It’s not every night in the theatre one meets an immortal.  Depending on whether you’re a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty type of person, you’ll either think Adrian Calear is the luckiest or unluckiest bloke you’ve ever encountered.  Hell, he can be both, can’t he?  From orgies in Byron Bay to conversations with Death and everything in between, Adrian has probably lived more than any of us has.  He’s most certainly died more, too.

In Code Grey, a two-hander with the Rev Dr Tim Harris, we follow Adrian through diagnosis and treatment of the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis, his run-ins with various doctors along the way, escapades with pills both friend and foe, and the eye-popping development of necrotizing fasciitis (no, don’t Google it).  You’ll find out how a comedian can cost seven million dollars.  And why you really, really DO want your doctor to have a God complex.

Now, you might be wondering if you can laugh at chronic pain, terrible maladies and the terrors and traumas of our public health system.  Well, Adrian can laugh at it, and his show gives you permission to do so, too.  It’s his way of cheating Death, of saying “Fuck this, let’s get better!”.  What you end up with is a life-affirming celebration, told with brutal honesty and great integrity.

Perhaps not the show to take your granny to, but then again, your gran might need to be reminded of the lesson to never turn down a chance at a rock’n'roll lifestyle just as much as the rest of us.