Mar 03

Fringe 2016 – Amelia Ryan is Lady Liberty – The Garden of Unearthly Delights – 3K

By Tom Eckert

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Amelia Ryan returns to present another evening of song, comedy and personal anecdote. Capitalising on her charm and musical abilities that are not to be sneered at she excites audience members of a more conservative leaning with the thrills of a more lascivious life that could have been.

With no shortage of musical chops, Ryan appropriates the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston and Pharrell Williams’ music all for her own nefarious purposes and to illustrate the journey of how one can become a lady of liberty.

I wonderful music talent and a ceaselessly endearing Amelia Ryan is  guaranteed good night out.

Kryztoff Rating 3K

Mar 03

FRINGE 2016: James McLean – Big Enough and Ugly Enough – 4.5K

By Anthony Nguyen

9403_James-FringeGuide-ADL-2016-4_EFUL_GUIDEAfter a successful sold-out Fringe season in 2015, James McLean is back which a revised production of his hilariously uplifting show, Big Enough and Ugly Enough, through the assistance and tutorship of award-winning artist, Wes Snelling. Having seen James McLean’s show premiering at last year’s Fringe, I had the pleasure to once again see his newly reimagined show for the 2016 Adelaide Fringe season.

Since inheriting a box of random ‘crap’ from his recently passed grandma, McLean tells a story of his struggles to become a CIA (Capable Independent Adult) as he moves out of home. The unique storytelling experience is portrayed as a series of amusing flashbacks and memories assisted with the hilarious commentary from his grandma and interactions with his conscience. From stories of the misadventures in a swinging social club, scary trips through the Yarra Ranges, and experiences in judging someone from their appearance, McLean’s self-deprecating humour reinforces his unique comedy style and is a prime focus throughout the show.

Through the distinct use of body posture and voice changes, McLean consistently proves his impressive acting ability, particularly when changing between a range of different characters. Furthermore, McLean supports his storytelling with original and hilariously written songs. Though the musical performance itself was very simple with only a keyboard, McLean’s powerful crooning vocals mixed with hilarious lyrics reflect the musical talent and comedic personality that makes him such a solid performer.

Having seen and reviewed the 2015 show, small yet effective changes were made to the show which resulted in noticeable improvements. Each segment of the narrative was structured more tightly, which allowed for the jokes to be delivered cleanly with an effective punchline. Additionally, McLean’s original songs were more polished and performed extremely well.

James McLean is a rising local talent with the type of comedic charm that will leave an impression as you leave the show. McLean is sure to return to the Adelaide Fringe in the future for more new and exciting productions. Now located in the main theatre at the Bakehouse Theatre, James McLean continues his show Big Enough and Ugly Enough until the 5th of March.

To read the previous review of James McLean’s 2015 Adelaide Fringe show, click here.

Kryztoff Rating: 4.5K

Mar 02

Fringe 2016 – Stuart Bowden – She Was Probably Not A Robot – Garden of Unearthly Delights – Rating 4K – Review by Julie Robins.

By Julie Robins

It was a warm and steamy Adelaide night with random emergency vehicle sirens adding to the ambience of the fully packed, hence cramped, setting for “She Was Probably Not a Robot”.  An off-beat, absurdist, endearingly funny one-man show wherein Stuart Bowden crowd surfs through the apocalypse (his own personal apocalypse?) trying to convince those around him that they are dead, or soon will be : a rather unusual form of audience involvement.

With occasional appearances by Celeste the alien in her homemade and rather restrictive homemade Pythonesque space helmet (yes they do sometimes appear on stage together) he instructs us in the finer points of rain tasting, the joys of model making, the dangers of sea creatures, and in how to deal with dead bodies.  This is a show that can be enjoyed as a piece of comedic theatre and/or appreciated as a demonstration of the total loneliness one can feel at times, especially when your love has left, and taken the dog with her.

