Around the Fringe (part four)

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in the following reviews are made in a private capacity, and do not represent the opinions of the Melbourne Fringe Board, of which I am Chair.

And oh boy are these reviews running well behind schedule. Here are some increasingly brief comments about the three shows I saw on Sunday...


FELICITY WARD READS FROM THE BOOK OF MORON

There are several comedians who are utilising/exploiting the Fringe audience in order to test out new material for a fully realised show for next year's Comedy Festival; but then there are people like Felicity Ward, who is experimenting with her craft in interesting and creative ways and testing out a new approach to performance.

Here, Ward reads essays from the comfort of a large armchair, evoking both David Sedaris and the sort of mythical uncle who would smoke a pipe and regale you with fanciful tales of their youthful shennanigans in days gone by. She has a pipe (and a great gag involving an open fireplace at the start of the show, as well as some simple but effective set dressing) and even a faithful hound played by fellow comedian David Quirk who brings her her slippers; but more importantly Ward has great timing, a warped sense of humour, and no shame when it comes to discussing her private life.

Everything from irritable bowel syndrome to difficult gigs got a mention on the night I saw the show. A simple but effective bit of audience participation adds an element of chance to the performance. I really enjoyed this, and can't wait to see what it evolves into.

Rating: Three and a half stars


VIGILANTELOPE PRESENTS 'TALES OF THE GOLDEN LEASE'

This inspired piece of tall tale telling is definitely my favourite comedy show at the festival so far (or at least it was when I started writing this review on Monday...). An adept combination of sketch comedy, dance routines and physical performance coupled with a rollicking story about Satan vs Heaven Inc and a running gag that plays on the word 'disguise' to hilarious effect, adds up to one hell of an enjoyable performance. Think Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits meets your latest argument with the landlord, and you'll have some idea of what's in store for you in this show. If only all sketch comedy was this good!

Rating: Four stars


TOM BALLARD - SEVERAL NIGHTS ONLY

I really, really like Tom's work, but while this show starts off magnificently (and unpredictably) and also ends extremely strongly, it's simply not as good as his solo debut at this year's Comedy Festival. Difficult second album syndrome strikes again? I reckon Tom should take a year off, be a regular 19yo for a while, and come back refreshed and focused on new material. That said, kudos to him for not taking the easy way out and simply re-presenting his ComFest show, as several others have done for this year's Fringe.

At the start of the show Tom promised us ‘just jokes’ and that’s what we got, but as much as I think he’s a super-talented and intelligent young comic with charisma and stage presence to burn – and hey he bats for my team, and does so in a confident and humourous way which doesn’t rely on stereotypes nor perpetrates them – I wasn’t entirely sold on this show. Yes, I laughed a lot thanks to Ballard's timing and delivery, but some of the jokes seemed a touch forced and the material a bit thin on the ground.

Essentially, this show suffers somewhat from feeling a bit generic - there are some vibrant moments of unbridled originality, but the subject matter (other than the aforementioned opening and ending) are a bit too stuck in generic stand-up comedy territory. It's still bloody funny though, and I laughed heaps. Oh, and did I mention that I am insanely jealous at just how fricken talented Ballard is at such a young age? Over-achieving lanky bastard. ;-)

Rating: Three stars

For more Fringe reviews, check out the new blog by 'John Bailey', Capital Idea, Express Media's Buzzcuts program, and the excellent Spark Online; while The Groggy Squirrel is running reviews from the comedy stream of the Fringe program.

Around the Fringe (part three)

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in the following reviews are made in a private capacity, and do not represent the opinions of the Melbourne Fringe Board, of which I am Chair.

THE POST APOCALYPTIC USERS' GUIDE

Xavier Michelides first presented this highly enjoyable evening of stand up at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year. I liked it then, and I like it now, even though it is exactly the same show as far as I can tell.

Linked together by a struggling comedian MCing a comedy club in a world where aliens have just invaded, Michelides deftly switches through a range of characters, including the 'End of the World is Nigh' man who has a direct line to God, a half-man half cockroach, and an Evil Mastermind of the sort James Bond and Superman regularly come up against.

