Festival Freak

The Loves of Shakespeare's Women

Susannah York @ Scott Theatre

6:30pm, Sun 17 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Great, but not compelling

Susannah York certainly does not look anywhere near her age as she briskly strides onto the candle-fronted stage, pausing briefly to light four more candles on a candelabra, before plunging into the first of a selection of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Thereafter follows a "best-of" hour, featuring some of The Bard's most famous female characters (and a few lesser-known).

The romantics are covered with a soliloquy from Juliet; the tragedies represented by Emilia (from "Othello"); but best of all are the comedic females: Beatrice ("Much Ado...") and The Merry Wives of Windsor. And these were just the stand-out performances; 16 characters and 3 sonnets were covered.

Along with each character piece came a little insight into the character, as interpreted by York herself. This was intriguing, seeing how a world-class actress analyses a character in order to best portray her. Also forthcoming were personal anecdotes pertaining to particular productions - the tale of Hamlet in Brooklyn was particularly amusing. And the news that The Bard's work was to be dropped from the school curriculum in the UK was disturbing...

There is no doubting York's pedigree - she is a sterling actress, easily able to emote any of the chosen parts - both sad and glad. However, while this is certainly an entertaining show, it's hardly what I would consider compelling - but that's the only grouch I've got. Brava!

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

The Kabbalistic Psychoanalysis of Adam R. Tzaddik

One Big Umbrella @ The Chapel

2:00pm, Sun 17 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: More psychobabble...

A stinking hot day followed me to The Chapel on Sir Donald Bradman Drive, a previously unnoticed (by me) theatre, right next door to Theatre 62. It's a nice little space; it seats only about 30 people, and for this final performance of "The Kabbalistic Psychoanalysis of Adam R. Tzaddik" there were only four punters. A shame, really; this was quite a good 'un.

First impressions are of a very simple production: two chairs, two people, an (almost) unused filing cabinet, simple lighting. But it is perfectly fitting, given the intimacy of the script and theatre. The play opens with Adam (of the title) addressing his Doctor for the first time, explaining to her his obsession with an ancient, forbidden, sacred Jewish text - the Zohar. Adam appears as a turbulent loner - having spent the past four years in isolation, studying the Zohar and its' descriptions of the ten manifestations of God (or Sefiroths). The script uses the Sefiroths to parallel the unwrapping of Adam's psyche by the Doctor, in ten "scenes", or sessions.

Alexander Jones is perfect as Adam - he faithfully portrays all parts of Adam's emotional palette, from "insignificant and boring cliche" to wonderfully tempered rage. Likewise, Gertraud Ingeborg's Doctor issues all the impartiality one would expect from a psychoanalyst - but also displays early frustration at Adam's insistence on relating all aspects of his psyche back to the Zohar.

I'm a sucker for a bit of psycho-babble, especially when the script is as good as this. A minor quibble - even though the root of Adam's problem is hinted at early on, we never actually get to hear him say it while in therapy! Our guesses are only validated in a semi-flashback! NO CLOSURE! Other than that, however, this was a great bit of theatre, put on by a great little company - let's just hope that the lack of people at my show wasn't indicative, and that these small international companies return.

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

Taboo

Strut & Fret Production House @ The Lunar Tent

7:30pm, Sat 16 Mar 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Educational - but is it art?

With music from the St Patrick's Day "event" (hastily erected to take advantage of thousands of pissed Clipsal petrolheads) on East Terrace in the background (whose idea was THAT?), Trevor Stuart (who also played Dali in The Secret Death of Salvador Dali) presented a performance that purported to
explore what we consider taboo.

(Wow, three sets of brackets in one sentence. Bad writing. Still... half-past-midnight, with only three shows and 21 hours of ff2002 to go, I'll allow myself a little latitude.)

So - did Stuart deliver? Ah, erm, well... well, let's just say that when he appears onstage wearing nowt but thick glasses, a strait-jacket, naked from the waist down, and dragging a skateboard (carrying a boombox) tied to his penis, I was... perturbed. Once this odd... creature had wandered about the stage (towing the skateboard all the while) abusing us for five minutes, he disappeared - leaving us with a slideshow montage of butchered photos and a cacophony of pre-recorded noise.

Stuart eventually returned, and presented... not so much a performance, as a lecture on the psychology of the taboo. Audience participation was mandatory - questions asked were of the style "how often have you fucked this week? With her? With him? Did they come too?". He had to beg for someone to volunteer to burn a ten dollar note, and the second slideshow of the evening (accompanied by a monologue on pornography) contained all manner of scatological, bestial, and pedophilic depictions, not to mention some interesting corpses, both human and animal (the only good cat is a skinned cat, I say).

So - is this show worth the effort, then? Well, it was for me - I found some of the psycho-babble commentary interesting. The very end of the show was funny too - as Stuart stood with a rather large strap-on cock hanging out of his pants, he injected it with a needle - you could hear guys in the crowd wince. But the highlight of the night for me was the woman in the white suit & green shirt, inexplicably sitting in the front row with a look of absolute disgust on her face. For the whole evening. Priceless.

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

Old Wicked Songs

Independent Theatre Inc @ Odeon Theatre

2:00pm, Sat 16 Mar 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Gritty

Set amidst the election campaign that brought (purported) former Nazi Kurt Waldheim to power in Austria, 1986, "Old Wicked Songs" describes the relationship between Austrian music Professor Josef Mashkan, and fallen-from-grace prodigal American pianist Stephen Hoffman.

Amidst an elaborate, homely set (Mashkan's studio), Hoffman arrives with the intention of revitalising his interest in the piano - but discovers he must first spend three months studying as a vocalist, rather than a pianist. So their relationship begins - Hoffman as the reluctant student filled with arrogance ("I find things by myself"), Mashkan as the teacher with plenty to prove, but seemingly nothing to lose.

The development of their relationship is paralleled through Mashkan's teaching of Schumann's Dichterliebe - from which the play gets it's name - and is also used to show the men's personal growth as well. The intense Hoffman is well played by Joseph Hynes, but David Roach's stellar Mashkan is wonderfully controlled, with great variation... witness the teaching of the "silent song", or the seduction of the piano.

Humour is nicely used within the script - the "Walhzheimers" quip is a cracker, as is Mashkan's Broadway description ("teeth and gums") - and the only qualm I had with the script is that it drips with melancholy for the last five minutes. However, the rest of the time there are some wonderful threads through the script - a seemingly anti-semitic undercurrent initially, but nothing is ever as it seems - as Mushkan states, "common ground must exist".

In the end, we witness two friendless, self-loathing men become trusted confidantes, in an emotional journey which begins at almost diametrically opposite points for the two men, but end together. Well worth the trip out to the Odeon.

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

Slacker's Playtime

Ross Noble @ Nova 2

11:30pm, Fri 15 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Surreal

The Nova lights dim. Some loud music starts playing. A red stage light starts pulsing in time with the song. Two figures with (badly made) paper mache heads come onstage, miming the words to the song (which was merely a reminder that the show was about to start, turn off all gadgets, thanks). The figures then left the theatre.

Odd.

Ross Noble then came onstage; a normal looking guy for such a weird intro. Hello, good evening - and then the first late-comer. Then suddenly Ross took us on some bizarre journey involving late-comers arriving on ponies. Subsequent arrivals were greeted with "Hello. Did you bring the oats?" or "Would you like a carrot?". The pony theme permeated the entire evening.

