Festival Freak

Arj Barker

Mercury Cinema

10:00pm, Sat 18 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Anh!

Sydney comedian Anh Do came out to warm the crowd up for Arj, and (to be frank) he was bloody brilliant. More punchlines than something with a large number of punchlines indeed. Alas, he was on for a mere 5 minutes; then out came Arj.

My first reaction was "oh no, this is going to suck" - Arj struggled for a few minutes. Soon after, however, he opened up and the laughs came thick and fast. Covering such topics as sex (the perennial favorite), smoking and dating, Barker's style was exceptional - no just-stand-up-and-tell-the-jokes stuff here. His use of volume and tone in delivering his gags was great.

Yet, at the end of the day, I would have happily traded 20 minutes of his act for another 20 minutes of Anh Do. Ah well... Arj was amusing enough to check him out next Fringe.

Posted by pete at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Never Swim Alone

Bakehouse Theatre

6:30pm, Sat 18 Mar 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: Brutal

This was one meaty show. 50 minutes of brutal male truths, starting with giggles and ending with violence. Written by Canadian Daniel MacIvor (whose also wrote House Humans), it takes a no-holds-barred look at the current state of the modern male psyche.

Two men - Bill and Frank - stand facing each other, best of friends. In unison, they greet the audience... they speak in unison for much of the night. They face each other in thirteen rounds, referreed by a ghost of their past. The initial rounds are mostly friendly, jocular boasting and laughs at the other's expense, but as the play progresses the comments get more and more vicious, until both men get pushed too far...

This play had a lot to say about "winning", and what success really is in these times. Bill has a successful emotional life, whereas Frank has forgone his in pursuit of the almighty dollar, and is also the more physical of the two. Who is the real winner? The thirteenth round, happily, leaves this question unanswered.

Quite simply, this was a great bit of Fringe theatre. It was fantastic to see a small, local company like Bakehouse producing quality stuff like this! Matthew Bartsch and Erin Klein are fabulous as Bill and Frank, Marlo Grocke plays her small role well, and the direction is faultless. Kudos to all concerned!!

Posted by pete at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Quiet Room

International Brigade (Cosmopolitan Centre)

4:00pm, Sat 18 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Maniac!

A chronical of the mental exploits of a schizophrenic woman locked in a padded cell, The Quiet Room is a solo tour de force for Pam Levin (who both looked and sounded like a psychotic Jena Cane - Quixote, Mirette and Bellini). With just a mattress, a toothbrush and her mental hospital gown & slippers to keep her company on stage, Levin does a wonderful job with a patchy script.

Levin plays the many schizo personalities of Sissy, who has a self-acknowledged "aggression problem". Locked in the "quiet room" for attacking staff in her hospital, she invents a duck (one of her slippers) to inhabit the room with her, and cycles through many personalities (including the duck!) to fill the audience in on her history. Along the way, she details her descent into madness, her many issues with God, and does a great Flashdance to Michael Sembello's "Maniac".

However, at the end of the day, the script is a little too disjointed for my liking - sure Sissy was schizo, but at times the script seemed to skate all over the place. There were some great comedic moments, though - the word association games, and the duck having a hypoglycemic attack were brilliant. And Sissy's first steps into madness scared the shit out of me (and any other daydreamers!). If only the script were a little tighter...

Posted by pete at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Arrogant Worms

The Governor Hindmarsh

10:00pm, Fri 17 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Song-a-rific!

Take a quick ride down Port Road (not too far, you might wind up in *gasp* Port Adelaide ;) and go to the Governor Hindmarsh. We did so on St Patrick's Day, and managed to find a pub full of pissed people dressed in green. And the Arrogant Worms, another Canadian comedy export.

Quite simply, these guys were really funny. Any group that takes the piss out of Canadia (sic) and their most famous exports - Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, and Shania Twain - gets the big thumbs up from me, and their Internet love song "Log On To You" is right up there with Tripod's Political Song. Any any song that starts "I am cow, hear me moo" is sure to win kudos from this little moobaa.

If this act had a fault, it was that they didn't localise their content enough... most of the songs were obviously their stock Canadian stuff. Which is still cool, because it was all funny.

(An aside - it was a hot night, and the show was in the rapidly-heating-up balcony at the Gov (the butt of many jokes). After an encore, despite the fact that the Worms were obviously hot, tired and bedraggled, one particularly pissed audience member refused to let the Worms leave until they did another song - "I was just starting to like you guys". They complied :)

Posted by pete at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Slaughter/Guernica

Proscenium Club

8:00pm, Fri 17 Mar 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Patchy

Two plays presented by the Footlight Theatre Company (Vic, NSW) in the Proscenium. First up - I like the Proscenium as a venue; it works really well, especially for plays which can surround the audience. Second - try "Red Bull" Energy Drink. Neato.

Enough plugs. First play up was the Slaughter - Scenes from Germany, writtn by Heiner Muller. The programme notes that Muller is widely regarded as "one of the most influential and controversial writers in European theatre". It should also add that he has penned some of the most atrocious rhyming couplets ever - the dialogue was not pretty at all. Muller (apart from having a cool surname) is no Shakespeare. But then, maybe that fits in with the whole darkness surrounding the piece... :)

Slaughter displays five tales of betrayal in different situations throughout Germany in World War II. The first was remarkable for the awkwardness of the dialogue between two brothers. The fourth betrayal received the most passionate direction of the play, with a frantic attack scene. Other than that, the most fun I had during this play was groaning inwardly at the rhymes.

The second play, Guernica, was much better. Intimidated and ineffectual, but very loving, Fanchou has had the love of his life buried underneath the rubble of their toilet during a bombing raid. The banter between the two of them is most amusing; the constant passing of planes overhead creates a sense of diminishing time, as does the faceless woman with child. The writer also provides a humorous distraction. Great stuff!

In all, one good play, one not-so-good... On the other hand, my SO's opinions were completely the opposite of mine. So, with that in mind, you might roll up and love both. Or hate both. That's the great thing about opinions, eh?

