Melbourne, Dec.5 : A musical on Australia's record breaking leg spinner Shane Warne may not have pleased him, but has certainly tickled the funny bone of everyone else watching it.

According to news.com.au, The Musical, currently showing here, has been described by those watching it as "wild, funny, outrageous, and by the end, surprisingly moving account of the champion spin bowler's life so far."

Whether he's lazing on a bean bag, texting at the supermarket or dancing with a giant cigarette, star and composer/lyricist Eddie Perfect is - you guessed it - perfect as the bleached-blonde, jelled-up Warne.

And he's backed up by a terrific cast in the two million dollar show, directed by Neil Armfeld and shaped by Keating: The Musical's Casey Bennetto.

The fun starts straight away when patrons are told that this is one show where it's perfectly fine to keep your mobile phones switched on. Early scenes are straight-up hilarious as Perfect's Warne tries and fails at a football career with St Kilda.

A first-half standout is a dance piece set at the Australian Institute of Sport - with more than a hint of the Village People's YMCA.

The musical can't capture the actual on-field brilliance of Warne, but where it really hits pay dirt is in its portrayal of his romance, subsequent marriage and break-up with Simone.

Simone, played by Rosemarie Harris, comes across as little more than a blonde bimbo at first but a romantic duet titled "Dancing With The Stars" shows the genuine, if naive, love between the pair.

The second half starts with a classic sledging song, We Never Cross the Line, and there's a Bollywood-style extravaganza about the Indian betting scandal.

One of the pleasures of the show is the diverse music styles.

After a riotous look at Warne's overseas dalliances with The Away Game and What An SMS I'm In, where he struggles to answer a stream of text messages while he shops in a supermarket with Simone, things deepen.

A tear-filled torch ballad, What About That, Shane, performed by Harris, drives home the shattering impact of his betrayal. It is the emotional highlight of the show.

This is a show that even Shane Warne would like.

ANI