Eddie Perfect | |
|---|---|
 Perfect in 2013 | |
| Born | |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Eddie Perfect is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, comedian, writer and actor.
Widely known for his role as Mick Holland inChannel Ten's TV seriesOffspring in which he performs his own music,[1] he has recorded solo albums and written and performed numerous cabaret shows, includingSongs from the Middle with theBrodsky Quartet. His biographical musical comedyShane Warne: The Musical won the 2009Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work, aVictorian Premier's Literary Award and aGreen Room Award.[2][3][4][5] Following his songwriting career on Broadway, where he composedBeetlejuice andKing Kong, Perfect returned to Australia where he was to star as Franklin Hart Jr. inDolly Parton's musical9 to 5 in late 2020,[6] although it was subsequently indefinitely postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
Perfect was educated atSt Bede's College, inMentone, Victoria where he was thedux of the school in 1995.[citation needed] He undertook a Bachelor of Arts at theWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2001.[citation needed]
Known for his political comedy, Perfect has appeared onAustralian TV shows includingKath & Kim,Spicks and Specks,Good News Week,Stingers,Blue Heelers,MDA,The Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala andThe Sideshow.[1] Perfect released the solo albumsWelcome to the Inside of Ed's Head andAngry Eddie, which was released after his appearance on the anti-Howard government compilationRock Against Howard. He was awarded the best entertainer inThe Bulletin's Brightest 100 Australians.[7]
Perfect has appeared in live stage shows includingThe Big Con with veteran Australian actor and impersonatorMax Gillies in 2005, and his solo showDrink Pepsi, Bitch!, which satirised Australian politics and society and consumer culture.Drink Pepsi, Bitch! toured theEdinburgh Fringe, London'sMenier Chocolate Factory, theAuckland Festival, the Christchurch Festival, Melbourne'sMalthouse Theatre,[8][9] theAdelaide Fringe Festival, andThe Sydney Comedy Festival, although he was obliged tocensor the show's title (which was amended toDrink Eddie™ Bitch![10]) for his season at theSydney Opera House due to the beverage company named in the title being a principal sponsor of the venue.
In 2007, Perfect appeared inKeating! the Musical playing several characters, including a parody of former AustralianMinister for Foreign AffairsAlexander Downer.
In 2008, Perfect wroteShane Warne: The Musical, a satire based on the life and exploits of Australian test cricketerShane Warne.[11][12] The musical had a workshop showing at theAdelaide Cabaret Festival on 17 July 2007 and the piece underwent further workshopping in early 2008 culminating in five work-in-progress showings atThe Hi-Fi Bar and Ballroom as part of theMelbourne International Comedy Festival.Shane Warne The Musical premiered at theMelbourne Athenaeum Theatre on 10 December 2008 before embarking on a national tour. In 2009 the musical received theHelpmann Award for Best New Australian Work,[2] theGreen Room Award and a Victorian Premier's Literary Award.[5] Updated to reflect new developments in Warne's life, the show enjoyed a revival atHamer Hall inMelbourne in June 2013, directed bySimon Phillips, with Perfect in the title role and co-starringLisa McCune,Shane Jacobson andChristie Whelan-Browne asLiz Hurley. A cast recording was released in 2014.[citation needed]
In 2010, he performedSongs from the Middle, a song cycle inspired by Perfect's childhood inMentone, Victoria. Eamonn Kelley inThe Australian described the work as "a poignant narrative of adult reconciliation with a place and a past from which he fled at the first opportunity, restless and with no sense of belonging".[13] He played the lead role ofMack the Knife inThe Threepenny Opera at the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne. In 2011 he played the same role in the Sydney Theatre Company's remount of this production. He hosted[11] FOX8'sUltimate School Musical, which he also directed.[5] Later in the year he played the role of Mick Holland inChannel Ten'sOffspring comedy-drama series.[1] He also presented an award at the2010 ARIA Music Awards.[14]
His solo showMisanthropology premiered at theSpiegeltent, in January 2011, as part of theSydney Festival.[15][16] Mingling satire and homage, with Perfect's arrangements for a three-piece band, Perfect wanted to provide "a kind of social autopsy [of our] cultural rituals."[15] In targeting eco-tourists, self-righteous cyclists, and others includingBarrie Kosky,[17] Perfect tried to examine "the qualities that have driven our evolution, such as the urge to conquer and compete, and the urge to procreate, trip us up and reveal us as the animals we really are."[18] Perfect said of the show: "Tonight I invite you to laugh and think and question humanity in all of its wondrous idiocy. Remember, healthy, cynical self-reflection is what separates us fromKyle Sandilands."[19]
In 2015, Perfect moved to New York to pursue a career onBroadway, where he met with John Buzzetti, the American agent for fellow Australian songwriter and comedianTim Minchin, a close friend of Perfect. Since moving to New York, Perfect has written songs for two Broadway musicals during the 2018–19 season;King Kong (which opened at theBroadway Theatre in October 2018, and closed in August 2019) andBeetlejuice (which opened at theWinter Garden Theatre in April 2019, following a pre-Broadway tryout at theNational Theatre inWashington D.C. in October 2018).[20]
Following Perfect's success in New York, he planned to return to the stage to star in the Australian premiere ofDolly Parton's musical,9 to 5 in the leading role of Franklin Hart Jr.[21] The show was due to begin previews at Sydney'sLyric Theatre on 19 April 2020, before touring to Melbourne'sHer Majesty's Theatre from 25 July.[22] However, due to the globalcoronavirus pandemic, the production was delayed until finally opening in Sydney's Capitol Theatre on 16 February 2022. The show will also play Brisbane (from May 2022) and Melbourne (July 2022).
In May 2025, he will play the title role in the Australia premiere ofBeetlejuice the Musical.[23]
In November 2011, he hosted theInside Film Awards at Sydney'sLuna Park.[24]
On 28 October 2015, it was confirmed that Perfect would be a new judge onAustralia's Got Talent for its eighth season.[25]
In December 2019, Perfect wrote a song forTourism Australia's new advertising campaign targeting British audiences.[26] It debuted prior to theQueen's annual Christmas message.
In 2020, Perfect participated inThe Masked Singer Australia as the "Frillneck" and placed third on thesecond season of the show.[27]
As of 2010[update], Perfect is married to Lucy Cochran (sister of composer and pianistJulian Cochran), and they have two daughters.[28][11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Stingers | Stumpy | Episode: "Big Fish" |
| Blue Heelers | Mark Lalor | Episode: "Broken Dreams" | |
| MDA | Nigel Newland | Episode: "Flight or Fight" | |
| Bootleg | TV studio floor manager | 3 episodes | |
| 2004 | Kath & Kim | Brett's Co-Worker | 2 episodes |
| 2010–14; 2016 | Offspring | Mick Holland | 60 episodes |
| 2014 | It's a Date | Jeremy | Episode: "Should You Date on Impulse?" |
| Comedy Showroom | Eddie | Episode: "The Future is Expensive" | |
| 2020 | Love in Lockdown | Ned | 6 episodes |
TheAPRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by theAustralasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982.[29]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "You Make Me Happy" (Clare Bowditch and Eddie Perfect) | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [30] |
TheHelpmann Awards is for live performance in Australia and are awarded annually by Live Performance Australia.
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Male Actor in a Musical | Shane Warne: The Musical | Nominated | |
| Best New Australian Work | Won | ||
| Best Cabaret Performer | Misanthropology | Won | |
| Best Original Score | Songs from the Middle | Nominated |
TheTony Award is for live performance onBroadway and are awarded annually byAmerican Theatre Wing andThe Broadway League.
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Original Score | Beetlejuice | Nominated |
