Category: 2008 – Adelaide Fringe Festival

The Window (FringeTIX)

The Window Company @ Bakehouse Theatre

2:00pm, Wed 27 Feb 2008

Yay! A matinee! Boo! A bunch of school groups! And Matt Byrne, turning up 15 minutes late for a show. Again. I’ve never seen that man arrive on time.

Despite the veiled promise of something deeper, The Window tells a rather telegraphed tale of a woman on a quest for her self. A disrupted upbringing, unplanned pregnancy, and failing relationship see her desperate for answers – for who she is, where she came from, and whether she can maintain the life she’s chosen to lead.

While it’s a simplistic tale, the production is anything but. A large screen is used to display pre-recorded media, live digital camera feeds (from cameras positioned on props), and even rear-projected shadows. Three rails radiating from backstage allow sets of props to be easily slid into place between scenes. There’s puppetry, live voiceovers… a trivial production this is not.

But it all comes to naught. The drama is so overwrought, so predictable, that most of the enjoyment is gleaned from analysis of the production. The multimedia aspects are really well done, with beautiful audio and visual cues used to convey movement, impart feeling. It’s just a pity that the story is so passive and unengaging.

Seven (FringeTIX)

Leigh Warren & Dancers @ Royalty Theatre

7:30pm, Tue 26 Feb 2008

So – this is my first bit od dance for the year, and all the usual dance caveats apply – I simply don’t have a bloody clue what I’m looking at. Post-show drinkies and discussion yielded people who were reading far more into the piece than I; what was simply a case of The Pretties for me was a source of irritation and disappointment for them. Sometimes it’s nice to be a neophyte.

Anyway, onto the piece: loosely based on the narrative of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Seven opens with a hokey arrangement of tiny beds onstage. As the dwarves creep up from beneath the stage, the beds rise to be suspended mid-air; alarm bells went off in my head, “Wank Force 7” they cried. The mirror at the back of the stage cracked, and the dwarves roamed the stage in a synchronised pack.

Aside from the prop theatrics, this opening is quite neat – the pack is perfectly synchronised, and yet seem to roam the stage with an organic disorder, with individual dwarves breaking free of the pack to introduce themselves in a humorous manner. And, in terms of dance, this (sadly) remains the highlight of the performance.

The Snow White plotline is very loosely followed, with the seven dancers switching between the dwarves, Snow White, her step-mother, the King, the Prince, horses, and – most prominently – frogs. There’s a suggestion that Snow White was raped when dispatched by her step-mother, there’s some odd asides (a frog “ventriloquism” act, featuring the poisoned apple, and some pre-recorded “mirror, mirror” snippets), and a sequence that was projected onto the rear of the stage.

It should be obvious that Seven excels in terms of the vision, and it reeks of polished presentation. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it’s all a bit calculated; it almost feels like fan-service. Yes, it’s a sumptuous and lavish production, but in the end I found the wait for the beds to (predictably) lower back to the ground to be irritating. Nice production, but about 20 minutes too long and – strangely – bereft of actual dance. And, in terms of theatre, it’s still lacking.

Vulgargrad

Vulgargrad @ SoCo Cargo

10:30pm, Mon 25 Feb 2008

Way back in the early 90’s, when The Mercury was still the best cinema in Adelaide, I happened upon an Aki Kaurismäki film – Leningrad Cowboys Go America. Featuring a band of uniquely-coiffed chaps playing Russian folk / rock / punk music, this was an instant classic – and when the Leningrad Cowboys brought their show to Australia as part of WOMAD one year, I was there hooting and singing and dancing with them. I even met a couple of the lads too, which was a story in itself – but only funny to me. Ho, hum.

So when Llysa dropped me an e-mail, pointing out that Vulgargrad – a “vodka-fuelled oompah swing ska punk – gulag-style” band – were playing a freebie at SoCo, I booked it in straight away, expecting a similar kind of show: rock’n’roll’n’balalaika.

But when we rolled up at SoCo, we bumped into Anniene just inside the door – and spent the whole show just talking about geekery, British sci-fi, dirty burlesque, Joss Whedon, anime, and video games. From our vantage point in the entranceway of SoCo, we were able to see & hear the band just fine, as well as carry on a conversation. And, to be honest, that was great; Vulgargrad certainly played up-tempo Russian-folk-sounding stuff (hey, I’m no expert) that had the rest of the crowd hopping, but… it didn’t do much for me. Not like the ‘Cowboys.

