Sydney Theatre Company presents a Soft Tread Production

The Gospel According to Paul

The Second Coming

Written and Performed by Jonathan Biggins
Directed by Aarne Neeme

90 mins, no interval

This play premiered on 27 Feb 2019 at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre

This season opened on 10 Nov 2026 at Wharf 1 Theatre, Sydney

Why enter politics?

The Gospel According to Paul is a portrait of one of Australia’s most formidable, individual and impactful Prime Ministers. And for my money, our wittiest by a long shot.

The Hon Paul John Keating has also been the subject of other theatrical treatments, like the runaway success musical Keating! by Casey Bennetto.

But the treatment you’re about to see, directed by Aarne Neeme and written and performed by one of Australia’s formidable satirists and actors, Jonathan Biggins, is more than a trip down the memory lane of Keating’s famous utterances and key achievements.

It’s a study of idealism, of hope, of pragmatism, of family, of mentorship but ultimately of belief in the power of politics as an engine of social change.

Jonathan’s wonderful show has already toured the country to great acclaim but I was very keen to see it have a final outing at Sydney Theatre Company in the first season that I curated as Artistic Director. And with some updated material reflecting Keating’s recent years and thoughts.

As a key member of the Wharf Revue team which dazzled and delighted STC audiences for decades, it felt fitting to remind audiences of Jonathan’s matchless conjuring of Keating at a time when Australian politics could do with an injection of wit.

One of the themes of our 2026 season has been an exploration of the notion of debate and how theatre, like politics, can be a platform for the clash and possible synthesis of different ideas as to how we should live our lives and run our world.

Paul Keating remains one of the greatest debaters of ideas the world has witnessed.

It’s great to have “him” back in the building.

I hope you enjoy!

The Producers wish to thank
Arts on Tour
Brother Rory of De La Salle Brothers' Archives
Opera Australia
Glenn A. Baker

From the streets of Bankstown to the Lodge, Paul Keating reflects on the ideas, battles and convictions that shaped his life in public office. Looking back on the victories and defeats that defined an extraordinary political career, he revisits the big questions that drove him: what kind of country Australia could be, and whether it was prepared to believe in itself.

As old rivalries are rekindled and unfinished arguments resurface, Keating offers his account of the reforms that transformed the nation, the relationships that forged and fractured governments, and the moments that changed the course of Australian history. Along the way, there are stories from the corridors of power, observations on friends and foes alike, and a few scores still waiting to be settled.

Sharp, irreverent and unapologetically candid, this is a journey through decades of political upheaval, cultural change and national debate, told by a man who never lacked an opinion and rarely hesitated to share it.

I’ve been playing Paul Keating for many years now – when he saw me appearing as him in the Wharf Revue, his first comment was: “I’d have been wearing a better suit.” Sadly, we didn’t have the budget for a Zegna then and to be perfectly honest we still don’t. But in 2019, when I first attempted to explore one of Australia’s most enduring political figures in something more complex than the sketch or short monologue format, little did I think that seven years later I’d still be doing it! Such is the appeal of the man whose influence is felt - and heard – to this day.

I like to think of this play as the first three-dimensional, unauthorised autobiography written by someone else. I’m pretty sure most of it is true and the bits that may not be, I certainly wish they were. Keating is such a great character to write for and perform – he was funny, sharp, emotional and flamboyant; the bovver-boy from Bankstown who was as comfortable writing an essay on neo-classicism and the architecture of Berlin as he was staring down the Head of Treasury to float the dollar. No government has tackled as much difficult reform as the Hawke-Keating ministries and while some of the long-term results have unsettled many, they certainly changed Australia’s perception of itself and where it might find a place and a role in the world.

I’d like to acknowledge the three authors who I leant on most for the research: Troy Bramston, Kerry O’Brien and Don Watson. And of course, the words of PJK himself. This is “his” view of himself and his significance in the national discourse, so naturally, some may think it leans a little heavily in his favour. But let’s face it, he was never the shrinking violet; public self-criticism was never his long suit. Yet the private man wore a very different face, and although this is a study of his public service and no intrusion on his personal life, I hope we shed the occasional light on the contradictions and complexities of a great leader whose vision, courage and determination are sadly missing in what passes for our contemporary political class. Do better, ya mugs!

Jonathan Biggins
2026

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Sydney Theatre Company Board of Directors

Ann Johnson (Chair)
David Craig (Deputy Chair)
Anita Belgiorno-Nettis AM
Brooke Boney
Mitchell Butel
Sarah Constable
Mark Coulter
Anne Dunn
Sam Meers AO
Heather Mitchell AM
Kate Mulvany OAM
David Paradice AO
Annette Shun Wah
Brian Tyson
Rosie Williams

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