Feb 24

Adelaide Fringe 2013 – 3 Acquaintances – The Crown and Anchor

Someone recently said to me that there is so much comedy in the Adelaide Fringe in 2013 that there should be a separate comedy festival – and I am inclined to agree with them. The Adelaide Fringe has three distinct tiers of comedy now – the top national and international comedians who command sell-out shows every night, the pretty funny up-and-coming acts and the terribly unfunny people who made a joke once at a Christmas party and have entered the festival on the strength of that joke.

3 Acquaintances fits, happily, into the middle tier of shows. Whilst not pant-wettingly funny at all times, this show – which centres around the loosely connected main characters of a boring accountant, a mysterious – and apparently trustworthy – real estate agent and a town drunk, played brilliantly and with sickening hilarity by Jarrad Parker – has a number of solid laughs, and demonstrates the skill of the cast in combining a wittily written script and some (albeit not enough) off-the-cuff improvisation.

Describing the plot in any great detail would shatter much of the hilarity, not to mention destroy the spontaneity of the show. So instead all I will say is that this is not the most polished show you will see in the Fringe. Nor are the cast amongst the most gifted actors in Australia. However, this is a truly entertaining hour-long show in the real vein of the Adelaide Fringe Festival – if you want to unearth some hilarious new talent and perhaps be able to say in future years that you saw the cast of The 3 Acquaintances when they were performing at the ‘Cranker’ in 2013, then this is the show for you.

3.5K

Feb 24

FRINGE Knock Off – The Birdcage Arcade Lane, Adelaide – 4K

Knock Off is a combination of contemporary physical circus, comedy and music as three very Aussie guys walk onto a building site with the mission to educate the audience on how to construct a contemporary circus show. Think circus meets renovation rescue but what can go wrong goes wrong.

Performed in a very entertaining manner, Knock Off has the skills with teeterboard, ladder, manipulation, aerial rope, partner acrobatics, pitching, music and plenty of comedy as it tells a story of perseverance and painful disaster.

Well worth watching and unfortunately last show on Sunday 24th Feb at 7:45pm

http://www.threehighacrobatics.com/

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Feb 24

Adelaide Fringe – Macbeth’s Witches – The Garage International at NACC

Every now and again, the Adelaide Fringe provides something so unusual and so strange that it is almost impossible to review. Well, my new polarising bench-mark is Macbeth’s Witches, created and largely performed by the indomitable Shakti, who is joined by members of her VasantaMala Dance Company.

The thing about this show, which purports to demonstrate the world view of Macbeth’s trio of witches and their evil leader Hecate, is that I understand where it was trying to go, and at some times it almost works – the mesmerising motion of three supernatural beings and their leader controlling the elements, the sense of impartiality to the fate of the humans are all unique and plausible interpretations of ‘the Scottish play’… but it just doesn’t quite get there.

At some points, I think I nearly drank the KoolAid – or maybe my senses were just too assaulted by the loud music and the soporific, hypnotic motions of the dance troupe who were effectively doing a combination of Tae Bo and yoga moves , albeit not overly impressively, and certainly not in sync – enough to almost enjoy the show. In any event, despite myself I found myself almost literally sucked in by parts of the performance. But the truth of it is that the show was just too exaggerated, too over the top and too darn strange to truly work, and I found myself having to hide a snigger as Shakti did her best hammed up version of Lady Macbeth and gyrated across the stage in various dominatrix-style outfits.

I warn you that this show is not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, from the moment that Shakti strode out in a lurid skintight Lycra dress that could only have been bought from a sex shop, wearing stripper shoes and bearing a whip, I felt as though I had fallen down a wormhole into a Phuket ping pong show.  And although I hate to sound prudish – Shakti’s ‘costume’ (which consisted of mere strips of material, not overly discriminately placed) in the final scene left very little to the imagination and, dare I say it, was a little frightening.

I emerged from the performance feeling smutty and voyeuristic, like I had accidentally crashed the masked ball in Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s soft pornographic movie ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. But if this is your cup of tea, then Macbeth’s Witches is worth a look. Otherwise it might be best to pick something else.

2K

 

 

Feb 24

FRINGE Syntony Live Inductive Resonance – RiAus (The Science Exhange) – 3K

Described as fractals resonance between art, nature and the mind-body with ambisonic 3-D sound composition for immersive environments is performed by Darren Curtis & Bradley Pitt from Sacred Resonance.

