Australia’s spunkiest entertainers are back on home turf, touring with a show so hot, it puts Penrith’s summer to shame.
Known as Thunder from Down Under in the United States, ManPower Australia is bringing chiselled bodies, seductive dance routines, cheeky humour, and boy-next-door charm to the Penrith Panthers stage.
Dancer James Till is one of the men ready to entertain you, easy to spot at a towering 199 centimetres tall.
“I’ve come from very humble beginnings of working in a family business where we sold cars and trucks and I ran the dealership, and now here I am getting my kit off all across the world,” Till said.
The salesman-turned-showman said his journey with ManPower started with a leap of faith and no formal dance training.
“There’s a preference for dancers in the selection process, but some people, like myself, don’t have a big dance background,” Till explained.
“At the time, I remember telling the bosses and owners that I’m not a dancer, but I have played an extensive career of sports and exercise, so I’m pretty coordinated and functional, and that was enough to get me over here.”
And by here, he meant Las Vegas and Nashville. The Aussie group has a 20-year residency at the Excalibur Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and a new residency at the Woolworth Theatre in Nashville.
The popularity of the show stems from its hands-on, yet tasteful approach.
“We drag women up on stage – not against their will, we always ask – and they’ll get a bit of a personalised experience in front of everyone else,” Till explained.
“There’s no age limit, anyone from 18 and up, we’ll take grandmas and great grandmas up on stage, or brides or divorcees, we’ve had all kinds of people, everyone’s welcome.
“I’ve had my brother, my dad, and my mum come to a show before – it is all in good taste and good fun.”
The Australian shows are more intimate than those in Vegas, with a group of five dancers and an emcee.
Till mentioned there are a few tricks to being noticed in the crowd.
“You can generally tell when someone’s the name of the night,” Till stated.
“If there’s someone wearing a birthday sash or freshly divorced or freshly married – basically someone who has all their friends pointing at them when we go out into the crowd – we tend to stick towards those women because if it’s their night and their friend’s want them to have a great time, we want them to have a great time too and make it special.”
And it turns out, Panthers is the ideal location.
“The Penrith show is very fun!” Till exclaimed.
“We did that last year, and the way that the theatre and the showroom is mapped out, it’s spread apart enough so that every single person gets that little bit of extra attention.”
See if you can spot Till – known as Jimmy on stage – by booking a ticket to see the show at http://www.penrith.panthers.com.au/event/manpower-australia. There are two sessions at EVAN Theatre on Saturday, February 8 at 6pm and 9.30pm, and tickets cost $49.10.

Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.