PICK OF THE FRINGE (Part One)
TGI @ THE KENTISH WINESHED-23 Stanley St. Nth Adelaide.
21st February 7pm – 90 Minutes Reviews by GARY CLARKE
Held in The Kentish Arms upmarket “Wineshed”, walls adorned with racks of expensive plonk, this was a series of 10 minute preview tasters of shows from The Adelaide Fringe.
I missed my bus from Norwood on the way to the show so I hailed a cab on Magill Rd. Where to? Sahil enquired as he cut the volume on the music he was playing on the cab’s stereo. I immediately recognised it as Punjabi music. Sahil needed little encouragement to crank it up and we sang and danced in our seats all the way to the venue !
The atmosphere at the Kentish Arms was informal and friendly and our host Shakti introduced the first act, the very engaging and disarmingly funny :
Steff Tisdell. Steff worked the room warming up the audience, regaling us with one liners on subject matter that some less confident artists would struggle with. Her timing and delivery are 1st class. Catch her show “IDENTITY STEFT” – Piglet@ Gluttony Recommended 4.5K
From the back of the room strutted a dark figure dressed all in black making her presence known . Wow, this was no rehearsal, this girl meant business! Makeup and costume were immaculate. Cazeleon had arrived. Working a film noir theme, Cazeleon delivered a sultry cabaret performance and unleashed her vocal talents on this receptive audience. This is not just another drag show, Cazeleon is a perfectionist and it shows. Catch “DIFFUSION “- Raj House 54 Hyde St. rated 4K
Two tall beautiful dark haired women rose from a nearby table and moved onto the stage. The audience weren’t sure. The two women stood nervously staring out beyond the room. The audience grew more unsure… The women were waiting for something ..the audience were waiting for something… The women began moving around the room approaching tables asking in English and Farsi for something ..”have you seen Mr Ghadalari?” — Shiva Makinian and Mina Zaman draw us into their plight with very few words. For some the door is difficult to open and what awaits on the other side is full of uncertainty. Iran Saye Theatre present THE DOOR – TGI @ Adel. Town Hall
Marc Ryan sidled up to the mike looking somewhat bemused. How do you follow two frightened women dramatically fleeing oppression and turmoil with a comedy stump about being Bogan in Adelaide’s Northern suburbs ? Well, Beautifully it seems. Like a pro, Marc launched into his very insightful and funny stand up. When you hail from “a place with more neck tattoos than shoes” not much phases you. Marc is insightful, honest and very very funny…catch Marc’s show: BEAUTIFUL BOGAN – LIFE”S NOT FAIR (see Fringe Guide) 4.5K
Hailing from Vancouver, Canada , Green Eggs and Ham disappeared under a makeshift table with a light and a sheet draped over it . What seemed to a be an improvised set lent itself to an excerpt from their show The Bridge involving hand shadows and a dialogue around crossing The Golden Gate Bridge, post apocalypse. Unfortunately, due to the limits of the venue, I couldn’t get good visuals and it made it difficult to evaluate its merit. However, it was well received by those in the audience with a better vantage point. It also gained an excellent review from fellow Kriztoff reviewer Julie Robins who saw the original complete show. To get across THE BRIDGE – you will need to head to — Studio at Bakehouse Theatre 225 Angas St. Adelaide
Idris a.k.a “Eyedrys” Stanton thought about getting a real job but instead chose to entertain us with juggling, witty repartee’, original humour, a leaf blower and a kiss of rock ‘n roll. And if you think that doesn’t cut it, apparently in his full show he juggles chainsaws!….nuff said! Catch The LAST KING of VAUDEVILLE – After Dark Theatre @ Gluttony. 4K
Our host had informed us earlier that SENGAR SENI DHARMA BHUDAYA dance troupe and a full Gamelan orchestra from Indonesia were scheduled to perform here but had been held up by immigration. All 38 of them! … which was a shame, and sadly ironic.
And speaking of our gracious host, I couldn’t help noticing that the demure Asian woman that had initially presented at the mike as the evening’s host had been undergoing a gradual transformation. More and more of her shawl drifted off as the night drifted on, revealing a deeply tanned sensual dancer that burst forth onto the stage to close proceedings.
Shakti exudes joy and evocatively expresses herself through dance and rhythm. Her show is a dance fantasy inspired by the music of Armand Amar and you can catch Shakti in her show at : TGI@ ADELAIDE TOWN HALL 128 King William St. Adelaide – 4K
Please note these reviews are based on very limited 10 minute excerpts from the artists shows without sets and may not be entirely informative of the full show experience. Refer to reviews of the complete shows for further guidance.
Reviews by GARY CLARKE
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