...as did Ross' Cirque du Soleil obsession, his observations on the Rundle Street petrolheads, and more. He was reasonably careful not to criticise the locals much ("Don't mess with Adelaide people, or you'll end up in an acid bath"), but still managed a bit of gentle audience participation - despite the usual reticence of the assembled throng to respond (which led to another weird sidetrack).

Noble left the stage (after one final pony reference) with "You've still got no idea what I'm talking about - and that pleases me." Yup, it pleased me too. Wonderful, weird-ass surreal stuff.

Posted by pete at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leitmotiv

Le Deux Mondes @ The Playhouse

8:00pm, Fri 15 Mar 2002

Score: 6

Short Review: Visually stunning... but cold

Let's get one thing straight from the outset - I really do think this was a visually stunning piece of theatre. Le Deux Mondes have produced some beautiful, innovative visual effects which are a treat for the eye; unfortunately, there is little here to treat the heart.

The plot is simple: a woman reads a letter written by her mother, telling her of the horrors of the time of her conception. Flashback - woman (Rosa - the aforementioned mother) meets man (Pierre) in an ambiguous country about to be ravaged by war. They fall in love ("love is naive"), then are torn apart - he becomes the reluctant enemy. Rosa is raped; Pierre suffers both physical and mental torture in the war. They re-meet in peacetime; the daughter is born (from love or hate?), then Rosa abandons both her and Pierre. Simple, huh?

The real star here was the visual effects. All manner of screens, backlighting, shadows, and projections are used to create some of the most magical effects I've ever seen on stage. Even "simple" lighting is used to great effect. The opening scene of the play almost bends the eye with a shimmering screen separating mother and daughter in space and time. The love scene, with streaming "flames", was stunning; the train "window" effect clever; the trick of a silhouette "falling" into a projected movie was brilliant. All this was accompanied by lush musical arrangements.

So, a satisfying aural and visual feast - unfortunately, I found it utterly impossible to feel anything during the piece (other than "oooh, pretty"). No character empathy, no shock, no horror. For a piece supposedly about the "cold brutality of war", some level of emotion might have been expected... Nope. Nada. Not a sausage. A shame, really; any amount of connection with the characters may have made this a cracker; alas, 'twas not to be.

(As a footnote: this performance also contained probably the most awkward 30 seconds of theatre ever... the performance had ended, but the audience was unsure whether this was actually the case, or whether another neato visual effect was forthcoming. Bravo to the brave soul that started the applause.)

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

Resident Alien

@ The Space

2:00pm, Fri 15 Mar 2002

Score: 10

Short Review: Remarkable

In front of an audience of mostly conservative older women (who thought it snickeringly funny for a man to apply makeup, and tutted loudly at the mention of oral sex), Bette Bourne plays a 91-year-old Quentin Crisp in one of the most enjoyable performances of the Fringe.

Crisp is portrayed as a gloriously nonchalant eccentric; with purple tinted hair, he changes from his scruffy dressing gown into his "going out clothes" - a black velvet suit - over the course of the first act. While he waits for the arrival of his luncheon dates, he chats informally with the audience about television ("survival of the glibbest"), Lady Di, marriage and politics. The act ends as he walks out the door to meet his dining companions.

Act Two has a wonderful opening - Crisp walks in, hair askew, muttering "It wasn't them" - he's been stood up. This is later confirmed via telephone by his agent, with Crisp pulling faces at the other end of the line. The monologue continues - a lot of comparisons between Britain and the United States ("the English don't like effeminate women"), a review of homosexuality in the '20s (including the very funny "heaven for homosexuals" quips), and an existential rant on style and self. All that, and Helmet's "In The Meantime" played in the background, too.

Bourne is clearly a wonderful actor - he produces a wonderfully measured performance, with wonderful presence onstage and remarkable comedic timing. The manner in which he handled (in character) the woman in the front who left her mobile phone on (and then proceeded to tinker with the phone after it had rung) showed a maturity few others have displayed this Fringe. Tim Fountain's script is incredible - wonderfully witty, occasionally biting, always entertaining. This is one production not to be missed.

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

Scared Weird Little Guys

SWLG @ Royalty Theatre

9:30pm, Thu 14 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Brilliant

The Scaredies came out in front of a near-full house and leapt into "If I Were..." - made wonderfully topical by the inclusion of many Wayne Carey gags. They then whipped through over an hour of material, ranging from the smile-worthy to the bust-a-gut level.

A lot of the material will be familiar to Scaredies regulars - even I, who have been witness to their talents only once before, recognised the South Australia song and "Beer Stein of Bourbon". And the "'Kiss' in the style of..." bit was still in there... tonight, Prince's "Kiss" was done most successfully as techno, rap and jazz - although the indian attempt should also rank a mention.

That's not to say there wasn't new material - the "Guitar Student Ensemble" was hilarious, "Premature Ejaculation" short and sweet, and the "Whistle-Pop Orchestra" (though ear wrenching at times) was brilliant. The "Genetic Clone" experiment, whilst initially sounding like a dud, is worth the wait to hear the Scaredies form a barbershop quartet with themselves(!).

Things only got a little out of hand (read - silly to the point of ridiculous) when the cowboy hat made an appearance on Rusty's head, and the boys slipped into country mode - but other than that, this show was quality laughs. Plonk down your cash with confidence.

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

Tripod Tells The Tale of the Adventures of Tosswinkle the Pirate (not very well)

Tripod @ Royalty Theatre

8:00pm, Thu 14 Mar 2002

Score: 4

Short Review: Tossy

Wow, what a bummer. I was really looking forward to this show after seeing Tripod last Fringe, and had heard from friends that the boys were running hot, but I left this show thinking that I'd just blown another prime 8:00pm timeslot.

The "symphonic" musical intro to the show lasted way too long, though it was followed by an ad for the show (which was really quite good - stilted english a-plenty). Thereafter, the "Tosswinkle the Pirate" plot got thrown into the fray, which was really an excuse for silly, surreal, and just plain over-acted antics. The only time a smile was drawn to my face was when Yon let loose his "Madam" quip, and the "Everyone's a tosser" song. Oh, and the "Megamix" (a pepped-up remix of all the songs from the Tosswinkle shamozzle) was quite clever also.

Heavy hearted, I was about to leave, when the audiences' applause brought Tripod back onto the stage for the obligatory "tell your friends" bit. There they urged "Go see The 4 Noels, they're tops". Ah. That explains it all.

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

Shut Up And Love Me

Karen Finley @ Union Hall

7:00pm, Wed 13 Mar 2002

Score: 6

Short Review: Abrasive

Branded obscene by many US political heavyweights, voted "Woman of the Year" by Ms. Magazine, and immersed in court actions against the US Government (over her revoked NEA funding), the last thing you can say about Karen Finley (especially having done a bit of research around the Web) is that she is a shy, introverted lass. Heavens no.

Finley appears, wiggling her arse at the 20% capacity audience, before beginning a strip tease to a Barry White tune. She stopped suddenly, anxious that some late-comers had brought a child in with them. Assured that this was not the case, she resumed her strip, wandering into the audience to lap-dance and rub her genitals on a punter's shoe. Reclining on a lounge onstage, she indulged in five minutes of stilted ad-lib, before launching into her monologues.

Her monologues were... interesting. Many of the initial pieces saw her scooting between multiple "characters" (or voices) in a very disconcerting manner - it made all the monologues seem as though they were written with scatterbrained manic characters in mind. The "war veteran" piece, as well as the closer, were really quite good - the rest, however, suffered from a fatal flaw...

