Mar 01

FRINGE 2018 – CABARET – Burlesque by Force – Nexus – 4.5K

By Peter Maddern

Brodie John’s solo show is an often brutal affair for both performer and his audience. It is about sexuality, overt sexuality in a straight guy’s world, about first sexual encounters and about sexual encounters that go wrong – for no fault of one’s own. It’s about seeking joy and pleasure but being left with scars. His is a story devoid of that glow we were sold on when it came to marriage equality – this vote for love will solve all gay men’s problems. His story is all the more harrowing and embarrassing for this is not about the 19th century world of Oscar Wilde or post war world of Alan Turing; this is about all the few years of the current century.

One feels sure Marissa Bennett’s direction teased out and toned down the feelings, trauma and outrage that John’s own script may have exuded so we get a finely nuanced and nicely worked production that has our player mostly either reflecting at the dressing room table or robing and de-robing at his clothes stand.

As an audience member the hope is that the truth has been ‘gilded’ for dramatic effect, for maybe that gives us a permission to leave the room after without a need to make some useful gesture of remorse for the members of our town who have hurt and violated such a sweet soul. However, as much as one may wish this, the nagging and dominating doubt is that we only got unvarnished facts.

Burlesque By Force is a powerful work, superbly delivered and coming as it did ahead of the #metoo / Harvey Weinstein era another timely reminder that it takes more than books to be truly civilised in our behaviour towards one another and Australian society’s embrace of homosexuality has a very long way to go that gestures won’t do much to resolve.

Kryztoff Rating   4.5K

Mar 01

FRINGE 2018 – MUSIC – Underground Lovers – Garden – 3K

By Peter Maddern

This Melbourne based cult indie band had their solo show Sunday before around 300 faithful. Not clear whether they got what they came for as much material came off the band’s latest album and the mixing early was not beneficial to the overall sound effect. Probably better suited to a pub environment that the Spiegeltent but no doubt fans got their fill.

Kryztoff Rating   3K

Mar 01

FRINGE THEATRE — Fleabag— The Box @ GOUD — 5K

scaled_FleabagBy Belle Dunning

Fleabag is a one-woman performance that will leave you floored. Its raw honesty and emotion, inappropriate humour and the genuine connection you develop with Fleabag herself is surprising and refreshing. In a modern age where we all struggle to put down our phones, be present and just engage with other people, Maddie Rice’s performance reminds us that well-performed theatre — with nothing but a chair as a prop and the audience’s imagination — is a true art.

In her portrayal of the troubled yet charming twenty-six year old Fleabag, Rice brings you back into the present and for one hour creates another world, her world, right there in front of you. That world revolves around a guinea-pig themed cafe on the brink of liquidation, her ongoing trauma and sadness over the recent death of her best friend, and her desperate addiction to sex. Through her reactions to the people in her everyday life, her frequent replaying of her friend’s still connected phone message, and her desperate sexting to anyone at all, we slowly break through Fleabag’s confident, funny exterior and experience the pain and depression that lies underneath.

Originally created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and turned into a BAFTA-award-winning BBC TV series, Rice is only the second actress after Waller-Bridge herself to play Fleabag. Her performance, though, feels incredibly real and genuine. As an audience member you gain an insight into Fleabag’s every thought, good and bad, and realise that she is just as painfully human as the rest of us. Rice is a truly talented actress and manages to create an entire world and experience out of nothing — it captivates and envelops you just as thoroughly as a fantastic book, enabling you to create your own scenes and meaning from her prompts and descriptions.

Fleabag is also important as a piece of modern theatre that challenges our preconceptions about what it means to be a woman in today’s world. Fleabag, the character, is unashamedly comfortable with and open about her sexuality. It is refreshing to hear a woman talk about things that rarely get touched, let alone in front of an entire room full of people.

Fleabag is funny, heartbreaking, honest and poetically beautiful all at once and is the best show I have seen in a while. Even if theatre isn’t your thing, this will be. The wide age and demographic range of the audience is testament to that — anyone can see this. Fleabag is showing at the Garden of Unearthly Delights until March 18, and you should definitely go and see it.

Kryztoff Rating 5K

Feb 28

Fringe 2018 – We Are Ian – 4.5K – Gluttony

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Nora, Dora, and Kat are three of the best physical comedians you’ll see this Fringe.

The three women weren’t around in 1989, the year of partying, defying Thatcher, necking brown biscuits and dancing until your feet bleed, but Ian was – and he’s going to take them back in time to show them how to really party.