Posted by pete at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mongolmongol - My Wonderful Left Hook

Uniflex Physical Theatre

5:30pm, Fri 17 Mar 2000

Score: 5

Short Review: Indistinct

My Wonderful Left Hook by Korean company MongolMongol is part mime, part dance, part musical. Unfortunately, all the seperate pieces don't really gel together that well to form a coherent piece of work; more a well-produced jumble.

The positives first: there's a cello, so I'm happy from the start (references: 1 2), and the cellist also has a wonderfully haunting singing voice. So the aural aspect of the performance was great, as was the lighting and overall direction. The dancer (sorry, no names!) was also elegant; the movement of her arms was mesmerising.

Now the negatives: the miming varied from competent to pretty bloody awful. What the hell happened to the baby? I've got no idea, the miming was that bad... did he throw it away? drop it? kill it? make it's head fall off? It'll take someone with either (a) a whole lot of imagination, or (b) a script to explain it to me. The plot was outlined on a flyer presented to patrons; good thing, too.

So, a mixed-performance piece which only really satisfied the ears. A pity, really, since I think there's a gem of an idea in amongst it. But kudos to Mongolmongol for bringing it out here - they're all really nice people (just a shame the piece wasn't up to scratch).

Posted by pete at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adam Hills - Goody Two Shoes

Nova (Cinema 3)

10:50pm, Thu 16 Mar 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: AlmostThere

After Adam Hills' previous show (My Own Little World), I thought I might as well hang around to see his new work. And, whilst not up to the standard shown by the older material, there were still some gems to be found.

For starters, the session of the show I went to was being "signed" for the hearing-impaired. There were many laughs to be had from this alone - Hills deliberately listing of risque cocktail names (and watching the interpreter sign Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" was cool). Again, Hills also had a large amount of musical humour in the show (not sure that would have been good for the hearing-impaired), including his brilliant construction of a boy-band from the audience.

In all, this too was an amusing show, although a little rough around the edges. It'd be nice to see the show after a year on the road, to see how well it polishes up.

Posted by pete at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adam Hills - My Own Little World

Nova (Cinema 3)

9:40pm, Thu 16 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Flugley(!)

This'll be short and sweet - Adam Hills let loose with a volley of jokes, some toilet humour, a lot of audience participation (getting someone to do a James Brown-style entrance), and even more singing. His songs were, on the whole, pretty amusing - not up to the standard of, say, Tripod - but his multiple renditions of many national anthems were bloody amusing.

Quick review, eh? But what's the One-Word-Review about, then? Well, as a closer, Hills invited the audience to yank words from nowhere as substitutes to known words - hence, "love" became "flugle". In all, a pretty good show - you could certainly do worse.

Posted by pete at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

La Chambre

The Exeter Hotel

10:00pm, Mon 13 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Melancholy

Apparently, the turnout to La Chambre's gig on the 12th at the Stag was so miserable (3 people!) that they decided to cancel their gig on the 13th and go home to Melbourne. Unfortunately, the Melbourne gig they had planned was cancelled, and at the last minute the guys at the Exeter asked if they'd like to do a gig there... So it was that we, paying ticket holders, were NOT notified by FringeTix of the cancellation, but still managed to catch La Chambre anyway. Note that this was not, of course, an "official" Fringe show, but what the hell - they're my reviews, I can do what I want with them!

La Chambre, despite their name (and Fringe Guide description), were not your average chamber music ensemble; they were a more contemporary kind of band - guitar, bass, drums, cello, tokkai harp and, as a bonus for Improv Night, flute and sax. The music - well, it kind of reminded me of a cross between early Smashing Pumpkins and the more tuneful bits of Sonic Youth. Songs were very melancholy, but seemed to leap into life at intervals.

Highlights were the opener to their second set, and the final two songs of the night - both of which stretched into 10-minute improv pieces. Fabulous stuff! La Chambre showed themselves to be worthy musicians. For scoring... well, 2 points for wonderful songwriting, 1 point for Jonathan, the coolest drummer I've ever seen, and 5 points for having a cello (even tho it was drowned out most of the time :)

Posted by pete at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scared Weird Little Guys - Rock

The Famous Spiegeltent

7:00pm, Sun 12 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: RockOn!!

A gap in my schedule, and an urge to see what this Spiegeltent thing was all about, encouraged me to snaffle tickets for this, the last performance of the Scared Weird Little Guys this Fringe. Boy, am I glad I did.

Chock full of ROCK songs, this show had a real ROCK motif, including the audience ROCK-o-meter (cheers to the guy in the audience who got us to ROCK factor 10 with the cROCK pot! Ah, you had to be there :)

This show was pants-wettingly-funny from go to woah, with great songs about the GST, food additives, transexuals, and a plethora of re-worded classics ("Beer Stein of Bourbon" to the tune of "Stairway to Heaven" was just beautiful). The undoubtable highlight, though, was the encore, featuring 5 different renditions of Prince's "Kiss" - the rap version being a perfect ending to a great show.

If you haven't seen them yet... well, you missed out. But the SWLG's were great.

Posted by pete at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mirette and Bellini

The Foreign Legion (Cartoons)

5:00pm, Sun 12 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Curious

Hmmmm.... odd one, this. One World (who brought us Quixote) present a story, strangely enough, about the fallen (literally) tight-rope performer, Bellini, and his doting friend, Mirette, who aspires to be "Queen of Cartwheels" in the circus.

In a nutshell: Mirette and Bellini meet. Mirette ("the Unreasonable") urges Bellini to re-join the circus from which he came. Bellini does not understand Mirette's compulsion. He spurns her, crushing her spirit, but then the roles are reversed as he urges her to resume her dreaming.

The cast are great - there's a real element of madcappery to their performances - and the production is full of neat touches - Bellini bursting into hideous song is most amusing, and the use of the clothesline for characterisations is superb. However, there was something missing from this play that stopped it being "great". Bummer, that, because all the ingredients were there.

