Feb 17

FRINGE 2016 – CIRCUS – VELVET – The Garden – 4K

By Peter Maddern

Velvet is the latest headline circus act to inhabit the Spiegeltent at The Garden. Like its forebears, it mixes the usual elements of handstands, acrobatics and hoops.

Where Velvet takes its audience in a different direction is with the use of music. Powered by a dude upstairs wearing headphones that look like they may have been designed by Damien Hirst (and later a similarly composed mask), Velvet draws heavily on pulsating 70’s disco to deliver its punch. From La Belle through to the Bee Gees we go back, with a haunting Donna Summer I Feel Love still ringing in my ears hours after the show ended.

Added to this is a welcome string of songs from Marcia Hines, all very apt given the recent TV series about Molly Meldrum. Looking a little rigid but still possessed of her distinctive vocals, Hines delighted whether in gold or purple, solo or serenading one of the other cast members.

While the first 30 minutes were stunning entertainment, the reduced use of circus from there on turned the show into more of a sing-a-long than physical theatre. For ten minutes it went kind of weird – a form of Studio 54 in the Spiegeltent – before the kink was ironed out somewhat for the finale.

As always, The Garden producers have delivered a great show and patrons attending wont begrudge the high ticket price, though they may need to advise the baby sitter the show will finish a lot late than advertised.

Kryztoff Rating 4K

Feb 17

Fringe 2016 – Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar – The Garden of Unearthly Delights – The Deluxe– 4K

By Tom Eckert

YETID2016

Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar, a production from EastEnd Cabaret and Dead Man Comedy who also brought us East End Caberet, presents us with another exercise in the delightfully absurd.

You soon give up on following the narrative of this show for, whilst it is there, it swings so rapidly between the earnest and the ridiculous. If it weren’t for the elaborate costumes and synchronised harmonies it would be hard to shake the feeling that they  are making it all up as they go along, and if that were the case it would be phenomenal. The chemistry this pair have on stage is brilliant and endlessly entertaining, bouncing off each other faster than the mind can keep up with, so much so that I find it easier to just sit back and roll with the flow.

With a cast of characters including a disembodied head curiously reminiscent of John Howard, a murderous keyboard player and a yeti made up of what can only be the entire mop stock in IKEA, you are forever kept on the edge of your seat an impregnated with the fear of being singled out by one or another of these deranged entities.

Having seen both Yeti’s and East End Cabaret I have to admit that some of the schtick is rehashed from the previous show; an unrequited love with a psychotic spurned lover, a party sequence that brings us all the way to the next morning and the prolonged seduction of an audience member. For me however, this in no way detracted from the show. The content is fabulous and genuinely hilarious ranging from the sacred to the (more frequently) profane with just enough improvisation to keep the energy of unpredictability alive. Don’t think these are mavericks or amateurs however, the songs a re slick, the one liners have immense impact  and there is not a single moment of the show that is not enjoyable.

My jaw continues to ache from laughing even this morning an dI intend to continue to see their shows each time they put out a new one.

Kryztoff Rating 4K

Feb 16

FRINGE 2016 – National Maestro Impro Games

By Julia Cudsi

 

If you’re anything like me, pretty much the most impressive thing that anybody can do is make something up, on the spot, in front of an audience. If you somehow manage to make your improvised performance funny, or filled with pathos, or even halfway entertaining, you’ve got my vote.

Described by hilarious MC Jarrad Parker as something akin to “The Hunger Games” (without infringing copyright, of course) meets “Whose Line is it Anyway”, the format of this show – staged in the German Club – involves a series of improv performers going head to head in a variety of challenges designed to push them to their limits. Over the course of the evening, performers are eliminated gradually until only the most popular – as voted by the audience – wins the coveted prize, and the right to compete against Australia’s best improvisers towards the end of the Fringe.

The format, which hinges upon audience participation, is highly entertaining, especially when matched with the fine European beers on offer at the German Club. Be prepared for an evening of riotous laughs, all without a script.

This show – another brainchild of the always entertaining On the Fly improv troupe – is sure to be the perfect complement to your Fringe experience.

4,5K

 

Feb 16

FRINGE 2016: THEATRE – The Last Time I Saw Richard – Bakehouse Theatre – 4.5K

The Last Time I saw Richard is a quirky, well-paced, exploration of a romantic relationship. Written by Cat Commander, it’s an eloquently penned series of encounters between two people, which is often funny, sometimes moving and always engaging. When we first meet them, April and Richard are newly acquainted and clearly hitting it off. The exact circumstances surrounding their meeting are unclear, and as the play rolls along we’re given more of an idea of what their connection is not, rather than exactly what it is.

Commander has been judicious with her scripting of this intriguing liaison. There are enough questions left unanswered, enough information not given, to leave you wondering just what the whole picture would look like, but not so many gaps that it feels unfinished. These are glimpses of the protagonists’ lives, this is their mutual story and what goes on the rest of the time is a different world – there, but not necessarily relevant to the here and now. It’s a satisfying experience; like that feeling of being full, but not having overindulged.

Without chemistry between the actors, this show simply wouldn’t work, but Charles Mayer and Elizabeth Hay create sparking interactions, injecting the scenes with a pleasing mixture of sexual tension and tenderness. Both give strong performances, delivering their lines with a naturalness that ensures each encounter is believable and interesting.