Finley constantly interrupted her own performance - to tell the audience that they should have laughed ("I NEED YOU!"), should be applauding her, or just for some barbed, self-effacing humour. This made the going tough; it made me feel like I was watching a rehearsal, rather than the work proper. Add to this the almost inexplicable "honey time": after summoning the help of audience members to pour two pitchers of honey onto the centre of the stage, Finley proceeds to cavort naked in the sticky substance, before continuing the monologues.

In a Time article, Finley said of her performance that she "basically just runs around the stage making political-emotional commentary". If you can handle the fact that she does this mostly naked, and that the commentary is delivered in a hard-to-digest and abrasive manner, then this may be the show for you.

References: 1 2 3 4 5

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

Swallow Me

budgie lung @ Ausdance Studio

8:15pm, Tue 12 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Manic

As we park our arses in the tightly-seated Ausdance Studio, Greg sits nervously on a couch. The lights dim; TVs embedded in the set, and Greg leaps manically around the set, living his life as a pro golfer. He calms; cuts a few lines of coke on a Nana Mouskouri album, when his Mum drops around unexpectedly.

Such is the opening to this highly-charged, mile-a-minute play from the pen of Josh Tyler. Rory Walker appears far more at home with the role of Greg than his performance in Killer Joe, and delights with his coke-stricken behavior. The rest of the cast is competent, as is the direction of the work. The strobe-light was used sparingly well, and clever use was made of the TVs in the set.

Well, I'm not even going to pretend that I know what was going on here - I like to take the surrealist view, that the drug-peddling Eddie ("I'm a steaming red hot cock") was the gremlin on Greg's shoulder, and the white-clad Kitten was some kind of angelic figure - but that's probably way off the mark. There is a very unsubtle use of wit in the play, which doesn't detract from proceedings, and the last monologue/rant is very ills-of-society-centric (tm).

I left this one feeling a little overwhelmed - there's a lot going on, and the pace at which it's presented makes it feel a bit... messy. Having said that, it is a wonderfully Fringey mess to indulge oneself in.

Posted by pete at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Macbeth

this Rough Magic theatre & film @ Adelaide Gaol

9:00pm, Mon 11 Mar 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Blood & Gore

Me, I'm a big fan of Macbeth. Ever since I was introduced to it through "The Young Ones" all those years ago ("All hail McVyvyan, Thane of the Outside Toilet, and that little gravelly patch next to the garden shed"), then got the real thing in Year 11 at school, I've always thought that this was the Bard's best work. Thus, I feel compelled to check out any Macbeth productions that come to town. And, having seen Rough Magic's previous Fringe productions ("The Tempest" in '98, "Richard II" in 2000), I thought that this would be a good bet.

Most of the familiar Rough Magic crew returned for this production, and (as with "Richard II") there was a geurilla military motif. Set inside the old Adelaide Gaol, sets were suitably sparse, and the upper storey of the backround building was effectively used to whip through the action of Acts IV and V. Unfortunately, the outdoor venue suffered a little from passing trains and planes, and the audience suffers from a bit of wind chill too (so rug up).

Performances were good all round - Dana Miltins was a delightfully devious (and franticly insane) Lady Macbeth with a Little Black Dress to die for. Sheanna Maine was a great Ross, and Rockwell Csorba's Macduff was superb. Unfortunately, the only flailing performance was that of Macbeth himself - Peter Davies seems to have taken the emotional cues for his character from Act III, and so we see nothing of Macbeth's descent into madness.

The direction of this production was also good - there were some well-executed biffo scenes, and the portrayal of the witches as members of the media was amusingly sweet. The use of pre-recorded images on the gaol wall was interesting - those at the beginning of the piece were useful as background material, but the latter recordings added little. Still, they're relatively minor gripes - and the failings of Davies' performance doesn't have the impact on the production that one might imagine. This is well worth a look, and Rough Magic's best work to date.

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

Me & My Friend

Potato Theatre Company @ Little Games Room

7:00pm, Mon 11 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Touching

Penned by UK playwright Gillian Plowman, "Me & My Friend" is actually one act of a full-length play, and deals with the story of two 40-ish men recently "released" from a (now closed) psychiatric hospital, in the guise of an "early-release" program.

Encouraged to prepare themselves for the trials of the real world again, we see Oz and Bunny engage in all manner of role-playing. Oz - troubled by his own lusts, and feeling rejected by his deceased mother - adopts his pre-psychiatric-hospital persona as a postman to fixate on the woman in the flat upstairs (the link to the other "half" of the play, not seen here). Bunny has a more violent and troubled presence - having lost his marriage to his work obsession, he feels an overwhelming need to succeed at his forthcoming job interview (and I noticed he was wearing a suit, tie and trakky daks!). Their relationship is very... odd-couple-ish, which lends itself to light-hearted moments: "being circumcised gives you confidence!".

This is a very poignant play, presenting a very special friendship and then destroying it in a genuinely touching moment at the end of the piece. Wonderful Fringe theatre. Not only that, but it uses the word "lugubrious" (for the third time this Fringe).

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

Scared Weird Little Guy's Superband

@ The Famous Spiegeltent

11:59pm, Sun 10 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Stompin'

The Scaredies Superband, after a prolonged wait, ripped into a set that sounded like my "80's Greatest Hits" collection - "What I Like About You", "Turning Japanese" and "My Sharona" straight off the bat. The banded sounded bloody great, to be honest - Scaredies on guitar and bass, with accompaniment of guitar, drums and a horns section(!).

Then came the special guests for the evening - pretty much most of the rest of the Fringe. Tripod come on for a crowd-pleasing "YMCA", Brian Nankervis did an awesome Jagger impersonation for "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", Phil Nichol popped in for "Blister in the Sun". There were many others I couldn't place - "Mickey", "Call Me", "I See Red", "TNT" - and special kudos to the guy that sang "Advance Australia Fair" to the tune of "Working Class Man". The 3 Canadians rounded out the guest slots for a great Beastie Boys imitation (Derek complete with sad 70's sunnies and arse hanging out of his pants) - "Fight For Your Right".

The Superband closed their main set with a limp "Eye of the Tiger", but happily returned for an encore of "Rock and Roll All Night". Ignoring my pleas for "Tainted Love" (which would've made for a perfect 80's night), they signed off with a stompingly emphatic "500 Miles (I'm Gonna Be)". Bloody great stuff.

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

Otis Lee Crenshaw

Rich Hall @ Nova 2

9:30pm, Sun 10 Mar 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: As Per Usual

Rich Hall's alter-ego, Otis Lee Crenshaw, returns to the Fringe on a prisoner-exchange program once again. And, as required reading, one should check my review of Otis' last appearance in Adelaide.

So what's changed since last visit? Well, in essence, not a lot - he's still got his guitar and bass offsiders, and a lot of the songs are familiar (the return of the Adelaide Song, "He Almost Looks Like You", "Penitentiary Song"), but let's face it - they're good material. The newer songs were great, too - "Bag Lady" is a cracker, and "Kicking that Smack for the Red, White and Blue" was amusing too.

But the beauty of Rich Hall is his impromptu serenades and wordsmithery: tonite the subject of his derision was Michael the Number 2 Chef. As always, Hall's ability to come back from comedy death with a pearler of a verse is awesome. Hecklers were handled without any trouble, and his Elvis comments ("buried in the backyard like a hamster") had me in stitches.

