First performed in 1989, Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens is collection of songs and rhyming monologues told by anonymous characters who have died from AIDS.
The writing certainly wears its vintage on its sleeve, something Director and Choreographer, Jesse Matthews, doesn’t try to avoid in the staging. The combination of the material being delivered for the most part in an upbeat fashion lends everything a glorious camp quality.
You do find yourself wondering in the audience how that quality would have played in 1989 to audiences back then – getting a brief respite from nursing their friends or family and attending funerals to watch familiar stories turned into show tunes – years before treatments would turn a death sentence into a survivable illness. The reaction nearly 40 years ago might be a mystery, but in 2026 the show is one that engages and entertains.
It’s an ambitious undertaking for Heirlume Productions’ inaugural show – not least of all because the playwright’s preference is for a cast of 30+ artists to perform the work, yet the cast here number just eight.
Whether it’s a small town boy from South Dakota diving into the freedom and hedonism of New York City, a woman infected by her bisexual partner, a drug addict discovering the true cost of sharing needles, or a young man shunned and disowned by his family – this brave cast admirable tackle a range of characters from a myriad of backgrounds.
It’s heavy stuff, but material that Joti Van Carlos Gore, Saša Nikolic, Zoe Nichols, Georgina Scott, Marcus Frost, Ezri Cranston, Cameron Davey and Mackinnley Bowden, pull off in great fashion.
Musical Director, Charlotte Greenslade, deserves praise. Her small band – cello (Charlotte Kune), harp (Jacinta Dennett) – were excellent, providing lovely accompaniment throughout.
Even with the cast’s ability and chemistry, some scenes simply didn’t work due to the material. A protest number certainly depicted anger, but it was a snapshot of something past, rather than something visceral and of the moment. Writer Bill Russell talks about updating the script, but apparently not for while.
We live in a time where the US government has declared they will no longer recognise World AIDS Day, has cancelled all foreign aid programs that combat HIV and AIDS, scrapped research, restricted funding, and whose attempts to stop funding HIV prevention domestically were only recently curtailed (for now) at the last minute. There’s a lot to be angry about.
Elegies was a terrific show, full of great performances, but you find yourself wishing for a little more rage.
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
The MC Showroom, Level 1 – 50 Clifton Street, Prahran
Performance: Thursday 29 January 2026
Season continues to 1 February 2026
Bookings: www.midsumma.org.au
For more information, visit: www.heirlumeproductions.com for details.
Images: Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens – photos by Darren Thao
Review: June Collins