Dunno whether this one’s worth writing, really. I was certainly there in body, but not really participating in the experience, y’know? Still, it was what it was, and I was more than happy to be there.

The Adventures of Josh Thomas and the World’s Greatest Love Machine (FringeTIX)

Josh Thomas @ The Pod

8:30pm, Mon 25 Feb 2008

Take a look at Josh Thomas’ ads. Go on. Bloody young looking, isn’t he? Pre-pubescent, even. The fact that he’s twenty is as surprising as the fact that one so young is performing credible stand-up.

And he relies on his young age – and younger looks – a lot, constantly placing himself in situations where his youth creates a amusingly jarring image – a strip club, behind the wheel of a sports car, being the subject of groupies. And it’s always fun seeing someone so young swearing like a filth-pig, constantly (comically) referring to pussy, bitches and ho-s.

Thomas admits that his audience interactions are crap – and, despite bright openings, they are. However, when he pops out jokes like “how can a drink be gay? It’s not like a vodka, lemon and cock”, all is forgiven. And his style is very gentle, but crude – just because he looks young, it doesn’t mean that he’s kid-safe.

The surprising thing about seeing Thomas perform is that it made me think about how much stand-up comedy tends to rely on the real-life experiences of the comedian; in that regard, Thomas is behind the eight-ball. In fact, the entire show seems to be based around two stories – his schoolies expedition, and his first sexual experience(… maybe). And even those two stories are linked.

But in no way does that make this a shit show. They’re such fundamental experiences that everyone in the audience, no matter how old, is able to relate. And Thomas’ style and delivery make it an utterly endearing – if rude – experience. But one is left to wonder what a thirty year old Josh Thomas will be like.

2morro Will Do (FringeTIX)

Marcel Blanch-de Wilt (and friends) @ QA Bar (The Annex)

6:00pm, Mon 25 Feb 2008

Two minutes into this show, I came to the sudden realisation that every other show I’d seen so far this year had something in common – all of them, somehow, in some way, no matter how minor, contained something that resembled “quality”.

As opposed to this show, which most definitely did not.

The two lead male characters appear to have been selected on the basis of their physical likeness to the Dante / Randal duo from Clerks, and the script seems to very much reflect this, too. The thread between these two principals appears to have been “inspired” (and I use that word loosely, because “stolen” sounds so harsh) by Kevin Smith’s work; there are additional story threads in the piece, but they are largely unexplored and under-developed.

Dan / Dante is a hard-working chef, desperately trying to maintain his artistic girlfriend, his band, and his sanity at work. Ron / Randal is his slouch-about carefree mate whose lackadaisical nature throws Dan’s life into turmoil. There’s a bunch of other characters – Dan’s girlfriend Kay being the only one fleshed out to any degree – but by and large it’s pretty tepid stuff.

The first Act was almost cringingly bad – cheap dialog, wooden performances, and little else to inspire. Paul Stalenhoef is pretty much the only actor to stand tall, but that may only be because he was surrounded by thespian midgets. The second Act was much more warmly received – I don’t know whether it was actually better, or because the surprisingly large audience had been able to get another drink in – but that’s when the character of Randal… sorry, Ron actually gets his claws out and lets loose with some biting lines. The rest of the cast feed off this, and it’s played a bit more for laughs – but by that time some of the audience has left and they’re running long.

So – is there any positive takeaway from this? Well, the fact that the legend of Clerks will live on. And the idea of “Jihad – The Muslimcal” was pretty amusing (the first time). And the actress playing Kay reminded me of an ex-crush. And that I returned to the Queen’s Arms after about 10 years away to discover that it’s quite nice. $4 pints, too.

Mile High (FringeTIX)

Stella Green Productions @ Holden Street Theatres (The Arch)

10:30pm, Sun 24 Feb 2008

We meet a young couple, travelling from Sydney to New York, as they prepare to board the plane. He’s travel-weary and world-wise, she’s younger and excitably worried. They’re faced with 23 hours in Economy-Plus seats.

