Bananaland - A new musical comedy

Razor sharp – irreverent – uplifting

Meet Ruby Semblance, a 21-year-old idealist. She believes in art, music and angry choreography. Ruby is the lead singer/ songwriter of Kitty Litter. Not Kitty Litter ‘the band’ mind you –according to Ruby, an “Onstage Conceptual Art / Music Oriented Happening”.

If that sounds unappealing, you’re right. Kitty Litter have been together for four years, have played fve hundred shows, and have one fan. One.

One fateful day Kitty Litter take the stage to be greeted by a sold-out audience… of small children. It turns out their furious protest song “Bananaland” has accidently become a hit on the kids’ music charts!

Is Kitty Litter destined to become the next

Wiggles? Spoiler: yes. And it’s our total delight as the audience to witness them rail against this destiny. Do they allow themselves to be consumed with the notion of ‘selling out’ or do they buy into their accidental ‘kids’ band’ fame?

And whilst we’re on the topic… if you think you’re coming to a show for kids, think again. The Kitty Litter to kids’ band journey is a rollercoaster romp full of heart, music, comedy, pathos and lovable characters… with plenty of ‘choice’ words and cheeky ‘adultfriendly’ content thrown in to make this unlike any musical you’ve seen before.

BANANALAND is a celebration of the glorious absurdity of following an impossible dream, featuring a knockout score by Kate Miller-Heidke and her collaborator Keir Nuttall – the award-winning song writing team behind Muriel’s Wedding The Musical and multiple platinum selling albums. It is directed by industry giant Simon Phillips, internationally renowned for his work on large-scale musicals including Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Ladies in Black and famed for his stunning visual style and innovative staging. For tickets and info:

Grape Expectations by Max Crus

Max Crus is a Clarence Valley-based wine writer and Grape Expectations is now in its 26th year of publication. Find out more about Max or sign up for his weekly reviews and musings by visiting maxcrus.com.au

Deal with your jolly trolley Molly.

Well, there goes another public holiday, dang, and what can the Nats whinge about now?

Anyway, congratulations to the Matildas who by now will hopefully have secured the number three spot in the World Cup, Sam Kerr’s face will be on our $100 notes and three quarters of Australians believe Mackenzie Arnold really is our Minister for Defence.

But life goes on and

Hare Raising Yarra Valley Shiraz 2019, $20. The cartoon label is straight from a kids book and they will love it, but fear not, kids know that wine tastes awful.

Grown-ups on the other hand will fnd their $20 more than amply rewarded with adult , lighter bodied shiraz. 9.2/10.

Hare Raising Yarra we can now get back to important things such as, um, shopping trolleys. There are two types of people in the world. No, not National Party voters and those born after 1950. I refer to people who don’t put their shopping trolleys away after they’ve loaded the groceries into the car, and those who want to punch them.

Co-incidentally often the latter also want to punch National Party voters, indeed both groups want

Valley Chardonnay, $20. The quirky labels are nonetheless quite alluring, and it’s hard not to look at them more closely. Job done and if you take one home you’ll fnd even better value than the shiraz. 9.3/10.

Wildfower Western Australia Sauvignon to do that, which begs the question what do National Party voters do with their shopping trolleys? But I digress.

How inconsiderate is that?

How often have you delighted in fnding a convenient parking spot only to discover that some rude, inconsiderate, lazy, annoying, thoughtless, entitled twat has left their trolley in the way?

How hard can it be?

Okay, if you’re disabled or have a million screaming kids and 17 bags of shopping to ft into the V8 diesel Land Crusher, you might be forgiven, and counselled about how to raise kids and to think about the planet but even these people put their trolleys away…when they are being watched.

Blanc Semillon 2021, $22. How refreshing to move into spring accompanied by a new wave of sauvignon blancs. Or should that be sauvignons blanc?

Whatever, bring on spring, the wildfowers and the Wildfowers, and most of all the wild sauv’ blancs, or sauvs’ blanc. 9.3/10.

People who don’t put their trolleys away are likely also litterers…when no-one is watching.

The same people who

Wildfower WA Pinot Grigio 2023, $22. Pinot grigio is the new simple white you have when you are having simple fare on a lazy Sunday lunch. You don’t have to think about it much, even less than say, sauvignon blanc, but you can if you want to. 9.2/10. Longview Adelaide Hills leave their rubbish on the table in the food court. The same people who stand still in the middle of the travelator or stand blocking the exit yacking to their National Party friends.

And this highlights another issue with trolley etiquette, there is invariably room on travelators to park your trolley to the left and allow people who have things to do in their lives apart from stopping and smelling roses and cooking

Devil’s Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, $30. You have to go out of your way to go around Devil’s Elbow now, and likely the site of the most truck rollovers in the country is not as dangerous as it was, but it is nicely memorialised in this cabernet, perfect for reminiscing your own

Max Crus

oil from KFC, but do they?

Never.

There is one other group too who should be allowed some latitude when leaving their trolleys in the way of other car-parkers, those who have just shopped at Dan’s and banged their shins so often on the stupid bit at the bottom of Dan’s trolleys that they can no longer walk without discomfort.

What’s that all about?

Bang your shins on these : devilish deeds. 9.4/10. Longview Adelaide Hills Whippet Sauvignon Blanc 2023, $23. This is a modern and restrained SB and almost as much fun as a motorcycle ride through those same Adelaide hills in which it is produced. Cheaper too. Woof. 9.2/10.