If you saw Rich Hall / Otis Lee Crenshaw in ff2000, you probably don't need my recommendation now; if you didn't, get on down and see him now.

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

More Please Miss Kate

Miss Kate @ Worldsend Hotel

7:45pm, Sun 10 Mar 2002

Score: 6

Short Review: Ocker

Miss Kate, a native of Cairns (now banned from performing there), bowled onto the stage wearing a VB cap and a Liz Hurley-esque VB t-shirt, complete with safety pins. In between memorised poems of her own creation - "I'm a wordsmith" - she also interjected stories of her past, in the most ocker-country-bargirl accent imaginable.

Let's face it - Miss Kate isn't going to challenge Dawe, Dennis or Paterson for the title of "Australia's Greatest Poet". A lot of her compositions were very... unwieldy, but the "Sensitive Man" poem and the "Ode to Helga The Swedish Whip Girl" were bloody funny. And she has a fire, and a passion, and the greatest accent you could imagine from a female - and the show's free. True dink. What more could you ask for?

Posted by pete at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Les Arts Sauts

@ Torrens Parade Ground

5:00pm, Sun 10 Mar 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Ripped

As I sat in my deckchair within the 21 metre white bubble hemi-sphere atop the Torrens Parade grounds (hereafter known as the "GooberDome"), I had to suppress the rage my fellow GooberDome-goers were creating within me. "Why aren't the seats numbered?" "We watch SBS and ABC, so we know how to say 'Les Arts Sauts'."

Ugh.

The show begins on a very dull note - a lot of swinging about high up in the GooberDome by a trapezist or two. People swinging in from the sides of the Dome in some semi-choreographed routine. No real thrills here.

About 25 minutes into the show, chains descend from the roof to lift the steel rig - upon which the band (cello, bass, viola, singers) perched - to the top of the Dome. "Cool", thinks I, "they're going to do acrobatic stuff off a swaying metal rig". But no - the rig was firmly fastened to the support structure of the GooberDome. No swaying at all.

When (what I consider to be) the act proper started, and people started ooh-ing and aah-ing, I couldn't shake this little demon from my head - "Why wasn't the rig up there before we entered the GooberDome? Why did we have to sit around for 25 minutes while they (essentially) set up? Why did I have to pay for that?".

Well, for 20 minutes there was all manner of mid-air hijinks, and it was all pretty... disconnected. By which I mean that I was unable to emote at all with these tumbling acrobats. There was a little variety, and to be honest there were actually a couple of genuinely exciting stunts - but when I noticed that the music was (rather blatantly) being used to generate an increased level of excitement for the same tricks seen earlier, I started feeling ripped off. To be honest, the most spectacular part was the performers "dismounts" at the end of the show. Mmmmmm... freefall.

Initially, you'd think that kicking back in a deckie, looking up towards the action is a pretty good idea. Well yeah, it is - unless you don't like looking directly into spotlights, whereupon you're gonna have sore eyes, mon amis. And since I was parting with 67 sheckles for a 68 minute show, I expect to actually have a 68 minute show - not the 58 minutes we got (which, I must remind you, included 25 minutes of piss-farting around before the good bits started).

And, at the end of the day, I felt utterly relieved to leave the GooberDome. Les Arts Sauts took my gladly proffered money and provided me with an emotionally bereft, mesmerisingly duplicitous experience. Millions may love this show, but not I. Go catch every show in the Lunar Tent rather than this hyped gloss.

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

Mirrorball - Unseen & Unclean: Banned Videos

@ Uni Cinema

11:30pm, Sat 9 Mar 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Bloody funny

The only Mirrorball show I could attend, this was probably the one I most wanted to see - a collection of music videos that suffered the wrath of the censors. A UK MTV production, this film included entire clips of the good 'uns, snippets from the more well-known stuff (Madonna, Prodigy), and some staggeringly funny interviews with video producers and directors.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of 80's New Wave videos - the film opened with Duran Duran's banned "Girls on Film" video (complete with mostly naked women mud-wrestling and pillow fighting), and Soft Cell also showed up with "Sex Dwarf". Other clips included tracks from Queens of the Stone Age, Massive Attack, Robbie Williams ("Rock DJ") and Metallica.

In amongst all the videos banned for female nudity, there were a few nixed for other reasons - and these were some of the best clips of the night. The Cardigans' "My Favorite Game" was a cracker, Death In Vegas' "Aisha" was also very stylish, but the highlight for the night was undoubtedly Flowered Up's "Weekender" - a rip-roaring monster of a clip.

There were the gross-out moments, too - Cradle Of Filth's "From the Cradle to Enslave" topped them, with graphic shots of people bowing their own arms with hacksaws. The funniest bits, however, were the interviews with directors - most of them looked like they were totally tripping, and one justified his creation of a (essentially) porn video by saying "pornography is just really, really interesting to us". Duh :)

A puzzling one was the inclusion of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" - especially since the screened video was the most edited version of that clip I've seen. Other than that, however, this was a bloody amusing way to spend a Saturday night.

Posted by pete at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Late Show at The Arts

@ The Arts Theatre

11:30pm, Fri 8 Mar 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Improv

I rolled up at The Arts Theatre and was stoked at the line-up for the night - the Cream of Irish crew (Tara Flynn, Ian Coppinger, Brendan Dempsey), as well as Dave Johns and Phil Nichol. Then I read the words that filled me with trepidation - "Improv Night".

As we all know, this could be very very good, or very very bad. At the end of the night, it probably leaned towards the latter - helped by the (mostly young) audience suggestions, which ranges from "porn" to "porno" (as appropriate).

Well, the line-up seemed very quick on their feet, providing the odd laugh or ten, but it was no substitute for a "real" show. Phil Nichol impressed with his uniformly juvenile behaviour, and Tara Flynn - well, she's a gorgeous Irish babe, and well worth seeing again :)

As always with improv, your mileage may vary.

Posted by pete at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Man's Island

Brussell @ Kiosk Lawn, Botanic Gardens

2:00pm, Thu 7 Mar 2002

Score: 6

Short Review: Competent

On a gorgeous autumn day (puffy clouds on a bright blue sky, light breeze tossing newly-fallen leaves), my arse was parked on a tarp in the middle of the botanic gardens to see this performance, put on by a group out of the University of Ballarat.

Penned by Ross Mueller, "No Man's Island" takes place within the confines of an anonymous prison cell - the surrounds of the Botanic Gardens made me feel like it was a Cambodian prison camp. After an introductory frantic bout of madness, we find two men, Rob and Tim, at various stages of emotional disrepair. Throughout the play, there is the constant feeling that the characters switch between their "strong" and "weak" personae; one character may be acting as an emotional crutch for the other character in one moment, but the next moment sees them effectively switching roles.

Andy Delves is brilliant as Tim, both the strongest and most vulnerable of the two characters. The repetitive music used sparingly creates a unique, brooding atmosphere, but I've got a feeling this would be much better seen at night (rather than 2pm on a sunny day).

In short, this was a competent - though somewhat abstract - psychological piece; worth a look if you've got a spare gap in the schedule.

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

Lehmo and Dave's Guide To Health and Happiness

Lehmo and Dave Williams @ Rhino Room

10:00pm, Wed 6 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Educational :)

Local boys Lehmo and Dave Williams strut on stage, assure us that we're not at an Amway session, then proceed to tell us that we're about to embark on a four-stage plan to better ourselves - to become healthy, happy and have "a huge cock - or huge inner cock, for the women".

