The Dismissal was supposed to have premiered in 2021, following a hugely successful development presentation in 2019, but COVID got in the way. As Jo Litson reports, the rollicking new musical is about to open – and with Norman Gunston as ringmaster, anything is possible.

The creative team of The Dismissal. Left to right: Laura Murphy (composer/lyricist), Matthew Whittet (who plays Norman Gunston), Jay James-Moody (deviser, co-writer and director) and Blake Erickson (co-writer), with black and white photos of Gough Whitlam, Sir John Kerr and Malcolm Fraser. Photo © Dominic Lorrimer/Sydney Morning Herald

When independent musical theatre powerhouse Squabbalogic presented a week-long workshop production of a new Australian musical called The Dismissal at Sydney’s Seymour Centre in June 2019, the audience went wild. 

Writing for Audrey Journal, Jason Blake (now Digital...