Tim Minchin stunned audience members at his show in Sydney on Friday night when he made a devastating personal revelation on stage.
Roughly 2000 people attended Minchin’s show, An Unfunny Evening with Tim Minchin and his Piano, at the State Theatre.
During the performance, Minchin shared a number of stories from his life and played a variety of songs from his vast back catalogue, including hits he’d written from Matilda the Musical, Groundhog Day the Musical, and his album So F***ing Rock.
In one of the stories, he made a fleeting mention of the fact his mum, Ros, was diagnosed with a terminal illness (blood cancer) back in 2020.
The Aussie performer received a standing ovation at the end of the show, and then dropped a bombshell as he returned to the stage for an encore.
“My mum died yesterday,” Minchin said, as gasps were heard around the theatre.
Minchin explained that he felt compelled to go ahead with the show despite the family tragedy, and then launched into a heartbreaking version of one of his most popular songs, White Wine in the Sun.
Minchin’s voice faltered momentarily as he sang the lyrics: “I’ll be seeing my dad, my brother and sisters, my gran and my mum … they’ll be drinking white wine in the sun.”
He then ended the emotional show by asking the audience members to help him sing one final song for the night, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
The theatre’s lights were switched off for the haunting song, and many concertgoers were in tears as they sang along with Minchin in the darkness.
“Saw the show on Friday night in Sydney,” one fan wrote on social media. “It was incredible. Thank you for your honesty and bravery.
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“It felt like the audience held you in their arms during the final song … not a dry eye in the house,” they wrote.
Other comments included: “Singing Hallelujah together was one the most beautiful moments I’ve experienced and I will not forget it ever”, and, “thank you for sharing a piece of magic in spite of everything”.
Minchin is scheduled to perform in Hobart later this week before taking his tour to Canberra in December.
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