Samwise Holmes || MARVELous – A Risque Parody

The Fame Reporter sat down with Samwise Holmes, multifaceted producer, director and actor of MARVELous: A Risqué Parody. As creator of the show and starring as iconic Marvel character Deadpool, Holmes brings a bold, genre-blending vision to the stage. Playing at Brisbane’s Twelfth Night Theatre until 4 April, the production is inspired by the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe, reimagined through a wildly inventive mix of parody, burlesque, circus, and musical theatre.

We caught up with Samwise about the evolution of the show from a collection of ideas into a full-scale production, the challenge of juggling multiple creative roles, and the joy of bringing this irreverent, high-energy spectacle to life—and more.

What sparked the original idea for MARVELous, and how did it evolve from concept to stage?
I’m a huge fan of parodies, having followed production groups like StarKid since I was a teenager, and I even wrote my first full length parody show back in 2016 – which only ever saw a concert performance unfortunately!

Being a long time hardcore fan of Marvel’s MCU films as well as a parody writer, I just started having ideas, and put them on a page that grew and grew.

After about 4 years there was 16 pages of just ideas written down – some good, and many terrible ideas – and when we made the decision to actually go through with it, the next 12 months was knuckling down to take those ideas and put together the best show possible, which finally launched mid 2024 in Sydney.

What makes MARVELous different from a typical parody or tribute show?
MARVELous doesn’t fit the mould of any existing parody show. Firstly it has no plot, so it’s not similar to parody musicals in that way, and it’s not simiilar to burlesque parody shows (despite having strip elements), since it combines such a wider variety of skills and performance styles than is typical.

Whether that’s our Black Widow stunt scene, which turns a ballet into a high energy fight show as she tears off pieces of her outfit to use as weapons against the assassins, or our Spider Boyband that turns the multiverse of spider-men into a musical/circus scene complete with live vocals and high-flying spiders.

You’re wearing multiple hats as creator, director, and performer—how do you balance those roles during rehearsals and performance?
Right at the beginning it was tough to manage, and in that first season the most important thing I did was cast another Deadpool to do the final rehearsal weeks and first show week, so that I could focus on being the Creator/Director, considering I was also the Producer and Technical Director!

Now it’s much easier to segment the responsibilities – the Writer/Creator work is (mostly) done, so I operate as Producer most of the time, then when rehearsals come around I can focus on Directing.

When we actually hit the theatre I operate as Technical Director until the tech is all installed, Director when the cast are on stage, all until Opening Night when I leave the running of the show to our spectacular production crew and put on the Performer hat!

Does playing Deadpool give you more freedom to break the fourth wall or improvise compared to directing from the outside?
It definitely does. One of the important things when writing those segments was to ensure that there was plenty of room for audience interactivity and improvisation, because it’s such a core component of that character’s style.

Directing Deadpool is largely about mannerisms and general character work, as opposed to breaking down the delivery of each line.

Are there any unexpected audience reactions that have influenced how you play the role?
So many! Sometimes we’ll have someone with just the most absurd laugh, and the whole auditorium can hear it. Or there’ll be hecklers (the good kind) that give me something to play off.

It’s hard to improv when there’s nothing new to consider, so it requires something changing from the “normal” to give me the fodder to play, make new jokes, and make it more fun for the audience.

Which Marvel characters are the most fun to parody on stage, and why?
Honestly, it’s impossible to distinguish one! My favourite thing is taking something serious and turning it into something absurd. Every character provides a unique baseline to start this from – and I think that’s why it adapting the show into so many different styles came naturally, because everything came from an honest if, then logic, with a sprinkle of pop culture tie-in and absurdity on my own part.

Ultimately each character still feels like it’s just a wild multi-versal variant of that character – amplifying their ridiculousness tenfold, rather than just creating something unrelated to the character in a similar costume.

How do you translate superhero action into the more intimate setting of Twelfth Night Theatre?
The Twelfth Night Theatre is one of those unique theatres where every seat is a great seat. The action feels grand whether it’s in a large theatre or small theatre, and the pieces themselves are adaptable to fit all of those scales. That was something I was thinking about from the start – ensuring we had versions that could fit in huge theatres, and versions that could break down and go onto cruise ships – and everything in between.

Do fans need to be Marvel experts to enjoy the show, or is there something for everyone?
Not at all! We have SO many people come and see the show, who have never seen a Marvel film, and laugh the entire way through.

Of course, there are so many gags which are MCU specific, and for those hardcore fans I think they will appreciate the detail of the references I’ve written – but then we’re also making references to other iconic pop culture films like Dirty Dancing, Magic Mike, Wicked, Flashdance, and so many more as well, that it’s truly become a show that is for everyone.

What has been the most rewarding part of bringing MARVELous to life in Brisbane?
The fact that sales have gone really well! Saying something about the creative process is probably the right answer, but this is the honest answer – we’ve had a hard slog the last few years, and we’re finally getting to a stage where sales are picking up and the name is getting known.

We’ve gone through a lot of pain, a lot of loss for a really small production company, and Brisbane has been the light at the end of the first tunnel for us. It’s the first time we’ve started the season knowing we’re going to come out on top, and that has made it such an enjoyable experience for myself, who has the peculiar role of enjoying the stage while stressing about the production!

What advice would you give to other creatives looking to develop original, pop-culture-inspired theatre?
Make it for you, not for anyone else. Make the show that YOU would want to watch, rather than trying to wrack your brain to think about what someone else will enjoy.