When the emotional and physical tsunami have left you with nothing but a keyboard, an air mattress, and a cardboard box, then you just have to make the most of what you have.  And realize that attempting to revive a love that has died is bound to be grotesque.  One may think that the world has ended but in reality the world just keeps on going.  Although things are never quite the same.

With music, dance, and minimal props Stuart brings his stories to vividly to life and provides many a laugh along the way.

Kryztoff Rating 4K

Mar 01

FRINGE 2016: HEARTACHE & DRUM BREAKS – DELUXE – 3.5K

By Olivia Henry

 

Heartache & Drum Breaks is “not a dance party. It’s a listening party.” Created by DJ and sound designer, Tim Whitt, this show is a collection of his 300 favourite songs, set to a unique visual experience created by Trav Nash.

It is a simple concept, three years in the making: the audience is immersed in a hypnotic soundscape of music through the ages. Some recognisable, like Paul McCartney and the Gorillaz, and others less recognisable but catchy nonetheless. As the audience listens, they are presented with an intriguing visual mix of films, television clips, commercials and the like. This aspect of this show was almost psychedelic, featuring scenes like the famous hammer fight from South Korean film Oldboy, colourful elephant scenes from Dumbo and even Winnie the Pooh.

This 45-minute show is located in Deluxe in the Garden of Unearthly Delights. The venue is cosy, with beanbags in the front rows, fold-out chairs in the centre, and booths around the edges. As someone in the fold-out chairs, I felt slightly cramped and got a little restless towards the end of the show. I feel I would have enjoyed it much more sitting comfortably, drink in hand, in the beanbags or booths instead.

The music style, while not boring, does use repetitive beats. As such, this show is for lovers of modern music, pop culture, and those who can appreciate the intricacies of music production. Enjoyable overall, this immersive experience could very well pave the way for a series of similarly immersive experience for Adelaide’s audiophiles.

3.5K

There’s only one show left, check it out at the Garden of Unearthly Delights, Monday March 2 at 8:30PM. Click here for more info and More of Tim’s work:

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Mar 01

FRINGE 2016 – Abbott –The Musical – Tandanya – 4K

By Peter Maddern

After last year’s runaway success, the George Glass combination has brought their show back updated for the events in the life of our previous Prime Minister of the past 12 months.

It is a mix of the amusing, the offbeat and the vicious with the scene around Malcolm Turnbull’s courting of Julie Bishop great and the polemic around Christmas Island puerile, bordering on the unpleasant.

Nic Conway’s Abbott is masterful; the mannerisms, ears and voice a delicious parody. However, the star of this year’s show is Daniel Murnane’s Malcolm Turnbull that portrays our current PM as unctuous, up himself and upper class; his understated play on these elements clearly setting himself apart from his colleagues (and probably the whole nation.)

The songs rip along and the production is slick. Where they go next year only fates in Canberra will likely dictate but this show hits a cord of strong political satire even if it plays to the overindulged prejudices amongst the luvvies who have dined out on Abbott for so many years and risks nil in hitting on any topic that may offend them.

Kryztoff Rating 4K

Mar 01

FRINGE 2016 – Ross Voss Comedy Experience – Crown & Sceptre – 3.5K

By Peter Maddern

Away from the tents of the Croquet Club and Garden, heavily patronised by those seeking ‘safe’ entertainment, are a range of upstairs rooms that seat maybe 30 tops that host comedians who take on such ‘fringe’ names as Dave Hughes and Will Anderson at their own game.

These are the guys who set out to make 50 minutes out of material far more challenging than the aforementioned ‘superstars’ and for the most part do a much better job. Much the pity they don’t get the recognition they deserve. One such is local legend Ross Vosvotekas at the Crown & Sceptre.

There is a certain charm and appeal about Ross; an impish grin is armed with eyes that seemingly still look out on the world with a youthful amazement – a far cry from the chiselled cynicism of some of the national names that go round and round and round each year.

