The Beryls: Cattle Call at MICF

A travelling tiara, a Swan Prince, some enigmatic pamphlets and an absurd casting call are the winning ingredients of The Beryls’ smash comedy show Cattle Call. As part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this hilarious production blurs the lines between actors and audience, thespians and spectators.

Cattle Call is set in the regional hometown of Schlumpsville. The audience is introduced to Victoria Beauvoir (Patrick Dwyer), a washed-up, broke diva who left the beauty pageant world for reasons they legally can’t disclose. Yearning for the spotlight, Victoria is cast as the leading lady in Roger Seahorse’s (Laura Trenerry) play titled Veronica & The Time Travelling Tiara. The tension between the pair is palpable. Victoria’s delusions of grandeur and search for love collide with Roger’s over-bronzed and rigid aura.

In searching for the 2 roles in the play, the boundaries between real-life and screenplay smudge into hilarity. Victoria plays Veronica Pavlova, a beauty queen searching for romance, who is transported through time, space and dimensions in search of true love. Dreynden, The Swan Prince, is the object of Veronica’s desire and is played by an unassuming and alluring member of the audience. Can Veronica’s epic swan call and Roger’s invented language save Dreynden from the bellows of a perilous lake?

After sold-out seasons and glowing reviews of their debut show The Pageant, The Beryls are back at it again showcasing the talent and huge energy that performers Patrick Dwyer and Laura Trenerry command on stage. The magic of drag, melodrama, song, and farce blend into a comedic storm that will make you laugh from start to finish.

I loved Cattle Call – it was a real treat to sit through. Patrick Dwyer as Victoria and Victoria playing Veronica was a complete hoot, delivering a memorable performance on keys, vocals and playing the larger-than-life beauty. Laura Trenerry’s characterisation of Roger was brilliant, and the story arc of being reunited with a former flame, was the perfect way to end the show.

Catch a LOL at The Beryls’ Cattle Call at Malthouse Theatre. On stage till Sunday 9 April 2023.

The Beryls: Cattle Call
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023
Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank, 3006
On-stage until Sunday 9 April 2025