Half-Arsed Productions @ Promethean Theatre
9:30pm, Fri 5 Mar 2004
Score: 4
Short Review: Underdeveloped
It sounds like a great idea – combine the backstage and onstage banter at a comedy club into one piece, showing the audience what goes on behind the curtain. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work as well as one would have hoped.
Joey D has “accidentally” got himself engaged, and the ball-and-chain-to-be has him on a tight leash. He’s contemplating giving up comedy, much to the chagrin of his cohorts. Between scenes backstage, where Joey and the team contemplate their profession, we have four stand-up routines from the troupe. And, honestly, only Joey D and Pepe (with a great redneck routine) provided any real laughs here – although it was probably played that way.
The whole show had an unfinished, underdeveloped feel to it; the character of Stella, in particular, was used both minimally and poorly. Still, there was the odd laugh or two to be had here (especially the bitches about other Fringe comedians)… but hardly essential viewing.
To be fair, though, the artist description on the Fringe site is bloody funny :)