We Are Ian is really impressive physical comedy, clowning, and theatrical comedy. With clever use of audio/visual technologies, rave music, lip syncing, amazing dance routines, and three packets of digestive biscuits, this show is a fantastically fun night out at the Fringe.

Go in there prepared to dance – and when the time comes, just do it. This show will leave you on such a high, full of laughter and feeling ready to have the best night of your life, so just embrace the audience participation and roll with it. If you let yourself go with the music and the girls of We Are Ian, you’ll have a great night out – brown biscuits or not.

Kryztoff Rating: 4.5K

 

Note: this show contains heavy usage of strobe lighting and house music.

Feb 28

Fringe 2018 – Bad [w]Omen: Mirrors – 3K – The Producers

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Bad [w]Omen, a sketch comedy trio consisting of Rosie, Chloe, and Jennie from the UK, are taking on feminist comedy one Phil Collins-related-skit at a time.

The Bad [w]Omen are sent by their sleazy boss Dave to find his ‘vibes’ (Dave is every bit as creepy as he sounds). Along the way, they receive life updates from Phil Collins, learn Spanish, and discuss new wave feminism complete with a bottle of wine each and a Wonder Woman t-shirt.

The show suffered under two things: firstly, the space – they’re in the massive Producers beer garden, which should be sectioned off or kept as just a drinking area, as any show would struggle in such a large outdoor area. Secondly, Mirrors had a tough crowd on this particular night.

The Bad [w]Omen have stated that this is their first Fringe show, and there are areas that perhaps need tweaking – for instance, it’s not immediately evident if the skits are connected, or that there’s a distinct common thread throughout the show. At times, the show teeters on the edge of being a sharp, feminist comedy, but falls just short, if only because there are so many skits in the show that the message sometimes gets lost in the crowd.

However, each [w]oman is clearly intelligent, and their no-holds-barred, full-of-heart attitude is infectious and fantastic. With a few tweaks, I have no doubt that the Bad [w]Omen will be back next Fringe bigger and better than ever.

Kryztoff Rating: 3K

 

Feb 28

FRINGE 2018 – Circus/Physical Theatre – Cirque Nocturne – Empyrean Theatre, Gluttony – 4K

By Julia Cudsi

It would come as no surprise to the average seasoned Fringe-goer that adult physical theatre, or “sexy circus”, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Unfortunately, this generally means that there are the extremely good, the middle of the road, and then the very average types of shows. I must admit that I stepped into the Empyrean tent very late on a Tuesday night with a little trepidation that Cirque Nocturne would fall into the middle, if not the last, category.

I could not have been more wrong. A series of acts connected by narration from a 1940s style private investigator, Cirque Nocturne is, as promised, a noir style extravaganza of physical prowess. Including dazzling skills of aerial and floor acrobatics, juggling, magic tricks and so much more, this is truly a very entertaining circus of the night.

Is it flawless or seamless? No. There were some minor problems which were more suggestive of a smaller budget than other, big-ticket shows than of a lack of ability and talent. But overall, Cirque Nocturne was eminently watchable, very enjoyable and extremely impressive.

4K

Feb 28

FRINGE 2018 – Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous – Plaza Parlour – 3K

Sassy and sequinned, Alfie Ordinary graced the stage with what you would expect as fabulous. The ‘drag prince’ has delighted to share with Australia a fabulous flair on this clever show that tackles on society’s norms on gender.

The performance goes around Alfie,  a son of a drag queen—destined to follow on the fabulous footsteps. He takes us back through the tales of his experiences at the Madame LeCoq’s Preparatory School for Fabulous Boys.  Although there isn’t much cry for help from the protagonist, there is a lot of sass for us all.

It was an entertaining performance, however the songs can seem to be too long. The repetition can sometimes be part of the humour, but it can be a draggy for some. Also, few punchlines do not hit the right spot, as they can sometimes be hard to relate to. However, the skits were decent.

Altogether, it was a fun hour of stories, singing and ‘mini guest appearances’ by Whitney Houston and Bette Midler. Be prepared to walk out with glowing in glitter or carrying a shining star around your sleeve. Worth checking out.

 

Kryztoff Rating: 3K

Feb 28

FRINGE 2018: The Best of Scottish Comedy – 3.5K

scottish comedyThe Sky Room of the Griffith’s Hotel was alive with laughter on Tuesday evening with the Best of Scottish Comedy Fringe show. The show features stand-up comedy from Vladimir McTavish and two other Scottish comedians every night until March 4.

Tuesday night started with the self-proclaimed “best afro-celtic comedian” Bruce Fummey. Bruce got the audience going with his warm humour and shouty rants that are simply… so very Scottish.

