What does Paul Keating think of Pauline Hanson and One Nation? Jonathan Biggins thinks he knows.
After all, Biggins has been Paul Keating for some years now, and he’s being Paul Keating again soon in The Gospel According to Paul, which returns to QPAC, August 18-23, as part of a national tour that includes Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and several regional centres.
The Gospel According to Paul, a poignant portrait of former PM 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.
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, that long-running series concluded its eminent 25-year run in 2025.
Nevertheless, The Gospel According to Paul is still going and still popular and that may be a reflection on the politics of today.
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As for channelling Paul Keating who is, of course, still with us (he’s 82), well, that’s second nature now to Biggins, who revels in the former PM’s acerbic wit. The show is laced with Keating witticism.
“The trick is working out which are mine,” Biggins says.
Keating was the Oscar Wilde of Australian politics when it came to witty quotable quotes
A case in point is Keating on Hanson and One Nation.
“For those hysterical soothsayers in the media who say Pauline Hanson can be prime minister, I have three words: Joh for Canberra,” he says. Classic Keating. Or rather it’s classic Biggins as Keating and it rings true. Keating was the Oscar Wilde of Australian politics when it came to witty quotable quotes.
“What makes him the ideal subject for a show is the fact that he’s a natural entertainer, is funny and has had such a colourful life,” Biggins says. “The show is not authorised but it’s semi-authorised. He has seen the show and so has his family, but he’s very hands off. His only comment about it was … thank you for being so generous.”
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Of course, there’s no shortage of footage for Biggins to use to research his character, but he was summoned to Keating’s office once and spent two hours with the man once dubbed “The Lizard of Oz” by the British newspapers. (The nickname came from outraged complaints that he breached strict royal protocol by placing a hand on Queen Elizabeth II’s back to guide her through a crowd.)
One of the most amazing things about that audience with Keating was a chance to see his antiques collection up close. Biggins covers that in the show, beginning with an antique watch Keating bought as a teenager.
“It cost him three months wages,” he points out.
The show demonstrates the arrogance and charm of the Labor Party politician, while delving deep into the weeds of the formidable Keating’s career and his ambitious-Bankstown-boy-to-divisive-political-titan backstory. Audiences traverse through 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 for the Labor Party leadership, becoming Prime Minister in 1991.
On its national tour, this 2026 production brings fresh takes on Keating’s recent media moments and zeitgeist zingers, building on the almost cult-like status it has earned. Over the years, audiences continue to return again and again to see Biggins come to life as Keating, in what is a unique account of a transformative time in Australian political history.
Biggins has performed The Gospel According to Paul for more than seven years.
“I’ve done it 191 times,” he says. “The show hasn’t changed a great deal but there is a whole new opening to reflect current events. 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.
“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 why we continue to love Paul Keating’s story.”
The Gospel According to Paul plays the QPAC Playhouse, August 18-23.
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