The first thing I notice walking into The Arch is the set – it’s extremely simple, but impressively effective… a couple of seats, a strip of carpet, and a wooden frame in the background that creates just the right semblance of constrictive space. The actors are, appropriately, confined to their seats for the vast majority of the performance, which consists of a series of scenes – some extremely brief, others much longer – that flesh out the characters, their relationship, and the flight.

He’s a (flawed) anti-consumerist; she’s a populist consumer. He’s a poor traveler; she gets pissed whilst waiting for food, then is horrified by the food’s presence. There’s laughs at the rants, furtive giggles at the titillation of mile-high sex, sober thought at the almost flippant mention of eating disorders, and tension when the plane hits turbulence – both physically and emotionally. And whilst Sebastian Goldspink is solid as the weary Dan, Megan Alston’s Daisy is superb – pensive, elated, excited drunk, angry drunk, sobering drunk, hungover, expectant, glum, and everything in between. Utterly convincing.

Was Mile High perfect? No – there were a few stumbles, and the lighting techie slipped up a few times. But it was a bloody enjoyable performance – familiar to all travelers, there’s plenty of laughs and even a teensy bit of poignancy. All-in-all, well worth the effort.

Believe (FringeTIX)

Linda Marlowe @ Holden Street Theatres (The Studio)

8:00pm, Sun 24 Feb 2008

After the frustrating disappointment of Berkoff’s Women, I was hoping that the script for Believe would be more suited to Marlowe – offer her the opportunity to own the stage, to slow her down. Of course, subsequently learning that this piece is a series of four character monologues made me feel uneasy – I thought the whole see-how-many-characters-you-can-cram-onstage thing happened in 2000, yet both Marlowe’s shows share this approach… *sigh*.

There’s some commonality between the characters on display, though; all four women are subject to the abuse of men, and all four women garner strength against their oppression through faith, the eponymous belief.

Marlowe’s dressed all in black, with the exception of a red bra, which is exposed for the first character – a common whore who, trapped in a war-torn city, chooses to hide two servants of God within her home, risking her own life in the process. The second, an adulterous army widow, talks frankly – and fracturedly – with her dead husband and child about her trials at the hand of the Other Man… and other women. Then comes the flamenco-driven assassin, stamping her way to her target, seething with vengeance. Finally, a mother of seven stands by her faith as she watches the execution of her sons, proud and horrified.

In terms of quality, Believe is an ascension; the initial character made me hark back to Marlowe’s previous show, and the widow was only casually interesting. The assassin, on the other hand, was a cracking effort – all restrained passion and flame. The final act, though, had the audience silenced – a fantastic impact, wonderful control.

Apparently, all the characters on offer were inspired by the Old Testament; this Finborough Theatre page can tell you more about that. But was it worth the trip out to Holden Street? Mmmmmaybe – the uneven quality of the characters hardly makes it a standout show, but at least the performance ended on a high.

An Air Balloon Across Antarctica (FringeTIX)

Three To A Room @ Holden Street Theatres (The Studio)

6:30pm, Sun 24 Feb 2008

Let’s be blunt – I didn’t like this.

You can stop reading now if you want. I wish I could stop writing. But I feel that I have to justify the above statement; and so, taking the easy way out of my moral compulsion, I’ll start by quoting the programme:

Powerful and poignant, An Air Balloon Across Antarctica tells the story of a female explorer traveling across Antarctica in a hot air balloon, accompanied by Ham, a lemming trapped in a hamster’s body. Armed with an identity complex, an addiction to breakfast cereal, and a willingness to accept the surreal, this unlikely duo undertakes a journey across hostile terrain, battling memories and wandering souls in the search for inner peace and the blankest space on earth.

Sounds quirky, doesn’t it? Interesting, even. The problem is that the exploration aspect of the story is merely a flimsy, rarely-used device to introduce apparitions that presumably represent the central character’s inner demons. And the principal story – a touching, but pedestrian, tale of boy-meets-girl-love-blooms-have-child-which-dies-tearing-them-apart – is… well, not compelling. At all.

Ugh. That makes me sound like a cold-hearted bastard. Which I am, but I still managed to be emotionally moved by a bit of good theatre. Which this isn’t.

There I go again, lavishing ill-will on the show with no justification… Let’s take a step back. Breathe.

