Words by Ash Qama

We’ve all had awful experiences dealing with Centrelink. Between the hour-long phone queues, seemingly random payment stoppages and absurdly long lines, there’s a lot to complain about. Centrelink the Musical attempts to transform the despair we all face at Centrelink into a fun, whimsical show.

Centrelink the Musical has been performed at comedy and fringe festivals since 2009. Sadly, the musical was let down by one key facet—the script. Whilst the characters were performed wonderfully and the musical numbers sung very well, the plot was baffling at times, especially with the inclusion of a Broadway-style number for no apparent reason. The songs were often repetitive and verses should have been cut after the choruses.

I really wanted to like Centrelink the Musical. It encompasses a very stereotypical but accurate representation of the people you might find yourself standing next to in line at your local Centrelink, and is well performed by the actors. But, much like the hold music you face when you call Centrelink, the musical numbers were dated and became tedious.

Centrelink the Musical is on at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival at the Metanoia Theatre until 12 April.

Welcome to episode one of Farradio, the radio show… on camera… for Farrago.

Farradio is a monthly podcast, where the articles and issues of each edition of Farrago are dissected. Each episode will feature interviews and conversations with Farrago contributors, as well as some lighthearted banter and games.

In this month’s episode…

Adriane Reardon chats to Matthew Lesh about his edition one opinion piece on the University of Melbourne’s new smoking restrictions.

Timothy McDonald offers his three best tips for saving money at university.

Sean Mantesso chats to Simon Farley about his edition one Declassified piece about Vietnam draft dodgers.

Timothy McDonald tests the other presenters on how closely they read edition one.

Farradio episode one

Produced by Ash Qama
Hosted by Timothy McDonald
Featuring Sarah Dalton, Simon Farley, Matthew Lesh, Sean Mantesso, Adriane Reardon
Video edited by Kevin Hawkins
Music by destinazione_altrove (ccmixter)

Welcome to episode two of Farradio.

Farradio is a monthly podcast, where the articles and issues of each edition of Farrago are dissected. Each episode will feature interviews and conversations with Farrago contributors, as well as some lighthearted banter and games.

In this month’s episode…

Timothy McDonald opens up the long-lost Farrago fax machine

Sarah Dalton, Adriane Reardon, and Sean Mantesso discuss Scout Boxall’s piece on heroin use and celebrities.

Sean Mantesso and Simon Farley chat about Ned Kelly and other Australian “heroes”.

Farradio episode two

Produced by Ash Qama
Hosted by Adriane Reardon
Featuring Sarah Dalton, Simon Farley, Sean Mantesso, Timothy McDonald, and Emily Weir
Video edited by Kevin Hawkins
Music by destinazione_altrove (ccmixter)