Sunday Arts Magazine

13 Feb 2023

Bearded

Arts, Performing Arts, Sunday Arts Magazine

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The brainchild of session musician Sean Donehue and writer
Nick Waxman, Bearded is set to hit Frankston Arts Centre’s
Cube 37 stage on March 1st for an extremely limited run.
Bearded has been in development since 2019 with support
from The Australian Music Theatre Festival, The Victorian
College of the Arts, Home Grown Theatre Company and
Proudly supported by Frankston City Council’s Artist Project
Grant program.
What is it?
So what’s it like figuring out you’re queer in 2023? Well for
best-friends Bet and Ace, it’s not great. In order to appease
the masses, escape the spotlight, and just be seen as “normal”
for once, Bet and Ace decide to “date” one another; be each
other’s beards. However, living comfortably in their lie can
only last so long. The cracks begin to form as Ace falls for an
older boy and Bet learns things about her family that have
long been hidden. No matter the lie they live, it would seem
the truth will always find a way to reveal itself. Despite the show’s Queer context, Bearded is ultimately a story
about family, given and chosen. This passionate and hilarious new musical is like reading the diaries of two Aussie
queer teenagers; it is intellectual but it sounds and speaks like the youth of today. Bearded is biting and satirical and
poses the idea that despite our society being inherently more progressive, there actually hasn’t been all that much
progression. Through a campy, self parodying music theatre lens, Bearded seeks to challenge opinions on sexuality,
gender, religion and privilege.