Posted by pete at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Virtual Solitaire

The Foreign Legion (Cartoons)

2:00pm, Sun 12 Mar 2000

Score: 10

Short Review: Astounding

Once again, Dawson Nichols (responsible for the brilliant I Might Be Edgar Allen Poe last Fringe) has come up with an incredibly compelling piece of theatre. Dwelling on the plight of the Virtual Reality junkie Nathan, who is used as a guinea pig in the development of a VR game, the script introduces a plentitude of virtual characters who all seem to have something to contribute on the topic of isolation & solitary confinement.

Nichols appears on stage, initially as Nathan, complete with VR headset (the only prop of the show). As soon as he is drawn into the virtual world of the game, and its' creators, he removes the goggles to reveal glowing eyes (great use of mirrored contact lenses!). This was a masterstroke - as he stares into the crowd for the first time, you realise there is something sublimely different, perfectly cultured, about this performance.

And what a performance it is! Nichols ducks and weaves between a myriad of characters (I counted 32), with the fluid VR "transitions" between them revealing his wonderful sense of movement. When glitches occur in the virtual world, Nichols convulses in wonderfully convincing manner - apparently at random, but perfectly scripted.

The script (available for sale at the end of the show... buy! read!) is... well, intense. "Perfect" is another word that springs to mind. All Nichols' characters are wonderfully used - the beat poet provides gorgeous comic relief, the asylum guard helps display the Real Life history of Nathan, the prisoner on death row reminds us that we're all, essentially, alone. Not a line is wasted.

In short, go to see this show. Then join me, as we kneel and say: "All hail and praise Dawson Nichols, for he is Great".

Posted by pete at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Human in the Audiosphere

Rhino Room

10:30pm, Sat 11 Mar 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: PerfectPercussion

One-third of Pablo Percusso (a huge hit at the 1998 Fringe), Ben Walsh, thundered out a superb percussive set in front of a packed house at the Rhino Room (prolly not the most ideal venue for this, but adequate nonetheless).

On a tiny stage packed with things to hit (both conventional and not), Walsh's live percussion was accompanied by backing tapes (bass, on the whole, with some less complex percussion as well) and a projected visual presentation. It all managed to converge wonderfully.

Walsh's hands were a blur for most of the performance, and the rhythms he created were nothing short of incredible. This was a top-notch performance.

(There was also a Human in the Audiosphere CD available at the venue... highly recommended!)

Posted by pete at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Richard II

Old Parliament House

8:00pm, Sat 11 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Verily

After a uniquely presented rendition of The Tempest in the Zoo last Fringe, Rough Magic returns to present Richard II in the austere setting of Old Parliament House.

As was the case with The Tempest, the direction is fabulous - Alice Teasdale has walked the modernist tightrope superbly, with soldiers in khaki and fatigues, noblemen in suit-and-ties. Despite lighting problems on the night, performances were solid, but the two major characters must be singled out: Damien Storer was wonderful as the hoighty-but-doomed Richard, and Nick Smart wonderfully restrained as Bolingbroke.

In all, a production well worth seeing. The setting within the Old Parliament House was a masterstroke, and the presentation of Shakespeare's work is very entertaining.

Posted by pete at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Because

Promethean Theatre

2:00pm, Sat 11 Mar 2000

Score: 5

Short Review: Adequate

Because, a play by Tasmanian Stella Kent, is brought to life by Thespian Tendencies (responsible for Dark Love). Although the play covers interesting and thought-provoking subject matter (following James McAuley and the Ern Malley hoax involving the Max Harris-editted "Angry Penguins" magazine), something has been lost in the translation to the stage.

Performances were all fine, although one may be able to acuse Richard Gruca of overacting in the role of McAuley (especially with that laugh!). Glen Christie also does a good job in the director's shoes. It's just that the play is presented... dryly. No real interest is forthcoming from the script.

Things improve in the latter parts of the play, but overall this play can only be described, at best, as adequate. A shame, really, since the subject matter could provide so much more.

Posted by pete at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Matt King Tribute Show

Comix Comedy Cellars

7:00pm, Fri 10 Mar 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Surprising

With Matt King's unfortunate accident (he was hit by his own car, in a comedic twist), local Adelaide comedians came together to provide a tasty replacement for the mighty Pom. Headlining the night was the incomparable Dave Flanagan, but Fringe acts such as Dave Williams also did pieces, along with a host of Comix regulars.

Overall, it wasn't priceless humour, but it was a lot of fun... and the quality of talent present eclipsed that seen in many other Fringe shows.

(BTW - Matt King is out of hospital, and tentatively re-scheduled for mid-May)

Posted by pete at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Universe & All The Bits In It

Iris Cinema

11:00pm, Thu 9 Mar 2000

Score: 3

Short Review: Undergraduate

Imagine you're at Uni with one of those bearded Physics geeks who always thought that they were so wacky because they could seriously discuss the pros and cons of each of the Doctor Who villains. Got that image in your head? Welcome to the nightmare that was this show.

I could have sworn I was in a tutorial being led by such a person. I knew I was in trouble when the guy (no names... let's just call him "The Tutor") claimed that the world today should aspire to be like the world portrayed in Star Trek. Oh dear. And it went downhill, real quick, from there. Doctor Who, favourite dinosaurs, and the latest going-ons with NASA were discussed (and I do mean discussed - audience participation was almost begged) in a ramshackle "show" which had no real form or shape, and made me think that The Tutor was here as part of a bet with his post-grad buddies.

Well, I got a few (very few) laughs, and I'd rather go to this again than Bound Sonata, so it gets a skinny 3. However, if you're a Trekkie or Doctor Who fan who feels that you need to vent your opinions upon the world, roll up to this show. You'll be in like-minded company.

Posted by pete at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

House Humans

Bakehouse Theatre

9:30pm, Thu 9 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Entertaining

Neat play. One man, his own little insanity, enacted in a small, intimate theatre for all to enjoy.

Peter Green brings his character Victor to life with enjoyable ease. He happily moves amongst the audience whilst portraying the fucked-up ("not weird... you have to be born weird, but you can become fucked-up"), going-to-therapy, wife-is-a-bondage-mistress Victor, detailing Victor's exploits (as well as those of Victor's friends from "group").