Their tips range from the ridiculous (crime as a step to financial happiness) to... the ridiculous (stalking as a way to "make friends"). But always funny, or at least very silly.

Sure, it's not the most polished act in the world - a few crack-ups here and there, Dave constantly checking the show notes on the wall - but it's got a couple of great frontmen, and enough giggles to get one through the night. And the extra added bonus sketch, "The Surreal Estate Agent", is a cracker.

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

Samsara

@ Golden Grove Recreation and Arts Centre

7:30pm, Wed 6 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: No more Vangelis!

Some people love Vangelis. Not I. Which means I'm facing a bit of an uphill battle here, since the whole of "Samsara" has a Vangelis soundtrack.

Not to worry - the performance was great. The wonderfully staccato opening, "Pedestrians" sets the scene for some neato bits of dance, which peaks in the fourth piece, "Killing Fields", which approached the wonderfully organic beauty of 2000's Drumming. The final piece, "Sunrise" would have to be the bravest piece of dance I've ever seen - there's a naked 8 month old held high above the entire cast... I mean, anything could happen!

In general, it's a very individualistic bit of contemporary dance that would've got an extra notch or two on the moobaa-ometer, if only it wasn't for Vangelis... but if you can tolerate the V, go forth and catch this show.

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

52 Pick Up

theater simple @ The Little Theatre

2:00pm, Wed 6 Mar 2002

Score: 10

Short Review: Funny & Familiar

Yep, it's another theater simple show, and I'm going to go raving once again about how wonderful I think they are, how great the show is, and how you should all go and check this out.

Simple premise: 52 scenes, covering a relationship from beginning to ...(?). Each scene is represented by a playing card in a deck. At the beginning of the piece, the cards are shuffled, then tossed into the air; cards are then selected at random and acted out until the deck has been collected, thus playing the relationship out in a random order.

Sounds simple - and it works brilliantly well. The scenes themselves vary in length, from the two-liners to monologues to more detailed conversations. And, due to the random nature of the scene selection, very odd mood swings are possible - and the audience often holds its collective breath as the next card is selected.

The performances? hey, it's Andrew & Llysa, they could make any script look good. However, the strength of the 52 "scriptlets" is also exceptional - Rita Bozi and TJ Dawe (yes, he of Labrador and Tired Cliches fame) have compiled snippets that are instantly familiar.

And so, with more cheer in my heart, I command all those who are in, or have ever been in, a relationship to go see this show. Seriously. You won't regret it. And for those sad souls whose sole relationship has been with an invisible friend called Trevor, get along and see this show anyway. You'll experience all the bliss, angst, fun and uncertainty that comes from the real thing.

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

Dom Irrera

@ Laughing Gas

10:00pm, Tue 5 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Bustagut

Dom Irrera came on stage in front of a full house and started with a "pee and poop" joke.

"Oh no," thought I, "60 minutes of pee and poop a comedian maketh not." But within the next 20 seconds he had excused himself for his foul language, then rapid-fired through 30 euphemisms for the sexual act. And he was rolling.

And this guy hammered the jokes home. No theme to the show, just solid, wall-to-wall funny stuff. No pausing for the audience to laugh, soaking up the adulation stuff here. Lots of semi-crude stuff (topical(?) child sex, fun with homophobes), ridiculous stuff (punching the cat), and just straight gags (airport security stuff a-plenty).

Really, there's bugger all to say, except: see this man. He's basically playing every night 'til the end of the Fringe, so you've got no excuse not to.

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

A Cool Taste of Brazil

Samba Suave @ Garage Bar

7:30pm, Mon 4 Mar 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Street's Vanilla

Hmmmmm. After the Tango of El Tango, we lept into the more laid-back Samba of "A Cool Taste of Brazil".

I confess to knowing nowt about Samba Suave, and this six-member troupe gave me no sparks to encourage me to investigate further. The male vox were overloud, the female vox too quiet (but, when they were evident in the mix, were hoarse and smoky). The electric guitar was also lost in the mix and, when it did come to the fore for solos, it was treated such that it sounded like a trumpet (or flute, or steel drum - it doesn't matter, they all sounded pretty ordinary). In fact, I could've done without all the solos, really.

To be fair, maybe it was the laidback gentle grooves of Samba that didn't light my fire, rather than this performance. Why "Street's Vanilla"? Well, it's just that the performance was pleasant, without being offensive or memorable. Plain vanilla, as opposed to the really nice Sara Lee deluxe stuff.

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

A Suspended Love Story

Strut & Fret Production House @ The Lunar Tent

5:00pm, Mon 4 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: More aerials...

Yup, another show in The Lunar Tent, more aerial work. This time it's a small troupe - only two aerialists - in this short show (30 minutes or so). The 5:00pm slot makes this one attractive for the kids as well, and is well worth a peek.

Sure, it's pretty much the same kind of stuff as other Lunar Tent shows (Acrobat, Cabaret), but this show has a thoroughly wonderful mid-air tango sequence, as well as a more overt circus motif. And hey, it brought a smile to this jaded ff-goer's face.

In short - yeah, it's more aerials, but if the timeslot, attention span or kids preclude Acrobat, get along to this one instead - especially given the $7 price tag.

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

Soobee and Jeffree

Broadway And Company

1:00pm, Sun 3 Mar 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Great for little 'uns

Sue Broadway and Jeff Turpin adopt the personae of clowns Soobee and Jeffree for this short and charming show which, while somewhat entertaining for nutcases like me, is probably better suited to a younger audience.

After struggling with their opening under the warm Lunar Tent, Soobee and Jeffree squeeze some gentle humour out of simple, but visually effective, tricks - their spinning plates representing the solar system was quite amusing - but they excel when it comes to juggling.

Their hat juggling routine was quite mesmerising, but when they started juggling up to seven clubs between them, you knew they weren't mucking around. Their ability to "steal" items from each other while juggling was also pretty neat.

Yup, with a young crowd, Soobee and Jeffree would go off - they had the kids at this show howling like wolves at the moon (not the best thing for tinitus) and giggling like... children. Then again, there's always one kid in the crowd that makes you crack up - this performance, it was the 3 year old that yelled out "FUCK" quite audibly when Jeffree dropped something. Most amusing.

You could certainly do a lot worse than dragging the little 'uns along to this.

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

electronic bonk (eBonk)

Tori Hodgman @ Worldsend Hotel

9:30pm, Sat 2 Mar 2002

Score: 6

Short Review: Glass Vase

Tori Hogman, local girl and ex-criminal lawyer, shows us the seedy side of dating using modern methods - phone chat lines and 'Net based message boards. Not to mention a few stories from her past, and a few laughs along the way.

Tori first introduces us to wankline, a phone system for singles to leave messages for one another to contact (if necessary). Tori, ever the thorough researcher, maintained a glass vase of messages left for her by men on wankline - if anyone in the audience yelled out "Glass Vase", she would read some of the sad, sad, SAD (and crude) messages, then get back to the show. A neat trick to get out of comedy death.

Besides wankline, we were also treated to Tori's use of internet Message Boards - with similar crude responses. Actually, Tori seemed to be the antagonist on the 'Net, but hey, it was pretty funny. There were some funny (and serious) family moments presented, too.