While not constantly, side-splittingly funny, The Post Apocalyptic Users' Guide is a consistently entertaining show, exceptionally well structured and strongly delivered. Definitely the sort of show you’ll constantly chuckle through, with the occasional hearty guffaw at key moments of the show, such as in my favourite routine, about a man in love with a zombie - which is performed entirely in mime!

Rating: Three and a half stars

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES

Oh dear. There’s the germ of a good comedy show here, but this fitfully funny production about two socially retarded computer nerds with unrealised crushes on one another isn’t it.

The two main characters, played by writers/performers Tommy Dassalo and Bart Freebairn, were underdeveloped and overacted, and the style of humour – which was meant to highlight the characters’ misogyny – occasionally slipped over the line to become itself misogynistic. The inclusion of video interludes was clunky, though some of the videos were themselves quite funny; and the show's ending was particularly weak.

Dave Callan gets bonus points for appearing in an Elvis jumpsuit (and for what the jumpsuit reveals, which makes me sound slightly pervy, but is actually a reference to a joke in the show) but otherwise there's not a lot in this show to recommend I'm afraid.

Rating: Two stars

For more Fringe reviews, check out the new blog by 'John Bailey', Capital Idea, Express Media's Buzzcuts program, and the excellent Spark Online; while The Groggy Squirrel is running reviews from the comedy stream of the Fringe program.

Around the Fringe (part two)

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in the following reviews are made in a private capacity, and do not represent the opinions of the Melbourne Fringe Board, of which I am Chair.

WHILE I'M AWAY

A short, simple but utterly charming production, While I'm Away sees writer/performer Telia Nevile build a solo show around the Poet Laureate character she's developed over the last 18-odd months at The Last Tuesday Society. Gently mocking the pretentions of bad performance poetry while simultaneously using poetry to explore themes of love, life and contemporary angst is no mean feat, but Nevile manages it with aplomb, while simultaneously screening a series of antique slides which counterpoint and compliment the verses and stories she presents. There's a bittersweet tenderness to this production that I found utterly disarming, as well as a sharp, dry wit and subtle, goofy, fragile charm. Highly recommended.

Rating: Three and a half stars


ASLEEP IN A SECRET

A solo performance by Skye Gellmann, which like his co-devised 2008 show Scattered Tacks takes the traditional tropes of circus and refines them down into a marvellous minimalism. With only a slide projector, a bowling ball and a couple of wooden blocks to assist him, Gellmann focuses the audience's to focus on the human body and contemplate what it is capable of. There's a cold purity to Asleep in a Secret that some may find offputting, but which I found enthralling; it's like Skye has boiled away all the extraneous elements of physical performance to focus on the heart of circus, with an entertaining game of Chinese Whispers added to the mix.

Rating: Three and a half stars


For more Fringe reviews, check out the new blog by 'John Bailey', Capital Idea, Express Media's Buzzcuts, and the excellent Spark Online; while The Groggy Squirrel is running reviews from the comedy stream of the Fringe program.

Around the Fringe (part one)

So, as I mentioned yesterday, the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival is upon us. Huzzah! Featuring over 4000 artists and more than 300 shows, it's a public expression of Melbourne's creativity; and is unique among Fringe Festivals in that over 85% of shows staged are by Melbourne artists, rather than by performers from interstate or overseas.

The plan is to post reviews of Fringe shows here on a daily basis - hopefully. Knowing my schedule I might not always find the time, so I can't make any promises. Other places to look for Fringe reviews are the new blog by 'John Bailey', Capital Idea, Express Media's Buzzcuts program, and the excellent Spark Online; while The Groggy Squirrel is running reviews from the comedy stream of the Fringe program.

Before I get underway, just a quick disclaimer - the opinions expressed in the following reviews are made in a private capacity, and do not represent the opinions of the Melbourne Fringe Board, of which I'm Chair. With that said, it's on with the shows!

