Transformers: This gospel deserves to be retold
In just 90 minutes, Jonathan Biggins’ The Gospel According to Paul delivers not only a fascinating study of our former PM, but an account of a transformative time in Australian political history.
Written and performed by Jonathon Biggins, The Gospel According to Paul’s poignant portrait of Paul Keating has sold out venues since its premiere in 2019.
A comedic one-man-show depicting the man who single-handedly shaped contemporary Australia – as he tells it – Biggins personifies the compelling and enigmatic 24th prime minister of Australia with intellect, ego and wit. And the show is returning to QPAC on August 18.
No stranger to the comedic impression of one of Australia’s most influential and divisive politicians, Biggins is renowned for starring as Paul Keating in The Wharf Revue, his co-creation with Phil Scott and Drew Forsythe. Originally created for Sydney Theatre Company, the long-running series concluded its 25-year run in 2025.
According to InDaily reviewer Murray Bramwell in April 2021 when the show toured to Adelaide: “The Gospel According to Paul brings good news and not just to the disciples. It is witty, often hilarious, occasionally excoriatingly funny – all of the rapier badinage that we associate with Keating.
“But there’s more. More than just verbal steak knives. It is a study of the art and purpose of leadership, and a reminder of a notion of government that wants to be the best for its people. Biggins is using recent past history to shine a light on the tawdry present – with its deception and spin, its shabby cronyism, and mediocre lack of purpose.”
Biggins’ performance in The Gospel According to Paul vaunts both the arrogance and charm of the Labor Party politician, while
Audiences traverse Keating’s key career milestones, including his successful campaign for Member for Blaxland at age 25 in 1969, to his eventual takeover from Bob Hawke of the Labor Party leadership, becoming prime minister in 1991.
Again touring nationally, the 2026 production brings fresh takes on Keating’s recent media moments and zeitgeist zingers, building on the almost cult-like status it has earned.
The sermon on the mount returns to Brisbane for a victory lap, playing QPAC’s Playhouse, August 18 to 23.
Over the years, audiences continue to return to see Biggins come to life as Keating, in what is undoubtedly a unique account of a transformative time in Australian political history.
Biggins, who has performed The Gospel According to Paul for over seven years, shares why Australians resonate so deeply with this retelling.
‘As Australians, we love nostalgia, quick wit and colour – that’s
“Love him or hate him, you knew the impact Paul Keating had on the Australian economic and social landscape if you lived through his leadership in the 1990s,” says Biggins.
“The infamous 1992 Redfern Speech, Superannuation Guarantee, Native Title Legislation and strengthening of Asia-Pacific relations are all acts and events we still reap the benefits of today. As Australians, we love nostalgia, quick wit and colour – that’s
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Exploring the former PM’s landmark political achievements and personal obsessions, The Gospel According to Paul takes the light on the hill and shines it on a man who grew up in the Labor Party at the knee of Jack Lang, approached economics as an artform, and demanded we confront the wrongs of our past. This production captures Keating’s eviscerating Question Time wit and wraps it up in a Zegna suit.
With fresh takes on Keating’s recent media moments and zeitgeist zingers, no scumbag is safe in this show, not even our humble narrator.
The Gospel According to Paul plays the Playhouse, QPAC, South Bank, August 18 to 23.
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