Overall, though, this show was perhaps a touch too patchy to warrant a "must see" tag - but was enjoyable nonetheless. And I think it's testament to the thoroughness of her research that Tori was the first person in the room to switch her mobile on at show's end.

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

American Dreamchasing with Spirit-Drive! NOT Ego-Jive...

Mark "ZonaCat" Hansen @ Iris Cinema

8:00pm, Sat 2 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Motor-mouthed

I've no idea why this one got picked out of the Guide. In fact, when I was reading the Guide just prior to going to the show, I caught mention of the performer's web site. Go there, it's pretty... odd. So all of a sudden I was worried: "shit, I've just paid $14 for an American self-help seminar... he'll prolly try to sell me stuff at the end of the show too...".

These fears were not allayed when we arrived at the Iris cinema, and the barguy said "Mark wants you to read this pamphlet before he starts. Oh, and he wants you to have a beer. On the house."

Oh dear. I was worried now. Curiously, the pamphlet didn't contain any pyramid schemes... and then in bounds Mark Hansen. And he launches into his monologue.

80 minutes later, he's still speaking 200 words a minute. No selling, just a bunch of positivity and wacky stories about himself. Pretty entertaining stuff really, if you can handle an over-stimulated American monologue (who uses the word "lugubrious" in conversation - Dali link).

Seriously. Read some of the stuff on his website (www.zonacat.com) - it's great. As for paying money to see him? Well, it's an experience, I'll say that much. And he shouts you a beer - Southwark White, not too shabby.

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

Killer Joe

Brink Productions @ Odeon Theatre

4:00pm, Sat 2 Mar 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Trashy

After the epic co-production (with The Wrestling School) of The Ecstatic Bible in the 2000 Festival, Brink Productions return to their Fringe roots with their second season of "Killer Joe".

Working within the confines of an exploded trailer park home, the plot is a sick little number involving the Smiths, a white trash family, contract killing, a lot of angst, and a few plot twists along the way. Lizzy Falkland (exceptional in The Ecstatic Bible) was the perfect picture of poor southern America, and Michaela Cantwell was wonderful as Dottie, Killer Joe's "retainer". Unfortunately, Killer Joe himself (a detective and part-time assassin) was less convincingly played by Rory Walker.

The sound and lighting of the performance was exceptional - they set the mood perfectly. The direction, especially the blocking of the fight scenes, was really confused - these scenes devolved into a mess of yelling and obvious stage fighting (which would make pro wrestlers blush!).

Apart from the afore-mentioned directorial issues, this was pretty competent entertainment. I did love the program, however - all the usual production info, plus a wonderful collection of poor white trash factoids and historical information. So, if you're down the Parade, you could do a lot worse than catching this show.

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

Hopeless Games

@ Union Hall

2:00pm, Sat 2 Mar 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Curious

Groo, what an interesting piece of work. For some reason I seem to be getting myself into a whole bunch of dance and physical theatre stuff this ff, and this is one of the more visually impressive.

"Hopeless Games" opens with some interesting theatrical tricks, and winds up with a neat "russian roulette"-type scene. The second piece is a superb piece of physical theatre - the miming is superb, and the players look positively wretched (as befits the ghosts they have become). There's also a clever suitcase fight(!), and the balloons of the final piece are a neat touch.

Interspersed thoughout the work is several short films, which themselves lend a feeling of hopelessness to the proceedings - neverending staircases, train tracks, et al. The last bit of film of fireworks projected over stage fog to which the performers exit the stage, does seem a little trite and indulgent, however.

In short - yep, this was visually appealing, and well worth a look. However, it was missing something that stopped it from being truly exceptional.

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

The Seriously Big Show

Strut & Fret Production House @ The Lunar Tent

10:30pm, Fri 1 Mar 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Amazement

"The Seriously Big Show" seems to be a collection of 10 minute acts from various Lunar Tent performers, plus whoever else is around. And tonite I think I hit the Mother Lode.

First up was "Flaunt", yet another dual-trapezist act. This was probably the most erotic of all such acts, and certainly one of the best. "Mr Fish" came out next for a few visual gags & unicycling, not to mention gloriously amusing facial expressions.

Matt Wilson (?) followed and astounded with his sense of balance, as he created a ladder of deck-chairs and proceeded to sit atop it, rocking it 'til it toppled down. Spectacular, hold-your-breath stuff. Our compere then took it upon himself to juggle 3 skittles whilst flying over the audiences head, suspended - once again, pretty sweet. "Buzz" then came out for more visual gags and some bloody good juggling.

"Mission Improbable" then appeared (in tight black jumpsuits, no less) - and this male/female combo stole the show with more aerial work. Truly stunning - I know it's getting repetitive, but what can I say? "Popeye", two strongmen, then proceeded to lift and support each other in a variety of incredulous poses, and threw a bit of panto in for good measure.

This was a cracker. As always with an "lucky dip" show of this type, YMMV.

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

Shakti - The Woman in the Dunes

Shakti @ Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre

9:00pm, Fri 1 Mar 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Inexplicable

After the unexpected pleasure of Tokyo Triangle in Tantra Vision , and having chatted with the wonderfully friendly Shakti after that show, I was really looking forward to this. Oh, how I was disappointed.

"The Woman in the Dunes" is supposed to represent the subconcious in all of us, Shakti explained in near-incomprehensible babble at the end of the show. Set to various pieces of gothic rhythms (with the exception of a horrendously out-of-place version of "I Put A Spell On You"), this dance was a repetitive group of movements, combined with inexplicable wiggling of eyebrows, tongue wagging and head bobbing.

The saving graces of the performance were the entry and exit silhouettes, the use of front-lighting to generate giant dancing shadows on the rear wall, and the periods of the dance where Shakti was joined by another dancer. Oh, and the net entrapment was a nice touch, too.

Somehow, I sensed that Shakti wanted to shock with this performance. Sadly, this was not achieved.

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

Shenzo's Electric Stunt Orchestra

Strut & Fret Production House @ The Lunar Tent

11:59pm, Thu 28 Feb 2002

Score: 10

Short Review: Flabergastingly Funny

Dressed like vinyl-clad superheroes, the four members of Shenzo's Electric Stunt Orchestra (drums, bass, guitar, and Shenzo himself on electric violin) enter the Lunar Tent and launch into "Toccata". Suddenly, reaching the bridge(?) of the piece, Shenzo leaps into the air (aided by some clever rigging) and soars over the audiences heads, still belting out the tunes. As the Stunt Orchestra play, and the guitarists sail into the air also, one cannot help but be both amazed and amused.

An amalgam of the James Bond and Get Smart themes, and Grieg's "In The Hall of the Mountain King", have me won over. But the best is yet to come, as the three mobile members of the band creep outside the tent while playing a quiet march and get strapped into the rig that lies between the Spiegel and Lunar Tents. The drummer's kit gets carried out to the rig also, and soon the whole band is suspended in mid-air as they belt out a rockin' "Flight of the Bumblebee". The three stringed members fly about the rig (the drummer, necessarily, stays carefully swing-free, but suspended) - Shenzo nearly cleans himself up on one of the supports. Spectacular.

Sure, while they're all swinging about, they mightn't be hitting the right not every time. Sure, the guitarist was often inaudible. But the sight of a band swinging about, high overhead, is one that you'll never forget.

Update:Strolling thru Rundle Mall on 2nd March I noticed the Stunt Orchestra were using the Gawler Place canopy as rigging for an impromptu show. Great stuff... keep yer eyes open for them.