+1 SWORD

When I saw this stand-up comedy show about Dungeons & Dragons listed in the Fringe program, it was the very first thing I booked for, and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. It's a little slight but very silly, and definitely enjoyable regardless of whether or not you've ever rolled a d20. It's also perfectly suited to the cellar in which it's presented in Collingwood.

Local comics Ben and Richard McKenzie are not related, but share an abiding love for fantasy role-playing games as well as a surname. This new show explores the history of the Dungeons & Dragons game and introduces the audience to some of its more ludicrous concepts (the sketches of monsters such as the Beholder and the Trapper that are displayed to the audience not only illustrate such concepts, they're also extremely well executed; and attest to the level of detail invested in the show, which extends to lots of props, and even a mysterious hooded figure who greets you at the door; a trope stright out of D&D). It also provides plenty of laughs at the expense of the game and those who play it, but it's definitely a laughing with rather than at sort of show.

The show's only real weakness is that it's clearly very new. The night I saw it, which was opening night, it felt pretty loose. With more development, or as the show's run continues, it should definitely get tighter and stronger.

Rating: Three stars


ECOSEXUAL

Staged in the highly appropriate confines of The Order of Melbourne, a salubrious bar in the CBD, Ecosexual is a cabaret show exploring environmental and feminist themes, and incorporating elements of circus, burlesque and cabaret. Unfortunately it does so in a somewhat stilted way, with some of the of performances residing at the amateur side of the scale. A lack of vocal projection from some of the cast members doesn't help proceedings, and nor do overlong and awkward change-overs between acts. That said, there were clearly some opening night nerves on display the evening I saw this show, so as the season progresses some of these flaws should fall away, allowing the more accomplished and charismatic performers to come to the fore.

Katherine Copsey, who both directs and stars in the show, appears to have been overly ambitious, given that this is her first performance in the Fringe. Next year I'd advise that she either find a director to help her tighten its structure and improve the quality of the acts, which would also assist in drawing out some of this show's interesting but poorly articulated themes (such as burlesque's empowerment of female sexuality vs the demeaning raunch culture); or she should withdraw from performing and just direct the show. She definitely has talent, as well as a good voice and stage presence, but this production isn't doing her and her fellow cast members justice.

Rating: Two and a half stars

I've been taking a breather...

Had you noticed? I haven't blogged about anything for the past month, because quite frankly, I didn't have much to blog about. I mean, I could have written about the night I drunkenly decided to start inventing details, characters and a history for a Melbourne branch of the Torchwood Institute after listening to James Goss' excellent Torchwood: Golden Age radio play; or how I faced the couple-world that is Ikea to buy new bookshelves, but such events didn't strike me as particularly blog-worthy.

But now, all that's changed.

No, I won't be telling you how I bravely sneaked past the Single Police who guard the borders of Ikea, where lone homos without partners, such as myself, who dare to enter are shot on sight as pair-bonded hetero and homo couples watch on cooing and arguing over matching tableware named after small Danish streams. Though I might, if you're very lucky, one day reveal the secret location of the Torchwood Institute (Melbourne branch) circa 1912 and details of the curious individuals who staff it - assuming that is that I ever get around to writing up my drunken notes into something ressembling a radio play, a novel or even a campaign for a Torchwood-inspired riff on the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game.

No, the reason that my blog is coming out of a month of hibernation is because the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival is now officially underway! Hurrah! All across Melbourne, over 4000 independent artists and theatre-makers and comedians and creative sorts of every description are mounting exhibitions and performances in theatres and galleries, laneways and store rooms. I've already seen five shows at the Fringe since Wednesday, and I have at least another 30 booked between now and October 11, when the festival ends.

Blogging about the wonderful range of shows I have seen and will see more of will commence shortly. Probably tomorrow. First there's this pesky, minor matter called the AFL Grand Final that I have to watch first...

But you - yes, YOU - should book yourself a ticket to a Fringe show immediately. Well, unless you live in Scotland or Sweden or somewhere like that of course. In which case you're excused. On with the show!