There are three principle story threads – the present, with heroine Caitlin and her hamster Ham drifting across the Antarctic in the eponymous air balloon; the near past, where we see Caitlin and her boyfriend James falling out of love after the death of their child; and the far past, where we see Caitlin and James meet. Each of them are essentially independent; there’s very few connections between them, and that makes the piece feel fragmented, not cohesive. The male lead, played by Paul David-Goddard, portrayed James as a quiet character and had no stage presence – which is crap if you’re a lead. In fact, the only really compelling aspect of this production was the Ham character, played to perfection by Sophie Lampel.

But one quirky character, no matter how well acted, is not enough to save a production. I can’t say much more than that. I really, really didn’t like this.

The Neo (FringeTIX)

The Neo @ The Wheatsheaf Hotel

4:30pm, Sun 24 Feb 2008

I took the SO to see The Neo last year at their afternoon show in the Piano Bar; she loved it, so this year I thought I’d rack up the brownie points by taking her to see them again at their arvo show at The Wheatsheaf. She’s not a night person, so the afternoon shows are great for her.

As I mentioned when I saw The TenGooz last year, The Wheatsheaf is a lovely pub. Sure, the Tin Shed out back where bands play is a little warm in the afternoon sun, but it’s not uncomfortable.

The Neo, on the other hand, are looking a little worse for wear – apparently there was a bit of an after-show last night. Sadly they weren’t decked out in their rockin’ flared red gear that I neglected to mention from the Friday show (which I’d originally though was appropriated from the Holden Racing Team) – instead, red eyes and sunglasses were the uniform of the day. But, after a slightly shaky Wish I Hadn’t Had Some, they got into the groove real quick.

Again, the things that caught me today were the harmonies and Liam’s sax. And the stomping Bus Blues. And the shorter, but still gutsy, Eloquence – what a fucking fantastic song that is! Sadly, I had to leave a couple of songs into the second set, but thanks to the SO – who hung around, grooved out, and scored a free CD for being the first dancer of the afternoon – here’s the set-list:

1. Wish I Hadn’t Had Some
2. Speaking With Guns
3. Bus Blues
4. Eloquence
5. One Man Band
6. Stay Alive
7. Feather Song

Second set:

1. Tumble Down
2. Feeling So Happy
3. Mojo
4. Phone
5. I Just Sleep Here
6. Frottage
7. Gypsy

I love The Neo. Have I mentioned that?

(…and yes – I did get the brownie points :)

Hot Pink Bits Rides Again (FringeTIX)

Penny Ashton @ Fringe Factory (The Pastry Bakery)

10:30pm, Sat 23 Feb 2008

I saw Penny Ashton’s original Hot Pink Bits (oo-er) late in my 2006 assault, but I still remember being charmed by the laughs, titillation, poetry and song on offer. When I met Penny a week or so ago though a friend, I also had the impression that I’d been a “volunteer” during her show (though my above notes don’t mention that – odd).

So I find myself re-visiting the Pink on a Saturday night – along with a metric shitload of other people; The Pastry Bakery, a temporary and I’m-not-convinced-it’s-safe venue within the Fringe Factory, was packed – maybe 100-150 people, if I had to guess. And it’s a happy and receptive crowd that welcome Penny to the stage – gorgeous costume, and a jubbly cleavage that just begged for nestling.

A bit of a slow start, but she’s quickly into the swing of things, interspersing longer informational tracts with songs, short little Love Tips, and faux phone-sex recordings. Whilst there’s some hearty laughs to be had in the heavily researched bits – the delving into fetishes, in particular, was fantastic – the best laughs were when Ashton got the audience involved.

The first instance involved Carl, who was enlisted to help Penny deliver a 70’s-inspired porn scene. That, in itself, was a hoot, but the coup de grâce was when Carl, on leaving the stage, muttered “Not bad for a gay guy, eh?”

The audience recovered from their gut-laughs before Penny did ;)

Later, an elderly gent put on a sterling strip show for us – he was born for the role. And there were plenty of freebie flavoured condoms during the audience quiz, which had the crowd yelling out “penis!” and “vagina!” in lieu of buzzers. Great fun.

In fact, the only flat spots in the show were the songs – which, in themselves, were fine, it’s just that the laughs-per-minute ratio drops while they’re being performed. Which is a bit of a shame really, since the songs & poetry were quite impressive in the last appearance of the Pink Bits. Still, I’d be surprised if anyone left that show without a smile on their face and an inclination to try something new when they got home.