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

The 42nd Floor

K Brian Neel @ Uni Cinema

10:00pm, Thu 28 Feb 2002

Score: 10

Short Review: Precision Excellence

The second of K Brian Neel's solo performances this Fringe (the other being Double Climax), this play, whilst not being the topsy-turvy character piece the previous show was, is still a technical masterpiece.

Scooting between the ancestor of a great cat polisher (who begins the performance seated in the middle of the audience), a time-travelling orphan, and a man forseeing his own suicide, Neel performs with a level of precision that is just sublime - the time travel sequences are so wonderfully reproduced, you'd swear that you'd undergone time travel yourself.

At some point during the performance, one of the characters mutters "I'm tired, but I'm alive". This is a wonderful description of how this show makes you feel - the mental twists and turns (especially of the time-travel variety) continually stress one's mind, but at the end of the performance you are of the opinion that it has definitely been worth it.

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

Rachel Berger - Perfect

Rachel Berger @ Nova 2

8:30pm, Thu 28 Feb 2002

Score: 2

Short Review: Yawn... Berque

I'd been warned (by someone who had seen this show on opening night) that Berger had been nervous, lacking in confidence, and not put on a good show. Unfortunately, the tickets had already been bought, otherwise I would have skipped this show in favour of... pretty much anything.

There was a joke or two about gynecologists. Some fun was had with the presence of a small girl in the front row. There was a nice ode to Sara Lee at the end of the show.

That was it.

I could tell early on that this was going to be not good. So I counted all 3 laughs, 8 chuckles and 2 yawns that I emitted. I did this partly for my own amusement (no-one else was amusing me, least of all the performer), and partly so I would have some quantitative evidence so I could say:

Do not see this self-contradictory, indulgent, rambling, piece-of-shit show. Sorry Rachel, but I am totally flummoxed how you managed to get onto the comedy scene at all spewing this kind of tripe.

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

Hamlet in One Hour

Short Attention Span @ Bakehouse Theatre

7:00pm, Thu 28 Feb 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Amusing in parts

I wanted to love this. I wanted to hate it. In the end, I could do neither purely.

Let's get one thing straight - this bears only a very passing resemblance to the Bard's work. The script has been butchered to get it to fit in one hour - but then most of the time is spent by the cast (one male, one female) performing corn-ball acting antics towards the near full-house. And make no mistake - this is very much HAMlet. I was quite willing to perform a massacre review on this show, until the puppets...

There is an absolutely brilliant 5 minutes in the middle of the show where the two actors control a multitude of puppets and act out the killing of the King of Denmark, and subsequent wooing of the Queen, in terrific (some might say "pornographic") detail. At this point I was willing to forgive all prior sins, and love the show to death. But then it returned to its prior state, devoid of clever machinations, and the spell was broken.

A pity, really, since that 5 minute break in the middle was gut-bustingly funny, and there was some clever theatre in there somewhere. But the show can't be recommended for those 5 minutes alone; especially with the annihilation of the script and frequent additions of material.

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

The Return

Fresh Track Productions @ Queen's Theatre

12:30pm, Thu 28 Feb 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Gritty

"Oh no," thought I, as I approached the wonderful Queen's Theatre and saw nothing but a sea of school uniforms, "not another school production." Luckily this was not the case - even though local production company Fresh Track had only 5 weeks preperation on the piece, "The Return" was a good, solid piece of theatre.

Focussing on the low socio-economic suburban hell of 5 characters riding a train to Fremantle one night, there's a few little twists and turns in the plot (but certainly not enough to warrant the incessant "oooh"s and "oh my god!"s of the schoolie audience). Characters are introduced as cliches, developed into non-sterotypes, and then radically revealed to be something they are not...

The production was uniformly good. There was excellent live guitar backing, and the skeleton shell of the train the characters ride in fit with the overall deconstructive nature of the show. Alistair Scott-Young is stunning as lead thug Steve, all the more surprising given that he's only been acting three years. Melanie Vallejo is merely adequate, however, due to the lack of strength in her voice.

I felt let down that some of the characters were just... unbelievable, especially in their "stereotype" phases. Overall, however, I thought this was a worthwhile piece of drama. This feeling was only strengthened after attending the Q&A session held after the play - both cast and crew proved both frank and approachable. Stories about character work in Salisbury were amusing as hell.

Posted by pete at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ennio Morricone Experience

@ The Famous Spiegeltent

10:30pm, Wed 27 Feb 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: A Fistful Of Quite Good

This was brilliant. Four totally straight guys came out and smoothly produced an hour of classic spaghetti western music, dialog, and a few laughs as well.

If you're like me, you've never sat through an entire spaghetti western in your life. But you'd be surprised how familiar all the tunes the Experience played are - sure, everyone knows "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly", but other pieces sparked the memory also.

On top of backing beats and kit-triggered samples is laid a wonderful mesh of percussion, double bass, hoarse grunts, and a myriad of other, more obscure instruments, which all fit into the mix in a manner which recreates the feel of a badly over-dubbed, gritty movie experience. This effect is enhanced by the breaks between songs being perforated with appropriately stilted, scripted dialog - "Water... parched... AQUA!!"

This was a staggeringly entertaining bit of work. Great music, great humour... one hour very well spent.

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

The Whore Whisperer - Confessions of a Madam

The Whore Whisperer @ Rhino Room

8:30pm, Wed 27 Feb 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Educational

What an eye-opener this was. Not being one who partakes in the not-quite-legal brothel industry (no, honest), this was a big insight into the machinations of several Melbourne brothels, as told by ex-brothel receptionist Meshel Laurie.

"Normal"(?) brothels, transexual brothels, and the patrons of said businesses all were subject to close scrutiny... lots of details that you didn't know, lots you mightn't want to know (what happens when a "client" shits on the sheets?), and plenty of anecdotes.

The crowd was, in Meshel's words, "feral" - but very amusingly so. There were a couple of vocal hooker wannabes (or weres?) in the crowd that provided many good heckles, and even better comebacks. Better still, when one 56-year-old woman in the front row was being used as a an example of the distortion of the truth associated with describing the "girls of the house", Meshel asked her "Do you do arse-licking?". Her husband (husband!) leapt forth with the reply, "Close. Tell her the truth...". Wonderful stuff, a performer couldn't wish for a better crowd.

In the end, this was a pretty funny, though horribly unstructured show. You'll learn stuff - hell, I probably even blushed at some point which, if you know me, means there's some pretty rank content. "Bucket", for example. Well worth a look.

And at least I know what a Roman Shower is now.

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

Scum Nation

Rod Quantock @ Nova 1

7:00pm, Wed 27 Feb 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Conspiratorial

Yay! The return of my favourite Lefty comedian. And after last Fringe's slightly disappointing show, this one was back to the Quantock I know and love. Greeting the audience at the door (as usual), his quick wit provided many laughs before the show even started.

Complete with the requisite world map, Quantock lacked his usual blackboard - but was accompanied by a white-board and several "felt-tipped white board marker pens" (a subject of much derision). His act this time did not focus so much on politics - although the Liberals, as expected, copped a bit of flak, and the Prime Prick was mentioned quiet a bit. Instead, Quantock focussed on corporate conspiracy theories that would stump Jello Biafra.

The Internet being used as a consumer tracking tool; Hills hoists being used as mobile phone towers; the Melbourne TOLLway being responsible for the transposition of entire suburbs. And, of course, the Teddy Bear biscuit conspiracy. Best of all, however, was his plan to join the axis of evil, on the premise that his house would be bombed, then summarily rebuilt and a McDonalds installed.

