The musical we had to have…

Keating! had its premiere on 13 March 2005 at the Old Council
Chambers, Trades Hall in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

It starred Mike McLeish as Paul Keating with Casey Bennetto as Bob
Hawke and John Howard. Members of the Drowsy Drivers played
other roles. The show was a runaway success, selling out almost
immediately, and garnering rave reviews and numerous awards.

The famed Company B of Belvoir Street reworked the show with Neil
Armfield directing, additional songs from Casey Bennetto, material
from John Clarke and with Mike McLeish reprising the title role. The
resulting two-act version of the show enjoyed even more success than
its one-act Drowsy Drivers predecessor, travelling the nation (except
for Tasmania) and enjoying several return seasons in Sydney and
Melbourne. This production is the first in Australia to be undertaken
by an independent company and Old Nick, with its long history of
political satire and social commentary, is the perfect producer.