"House Humans" was a thoroughly enjoyable bit of theatre. No real faults, no real highlights. Just competent entertainment.

Posted by pete at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lano and Woodley - Slick

Masons

7:30pm, Thu 9 Mar 2000

Score: 4

Short Review: Infantile

Oh god, this was awful. I was so looking forward to this show - but all I got was wee/poo jokes and banal sight gags. Sure, Lano & Woodley are great performers - but why didn't they bring some actual humorous content with them?

Maybe it's just me, but Woodley pulling faces behind Lano's back just doesn't constitute humour. To be utterly truthful, I laughed at times during the show. Six times. I counted. Sure, the "audience participation" bit (a slow-motion tennis match) was funny, but not that funny.

Still, the rest of the audience loved it. They emitted some of the loudest laughter I've heard during the Fringe thus far. Maybe the status quo of comedy lies with such infantile antics. Oh, the horror.

Posted by pete at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harry the Dead Poet - Live

Swingcat Club

3:00pm, Thu 9 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Cool

Harry the Dead Poet (aka Harry Cording) is one cool, cool guy. Presenting an hour of self-scribed poetry in front of a small (but generally appreciative) crowd, you got the feeling that he didn't really care whether they liked his work or not.

From behind dark sunglasses and loud shirt, the Dead Poet recited works that covered themes as broad as politics, environmentalism, and midlife crises. His opening poem, "Poet of the Day", was great, as was his ode to "The Poet's Wife".

Some of his work was a little mundane, with predictable rhythm and corny rhymes. But overall, this mild-voiced (and genuinely likeable) Kiwi provided an entertaining hour of verse.

Posted by pete at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harmon Leon - Yank Me!

Boltz Cafe

10:00pm, Wed 8 Mar 2000

Score: 5

Short Review: Momentary

This was quite promising - Lehmo came out to warm the crowd up, dealt with some heckling in a good-natured way, then introduced Harmon Leon - who promptly struggled for 5 minutes.

Leon re-used a fair bit of material from previous visits - although the return of Timmy was welcome (even if his life wasn't threatened as liberally as last Fringe). However, his new material was patchy - about a 50/50 proposition.

His piece on the pros and cons of various religions was amusing; recounting how he tried valiantly to get sacked from a fast-food job inside three hours raised a few laughs; and his exploits trying to buy a gun whilst acting like a psychotic gun freak were downright hilarious. In between these highlights, however, the best he could manage out of this little camper was a smile.

On the whole - amusing enough, but why bother when there's much better around at the moment?

Posted by pete at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bound Sonata

Uniflex Physical Theatre

8:30pm, Wed 8 Mar 2000

Score: 2

Short Review: Self-indulgent

Wow, this was bad. Quoth the Fringe Guide: "Bound Sonata is the obsessive and compulsive in all of us". Well, the obsession seemed to be entirely on the performer's side of the fence, whereas the compulsion for me was to leave early.

Two performers, one very lean ("black"), the other heavier-set ("blue"). Black was average on both the movement front and the piano. Blue seemed competent on the movement side of things. The movement prescribed by the piece, presumably meant to symbolise the aforementioned obsessive/compulsive behaviour, was exactly that - that same, inelegant, gestures over and over again, interspersed with much pacing of the floor and whispering to themselves. Visual spectacle? Afraid not - shit boring is a far more apt term.

Interestingly enough, my SO was far more scathing of this piece than I - comments like "no talent, wrote the piece for Year 11 dance class and got a B" were passed around. In a more curious occurance, this has apparently had good reviews - why? What am I missing? And do I really care?

Posted by pete at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Un Re(a)d

Ngapartji Multimedia Centre

7:00pm, Wed 8 Mar 2000

Score: 5

Short Review: TryHard

The Post Hoc Performing Word Company come down from the Gold Coast to inject a bit of poetry, video, and live action into the fringe. Sometimes their multimedia effort pays off; most times it doesn't.

Being led into the Multimedia Centre by two rejects from Mad Max III (you know, the bit where Mel finds all the kids?) planted seeds of doubt into my head. The first 5 minutes of the pre-recorded video footage did not assuage these fears. Fine imagery was torn apart by lacklustre visual effects, with try-hard evocative-wannabe text skidding across the screen like a nightmarish PowerPoint presentation.

The closing 5 minutes of the piece (hereafter known as "the realist bit") was also a contrived bit of work. In between these two pieces, though, was a reasonable section ("the city bit") which, whilst being similarly contrived, made better use of the visual palette. And, on the plus side, the original music throughout was quite good.

On the minus side - the live performances accompanying the video had a Wank Factor of about 13 (out of 10). Overall, the writing was pretty poor too - whilst the Company seemed to have plenty to say about the garish ills of their home town (and, one would guesstimate, society in general), it all seemed to be written in a manner which seems to be desperately trying to create a powerful, evocative commentary... and failing. Still, the music and video elements of this piece seem to indicate that there is some talent in the group... somewhere.

Posted by pete at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Astin - Edgar Allen Poe

Arts Theatre

1:00pm, Wed 8 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Disappointing

John Astin, bearing more than an uncanny resemblance to the real Edgar Allen Poe, presents one of the longer shows at this year's fringe. Clocking in at 1:45 - an impressive effort, given that it's a monologue - it runs out of stem about 20 minutes before its conclusion.

This is a bit of a shame, really - the first act (about 50 minutes worth ) is really quite good. Astin opens the show by letting Poe read his own obituary - a most amusing moment, with Astin wonderfully comic. The play then lays Poe's demons out before the audience, closing the first act on a particularly down note.

The second act was... flat. Astin noticeably stumbled on several lines, and his reading of "The Raven" left much to be desired... where was the inherent, brooding terror? However, most other excerpts from Poe's writings were cleverly moulded into the script (which was, on the whole, quite good).

