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Satire a highway to the danger zone

August 17, 2022 BY

Taking flight: Top Gun: The Musical features a cast of seven. Photo: SUPPLIED

NEARLY twenty years since its debut at New York’s Musical Theatre Festival, Top Gun: The Musical is set to premiere in Ballarat.

The show is produced by Melbourne company Salty Theatre and will be buzzing the tower, or at least taking to the stage, at the Ballarat Mining Exchange from Thursday, 8 September until Saturday, 17 September.

Actress Samantha Stewart, who plays wingman Goose, said the show isn’t a straight adaptation.

“It’s kind of a musical within a musical. It brings a new perspective in some areas, like Brooklyn Nine-Nine or The Office or Waiting for Guffman, that sort of style of satirical comedy,” she said.

“It gives fans of the movie that nostalgia in a really fun and silly way so it’s quite timely with the 80s nostalgia happening right now.

“It’s not a direct adaptation but it has a lot of your favourite scenes from the movie and it plays on that in a very staged way.”

Top Gun: The Musical was originally penned in 2004 by writer Denis McGrath and composer Scott White, and tells the meta story of writer Billy Palmer as he tries to write the musical itself.

It premiered in 2004 for the Toronto Fringe Festival, with Salty Theatre helming its Australian debut as part of the Melbourne iteration in 2019.

Their upcoming residency will also serve as the theatre company’s local debut.

Stewart said with both herself and group founder Sarahlouise Younger hail from Ballarat and she said she’s keen to bring the show to her hometown.

“Making a professional debut for me is extremely exciting. My mum’s pretty stoked because she doesn’t have to travel very far,” she said.

“But the company as well are looking forward to bring the production here, and I know Sarahlouise is excited to give a branch of Melbourne professional theatre to Ballarat.

“It’s really becoming more and more of a regional hub for things like theatre and all sorts of things.”

Tickets for Top Gun: The Musical are $52 and $40 concession. For more info visit bit.ly/3oSPhcD.