Idea: Eddie Perfect. Book: Eddie Perfect. Lyrics and music: Eddie Perfect.

During the three-year development of Tivoli Lovely at WAAPA, Perfect must surely have wished, at times, that he were a “mere” playwright or novelist. Any lesser person might have buckled under the strain.

But Perfect – flamboyant, energetic and irrepressibly Australian – would have, no doubt, revelled in the chaos: rewriting lyrics at the last moment, reshaping roles, collaborating with director Dean Bryant and a student cast in an exhilarating hive of activity. One would have loved to be there.

Tivoli Lovely. Photo © Stephen Heath

Perfect has always been drawn to Australian cultural history – his Shane Warne: The Musical remains a brilliant example – and Tivoli Lovely continues that exploration. Dean Bryant, a fellow WAAPA alumnus of 25 years’ standing, credits Perfect’s deft handling of musical comedy, black humour and the Australian vernacular.

Together, they make Tivoli Lovely brim with cultural references, quintessential Aussie wit and eye-rolling Dad jokes, which kept the audience laughing throughout – especially when the former Tivoli...