For his Comedy Experience, Ross, lamenting his knee injury that has halted his basketball career, divides his show up into a game’s four quarters and delivers his spiel in the singlet and pants that nature now otherwise only allows him to wear sitting on the couch watching the game.

We get, amongst other jokes and quips, a series of great puns around fruit and vegetables, the gory details on the failings of automotive repair shops and finally the limits of using family as interior decorators. Ross delivers with confidence, occasionally stopping the clock to set his audience straight on some detail or other as his hour passes effortlessly and without the abysmal slide into vulgarities that so called funny people resort to.

So, take a punt lovers of comedy on Ross and his ilk. They’re different – want to know why? Well, Ross for one is pro gluten!

Kryztoff Rating 3.5K

Mar 01

FRINGE 2016 – Visual Arts – Photography

By Peter Maddern

The visual arts program of the Fringe seems to be getting smaller and smaller as each year passes. No doubt the success of SALA in August contributes to this but trying to garner an audience via the voluminous Fringe guide gets harder and harder and having to fork out $395 for the privilege starts to get expensive as well.

There are a few exhibitions dedicated solely to photography of which Grit at the Hart’s Mill Packing Shed at Port Adelaide is the standout.

Saved from an on-the-nose developer in 2012, once opened to those dedicated to its saviour and preservation the Packing Shed revealed a treasure trove of a world now mostly of another era. Grit is the theme of the works on display by a range of local artists including some of those who were originally bestowed with the honour of first dibs at recording the shed.

Of these Tony Kearney’s works are the stand out, most particularly those from 2012 re-presented here of the interior of the building. Kearney’s masterful control of the tonal range take us back revealing immense detail of the engineering that originally made the place operational. One just senses that the workers will soon enter and take up their places again as each view plays itself out in the mind. My favourite of the interior scenes was that of the wired window that welcomed in brilliant light onto some wooden structures just within. His external panorama of the adjoining building taken from Hart Street is also a gem.

Brent Leideritz is a portrait photographer and his Revelation6 at the Gusto Hair Salon on Waymouth Street is worth a visit. Drawing inspiration from the Bible’s Revelation 6 v1-17, Leiderwitz presents five panels containing 4×4 heads, mostly of younger people but also the occasional horse’s head, all in black and white.

There are beards and breasts, some passive, others up for a fight, a few seemingly beaten by their day. The quizzical, the spirited, the sexy, the demonic and the modest all look out at the viewer through their port holes as a passing parade of humanity, each albeit reduced to a face but in actuality full bodies of life carrying with them its vicissitudes of hopes and challenges.

Finally, at the Exeter, which always opens its doors to smaller art exhibitions, is Edge of Insanity presented by the Cut Snake Collective. Not much there of much appeal to this reviewer other a stunning work by Amanda Bramwell entitled The Traveller. In it a spiffy looking young gent in the bottom right corner with a coat watch looks out on the passing parade of folk of a much later era than his demeanour and attire would suggest. The sepia tone may have one immediately feeling this is taken in India or somewhere in the Middle East but it’s not; it’s from one of those popular bustling lanes in Melbourne that this town longs to possess. The light, ambience and perspective make this one print worth taking in a pint or two to enjoy during the Fringe.

 

Feb 29

Fringe 2016 – The Walking Dreads – Fabien Clark – Producers Cranny – Rating 4K – Review by Julie Robins

By Julie Robins

Arriving in Adelaide direct from the Perth Festival The Walking Dreads is a comedy show about divorce, Tinder, and the horrors of re-entering the world of dating.  Don’t be misled by the photo of Fabien in the Fringe Guide because this is not a show about zombies, but about the drastic effect these experiences can have on a person.  Although close up in the (very) cosy venue of the Producers Cranny  he does make quite a convincing zombie.