They explain that within this unique musical experience which combines research and philosophy that demonstrates how we have a higher design, a template that can tap into a higher resonance field. ‘We have modelled the complex acoustics and sound patterns found at the pyramids of Chichen Itza and Giza into musical composition. What is fascinating is that these acoustic patterns are also found in living systems from DNA, water resonance and star sounds. The Syntony sonic-visual experience allows what we call “inductive resonance” helping to create a harmony for body-mind & spirit.’

Syntony is still performing March 12 – 16 at The Bally – Dome (Gluttony). Llet yourself be taken on an inner mind-journey by this stimulating audio visual experience, somewhat unusual, yet stunning and bordering meditative.

You can find out about the science behind Syntony here.

Kryztoff Rating   3K

 

Feb 23

FRINGE 2013: Theatre – 3 Tales of Woe – Ayers House – 2K

Shadow puppetry is not often presented nowadays and it’s nice that there are still young people out there who are taking the time to keep it going as an art form.

Amber Forbes and her assistant present three tales via this medium. Each of the stories is pre-recorded with backing music added to heighten the mood. The first, Poe’s The Raven, is oft referenced in popular culture and will be familiar to most. Though the feelings of trepidation and unease brought about by the prose in this piece fit nicely with the dark mood associated with shadow puppetry, the story itself does not involve a lot of action. Consequently, many scenes are repetitive. This is also a major problem with the second piece, a not overly engrossing extract from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, in which the scene does not actually change and the only movement is very basic.

During The Raven, one could focus on the poetic stylised narration when the puppetry was not engaging. The storyteller does not seem to be confident or competent with the nuances of voice needed to deliver the feeling in A Christmas Carol. The final story, Azathoth, a piece from HP Lovecraft, possibly comes out the best of the three. While it could not be considered well known and is a little difficult to follow, it does provide the performers with the most active, descriptive, and thus visually adaptable, dialogue.

There are a few technical issues that also need addressing. Throughout the presentation the flood lamp used to backlight the screen is visible to the audience, which distracts from the action and leaves ghosts dancing across your vision during the blackouts. While the pre-recording of the readings and music may have been practical in terms of not needing to have extra performers either available each night or crammed into the small space, a live rendition would have provided a more enthralling experience. In addition, at times it seemed that the puppeteers struggled to keep up with the pace of the pre-recorded dialogue and the clumping and bumping from backstage suggested disorganisation and was disrupting.

Kudos to the performers for bringing this type of show to the stage, however further consideration needed to be given to the adaptability and appropriateness of the material to the medium, and the presentation needs to be tightened up.

Kryztoff Rating: 2K

Feb 23

FRINGE 2013 – Shakespeare for Kids – Romeo and Juliet – Holden Street Theatres

I’m a Shakespearean purist. With the single exception of Ethan Hawke’s 2000 version of Hamlet and maybe one or two Kenneth Branagh adaptations floating around here or there, if it’s not adhering strictly to the Shakespearean script it’s generally not good enough for me. So I was a little anxious about how a show could possibly still be Shakespeare but could also entertain children of ‘all ages’, as The Recycled Theatre Co suggested it could.

Apparently I need not have been concerned. Adapting Romeo and Juliet, this performance stayed largely faithful to the original Shakespearean version, at least in language and plot, while altering enough of the tragic and adult themes to make it both relatable to and entertaining for young children without being traumatic. In particular, slapstick comedy was used as a key device, to great effect and laughter.

Absolutely entertaining for the whole family, this show will make you feel like a more cultured parent, and will go towards abating some of the guilt from Saturday morning cartoon watching. The Recycled Theatre Company is also presenting kid-friendly versions of The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet during the 2013 Adelaide Fringe and, I am informed, Hamlet is riotously comical, if that can be believed.

‘I loved it’ – Anais, 4 years old

4.5K

Feb 23

FRINGE 2013 – Mr Badger tells The Wind in the Willows – Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Everyone knows that kids are the hardest critics to please. Judging by this criterion, Chris John as Mr Badger won the 2013 Fringe Festival critics choice award, because he managed to enthral a very picky pair of 4 and 6 year old sisters and their stepmum and daddy.

Presented under the shade of an enormous tree in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, this delightful one-man show is, as the title suggests, a retelling of the classic Kenneth Grahame story the Wind in the Willows by one of the central characters, Mr Badger. Chris John’s charming – and to my surprise put-on – Scottish lilt transported the tiny audience from a stinking hot Adelaide morning straight to an English mid-winter fireside, where Mr Mole, Mr Toad, Mr Badger and co get up to all kinds of mischief.

