilarious dialogue (well monologue strictly speaking…) that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat and laughing so hard…
Trust me, book now and make a date of it!”
Francine Clough

“Rush and go see Who Am I…? It is side-splittingly funny, tender, beautifully crafted and full of joy. A fantastic night at the theatre! Bravo Russell Cheek and Steve Abbott”.
Kerri Glasscock

“We were lucky enough to see Russell Cheek in all his comic glory last night. LOVED it !!! What a great show. A must see night out in Newtown. Love this guy…”
Catherine Carr

“I absolutely LOVED your show Russell. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat as you carried us moment by moment through your amazing journey 🙂 Anyone reading this… YOU MUST GO!”
Katrina Smith-Jones

“Brilliantly executed and F@*king hilarious, GO SEE THIS SHOW.”
Maddy Jean Baghurst

“Intelligent, hilarious and moving, Russell Cheek takes us on a remarkable and colourful journey of self discovery in Who Am I ? Storytelling at its most pleasurable. Huge congrats on a… WINNER! And a fabulous opening! On until the 20th August, Old 505 Theatre- book now!”
Clockfire Theatre Company

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“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

“Please pass on to Russell that I thought the show was brilliant! And he was adorable and funny and I had a ball!
Thanks for making last minute ticket work! Best.”
Gia Carides

“Yes – lively, witty, hilarious, and I was on the edge of my seat! A beautifully conceived and performed show. Well done Russell Cheek!”
Megan Simpson Huberman

“As for Who Am I…? Russell Cheek is divine, with an unassuming yet formidable intellect. Who Am I…? is a very funny, fascinating insight into the machinations of an Australian TV icon and human psyche. It’s so cleverly crafted that, even though I knew the answer, I was still on the edge of my seat for the whole ride!”
Annette Blake

“We loved it. Insightful and laugh out loud hilarious. Russell Cheek is clever AND nice and funny and has a full book of facial expressions.”
Gemma Deacon

“Go see Russell’s fabulously funny show at the intimate Old 505 Theatre in Newtown! We laughed till we cried! Great work Russell Cheek! and thanks for sharing your secrets…”
James Bradley

“Absolutely hilarious! I had tears rolling down my cheeks – haven’t had such a good laugh in ages…!”
Yo de Torres

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“What a funny, terrifying ride he puts us through…the 90’s..the hair, the suit jackets, the STAKES…dunno what I’m on about? See this show…Russell Cheek delivers his unimaginable tale with such truth, jeez….we were all THERE in the bloody thing!
Just go…don’t f**k around.”
Stuart Spence

“….a delightfully humorous warm personal story and performance in Russell Cheek’s Who Am I? as he took us on a real life journey of reflection and introspection on becoming a Sale of the Century Champion…”
Ralph Kerle

“Friends & I had a wonderful evening with the extraordinarily entertaining talent of Russell Cheek giving us his best, recalling the Zen like mastery of him winning “Sale of The Century” TV contest. Highly recommend.”
Rodney Monk

“What a hoot! Just fabulous. Haven’t laughed so much in ages. Everyone, make sure you get along to this. Loved it!”
Gillian Deakin

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 “Absolutely amazing, must see – again!”
Jay Dunne

 

“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”

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“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