By Al Ronberg

OK... I was expecting to learn heaps tonight, but one thing that had never clicked in my head was that Gordon and Miranda Harcourt were brother and sister... How can someone in their mid-30s, who is a fan of Fair Go not know this? (Gosh I shudder writing mid-30s in reference to myself)...

I have to say this right from the outset: Miranda Harcourt is a freaking genius! To carry a show like this with it's expertly navigated maze of live drama and video discussions (with significant characters from her past), is truly something that will have you on the edge of your seat... Miranda is someone that I have never really seen in action other than what I remember of Gloss (which never featured prominently in my viewing priorities to be fair). But on a stage, with a crowd, and a kick-bottom script - Miranda Harcourt is in her element. She is larger than life and I am a total convert to her Miranda-ness. I won't give away much of what is in the show, I just don't think that would be fair really - you have to see this show for yourself... Stuart McKenzie's script is SHARP and incredibly funny... however...

There are times during this show where I felt completely absorbed into the story, as my recollections of childhood memories connected with the events that form the backdrop of Miranda's life. In my head it was completely as if the 3 of us (Writer, Actor and Audience) were laying out pictures from our lives, onto a large canvas... A collage-a-trois if you like...

I felt challenged as a parent, as a husband and always find comfort that in many of the toughest times that I have had to face, that there are others that have survived similar things. This show is unceasingly honest and I find that to be totally refreshing. I loved the banter between Miranda and her Husband, and also the banter that was so expertly timed between Miranda and her video friends... I had taken my 21yo little sister and she really loved this show - the humour was timeless, so not just for us 80s geeks. She was even thinking of friends that she thought should come!

I can't emphasize enough that you truly have to get to this show. It not only captures the life of our country through a couple of awesome decades, but sheds light on the life of someone who has invested much of themselves in making those decades memorable for US. You WILL laugh and by the end of the night, you would have to be a brick if you hadn't had a hint of a tear in your eye.

Thank you Miranda for a good laugh that will have me up into the wee-small hours reading Milton to my breast-feeding wife.