Ray Bradshaw followed with a sneak peek of his show “Deaf Comedy Fam.” As a child of two deaf parents, Ray speaks both English and Sign Language and has created the world’s first comedy show in both languages. His set was both hilarious and fascinating as he described growing up and various events throughout his life. Ray told a good story but also handled disgruntled hecklers in an entertaining and satisfying way.

The small, tartan-suited Vladimir McTavish followed. The spikey-haired 60-year-old brought sass to the stage; talking about everything from alcohol to ageing. And while some of his material did focus on politics, it entertained while avoiding being offensive or condescending – quite an achievement in such a divisive world.

The night was an excellent taste of what the Fringe has to offer and a great way to discover new acts. This showcase promises genuine laughs and will leave you wanting more.

Be sure to see the show before it ends on March 4.

3.5K

Feb 27

FRINGE 2018 – LA FLUTE DE PAN – 4K

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by Riccardo Barone 

The acclaimed flautist Melanie Walters comes back with an outstanding solo performance. The program follows the path to the Olympus; be prepared for a walk between sacred trees, scented hills and Zeus’s reign. Your unique guide: Syrinx, the nymph who ran away from Pan’s love proposal, written by Claude Debussy.

Icarus is ready to fly towards the sun and miserably crash to the ground, described by Houston Dunleavy. Above all the Gods, with their forgiveness,  the ancient Greek comic playwright Aristofane breaks through the scenes with one of his bubbling acting: it is “Aristofaniada” by Klaus Hinrich Stahmer. What happened when Pandora let the hope go? Come and you’ll listen to the Gods screaming their disappointment and rage, a piece by Lauren Zucker. Narcissus fell in love with his mirrored reflection in the waters till he died. All magically described by Thea Musgrave in her brilliant piece for flute and live electronics (performed here with the  support of Sebastian Tomczak). Your trip to the Olympus ends with Cassandra, the visionary prophetess who no one believed written by Brian Ferneyhough. Can’t miss it, if you love contemporary classical music.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

Feb 27

FRINGE 2018 THEATRE – John Hinton’s Scientrilogy – HST – 4.5K

scaled_John_Hinstons_Scrienlogy_Albert_Einstein_Alexander Ewers

Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking is one of a suite of plays constituting John Hinton’s Scientrilogy. Each focusing on a ground-breaking moment in the history of scientific discovery, Hinton’s shows endeavour to explore and explain through the medium of comedy, some of the more scholastically and cerebrally challenging concepts in the realms of science.

Albert EInstiein: Relativitively Speaking. Little elaboration is needed. Hinton weaves a chronicle of insights and anecdotes from the life of the great theorist, scientist and savant, interspersed with hilarious but wonderfully perspicuous explanations of arguably his most famous theorem. The roaming dialogue is not limited to content biographical and academic, but also provokes contemplation of the abstruse. He touches on topics ranging from the synergism (sometimes revolutionary, sometimes calamitous) between scientific discovery and societal pressures, to the cardinal importance of fostering creativity and an inquiring mind in one’s youth.  Employing techniques worthy of the best professor, Hinton engages faculties both visual and aural, adroitly employing audience participation to demonstrate the most indigestible concepts, and recoursing to a Gilbert-and-Sullivanesque libretto to maintain momentum through the more narrative moments. In this he is adeptly supported by stage partner Jo Eagle on keyboard, herself playing the role of three important women in Einstein’s life: his mother, and his wives Mileva and Elsa.

Hinton’s performance is at once magnetically captivating and compellingly believable, a product of dynamic stage mastery and a firm grounding in well-researched historicity. A born performer… or maybe a born teacher… perhaps the two are necessarily one and the same. And indeed, Hinton captures the ingredients that make education entertaining, and entertainment enlightening.

Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking climaxes with a devastatingly powerful and unexpected turn to the sombre. The “200,000 souls” number marks a sudden shift in tone and energy, in which Einstein grapples with the awful outworking of his discoveries as realized at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Juxtaposed against the 45 minutes of light-hearted comedy preceding, this emotionally charged transition has composure-shattering effect, occasioning more than one moist eye in the audience. Einstein contemplates the unthinkable, more topical in today’s climate than ever before.

“With what weaponry will World War Three be fought?”, he asks.

The rejoinder is spine-chilling.

“With what weaponry will World War Four be fought? …. Sticks and stones.”

The measure of a good performance is its ability to take one on a journey. And John Hinton does just that! Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking is a journey through time and space, through history and science, and along an emotional rollercoaster of laughs and lessons. It is physics distilled. Schooling made alive. It is theatre!

Kryztoff Rating 4.5K