After all the hype surrounding this play, I was expecting quite a bit from it - but it wasn't quite there. With the exception of the aforementioned faults, Astin was quite good; it's just that the script needed a tiny bit of trimming. Worth seeing for Astin's alter ego; just not quite the blockbuster we've been led to believe it would be.

Posted by pete at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Spleen

Club Fringe

10:45pm, Tue 7 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Witty

This performance bears an bit in common with another at Club Fringe, The Entire Contents of the Refrigerator. Both are one woman shows, both are staged sparsely, both are powerful performances (and both scored 8). But that's about the end of the similarities.

Carolyn Cohagan is a class act. Whilst it could be said that her performance did not require the physical or mental flexibility of Stewart-Lindley's Refrigerator monologues, she more than makes up for it with pure comedic style. Her sense of timing is exquisite, the speed of delivery varying from standing still (a wonderfully amusing and tense moment shared with the audience) to lightning fast (the opening monologue, travelling home in New York City). Through all this she recounts her own real-life experiences as she is knocked down by illness, resulting in the removal of her spleen.

Cohagan's characterisations are great, and she is a wonderful comedienne. There are a few flat spots in the story, but a lot of great spots too. This is one show well worth checking out.

Posted by pete at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Fleet & Adam Brough - Interrogation

Nova (Cinema 1)

8:10pm, Tue 7 Mar 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Despair

I like Fleety, I really do. I think his manner on stage is great, his delivery impeccable. But I am constantly driven to the depths of despair because he never gets 60 minutes of quality material together!

His latest show uses Adam Brough as a straight man/sidekick/prop, and there are some genuinely funny moments to be had. The opening of the show is amusing, and the "car chase" scene that the two of them do is quite cool. But beyond that, the laughs are pretty sparse... they're there, just few and far between.

Having said that, though, this is the best show I've ever seen Fleety do. And I can't stop going to see his shows because one day he'll have an hour of killer material that will do him justice. But this is not such a show.

Posted by pete at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rich Hall (aka Otis Lee Crenshaw)

Nova (Cinema 1)

10:30pm, Sun 5 Mar 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: song-tastic

Rich Hall's alter ego, the six-time married, incarcerated (for involuntary bigamy) Otis Lee Crenshaw, was joined onstage by two likeminded Texans for an hour of song and hilarity. And there were buckets of both.

Hall's standard songs are hilarious - the opener "I Was Drunk" springs to mind - but it's when he gets into ad-lib mode that the laughs run thickest. His "couple song" (this night's victims were Bill and Jenny) was an absolute classic ("spreadsheets" - "bed sheets"... brilliant!), and the not-quite-ad-libbed-but-close-enough "Adelaide song" is a classic also.

Words alone cannot express how wonderfully funny this show is - I guess I'll just give it a good score and let you find out for yourselves.

Posted by pete at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wil Anderson - Terra Wilius: A History of Australia

Nova (Cinema 2)

8:20pm, Sun 5 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Gut-laughs

Wil Anderson returns to Adelaide with a show that traces through the finer points of Australian history. Along the way, he has a dig at the government, the ocker Aussie male, and ponders a few more serious issues.

Wil has a great delivery style; he's basically your classic Australian comedian. Not afraid of poking fun at himself, he also manages to surreptitiously introduce material into his act that allows the most subtle of segueways into his next bit. The manner in which he does this is, in itself, a great laugh.

He lets himself down a little, though, by introducing more serious topics into the proceedings; racism and homophobia aren't great topics for laughs (where's Chelsea Lewis when you need her?), and he doesn't go chasing them either. However, you'll find that you've been gut-laughing though the rest of the show, so the few flat spots are easy to look over.

Posted by pete at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

North Darling in North Alone

Nova (Cinema 2)

7:10pm, Sun 5 Mar 2000

Score: 4

Short Review: PG

Whoa, this was not great at all. North Darling, the "good looking" one of the Three Canadians, brought forth a flimsy show which struggled to get any laughs at all.

The premise of the show was that North gets stranded on a desert island; this part of the story is told at the start of the show using some clever (and amusing) puppetry, but as soon as North appears on stage the play went downhill fast.

The puppetry used throughout the show was clever enough, but got more-ish after a while, and the manner in which North (and his accomplice AJ) constantly derided their own crappy production values got more than a little irritating. On the plus side, however, the "Ode to a Dead Dolphin" was great, even if you had to sit through 2 minutes of "fighting" with an inflatable dolphin to get there.

In short, this would be a great show for kids (be warned, however, that there is a little profanity uttered during the show). This type of humour is a little beneath anyone over the age of 12.

BTW: is it me, or does anyone else think North looks like Ade Edmondson?

Posted by pete at 07:10 PM | Permalink

The Enormous Club

Uniflex Physical Theatre

2:00pm, Sun 5 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Candlelight

Born In A Taxi, a Victorian-based company, presented "The Enormous Club", a quality bit of physical theatre. Very qualititious it was, too.

The four performers smoothly traversing the stage, interacting well with each other and providing a great deal of subtlety and humour in their movements. The true beauty in the production, however, is in the innovative use of light (large amounts of the piece was lit only by the candles which the performers held) and the clever use of the (minimalist) props.

There is a rather lengthy discussion about the premise of the show, but it isn't needed; The Enormous Club is a great bit of physical theatre without having to place any subtext to it.

Posted by pete at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hard Times

The Foreign Legion (Cartoons)

5:00pm, Sat 4 Mar 2000

Score: 10

Short Review: Magnificent!!

Another combined theater simple and Ghostlight production, "Hard Times" (adapted from Charles Dickens' novel by Ghostlight) proved to be truly exceptional theatre.

In typical theater simple style, the stage was stark but for performers and purely functional props (but why was Zoe Galvez reading "Moby Dick"? :) The performers themselves were superb without fault: Monique Kleinhans plays her 3 main roles (the regal Mrs Sparsit, the woefully drunken Maddy and the militant Slackbridge) perfectly; Amy Augustine is wonderful as James Harthouse (and the impish Sissy Jupe early on); and the love between Llysa Holland and Craig Neibaur (as Rachael and Stephen, respectively) is absolute.

