Comedy Festival review 2

THE COLORS INTERACTIVE COMEBACK SHOW Performed by Luke Dubber, Tom Fryer, Alon Ilsar, John Maddox and Erick Mitsak
At Trades Hall, The Quilt Room, 2 Lygon Street, Carlton South
April 1 – 12, 9.30pm
$20 - $15

Rating: *

Legendary New York band The Colors - a band obsessed by the interaction between live performers and audience to the point that they have never recorded an album – have been booked to play Down Under for the first time, and their fans have gathered to see them.

But when the band doesn’t show, those same fans must play a desperate, shambolic gig in order to appease the audience.

The central concept of The Colors Interactive Comeback Show is a fascinating one. A pity then that the idea goes nowhere, running out of steam 20 minutes into the show’s 75 minute running time. This is a classic example of a good idea that's desperately in search of a director or dramaturge to give it a suitably engaging structure.

The interactive element consists of the audience selecting the styles of songs the band should play by displaying a selection of coloured cards, but when a few episodes of audience participation proved obviously to be staged, this reviewer was left wanting to give the band a red card.

This review originally appeared in The Age Online on Thursday April 2, 2009.