Who Am I? I was born in Newcastle and went to Newcastle Boys High.
After school I graduated with Honours from the University of Sydney and later studied at École Jacques Lecoq, Paris.
For years I’ve shared my home with The Sandman, whom I met while a member of the great band The Castanet Club.
I am fluent in German and French but played an idiot in several Australian films.
Over eight nights in 1993 I won the lot on Sale of the Century. My first name is Russell and my surname begins with C. I am?
Russell Cheek’s Who Am I?, directed by Stephen Abbott, opens at the Butter Factory Theatre on Tuesday, August 28, for six rousing nights – evoking the spirit of 1990s Australia.
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Who Am I? came about when Abbott, aka The Sandman, suggested the makings of a really great show after observing Cheek interact with friends watching highlights of Cheek’s appearance on the quiz show.
“When The Sandman says that to you … you have to listen,” Cheek says about the show with HotHouse Theatre artistic director Lyn Wallis.
“Eventually, when I’d pretty much written the full script he said, kind of in return for living at my house, ‘well look, I’ll direct this for you’.”
Cheek’s true story is one of dedication, perseverance and grit. He guides us, with the help of his very own Sale footage, on a nail-biting journey through a retro minefield of golf clubs, models, cars and cash. “Russell tells the story as though you are in the lounge room with him, it’s personal and utterly charming,” Lyn Wallis says.
Who Am I? was a hit at the 2016 Adelaide Festival and has delighted audiences of all ages in Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra.
“There’s a lot of laughs to be had and the surprising thing is the tension that builds during the show,” Cheek says. ”You can’t quite believe it’s going to happen but people in the audience get really on the edge of their seat.”