Daylight Savings for the Doomsday Clock (FringeTIX)

Dave Callan @ Fringe Factory (The Tea Room)

9:00pm, Sat 23 Feb 2008

I saw Dave Callan’s show last year. I wasn’t greatly impressed by it – I thought the mechanism of delivery (all high-tech with DVD gubbins and computer trickery wot the kids are into these days) had potential, but the show itself… well, I said “disappointed” then, but… it shit me to tears.

So quite why I bunged this on the shortlist I don’t quite know. Maybe I subconsciously thought that maybe, with the right material, Callan could use similar techniques to deliver a stunning show. After all, I saw Greg Fleet year after year, waiting for him to deliver the performance that matched his true potential.

This isn’t that show.

Callan opens up with a bit of standard standup – lovely manner, all very competent, no new ground tread there (with “your city is so weird”-type material), and he leans on some multimedia support for his citizenship test. And there’s a genuinely funny moment when he points to someone in the audience and asks “you, sir, can you come to the stage?” and a high-pitched, ultra-feminine voice calls back “who, me?”

But then the “actual” content of the show starts – and Dave’s concerned with the Doomsday Clock (oh look, that Wikipedia page contains a wodge of the images Callan used). And so the impending death of the human race acts as a cornerstone for Callan’s rants on consumerism (bottled water and gossip mags cop a bashing), war, the media, fundamentalists… all the usual suspects. And it’s delivered with an uneasy mix of laughs, slideshows, and video, that winds up running 25 minutes long – which is about 70 minutes too much Callan for me.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not against the message. But there’s nothing new here – even the most sheltered dullard would be aware of 99% of the information presented here, and – even if they weren’t – they’re hardly likely to be at this show. “But Pete,” you argue, “surely if just one person learns something new, something important, and carries that seed of information with them and disseminates it, surely that justifies this dull and monotonous show that seems to be a bunch of snippets just jammed together to suit the admittedly cool title of the piece?”

And to that, I’d say: Lordy – you think a lot like me. But there’s no reason for me to be there. I learnt nothing new and, whilst I find Callan’s “stand-up” presence to be pleasant, his delivery of his “serious” information left an icky taste in my mouth. Never again, I say, no matter how cool the title and blurb are.

Goering’s Defence (FringeTIX)

Ross Gurney-Randall @ Fringe Factory (The Tea Room)

7:30pm, Sat 23 Feb 2008

So – Goering was a complete bastard, right, but fiercely loyal to Hitler and the National Socialists, and utterly convinced in the righteousness of his actions; quite happy to logically step through his reasoning, too. Sharp as a tack. His eventual trial at Nuremberg provides the backdrop for this show, switching between Goering’s testimony at the trial and his inward thoughts whilst ensconced in his cell, awaiting his decreed execution.

Lighting is simple, switching between ambient for the reflective monologues and spotlight for the testimony. Gurney-Randall roams the stage when not restricted by the spotlight, and with his refined movements I was sometimes convinced I was watching a chunkier, hairier Guy Masterson (who directed). And – mostly – he’s great: a powerful man, commanding respect.

But…

There’s a problem. I never really felt connected to the character of Goering. There was a frosty distance between he and I, and I could never really empathise with – nor despise – this man. No emotional engagement. I just couldn’t invest in the character.

And the ending… ugh. Here’s one of the perpetrators of the Nazi atrocities, who was utterly convinced in his actions, whimpering like a wounded dog. It felt utterly disingenuous, hopelessly ham-fisted. A poor end to, at best, a competent show.

Seven Seconds – In God We Trust (FringeTIX)

Accidental Productions @ Higher Ground (Theatre)

2:00pm, Sat 23 Feb 2008

I’m really starting to get suspicious of tickets which have “Preview” printed on them now; not only were we 10 minutes late getting into the venue (and what a shit front-of-house the new Higher Ground Theatre has!), but we got to experience the joys of a production crew learning about their lighting rig – all while I traced patterns in the dust on top of the seats. There’s another 10 minutes down the drain.

