[2015128] Darkness and Light
Sarah Bennetto, Alanta Colley, Dave Bloustien, Lori Bell @ Tuxedo Cat – Cusack Theatre
11:00pm, Sat 7 Mar 2015
Previous explorations into the Darkness and Light ensemble show have yielded good results; the idea of getting artists – who already have the ability to communicate with an audience – to reveal some of their darker times really appeals to me.
The assembled guests for this evening’s set was a real mixed bag. I’d heard Sarah Bennetto’s tale of sneaking into an Arcade Fire gig before, and I’m not sure it really fit the mood (or, rather selfishly, fit the mood that I expected) of the show… not enough darkness for me. But my first encounter with Alanta Colley, on the other hand, managed a pleasing mixture of comedy with a darker edge, as she talked about her faux pas whilst performing engineering relief work in Uganda.
Dave Bloustien totally nailed the Darkness and Light groove with a hilarious tale about a vigorous sexual encounter with a new partner, and the fretting around the resultant blister on his penis. Finally, Lori Bell brought plenty of laughs with her familiar tales of heckles from groups of footballers, and how lesbian comedians can deal with them.
To be honest, after my previous experiences with Darkness and Light I found this show a little disappointing… but it was still totally worth seeing, because Bloustien’s spot was so strong and well-constructed that I immediately scheduled his solo show.
(128) Darkness and Light: Bennetto/Colley/Bell bring the light&dark, but Bloustein absolutely revels in both shades. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) March 7, 2015