PEOPLE OF THE COAST Marney McQueen

MARNEY MCQUEEN

SHE CAN SING, SHE CAN DANCE, SHE CAN ACT. SHE IS ALSO A MARRIAGE CELEBRANT AND A DAB HAND AT PULLING A BEER. MARNEY MCQUEEN HAS PERFORMED IN FRONT OF HUGE AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD BUT IT’S THE SMALL PUB CROWDS THAT SHE ENTERTAINS IN WYONG THAT BRING HER THE MOST JOY.

WORDS MEGAN ARKINSTALL

It’s a case of life imitating art for Marney McQueen. Fourteen years ago, the cabaret singer was cast in the original stage production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as Marion, the character who runs an outback pub that holds cabaret shows. Fast forward to today: she and her husband Frank now own a pub, the Royal Hotel Wyong, where she and other artists regularly perform live cabaret shows.

The seasoned actor always knew she was destined for the stage. As a young child, she took to impersonating her family and friends and says she ‘quickly got a taste of how great it is to make people laugh – and that became addictive’. Going on to study at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Marney met legendary Australian comic Barry Humphries and was inspired by the fact he built his career around creating characters. She watched his Broadway show eight times and read all his books before returning to Australia to write her own show.

Marney’s own zany characters include a border security officer and Raelene Dreggs, the mother of a convicted drug smuggler. But her most famous character by far is the incredibly funny Rosa Waxoffski, a pink-haired Russian beautician who has a passion for maintaining the private areas of celebrities around the globe. She has toured the country and across the world with this stand-up act to rave reviews, most recently at the 2021 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Indeed, Marney is a triple threat in her industry with Barry Humphries himself once declaring: ‘She has the goods.’

Away from the stage, in addition to being a local pub owner and marriage celebrant, Marney is mum to two young boys. ‘I thought it would be funny to marry people while in character,’ she says, ‘but I soon discovered that I just enjoyed marrying people. It’s a great honour.’

On owning the historic Royal Hotel Wyong, Marney admits it was hard work and a huge learning curve, but she says it has been well worth it. With a fresh new look and a busy calendar of events including high teas, fashion parades and charity events, the 1889-built hotel has been transformed from what was once a ‘pretty blokey’ pub into a place that also caters to young families and females. And it is the weekly entertainment that was given the biggest shake-up with the likes of Australian soprano Marina Prior and entertainers Bob Downe, Rhonda Burchmore and Gina Jeffreys all headlining at the pub. Marney herself also hosts a monthly variety show, which is a hugely popular night of riotous fun.

‘We host a lot of women’s events at the pub, especially events where the intention is to get women who are new to the coast to meet each other,’ says Marney. ‘And we usually use these events to raise money for local women’s charities.’

Head to royalhotelwyong.com.au/whats-on to book tickets.