Fabien regaled the audience with hilarious tales of his relationship woes ; relationships with children, parents, mates and audiences, as well as romance and attempted romance. He is a consummate storyteller whose humour is mostly self-deprecating, he doesn’t rely on the cruel humour that seems to be the stock in trade of many comedians.  The hour rolled by smoothly with laughs throughout, the couple of jokes which fell a bit flat he intelligently turned to his advantage and had us laughing all the more.

The Walking Dreads will be delivering cautionary tales on topics as diverse  as how to behave in a Finnish sauna, on getting engaged, on why not to take your young child with you on a first date, through to what not to say in a radio interview.  So you have until March 13th if you’d like to find out how Fabien ended up with dreadlocks and the bad tattoo he refused to show us (and much much more).

Kryztoff Rating 4K

Feb 29

FRINGE 2016: MUSIC – Adelaide The Songs – The Grace Emily Hotel – 3.5K

Originally conceived as a workshop and performance during History Week last year, Adelaide The Songs, sees seven local singer/songwriters coming together to perform their original compositions about our fair city. Each performer takes the lead for one or two of the songs, with various combinations of back-up provided by the others, both vocally and instrumentally.

While the team involved in this show is reduced from the original thirteen involved in the project, the stage at the Grace Emily was still very full when all performers joined in a song, so that at times one was concerned that they might run into one another. This lack of space also made the transitions between songs a little less smooth than might have been desired, as they strived to switch instruments, stage positions and microphone heights.

The musical style is predominantly easy-listening folk-rock, however the different composers and performance combinations help to add some variation to the pieces and to prevent them from becoming too samey. It also allows the stronger musicians to support those with less confidence. The combination of guitar and piano accordion was particularly effective in several songs.

The topics covered range from general odes to Adelaide, its design, its construction history and those involved in creating it, through to more specific songs about beer, jazz clubs, and local characters. These more focused songs are the most enjoyable lyrically, a highlight being “Tango” which looks at the various prohibitions that have previously been upheld in South Australia.

This will be a pleasant way for local history buffs and/or folk music fans to spend an afternoon during the Fringe; and if you like what you hear, a more extensive show has also been touted for this year’s History Week.

Kryztoff rating: 3.5K

Feb 28

FRINGE 2016: THEATRE – Defrosted – Le Cascadeur, The Garden of Unearthly Delights – 3K

DEFRO2016by glen r johns

As you can tell from the title, Defrosted is a pastiche of the megahit Frozen. A simple set, designed for touring: just a screen (reminding me of the Paramount Pictures mountain logo) hiding a swag of props, a cheap freezer & a guitar. Cat and Nicko are onstage bantering about favourite Disney princesses as the audience come in. Princesses outweigh the princes 3:1, with an average age of about 5.

Then we’re away. There’s lots of energy, lots of physicality, audience interaction (kids onstage, kids calling out), and a few almost recognisable songs to hook the little ones in. The blizzard is a wonderfully fun lazzo returned to over and over.

As with its inspiration, story is somewhat lacking. A magical freezer acts as a kind of Macguffin designed to sleigh ride us along, but as often as not the skits snowball away from that into silliness without apparent reason. The players only introduce themselves 20 minutes in, which by that point seems redundant, and simply slows things down. But the girls in the audience are loving it. The boys take a little longer to warm up — the ample application of poop and fart jokes helps; as do some lovely slapstick moments involving Niko’s head coming into contact with a range of things.

That said there a few Adult Jokes, I saw mums & dads looking to each other and smiling at references to Lonely Planet guides and “me-time”. However, it’s odd that in a show about a ‘strong’ ‘mould’-breaking Disney princess, it’s the guy who has the bulk of the gags, and the starring role. Granted, he was very physically adept, but it just seemed … off. And when Cat had a few key moments towards the end, she really shone. Ironically the highlight is a sing-along with the most beautiful princess in the room — a reluctantly roped in dad.

All that said. I’m not the target demographic by about four decades. Cat and Nicko are good enough clowns to make this pleasant family theatre for the under 8’s.

Kryztoff rating: 3K