And when the performance does eventually start, it’s clear that this is a blunt and blustering production that only youth can provide. Maybe it’s a very straight translation of Falk Richter’s original work – after all, Richter is German, and we all know about the subtlety of the kraut (don’t worry, I’m a kraut too ;) – but Seven Seconds feels like someone’s taken the Subtle Stick, snapped it in half, and thrown it away. And burnt it. And mixed the ashes with water from the River of Repetition, baked it in the Oven of the Overtly Obvious, then thrown it off the Bluff of the Bloody Blunt.

Ahem.

We’re watching a fighter pilot, abstracted from the mass devastation he’s causing by his on-board computers. We cut – often – to narrated scenes of his family at home, happy in their consumerism, blinkered by the media. We cut to the media being used to control the consumers. The five performers all narrate, all cross roles, and manipulate the five cubes that constitute the set – in general, the stage production is sparse, but effective.

The problem, as I alluded above, is that the work itself – and the delivery – is so bloody blunt. I walked away feeling that I’d just been smacked around the head by someone yelling “WAR IS BAD! CONSUMERISM IS BAD! MEDIA MANIPULATION IS BAD!”. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

I feel like a real grumpy bastard having written all that, so let’s look for some more positives: the young cast were fine, Mark Fantasia and Jessica Barnden being the standouts. The lighting – once it got going – was great, and worked really well with the neat backdrop of the stage. And, as I mentioned above, the direction was OK (though the ending stretched out a bit too long).

Oliver Stone would love this; it’s right up his tree. Not me, though. I prefer to do a little bit of the thinking myself.

The Neo (FringeTIX)

The Neo @ The Crown and Sceptre

9:00pm, Fri 22 Feb 2008

All these years I’ve been following The Neo (I first saw them in 2004), and I’d never noticed the “The” at the start of their name. I suspect that I’m going to learn that the capitalisation of NEO is quite intentional, too.

DJ Medhi is spinning some tunes (as the kids say) as I arrive – very old-school and calm. Darwin’s favourite funk band (well, my favourite Darwinian funk band) took to the stage about 10pm for their first set, which included an absolutely storming rendition of Eloquence – a simmering didgeridoo opening before building to a massive rock crescendo. A short break – more from DJ Medhi – and the second set starts slow, before building into a monstrous dance-fest finale, with a guest upright bassist and cracking versions of Frottage (nearly 10 minutes!) and Feeling So Happy.

All the usual bits were wodged in there – the harmonica battles, the near-pantomime of Phone, and huge gobs of massive, delicious powerfunk. And that’s all I need, really; I’m as happy as a pig in shit with every show I see these guys play, and can’t wait to see them again :)

(…and my notes from last year’s show speak far more eloquently of the band than what I’ve written above, so read that too :}

Librarian Idol (FringeTIX)

Andrew Finegan @ Fringe Factory (The Fridge)

7:30pm, Fri 22 Feb 2008

Andrew Finegan is a real, live librarian from Darwin. And a real, live Australian Idol reject. And so, a flimsy backbone for a show was born: time for Finegan to become the pop-icon for librarians everywhere!

Honestly, so much could have gone wrong with this performance. The Idol aspect provided some interesting elements (including a re-telling of Finegan’s Australian Idol audition) but, as a backbone for the show, was a little shaky. At least it provided opportunity for Finegan to trot out some of his songs…

…which were somewhat marred by technical difficulties – his piano overpowered his vocals for one song, and when he tried to compensate by singing louder, you could almost hear his vocal chords shredding themselves in pain. But his lyrics were clever, his piano acceptable, and the performance earnest.

Of course, he was also the beneficiary of a perfect audience – a fair proportion of the room were librarians, and his Dewey Decimal System jokes had a dawning-realisation laughter response from them – which rippled through to the rest of the non-booky audience.

Yes, he did drag me up onto the stage (after addressing me as “ma’am” – first time this Fringe!) to provide Family Feud-esque sound effects (“ding!” and “bow booowwwwwww” – geez I hate that noise). All good fun, though, like the rest of the show, and I reckoned I nailed the comedic timing. Whilst Librarian Idol is probably not going to hit many people’s Fringe highlight reel, it was a solid show with enough humour and personality to make it worthwhile.

I bumped into Andrew a few hours later at the Crown and Sceptre – he apologised for the gender mistake and we had a lovely chat about his show, Darwin, and the Fringe in general. Nice chap :)