It’s A Wonderful Knife: Christmas Dundee – Old Joint Stock, Birmingham

It’s A Wonderful Knife – Christmas Dundee continues at the Old Joint Stock, Birmingham until 30 December 2025.

Star rating: fours stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Quite often as fans of musicals, it’s easy to feel like we’ve seen it all and there are no original ideas left. Then, out of the blue, something comes along to remind you that there’s still plenty of originality left in the world, and you really can make a musical out of anything. And so, we’re introduced to It’s A Wonderful Knife: Christmas Dundee, a comedy musical parody, premiering at Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre and running over the festive period.  The randomness begins now, so strap in.

It’s December 2024, and Burt has sadly passed away at the ripe old age of 90. For the uninitiated, Burt was the reptilian star of the original Crocodile Dundee film (which once broke records as the most-watched film on TV during Christmas Day in 1989).

Surviving co-star Paul Hogan (played by Paul Westwood) is saddened by the news, but Paul has his own struggles going on, battling ill-health and depression at 84 and wondering what the point of such a long life is, despite a loving family around him.

When Paul hits bottom and wishes he’d never been born, Burt is sent back to Earth, appearing to Paul as the flamboyant croc he’s always wanted to be (Oliver Cartwright) and guides Paul through what life would have been like if he’d never existed; through bizarre career turns for Linda Hamilton (Thea Jo Wolfe) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Tom Kiteley), to Hugh Jackman (Will Usherwood-Bliss) and Kylie Minogue (Wolfe) becoming freedom fighters, Burt shows Paul what would’ve happened if ‘Crocodile Dundee’ had failed without him as its lead, ultimately ending up to the collapse of Australia and the onset of war.

It takes guts to take a chance on a fresh idea like this one, and while it borrows from two well-known titles, there’s still plenty of original ideas and unique thinking at play here. The shows comes from the Old Joint Stock’s very own James Edge (book and lyrics), a man who has a love for musicals that knows no limits, and this comes through in abundance.

MT references come thick and fast, the score (Adam Gerber) hits the right mix of up-tempo ensemble numbers and belting solos, and it’s all delivered with a playful sense of humour and its tongue firmly in its cheek. It does lose its way a little in Act II, with the plot needing a little more meat on its bones to sustain the running time and the balance between the comedy and the pathos not quite right, but the conclusion of Paul and Burt’s journey is wonderfully done when it arrives.

The piece may be served better as a 100-minute straight-through performance to make it snappier (no pun intended), and perhaps loose a song or so for tightness, but this is a brand-new production in the exciting infancy stage. With this much potential this early on, it won’t take much cutting from that famous knife to turn this into a real gem of a show, particularly for a queer audience who will absolutely lap up the absurdist comedy and camp humour. Skilfully directed by Lilly Butcher and choreographed by William Spencer, the production also uses the intimate space cleverly (something that always impresses at the Old Join Stock) and transitions are slick despite the limited room, the cast never letting their energy levels drop for a second.

Old Joint Stock productions always manage to secure fantastic casts and this one is no exception, with five hard-working and talented performers firing on all cylinders (and fine Australian accents to boot). Cartwright and Wolfe deliver on the vocals front, Usherwood-Bliss shows off incredible comic timing and Tom Kiteley gives a surprisingly emotional turn as Steve Irwin (amongst others).

Westwood also does a fine job as Paul Hogan, taking us on the full ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ journey and again hitting the emotional beats. The cast shares a fantastic sense of camaraderie and their chemistry is infectious, suiting the show brilliantly.

Writing a musical is tough, writing a good one even tougher, and any new venture needs to be applauded, especially one with as much potential as this one. A refreshing alternative to pantomime or yet another A Christmas Carol this festive season, It’s A Wonderful Knife deserves to find its audience and grow. Full of undeniable charm, pure love for musical theatre and a brilliant cast, this show deserves to be on your Christmas list.

Rob Bartley