Yup, the man is back. While some of the material was old (the history of the universe timeline, the "Teddy Bear mardis gras" biscuits), it was given a wonderfully fresh touch-up. Go see Rod - just don't mention you're a commerce student (especially if it's O-Week in your first year). And don't roll up late.

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

Double Climax

K Brian Neel @ Uni Cinema

10:00pm, Tue 26 Feb 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Noir-iffic

Billed as a "contemporary noir thriller", this one-man show never really recovers from an absolutely stunning opening - there was nowhere for it to go but down. But only very slightly.

Neel uses cunning lighting and spoken stage directions to rapidly belt through this very American noir-ish crime story. His attention to detail is stupendous - while it is just one man on stage, you can see the seven main characters and their environs as if it were a movie. And the first couple of minutes were soooooooo suspenseful...

K Brian Neel is obviously a very talented actor and director - but, as previously mentioned, the opening to this play is almost too good. Well worth seeing for that gorgeous piece of suspense, and Neel's ability to believably change characters in situ.

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

runt

Wilson Bell @ Wills Refectory

8:30pm, Tue 26 Feb 2002

Score: 9

Short Review: Powerful

At first I thought this was going to be a simple monologue, as Michael Edwards (in the shape of Wilson Bell) strolls onto the stage and starts talking about his childhood. However, it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary monologue - this is a deeply personal interrogation of Edwards' own psyche we are witness to.

The first time Edwards adopts the persona of his father, I knew this was going to be a cracker. I could have sworn there were multiple people on stage, so convincing was his portrayal of his father (and other characters), and he uses his expressive face extraordinarily well. The appearance of his grandparents' butler was great, as was his fathers' spiel about the "sweet love spirit". But the final (internal) confrontation with his father is stunning theatre - and Edwards worked for it to, judging by the rivers of sweat streaming from him.

In the end, it's the fear that Edwards has of the inevitable - that he will become his father - that proves the driving force behind this play... the strength of this message makes the presented humour and trivialities that much more effective. A powerful bit of theatre.

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

Tokyo Triangle in Tantra Vision

The Garage International @ Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre

6:00pm, Tue 26 Feb 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Seething

As we stolled into the virtually empty Nexus, I was really expecting something approaching Japanese porn - read the Fringe guide if you want suspicions arroused. However, whilst there was a little nudity, this was really a blinder of a dance piece.

There were three principal dancers in the piece, who we will call Red, Green and Blue. The opening piece was simply a beautiful bit of dance - Red, in particular, was stunning. Choreography was gorgeous, in particular the use of the fans.

The third piece was the closest thing to overt sexuality in the show... backed by what seemed a gothic chant, the perceived orgy seemed less concerned with pleasure than with agnst and pain. The following piece was in stark contrast, with a japanese torch song (see the end titles of just about any anime show for examples) backing more peaceful movenents - but, in the background, there was still a seething, grinding undercurrent of uncertainty. The finale was a high energy taiko monster - awesome.

The lighting was excellent, and (once again) I cannot rave enough about the music. All that, and a cracking bit of dance as well. It's a crying shame that there was only seven people there to see it.

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

Wil By Mouth

Wil Anderson @ Union Hall

8:45pm, Mon 25 Feb 2002

Score: 7

Short Review: Amusing... but...

There was no theme to this show, no premise - just Wil coming out (to a raptuous applause) and cracking a bunch of jokes before he left. He was really rapid-firing it - at times he was almost speaking too fast to be legible.

After opening the act with the fourth "I don't know how to open this act" I've heard in the last week, Wil was right into it - jokes about his mum, faux pas at friends' weddings (I've got that one beat, buddy), a smattering of ads and expressions that he hates. And chalk up anothe "Crocodile Hunter" gag - except Wil's Steve Irwin impersonation is neither as accurate nor as amusing as Lehmo's.

The thing I like about Wil is that he's a real Aussie comedian - self-denigrating, and au fait with classic Australian mannerisms. But I feel that I should wrap up this review by saying - he's almost there. This was almost a classic show, except for the last 10 minutes... his Ministry Of Sound - Ibiza airline gag went way too long, and the "DVD menu" at the end was just gratuitous. "No offence".

Posted by pete at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We Are...

Hybrid deFLEX Productions @ Little Games Room

7:00pm, Mon 25 Feb 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Industrial

Hybrid deFLEX, a Melbourne based production company, present this examination of the perception of normality in Australian society. They do this using a highly physical, wonderfully choreographed piece of dance.

Whilst the group aspect of the performance is great - choreography is exceptional, timing of the cast is fine - what sets this piece of work apart is the individualism granted to each performer. According to the program, each performer was given the liberty to present their own interpretation of the matter at had... and this works well. The cacophony of voices when each utters a different common expression is great, and the group use the space around (and in) the audience well.

The soundtrack is awesome - one gorgeously textured industrial soundscape. All dancers were great - the opening 5 minutes, with its odd rhythms, is exceptional - but performing director Parris Sloan was exceptional; his focus was absolute, and at times he could be mistaken for a fixated devil, such was the strength of his stare. Andy Snelling was also a standout, but this takes nothing away from the rest of the cast - this was a cracker of a bit of dance.

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

Jeff Green

Jeff Green @ Nova 2

9:45pm, Sun 24 Feb 2002

Score: 5

Short Review: Over-rated

On a whim, I managed to squeeze this show in. I needn't have bothered really, and frankly, I dunno what attracted me to it in the first place.

Jeff is a nice enough kind of bloke and, to be fair, this Sunday night crowd probably wasn't the most responsive one could hope for. But... well, his observations of the mundane (particularly relationships) and stories of his youth just weren't that funny. And the one time he tried a more risque joke (vaginal flatulence), eliciting groans from some of the audience, he backed away from it quicker than... somthing very quick. "Brave" my arse.

There was some good stuff there - stamp licking stories, vanity, lactic acid jokes, and feeding a horse a lemon. And Jeff's constant mocking of the dead crowd was great. But I've never seen a worse closer to a comedy show. Never. And, at the end of the day, methinks that's inexcusable, especially if there's better comedy around.

Posted by pete at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

King Lear

heartspace theatre company @ Masonic Lodge

7:30pm, Sun 24 Feb 2002

Score: 8

Short Review: Good Shakespeare

Ah, Shakespeare. Thou doth quote, and all that. Well, Heartspace Theatre Company (a group of Sacred Heart College Old Scholars and friends) put on a solid, entertaining rendition of the Bard's work.

In front of a generally young crowd, this interpretation has a distinctly Asian feel - incorporating popular Buddhist mythology in the Hungry Ghosts, which provide an insight into Lear's psyche during the play. The live music, too, had an Eastern feel.

The director's notes indicate that the original play has been but by a half, in order to focus on the psychological, rather than political, content of the work. This works well - there is no loss of coherency, and the play progresses at a rapid rate of knots.

The performers were generally good - Merwan Stevens, as Edmund, is exceptional, and Juliette Revell-Nussio and Alice Wagstaff as the sisters Goneril and Regan are deliciously evil - witness the removal of the Earl of Gloucester's eyeballs, complete with fleshy stuff (fruit) flying across the stage. Ray Begue's interpretation of Lear is a bit odd, though - at times I thought he was trying to immitate Yoda. The Hungry