★★★★★

Sandi McMenamin. Holden Street Theatres. 14 Mar 2026

 

Now we will really be Waiting for Monarto. Sandi Mac’s performance season was far too short—and it served as a teaser for the musical she has been writing (and waiting on) for years: Monarto Pastorale.

 

Artfully and wittily, she filled the waiting with songs about waiting. Who knew there were so many?

 

Of course, Sandi is the most in-demand accompanist in town, and she’s a positive Liberace on the keyboard. Her shows are alive, alive-o with deft digits and consummate chords.

 

And she’s not a bad singer either—though she cheerfully admits she has to sing her own songs because somebody has to. A prolific composer, she also worked, years ago, in creative partnership with the late Andrew Murrell, once one of Adelaide’s great revue talents. Here, Sandi honours him and even harmonises with a recording of Murrell singing a number from Monarto Pastorale. The full work isn’t about the zoo, but about the remarkable history behind its name. It’s quite a story. But, says Sandi, it still awaits approvals. She hopes it will be ready for next Fringe—or perhaps for a standalone launch somewhere. As she puts it in one of her pithy lyrics: it’s like Waiting for Godot, but with more flies.

 

Meanwhile, in the pleasantly packed Ruby’s Room at Holden Street, she engages warmly with the audience, coaxes a spot of singalong, and unearths some lovely voices in the process. She even costumes up a couple of willing volunteers for a wee skit and generally makes sure everyone has a darned good time.

 

It is impossible not to adore her.

 

Samela Harris

 

When: 28 Feb to 14 Mar

Where: Holden Street Theatres

Bookings: Closed