More Than A Game review: Footy Show love triangle a harsh watch but the talent is there

A risque theatre show about the love spat between Garry Lyon and Billy Brownless is brimming with talent, even if it is a little harsh. Read the review.

It wasn’t quite in the same ballpark as Shakespeare, but the risque musical theatre show inspired by the marriage break-up, friendship bust-up and romantic hook-up between Footy Show favourites Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon made its mark with its Melbourne debut.

The breakdown of Billy and Nicky Brownless’s marriage and her then romance with Garry Lyon, and Billy’s subsequent interview on The Footy Show, where he bared his soul about the complicated and emotionally painful situation, was the basis for the show More Than A Game: The Unauthorised Footy Show Musical, which played at Chapel Off Chapel.

The show with its beer drinking, intentionally bad wigs and broadly drawn characters, skimmed over the details of the Brownless-Lyon entanglement and rather used the unusual situation to take a sharp satirical jab at celebrity culture, particularly the deification of footy players in Australia.

The real-life characters are now playing happy families but would be horrified by the show.

While there was the obvious question of whether the show was in poor taste, the opening night audience clearly found the production entertaining, if harsh in places.

The character of Billy, played by Walter Buckley, who wrote the music and lyrics for the show, elicited empathy from the crowd and the portrayal of the Shane Crawford character was warmly welcomed by the audience.

It is doubtful that the team behind the show had any love for The Footy Show, but there is no doubt they are brimming with talent.

It is certain that anyone associated with The Footy Show would have found it difficult to laugh at the production – a lot of nerves were touched.

However, like The Footy Show, More Than A Game is moving on.

There are no plans for a future season of the play, which premiered at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2021 and is not associated with The Footy Show or Channel 9.

Rather the team is focusing on a new work, a dark comedy romance musical about a woman who had a secret affair with a man she kept in her attic for fifteen years.