Dangerous When Wet
Writers: Eliane Morel and Merran Hughes
Director/composer: Joanna Weinberg
Arranger/musical director: Daryl Wallis
Randwick Town Hall, Sydney
8 –18 October 2026
If you’re a musical theatre fan, this is the show with everything. Performed in vaudeville style, it assails you with tremendous performances, songs, costumes and humour. Despite the fun, it also presents the important, sometimes neglected, history of Australia’s female swimming pioneers. Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie were rivals but also close friends, and both were determined to compete in the 1912 Olympics in Sweden.
Narrating their story, in an array of sumptuous gowns, is the already world-famous Annette Kellerman (Megan Walshe), who took her swimming skills to Hollywood and became a star. Fanny (Cypriana Singh) and Mina (Grace Trainor) begin the songfest with “Dangerous When Wet”, in which they express their ambitions while wearing the cumbersome swimwear of the time, complete with mob cap. Together with Annette, they try to streamline their gear, but their attempts are met with raised eyebrows and questions about modesty.
There are more flies in the ointment: the president of the Women’s Swimming Association (Eliane Morel) opposes their plans and, disappointingly, they learn that all the Olympic funding has been allocated to the men’s team. Eventually, enough money is raised to send the two to Sweden, where they do their country proud, winning gold and silver in their event.
But don’t let the serious bits deter you. The whole show brims with gloriously costumed characters and a palpable joie de vivre. Composer Joanna Weinberg’s more than fifteen songs trace her characters’ emotional shifts, as well as generating a lot of the laughs. Most of the impressive cast are professionally trained through theatre-related degrees and have extensive performance experience, as noted in their biographies. The quality of their singing is particularly outstanding.
The amazing design and inventiveness of the costumes is a visual feast, a blaze of colour, glitter and sequins. Director Joanna Weinberg has also used the small stage to good advantage, while preserving the intimacy of a community hall. Some quirky touches the audience may recognise: in one number, coloured hula hoops are held up to form the Olympic rings; in another, a facial expression on a stick is walked through, representing something like a 1912 emoji! And of course, a special shout-out to the indefatigable pianist, Daryl Wallis, who powered his way through each change of style: vaudeville, music hall and even a touch of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Naturally, the world champions were suitably feted on their return, given a tumultuous ticker-tape welcome home, with the whole country wild with joy. Everyone loves an underdog story! The creators have expressed a hope that they can take their show nationwide, and as an effortless five-star production, it should definitely be on the cards!
