The Lucky Country is a brave, brilliant and beautifully Australian triumph! With music and lyrics by the astonishingly talented Vidya Makan, and co-created and directed with precision and heart by Sonya Suares, The Lucky Country is a love letter to who we are now, and who we might yet become.
This “mix-tape of Aussie stories” feels like a pulse running through the nation itself. Makan’s score (and lyrics) are witty and irresistibly hooky, drawing inspiration from multiple sources including Baker Boy, Jimmy Barnes, Kylie, The Seekers, and Electric Fields, but the result is unmistakably her own.
A sonic patchwork of pop, rock, hip-hop, and First Nations rhythms, remixed through a contemporary lens, the show feels utterly now.
Structured as a revue-style musical, each scene stands on its own – self-contained, vivid, and thematically resonant – collectively building a kaleidoscopic mosaic of what it means to call this country home. Opening with the rousing It’s A New Day, featuring a powerhouse performance from Garret Lyon, whose voice soars with youthful optimism and infectious energy.
The highlights keep coming. Makin’ My Way to Byron Bay, featuring Jeffrey Liu as a Chinese Australian restaurateur dreaming of a sun-kissed life in Byron Bay, is irresistibly funny and effortlessly breezy. The full-ensemble number, Dusty Esky, about a fake Russian choir stranded in northern New South Wales, overflows with comic brilliance and cheeky charm.
Makan shines in the solo, Hugh Jackman, skewering celebrity culture with a surprising turn, while Phoenix Jackson Mendoza brings warmth and grace to the tender Growing A Garden, before returning with the dazzling, pageant-inspired, I Could Kill Ya, performed with show-stopping flair alongside the ensemble.
Karlis Zaid’s Times Are As Hard As Ever lands with understated poignancy, grounding the show’s exuberance, as the momentum builds to the anthemic Rise, a stirring duet between Naarah and Lyon, lifted to soaring emotional heights by McPherson’s resonant Yidaki, was a musical high point of the evening.
The creative team delivers at every turn. Amy Zhang’s choreography bursts with vitality – playful, grounded and thrillingly precise. Emily Collett’s costumes cleverly evoke the textures of coastal and outback Australia with warmth and imagination.
Justin Harrison’s video design sets each scene, flowing seamlessly between intimate storytelling and sweeping cinematic gesture, complemented by Andrew Boswell’s crisp sound and Rob Sowinski’s evocative lighting.
Under Heidi Maguire’s assured musical direction and gleaming orchestrations, every beat lands, every chord rings true. The band: Billy McPherson (Yidaki), Ann Metry (Bass), Kathryn Stammers (Drums & Percussion), and Lee Mallinson (Guitars), play with conviction, weaving traditional sounds and modern grooves into something special.
Clocking in at a tight 65 minutes, The Lucky Country is bold, funny, political and very generous – dancing between satire and sincerity, joy and grief, protest and celebration. It’s exactly the kind of storytelling Australia needs right now!
The Lucky Country
Southbank Theatre, The Lawler, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Performance: Wednesday 15 October 2025
Season continues to 18 October 2025
Information and Bookings: www.mtc.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, The Lucky Country will play at the Underground Theatre – Brisbane Powerhouse, as part of the Melt Festival, from 22 – 26 October 2025.
Images: Karlis Zaid, Jeffrey Liu, Vidya Makan and Phoenix Jackson Mendoza in The Lucky Country – photo by Jodie Hutchinson | Garret Lyon in The Lucky Country – photo by Jodie Hutchinson | Phoenix Jackson Mendoza in The Lucky Country – photo by Jodie Hutchinson | The Company of The Lucky Country – photo by Jodie Hutchinson
Review: Rohan Shearn