’A Talent to Amuse’ - Playwright, Actor, Director, Barry Creyton - Part 1

Barry Creyton could quite easily be labelled a ‘Renaissance man’. He is indeed a consummate man of the theatre - accomplished in many roles. He is also a pioneer of revue and satirical comedy in Australia as one of the writer/performers of the iconic television series; The Mavis Bramston Show.

His career has taken him around the world, working in a variety of guises in Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A. He has written screenplays, novels and countless theatre fare; revues, plays and adaptations.

Following a motorcycle accident he spent time recovering in hospital and writing a play that would prove to be a triumph with an extensive tour that paired Creyton with his great friend and comic contemporary Noeline Brown. The play, Double Act is still performed today and has been given productions in a host of international cities.

Creyton and Brown were among the first to release comic records in Australia. The Front and Back (Flip) Side of Barry Creyton and Noeline Brown and The Not So Wet and Dry Side of Barry Creyton and Noeline Brown, demonstrated a seductive sophistication and stark observation of the culture; and relationships between the sexes.

In Australia he is also recognised as the urbane panellist from the subversive gameshow Blankety Blanks, the genius stage director of the musical comedy Nunsense or the hysterical farceur in the riotous Noises Off. A vast repertoire of villains, sophisticates and clowns contributes to audiences’ adoration of Creyton in stage and screen roles.

Creyton serves the roles of Actor, Director, and Writer with tremendous ease, extensive knowledge and immense charm. To be in his company is a joy to be treasured. He is generous, warm, witty and ready with a mountain of anecdotes that delight, inform and endlessly entertain.