Life Of Brine By PHIL JARRATT
OFF into the hills of Ubud twice last week for performances of an entirely different nature. The first was my own, talking about my book at a preview night for the upcoming Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. The second was the most outrageously funny night of cabaret I have seen in a long, long time.
To be honest, I had serious doubts about “Bali High: a Night of Tropical Madness”. I’ve been to a couple of expat productions in Bali over the years and they’ve been monumentally cringe-worthy. But I should have known better. From the moment they appeared in skimpy air hostie uniforms and marched around the tiny Bar Luna dispensing sick bags, veteran comediennes Julie Haseler and Helen O’Connor were nothing short of hilarious.
Both these women have a string of TV and screen credits, including hit shows like Rake and Packed To The Rafters, and Julie is married to producer Gary Reilly, who kept Australia laughing for decades, from Kingswood Country and Hey Dad to The Naked Vicar Show, so the pedigree for humour was impeccable, and the packed house was in stitches for the entire show.
The girls took aim at every ludicrous aspect of the Bali expat life, but they saved their most savage wit for Ubud’s own colonically-irrigated Eat Pray Love crowd, causing a few women of a certain age in the audience to splutter into their Plaga wine.
By the time you read this, the Writers Festival will be in full swing, and although the event took a bit of a king hit when the legendary VS Naipaul pulled out after making an eleventh hour pitch for an obscenely large appearance fee, there’s no shortage of star power on the card. Tonight (Thursday) I’m on a panel called People of Letters, alongside playwright Hannie Rayson, film-maker Rolf De Heer (Charlie’s Country, Ten Canoes) and eco guru Tim Flannery. On Saturday morning Rusty Miller and I talk surf in a show called Breaking The Surface, and on Saturday night the doyenne of Bali’s literati, Diana Darling will launch my book at The Elephant, a charming restaurant overlooking a deep ravine.
That night we will also premiere Panga Productions’ short documentary on my book, Bali Heaven And Hell. As I write I’m doing a final set of edits on the video by long distance. It’s a little beauty. Don’t forget it will get its first Noosa run on Wednesday, October 15, when Annie’s Books hosts a book launch at Zachary’s Pizza, Peregian. Tickets available from Annie on 54482053.
Tyler Wright in hot pursuit
I’ve been so busy this week I missed most of the action at the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro events in France, but I did manage to see highlights of Tyler Wright’s impressive win over Courtney Conlogue in the women’s final. Tyler racked up four nine-plus scores, to obliterate the American in really fun waves. Owen Wright’s happy-go-lucky little sister has developed into a super surfer this season, and she’s now making a spirited late run at taking the world title away from Sally Fitzgibbons’ grasp.
The beauty of that situation is that whatever happens on the last two tour stops, Portugal and Hawaii, an Aussie girl will once again be world champion. Oy, oy, oy!