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Highlighting his tale with absolutely stunning hand-drawn dioramas which perfectly illustrated the scene whilst whetting the imagination of all children in the audience, Mr Badger’s show is not to be missed for children between 3 – 8 years old. And their parents will also enjoy a whimsical return to story-time from long ago.

 

‘Mr Badger was a good storyteller’ – Leila, 6 years old

‘Mr Badger’s show looked lovely’ – Anais, 4 years old

4.5K

Feb 23

Bring out Eclecticism–presented by Alexandra Palombi, Tori Thwaites and Pip Cocciolone at The Colonist – until 1 March 2013

Nobody can deny that, at its core, the Adelaide Fringe is about eclecticism, celebrating diversity and encouraging a new way of looking at things. So this collection of artwork by talented young visual artists Pip Cocciolone, Tori Thwaites and Alexandra Palombi, currently exhibited at popular Norwood watering hole ‘The Colonist’, is quintessentially Fringe-ian.

Taking ordinary images and injecting them with colour, humour or just highlighting a different way of looking at things, these pieces are all truly 21st century works, and well worth adding to your Fringe 2013 calendar.

4.5K

Feb 23

FRINGE 2013 – Desde Cuba a Brazil – Ensalada the Union

Thwarted by Council regulations, Ensalada the Union – one of the Festival’s newest venues – had to relocate at the last minute from Union Street in the East End to a spot right near Gluttony, opposite the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Notwithstanding the eleventh hour shift, the current Ensalada the Union, complete with European tapas and cocktail bar, is already one of the coolest hangout spots in the 2013 Fringe. Particularly splendid are the delicious and adventurous twists on the traditional cocktail available from the bar, although it’s probably best to leave the car at home if you decide to have a few.

So, drink in hand, Ensalada the Union is a perfect location for Desde Cuba a Brazil, a fiesta showcase of Latin American culture and all of its historical influences. Presented by La Bomba dance and music school, the audience was transported to the world of Argentinean tango via Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations, 1950s Cuba and so much more.  Interspersing traditional styles of dance with simple musical pieces, and including a demonstration of Salsa dancing from La Bomba students and a mind-blowing Brazilian finale, this was an incredibly fun, toe-tapping show which could get even the most exhausted reviewer into the mood to party.

Although at times this performance felt a little more like a talent show of the best students at the dance school than a Fringe show, this did nothing to diminish the splendid atmosphere. More importantly, everyone who participated was absolutely marvellous – and ladies, you will wish that your partner took you to a merengue club and looked at you like that. Ultimately, this show made you feel that you were no longer sitting inside a pop-up venue in the Eastern Parklands, but had been transported to a glistening, sultry nightclub in Rio de Janeiro, and what great fun that was.

A word of warning – if you do not like to be pulled up on your feet or asked to join in a performance, do not sit near the aisle. And certainly do not sit at the end of the catwalk, where you have nowhere to hide. Otherwise you will find yourselves swept up in a frenzy of Brazilian showgirls, dancing the night away. But don’t worry – I’m pretty sure you will love it.

4K

 

 

 

 

Feb 23

FRINGE 2013 – Golden Phung Sell Out – 4K

By Peter Maddern

The Golden Phung crowd are back for their third Fringe season and they are certainly worth their price of admission. This show, superior to last year’s efforts, reflects the cast’s growing stage experiences, not just in the Phung seasons but through their own individual stage careers. This can be seen in such places as the pacing adopted and in attention to details like sketch changes (which included this year a segue about segues.)

While the story of the show – cast members looking to sell the show for big money – was a trifle thin, the last 20 minutes or so was conducted at such a furious, farcical, bordering on the fantastic, pace that it didn’t much matter. Those fond of the Monty Python style of humour will find in the Golden Phung a kindred spirit.

All the cast were great, though as seems routine for the genre, the male parts offered more opportunities to excel than those for the girls, with Eddie Morrison in good form and Roy Phung up for any kind of absurdity to drive the show along. Calen Vanstone’s videos were also excellent and what may be dismissed as just a Uni student sketch show, the Phung needs to be appreciated in a far greater professional prism.

There are a lot of journeyman comics treading the floor boards at the Rhino Room and the Garden, but if you want to see quality home grown product this Fringe by a cast, all of whom seem likely to be going places, then the Golden Phung should be your first port of call. The fabulous Harry’s Bar just adds to the atmosphere.

As mentioned, the last third of the show is just a bang, bang, bang, laugh out loud, romps that will have few peers this year.

Kryztoff Rating    4K