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Wednesday September 16, 2026 
16 September 2026
The Ensemble Theatre’s Artistic Director Mark Kilmurry is having a wonderful 2026, coming off the back of a sold-out run of Top Silk and heading into new play The Elevator. But now his year might be thrown into disarray with new production The Year in Tatters.
This will be the first time the theatre has staged a comedy revue show, a tradition Kilmurry hopes to revive. “Since The Wharf Revue is no longer around, I felt I’ve always wanted to do something similar,” Kilmurry explains. “I spoke to Chris Taylor about this and he jumped at the chance… People love revue.”
Starring Andre Hanson, Mark Humphries, Christie Whelan Browne and Chris Taylor, audiences can expect a wide-ranging “skewering” of Australian culture and politics, touching on local sagas like the North Sydney Pool redevelopment, national politics, One Nation, and broad musical parodies.
“There are sketches about all sorts of things… you can expect a full range of topics that are currently in our media,” Kilmurry adds. “It’s nothing that’s going to be too controversial. It’s just going to be a gentle Mickey take basically, which is what they do really well.”
For Kilmurry, sketch comedy and satire isn’t an exercise in theatre nostalgia; it’s an essential antidote to modern cynicism. “There’s a lot of darkness out there, and I think it’s right to have a laugh and to think, you know what? Things can be better. It might be awful, but we can still take the piss out of each other and we can still enjoy ourselves. Satire is actually a very good weapon against the politics that you either don’t agree with or agree with even. It’s a good weapon to put you back in your place and think, ‘Hey, let’s look at this from a comic point of view.’”
Directing an 80-minute, fast-paced satirical revue has been a new challenge for Kilmurry, but he is enjoying collaborating with some of Australia’s top comedic minds. “They’re just like us, just normal people every day really,” Kilmurry says. “There’s no ego. They’re very happy to be directed and really always fascinated in the process of theatre because that’s not their forte—usually it’s television or radio.”
Directing an 80-minute, fast-paced satirical revue has been a new challenge for Kilmurry, but he is enjoying collaborating with some of Australia’s top comedic minds. “They’re just like us, just normal people every day really,” Kilmurry says. “There’s no ego. They’re very happy to be directed and really always fascinated in the process of theater because that’s not their forte—usually it’s television or radio.”
Andrew Hansen is best known for his work on The Chaser (The Chaser’s War on Everything, CNNNN), bringing sharp songwriting, musical parodies, and vocal versatility to The Year in Tatters. Artistic Director Mark Kilmurry praised his lyricism. Hansen has also toured nationwide with live musical comedy.
Hansen is joined by fellow Chaser talent Chris Taylor, who nowadays is more known as a presenter on ABC Radio 702.
Mark Humphries is also a staple on the ABC as a satirist and presenter known for weekly sketches on 7.30, Humphries brings political impersonations and quick observational humor to Ensemble’s stage.
Rounding out the quartet with comedic timing and range is Christie Whelan Browne, a performer from Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell, major musicals, and screen dramas.
Demand for The Year in Tatters has been extremely high with all shows sold out. However, there is a waiting list and opportunities for last-minute tickets through the box office. The production will run from September 28 to October 24.