One other point of note is the direction; Bill Peters (as well as directing "Hunting for Moby Dick") controlled the floor with unwavering accuracy. In fact, it's nigh-on impossible for me to fault this production in any way - everything about it is superb, from the labour songs that open each Act to Amy Augustine's haunting closing song. To paraphrase Louisa Gradgrind: The only feeling I have ever been certain of is sheer, unadulterated love for this production. Without a doubt, this will be one of the highlights of the Fringe/Festival.

Posted by pete at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quixote

The Foreign Legion (Cartoons)

2:00pm, Sat 4 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Surprising

This was a tricky review to write whilst remaining factual. Go see the show and you'll understand why :)

Don Quixote, the Knight of Mournful Countenance, exists as a form of therapy within the walls of a mental hospital. The doctors within the hospital use the text of the novel to cajole the patients to mental stability with a healthy dose of roleplaying.

To be honest, halfway throught this play I was expecting the worst (despite the fabulous windmill scene); the performances all seemed way over the top, with the exception of Mark Fullerton (perfect as a noble Quixote) and Jena Cane (as the fluttery Dr Stucco & a wonderfully lovelorn Dulcinea). However, without giving anything away, the latter half of the play was just brilliant.

In all, a thoroughly enjoyable bit of work. Congratulations must go to One World Theatre - yet another great Seattle theatre company! If you like your theatre funny, extravagant, and with a twist, this is the play for you.

Posted by pete at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eric and Derek's Hot Nuts and Popcorn Show

Mercury Cinema

11:00pm, Wed 1 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Talk-show

Oh, how we did laugh. Eric & Derek (along with Terry and the music guy - sorry, forgot his name) present a pretty-much-nightly talk-show style performance, complete with guests, ad breaks (live "clips" from other shows) and a little stand-up. As you could imagine, the quality of the show on any given night is pretty much dependant on the guests, and what a great bunch we had tonite...

First up (after a bit of awkward banter from the "hosts") was local Channel 10 reporter Chelsea Lewis. Entertainment reporter Chelsea Lewis. Who also covers "real" news stories. Like the Christmas Shopping. And back-to-school. To be fair, she also covers sieges - but she's "never been in any dangerous situations". Fine. Pretty much what you'd expect to hear from an entertainment reporter. But she also mentioned how she gets a little angry when she sees one of her stories get butchered by her bosses ("bosses" being Channel 10, a Fringe sponsor). And that she doesn't know how long she'll stay with Channel 10 "because of all the down-sizing going on". And that what she really wants to do is documentaries - "I want to change people's lives. Especially about racism and homophobia, they're my two big topics" (you could feel the audience groan).

Well, good on her I say. Who cares that, as an entertainment reporter - reporting on the Fringe - she'd only sat through two entire shows (including this one?). Who cares that it's every journo's dream to do doco's, and that people who bad-mouth their bosses aren't likely to survive the next round of down-sizing? Who cares that someone who wants to change people's lives doesn't know who Michael Moore is? Who cares about my appalling over-use of sarcasm? Get over it, Pete!!

The ad break for the night was a snippet from "Help Wanted", which looked to be a slapstick-ish bit of physical theatre. The real bonus for the night (besides listening to "but I really want to make documentaries" - FrontLine was sooooo accurate) was that the Tripod boys appeared for a bit of a chat. Witty to the extreme, they colluded well with Eric & Derek to create much mirth and merriment.

In all - the amusement factor was high, though probably not for all the right reasons. As always, your mileage may vary...

Posted by pete at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stewart Lee

Nova (Cinema 1)

9:20pm, Wed 1 Mar 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Lazy-in-a-good-way

After hearing of comparisons between Stewart Lee and the late, great Bill Hicks, I was anxious to check this guy out for myself. So, along with a ton of other people (who had either heard of Lee's reputation, or were at his opening night because of the cheap tickets), I cosied into the non-air-conditioned (what? it was 40 degrees today!) Nova...

Lee's style is fabulous. The best way to describe it is to say that he makes the audience work for, long for, virtually beg for the punchline. Maybe this is an acquired taste - I definitely heard some people post-show who didn't agree with it - but I thought it was great. This was perhaps best demonstrated in his piece on the death of Princess Diana - the crux of the joke was introduced very early on, but you had to wait - almost labouring under the knowledge of what was to come - before Lee delivered the punchline that you knew was coming.

This may sound like a crap idea - trust me, it's not. I'm going to cop out just by saying - go see Stewart Lee. It's a different style of comedy, but he's still bloody funny.

Posted by pete at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Loose Moose Mammoth Big Improv Show

Mercury Cinema

7:00pm, Wed 1 Mar 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Improv

5 Canadians, 1 stage, 1 hour, no script. Hmmmm, I wonder what can become of this? As with any improv show, you've got to be lucky on the night, and this night wasn't bad at all.

Each of the 5 participants took turns at "directing" the improvisation, with the audience voting after a given period whether or not to continue the current storyline. This provided the audience interaction required of a good improv piece. Some "directors" even asked the audience for story ideas.

It kinda seems pointless to discuss the plot of an improv show; suffice to say, it was pretty rapid-fire stuff, and bloody amusing too. However, just remember that it is improv; your mileage may vary.

Posted by pete at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Loveplay

International Brigade (Cosmopolitan Centre)

10:00pm, Tue 29 Feb 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: Rollercoaster

Wow. Thanks ever so much to the girl from the International Brigade who insisted that I see this show. I owe you lots.

The Weird Sisters each play a multitude of characters, effortlessly switching between them (with the aid of some brilliant use of lighting). Maintaining such integrity in the characters over 75 minutes is incredible, and they were all believable - Alison Goldie's Dave (the doting father caught in a loveless marriage) was exceptional, as was the spurned-and-yet-to-deal-with-it Sally, played by Kath Burlinson.

As the performance moves along at breakneck speed, the audience are taken on a emotional rollercoaster ride - characters falling into, and out of, love; passion & unrequited love; and the love of the spurned all play heavily. But "Loveplay" is also funny - scenes with the marriage counsellor are amongst the funniest I've seen so far this Fringe.

