[2014022] Radio Variety Hour

[2014022] Radio Variety Hour

Lauren Bok, Sam Marzden, Bert Goldsmith @ The Producers Bar

6:15pm, Mon 17 Feb 2014

With this Monday night very much defined by a trip out to the Wheatsheaf, not much room was left for any other shows; luckily, Radio Variety Hour (which previously appeared in the 2012 Fringe) fit the awkward timings perfectly. That it featured the two of my favourite performers from 2013 – Lauren Bok and Sam Marzden – was icing on the cake.

Presented as a behind-the-scenes look at a (titular) radio variety hour, Bok and Marzden are joined by Bert Goldsmith as they play three radio “personalities” on a stage littered with foley gear: there’s doors for slamming, papers for rustling, and cabbages for murdering. Three short radio plays are threaded together with a backstory that sees the threat of Goldsmith’s character being wooed from radio for new-fangled television; that the other two characters also have their own team-breaking options only adds to the spice.

But it’s the Variety Hour‘s episodic content that carries the most weight: Bok takes the lead with Joan Jackson, Lady Detective, a deliciously noir thriller that sparks the first bout of cabbage abuse. Captain Jet Propulsion is a quirky sci-fi expedition to a murderous cat planet (I shudder at the thought), but Peculiar Avenue‘s cast of bizarre characters and creepy ambience takes the gong for most compelling viewing… er, listening.

The manner in which the cast execute the foley is a worthy drawcard to the show; as they dart around the stage, looking for the next supporting sound-effect item, there’s a sense that they’re barely in control of the performance. And that may well be an act – after all, they’ve performed this piece many times before – but if they’re performing faux mistakes, then they’re doing it well… it’s convincing, edge-of-your seat stuff.

I can totally understand how Radio Variety Hour got nominated in the Fringe Awards a few years back: it’s fresh, it’s quirky, and there’s a genuine sense of excitement in the production. I can only help that this programme remains on the air for some time to come; it’d be great to see more parodies presented in this format.

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