REVIEW: Twinkle Town
- Natasha Dyson
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
“I will not allow my Twinkle Town Musicale to be made into farce.” - Ms. Darbus, 2006.
Although perhaps not Ms. Darbus approved, I’d argue Isabella Patane and Dean Robinson’s Twinkle Town reimagining was the right amount of farcical; that is to say, extremely.
High School Musical: the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie features the audition process for East High’s winter musicale (you guessed it) Twinkle Town, though in the film we never get to see the final show. This Melbourne International Comedy Festival the Motley Spielhaus is the only place to get the answer to the question we have all been asking for the last twenty years; what was Twinkle Town about?
As someone in current possession of a Troy Bolton 2009 calendar on my purse (the dates are the same) and a poster of Troy in my laundry, I feel it necessary to add that this show isn’t for folks who aren’t already fans of High School Musical. Like most Comedy Fest shows, either you’re in the niche of the target audience or you’ll leave more confused than amused.
One reason for this is that Twinkle Town provides us the rare opportunity to witness a show within a show within a show within a show. Robinson and Patane present Mario & Antoinette within Twinkle Town within the High School Musical universe (specifically Ms. Darbus’ current senior class) within the Twinkle Town we sat down to watch. That’s not even getting into the West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet plot elements. Or the extensive Disney Channel referencing, including Hannah Montana interludes and that one Hilary Duff ad that ended homophobia. Basically if you didn’t go to theatre school and/or live in front of your television growing up (I did both), the script would be mostly gibberish.
But for those of us troubled enough to follow along, this script was a treasure trove, made up of more quotes than original dialogue. I found the show clever and nonsensical and fun, and there were moments where I could see the potential for further productions.
Patane and Robinson’s commitment to the bit shines through in this piece. Unbound by dignity or gender roles, they tackled all of the characters with an unapologetic charm. They had impressive attention to detail in learning the original film choreography, however vocally the duo were not as strong. I would have loved for those Drew Seeley harmonies to have soared, I think it would have really elevated this witty production.
As much as I enjoyed the reimagining of HSM tune Stick to the Status Quo, I wish the pair had tackled composing an original song or two for Twinkle Town. That said, I wasn’t sure whether the instrumental interludes had some original orchestration, or were downloaded versions of the film score. Either way I thought the sound elements were really effective, and sold the 2000s nostalgia nicely.
Twinkle Town as a premise is something I’m frankly shocked Disney hasn’t decided to adapt already. Whether theirs would look anything like this 50-minute fever dream is definitely up for debate, but I’m delighted this writing pair have gotten the ball rolling.
The Motley Spielhaus is one of over 130 venues hosting original comedy shows this Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It just so happens this Monday evening I managed to track down the most intricately-specific-to-my-life double bill in Twinkle Town, followed by Rachel Tunaley’s wildly fun and relatable Recovering Eldest Daughter. If you’re in the mood to heal your inner child (and remember a bunch of lyrics you’d forgotten were stored in your brain), make sure you get down to both of these shows. Happy Comedy Fest!
Check out Twinkle Town now at The Motley Spielhaus now until 19th April.