In short, this is amazing stuff. Go see this now.

Posted by pete at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Condition

WorldsEnd Theatre

9:00pm, Tue 29 Feb 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Curious

The Victorian company, Holophane, have put together an appealling (if short) piece of theatre exploring the concepts of identity and madness. While using multiple players to display different aspects of the self is not a new technique, the performance still seemed refreshingly original.

The use of live music also deserves a big tick; Tim Wootton on guitar provides a wonderfully moody soundtrack. Overall, the music, dialogue and performances all made this piece feel like a short, succinct David Lynch movie - and in no way is this a bad thing.

Posted by pete at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rod Quantock - Utopia

Nova (Cinema 1)

7:00pm, Tue 29 Feb 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Down

I think Rod Quantock is one of Australia's best comedians. There, I said it. However, tonite he was a little... flat? disappointing? down? Hmmmm.

I'd been looking forward to this show for ages, and for all you RQ fans out there, there are a few surprises: No blackboard (gasp!), but a long diatribe about the lack of chalk in todays society, and how this impacts our social wellbeing. Very few Kennett jokes, replaced by the far more vitriolic Howard jokes. And the presence of toilet humour! ...literally.

As I said previously, I think Quantock is brilliant, and so the show was still very enjoyable. Compared to previous RQ experiences, however, it seemed to be lacking a little spark... maybe Rod just needs some more chalk and a Nazi-esque Victorian Premier again.

Posted by pete at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tired Cliches

International Brigade (Cosmopolitan Centre)

10:00pm, Mon 28 Feb 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: Cyclic

"Stand-Up meets Storytelling meets Beat Poetry" says the Fringe Guide on this, the second of TJ Dawe's works in this Fringe (the other being the exceptional Labrador). The Guide was right. It's a reasonable simple storyline, but the manner in which the show is delivered - using, at times, a very Beat-ish style - makes the piece a very enjoyable experience.

Once again, Dawe rapid-fires through another piece of his life, repeatedly using certain situations which, as a spectator, you know are significant - and the final 2 minutes ties all the loose ends together (oops, spoiled it). Dawe's style, especially after having seen Labrador, is great for the audience - it makes for very satisfying viewing.

I'm going to rave again - TJ Dawe is the man. Brilliant writing... better than brilliant. Words cannot express, yada yada yada. See it. See it. See it.

Posted by pete at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kiwi Standup Show

WorldsEnd Cabaret

8:30pm, Mon 28 Feb 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Amusing

Obviously Monday nights aren't big comedy nights in Adelaide. For the 16 people who turned up, these two Kiwis (Mark and Mike, apparently... why can't I remember their names? what a crap reviewer...) put in a reasonable show overall.

Mark (I think... again, apologies for the names) opened up with the usual "flight over" gags, and I think the audience all inwardly moaned. The pace picked up, thought, and the highlight of his set was undoubtedly the ode to JFK Jr set to "Candle In The Wind". Piss funny.

The second Kiwi, Mike, was far more memorable, and dealt with "comedy death" situations with great style. He also managed to dig himself into a corner when he proclaimed that New Zealand's only poisonous spider was, in fact, a myth - until an audience member mentioned that she had, in fact, been bitten by one. Again, the escape was very amusing.

Overall, reasonable material, crappy venue - which bore the brunt of a large number of jokes in the show. Go for a beer, stay for the show.

Posted by pete at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cello Recital

Pilgrim Church

6:30pm, Mon 28 Feb 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Patchy

I love the cello. Love it. Unashamedly, unreservedly. I know squat about classical music, but the tones of the cello just fire me up. So it was with great anticipation that I cruised into the Pilgrim Church on a sultry Monday evening to attend my first cello recital.

Problem 1: it was hot that night and, due to the extensive (albeit attractive) amount of stained glass in the church, it was quite warm inside. Thus it was necessary to strategically place a large number of fans around the inside of the church to try and keep the air moving & the patrons cool(ish). Unfortunately, the aforementioned fans also managed to flip the pages of cellist Belinda Manwaring's sheet music. Stutter, pause, recovery... but it didn't do much for the piece.

That said, the Vivaldi Allegros (with Lesley Lewis accompanying on harpsichord) were exceptional, and Paul Hindemith's "Solo Sonata op.25 No.3" was likewise excellent. The highlight of the recital, however, came from Manwaring's rendition of Australian Peter Sculthorpe's "Threnody for solo cello"... this work was incredible, and the cello belied the Aboriginal underpinnings of the work by managing to sound very didgereedoo-esque (!) at some points.

However, the rest of the works left a less palatable taste in the mouth. Maybe I was missing something, not being a huge classical buff... but some parts of the de Fesch and Bononcini sonatas seemed positively devoid of tonal sensibilities. Bummer, because half the program was exceptional.

Posted by pete at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Exhibitionists

Nexus Theatre

11:00pm, Sun 27 Feb 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Wacky

"The Exhibitionists" is a madcap bit of theatre exploring what may go on when gallery attendants are bored. Upon entry to the performance space, I was accosted by one of the performers, in character, who insisted my bag be placed in the cloak room. 5 minutes into the performance, the contents of said bag were being used as props :) In fact, one of the highlights of the show was watching other people be "checked" by the attendants upon entering the space. Be warned!!

The four players of the Irish company, Ridiculusmus, all play their multiple roles with a great sense of comedic timing. The play is, for the most part, an over-the-top, outlandish production, but it's sheer wackiness kept everyone entertained. Suspend disbelief and roll along for a good laugh.

Posted by pete at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tripod

Nova (Cinema 3)

8:30pm, Sun 27 Feb 2000

Score: 7

Short Review: Wiggles-meets-DAAS

Tripod opened up with a wonderful musical ode to mucus which was, for a Tripod virgin such as myself, a hilarious introduction into the trio's exploits. They then rattled through a series of songs (including the brilliant "political song", which I haven't been able to get out of my head all day ;) and, along the way, managed to insert large chunks of dialogue from "The Empire Strikes Back" (neat, since Yon was referred to more than once as "Yoda").

