SAMMY J in The Forest of Dreams
In which Sammy J falls (well, crawls) through a mysterious portal and finds himself on a quest in an enchanted forest, the inhabitants of which are brought to life via the talented puppetry of Heath McIvor. A droll and clever show that deftly blends stand-up, songs and puppetry; and which contains some absolutely superb and left-field moments of visual humour and marvellous characterisation. Sadly, its greatest flaw is that it peaks way too early, ie about the 15-minute mark, after which you can palpably feel the energy trickling out of the show and the audience alike. Nonetheless, definitely work a look if you'd like to see something fresh and well removed from your traditional stand-up.
Three and a half hoots of mirth out of five.
FRANK WOODLEY - Possessed
The first solo show for sad-faced clown Frank Woodley is a remarkably ambitious and largely successful production. The plot sees him playing a painfully shy young man hiding from the world in his basement apartment, where he spends his time making model ships; but when he becomes possessed by the ghost of a dead Irishwoman, his life and worldview begin to change. The audacious set allows Woodley to display his physical skills to their best advantage, and the sound, lighting and video projection are excellent. There are some awkward jumps in the narrative that had me having a few 'huh?' moments, and Woodley isn't always convincing as a man possessed by a female spirit; but such flaws aside this was an extremely likeable production, with some inspired asides to the audience which blur the line between rehearsed gag and improvisation.
Three and a half delighted chuckles out of five.
ANTTI HAKALA - Arctic Comedy
Peel away the engagingly awkward delivery and the accent, and fledgling Finnish comedian Antti Hakala isn't, alas, especially funny. There's some good material in his show, but not enough for 45 minutes worth, which results in his observational approach to life as a "human labrador" (cute, soft blonde hair) falling a bit flat, really. Kudos to him for trying, though.
Two sporadic laughs out of five.
DANIEL KITSON in The Impotent Fury of the Privileged
Kitson is, without doubt, one of the the most accomplished and intelligent people working in the comedy field today. That said, The Impotent Fury of the Privileged is not in the same league as his Barry Award-winning show of last year. It's less tightly structured, and while still fill of quips and clever wordplay, the balance between storytelling and lecturing is slightly out of whack. Even so, it's always a pleasure to see Kitson's analytical mind at play, to hear his articulate analysis of contemporary life, and to have him implore us to just look out for each other a little more. Oh yeah, and someone tried to shoot him the night I saw his show...
Three and a half awed guffaws out of five.
Amelia Jane Hunter & Hannah Gadsby in MEAT THE MUSICAL
Crazed comedic cannibalism, Batman! Two excellent solo performers have combined forces for this deranged and delightful show about twin sisters - the lugubrious psychopath, Kaye (Gadsby) and the dim-witted but cheerful Berverly (Hunter) - seeking to win back their late father's crown of Sausage King for their family butcher shop, Mountains of Meat. Cue bloodstains, disappearing health inspectors, musicals, sibling tension and the sleaziest policeman I've ever seen portrayed in any medium, and you have a recipe for a darkly comic evening's entertainment that is refreshingly unlike any of the 14 shows I've seen in the festival so far. The energy isn't always sustained for the show's duration, so there are a couple of flat spots, but overall, this is another show I'd definitely recommend you see.
Three and half peals of delighted laughter out of five.
Let me make it easy for you (or, Richard summarises his festival highlights so far so you don't have to scroll too far down that page):
Andrew McClelland's Guide to Being a Modern Gentleman
Every Film Ever Made
Allsop & Henderson's The Jinglists
Frank Woodley - Possessed
Sammy J in the Forest of Dreams
Meat the Musical
No comments:
Post a Comment