On Stage: I’m Only Dating These Men Because My Uncle Bequeathed Me Money and I Need to Get Married by the End of the Year

The challenge of finding true love is explored in the rather zany musical comedy I’m Only Dating These Men Because My Uncle Bequeathed Me Money and I Need to Get Married by the End of the Year.

Playing at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory as part of the Melbourne Midsumma Festival, the two man shows tells of Larry (Luke Costabile) who is set to inherit $946,000 from an uncle. However, the inheritance is dependent on him marrying the love of his life within a year.  When he receives the news there’s no love in sight.

The 50-minute play then follows his many attempts to find that love.  There are numerous unsuccessful Grindr dates and reconnections with old friends and, as a result of meetings with his Aunty Sue, numerous classes including Pilates.

His dating brings him into contact with a chap living in his car, a KPI-obsessed corporate lover, a dandruff-fuelled old friend and even a money pinching inter-dimensional being.  As a result, it’s a murderous experience!

The show allows both Costabile and co-star Trent Cliffe (who plays all the other roles) to show their comic skills especially in those scenes which are totally over the top – which is pretty much all of the time!

While many of the characters Larry comes across are totally goofy – to quote Cliffe, who with Costabile co-wrote and directed the show – some are based on dating experiences.

“The show went through a lot of iterations until we got to where it is today,” he explained.

“It really first started as a play about two men who get stuck in an elevator and one of them pitches his musical that incorporates all of the musical numbers from The Simpsons.

“Then after we realised that that wasn’t it, it turned into a sketch show. We wanted to have a through line in a story; we wanted to say something.

“So one day we decided to make it about queer dating and use some of the stories from our own lives, our friends and some of the funny sketches that we had written for previous shows compiling it altogether into what we have today.  And then we made it a musical.”

Given the reaction of the audience on opening night it was a good decision!

I’m Only Dating These Men Because My Uncle Bequeathed Me Money and I Need to Get Married by the End of the Year is playing at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory until Friday January 23.