Their songs were brilliant - rollicking, hilarious, entertaining, always on the mark, and reminding me of a tasty blend of The Wiggles and the late Doug Anthony All-Stars (not a bad thing, I assure you). However, when they strayed into the non-musical aspects of their show, their grip on me slipped. A lot of the stand-up/spoken word stuff fell flat, and they suffered from the "ad-libbed versus rehearsed ad-libbed" problem.

Don't worry about that too much, though - for a roaring good laugh, they manage to hit the right notes often enough.

Posted by pete at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anandamine (Visual Arts)

Top Floor, 27 Gresham Street

6:00pm, Sun 27 Feb 2000

Score: 2

Short Review: Thoughtless

If visual art is your thing, don't bother climbing the stairs to the top floor of 27 Gresham St. The viewing of the "works of art" takes almost as much time as the ascension.

The opening of the Anandamine visual arts exhibition seemed poorly conceived; one "work" consisted of a bead G-string hung over a talcum powder "canvas" into which a simple vagina had been drawn. Problem was, many guests at the opening were shuffling through the talcum, essentially ruining the intention of the piece (unless, of course, it was meant to represent the downtrodden nature of women in society... hmmm, maybe not). No-one seemed to care... where was the artist protecting the sanctity of their work?

This seemed indicative of the whole exhibition - everything presented seemed to have no real thought involved, simply the feeling of "product" being shifted in time for the Fringe.

Let's hope the other aspects of the Anandamine project are a bit more successful. Positives? Errrm... the free booze was nice :)

Posted by pete at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hunting For Moby Dick

The Foreign Legion (Cartoons)

5:00pm, Sat 26 Feb 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: Existential

theater simple return to Adelaide accompanied by Ghostlight Theatre, in a Ghostlight-inspired production. As usual, the set was sparse and the content was dense :)

The main players were stellar, with Amy Augustine as Spouter entering the audience for a nice bit of improv. Bill Peters and Craig Neibaur were exceptional as the writer, Herman Melville, and the fun Stubb; Llysa Holland was a solid Starbuck.

So what did Moby Dick have to tell? As usual with theater simple's works, the currents ran deep... "Hunting for Moby Dick" was a pretty involved work that, despite perhaps not shining as brightly as theater simple's 1998 Fringe classics ("The Master and Margarita", "Escher's Hands"), still leaves a lasting impression. The influence of Ghostlight's direction is evident, but theater simple's innovative use of sparse props remains a delight.

Posted by pete at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dark Love

Promethean Theatre

2:00pm, Sat 26 Feb 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Competent

Dark Love consisted of 2 plays by English playwright Harold Pinter, and were presented in a very "english" manner which suited both plays well. Billed as a "psycho-sexual voyage", neither of the plays really approached that description, but proved to be entertaining nonetheless.

The Lover

This was the better of the two works, due in no small part to the great script - very clever writing. Martin Welsh is excellent, giving his character a great refinement and dignity. Kerry-Anne James is adequate, but appears less self assured in her delivery.
This piece is at its' best when the characters allowed extended, pregnant pauses in between their lines. Though this had a very stoccato effect, it heightened the tensions present in the play.

Ashes to Ashes

The playbill cites this as being the "more cerebral" of the two plays, and it wasn't far wrong. No pauses between delivery here - Kerry-Anne James (looking far more at home here) and director Glen Christie churned through the dialogue at a steady rate. Whilst a "deeper" piece of work, unfortunately there was no real tension generated between the characters.

Overall, this pair of plays provides an interesting introduction to Pinter's work. Whilst not outstanding, this local production was competent and entertaining.

Posted by pete at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Labrador

The Foreign Legion (Cartoons)

11:59pm, Fri 25 Feb 2000

Score: 9

Short Review: Enticing

The promo info tells all there is to know about this one-man show, but TJ Dawe's delivery is incredible. Whilst the plot does appear to be both minimalistic, and indeed the performance peters out to a trite ending, it is the journey that Dawe takes you on that makes this show the first big show for this Fringe.

Dawe has the spectacular ability to turn the audience on a 10 cent piece - so while the majority of the performance is devoted to pure, gut-wrenching laughter, he occasionally reminds all present that there is sorrow to be found, too - for a second - then it's back to the laughter. The manner in which Dawe controls this pacing of this show simply must be seen.

Posted by pete at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Entire Contents of the Refrigerator

Club Fringe

9:15pm, Fri 25 Feb 2000

Score: 8

Short Review: Captivating

20 characters? In an hour? Uni maths tells me that this is an average of 3 minutes each, but some characters get far more (and some, far less) of an opportunity to show themselves. Casey Stewart-Lindley does a great job of bringing all her persona - both minor and major - to life, using little more than a broom and a block of wood for props.

Whilst the only thread between the characters seemd to be a malaise or grief, this show shouldn't be seen as a contiguous "story" - more as one major piece (the woman infatuated with the sax player upstairs) fragmented by a bunch of smaller monologues. This, however, does not detract from the spectacle - this is a great performance piece by Stewart-Lindley.

Posted by pete at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Vagina Monologues

Theatre 62

8:30pm, Wed 23 Feb 2000

Score: 6

Short Review: Vagina!

A gentle way to start FF2000. Colette Mann was in great form, waxing lyrical about the vagina, and dropping into a multitude of characters discussing their own vaginas. On the whole, this was quite an amusing piece, with a few small problems: one, it tended to be a little self-indulgent at times, and the "reclaiming" of the C-word was completely unnecessary; two, there were a few opening night nerves about which were, for the large part, ignored by the generally supportive audience; and finally, the script seemed a little uneven - the sole "serious" monologue stood out like a sore thumb in amongst the other, more amusing, characters.

In general, a fun enough evening - certainly worth a bash if you've got an interested SO and want the excuse to say "vagina" a lot, or yell out the C-word with a hundred or so other people (how cathartic!).

Posted by pete at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)