The restrictions presented by the quick turn-around necessary during Fringe have seen designers Craig Behenna, Brad Williams and Matt Crook produce a highly effective combination of set and lighting which, while minimalist, define the space well and allow for smooth and clear transitions from scene to scene. Despite the action taking place in a string of similar hotel rooms, each is identifiably unique, and director Craig Behenna has managed to keep the movement, and use of the space, fresh throughout. The overall experience is completed with excellent sound design and musical selections (Michael Darren), which often lend the scene changes a late 90’s film vibe. This is another excellent, and technically clever, offering from five.point.one.

Kryztoff rating: 4.5K

Feb 15

FRINGE 2016: THEATRE – A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – Holden Street Theatres – 5K

As the winner of Holden Street Theatres’ Edinburgh Award, A Gambler’s Guide to Dying has a reputation to live up to, and it does so with ease.

This unusual coming of age tale, focuses on an eleven year old’s relationship with his grandfather, as he is introduced to the world of gambling; to the thrill of waiting on the outcome, and the surge of adrenaline that comes from the possibility that you might have won. Equally though, it addresses the downside to this habit, through the eyes of a young man finding his way in the world, learning that not everything is as straightforward as it may seem as a child, and that not all bets pay off.

It is that the story takes place at this point in the boy’s life that makes it work so well. It enables flexibility that may have been lost with a more mature protagonist. While old enough to accurately describe the events going on, there’s still a charming naivety to the character with regards to his belief in his grandfather and the world. How much of the stories being told are true is never quite certain, and whether they were embellished by the boy himself, or his grandfather in the original telling, is equally enigmatic and adds a mythical charm to the whole tale.

The writing is tight; the story well-structured to fill the hour perfectly, without any lags in the narrative. Not a word feels out of place – delivered in an expressive Scottish accent, they practically dance out of writer/performer Gary McNair’s mouth, as he weaves them together to create a colourful rendering of an unusual childhood and the characters in it. The switch between individuals is clear and easily discernible, with each having nicely selected nuances to their personalities which flag for the audience whose voice they’re currently listening to. While the subject matter is often serious, there is a buoyancy throughout, with humour found even in the toughest moments.

This is a bittersweet tale, and a performance of the highest calibre. A sure top pick of this year’s Fringe.

Kryztoff rating: 5K

Feb 14

FRINGE 2016 – CABARET – Peter Goers in Actors Drunks etc – 4.5K

Peter Goers Image (5)By Peter Maddern

Like the chocolate frog, Peter Goers can be rightly considered an icon of this state, a living treasure in a time when too few remain. His enigmatic style is as much encapsulated by this show finding its way into the ‘Cabaret’ portion of the voluminous Fringe guide (with not a musical instrument in sight) as it is as often called by reference to ‘actors and drunks and babies’ and it is about ‘old people having a good time’.

For the first 45 minutes of this story telling fest, delivered with infectious goodwill and enthusiasm, Goers relates in a red silk dressing gown with a quaint white scarf firmly affixed around his neck. For the last stanza it is a cream jacket of such a delicious hue that one would choose to lick it rather than a Magnum White ice-cream in search of favour – and we all thought Richie Benaud had the hold on the most celebrated off-white jacket this country has known.

From Peter Allen to Dame Joan Hammond, Toni LaMonde to Frank Thring and Betty Davis to Barry Humphries, Goers’s stories of these greats are terrific fun, done in a style nearly now lost in the tents of Garden of Unearthly Delights, infused with many a hint of the aforementioned Humphries, the earnest knowledge of film critic Bill Collins and the flamboyance of the great Peter Ustinov.

Being a relative spring chicken in the audience, many of the fables were of just names alone, some spiced maybe some faint memories, but this hardly derogated from enjoying quality yarns brilliantly told.

Peter Goers is great and this show is a gem.

 

Kryztoff Rating 4.5K

Feb 14

Fringe 2016 – Hotel Tokyo – Gluttony – The Octagon – 2K

By Tom Eckert

Hotel Tokyo

 

Hotel Tokyo are giving nothing away with their title or description and so you are left to draw your own conclusions before walking into The Octagon.

However, upon taking your seat and letting your eyes wander over the Pokémon-onesie clad cast bounding around the edge taking selfie’s with the audience decked out in Harajuku-esque makeup and wigs you sort of start to have a good idea.

First and foremost, Cup O’ Tea Productions and Trucked Up Entertainment have some excellent performers. Performing timeless circus and burlesque including silks, fire dancing and a python they manage to accomplish what these acts typically do, holding the audience awe struck by the power and finesse that the human body is capable of.

Unfortunately, impressive as much of it is, this is where the merit of the show ends. The premise of Hotel Tokyo is a Japan-ification of the classic circus variety show. And whilst the concept is potentially sound the execution unfortunately falls flat. Rather than adding an exciting or exotic element to the feats being performed, it instead distracts from them.

The impression that the audience is left with is that this show was concocted by a fan of weekend anime who, having seen his drunken mate’s photos from their recent trip to Japan thought “that looks cool, we could totally do that.”

With flashy special effects and kitschy costumes the show rings a little to earnest for genuine irony. Making a self-referential note that there are in fact no Japanese members of the cast (or anyone not Caucasian for that matter) Hotel Tokyo does what Caucasians do best; take a culture and in utilising it for their own ends, strip it of all but the superficial aesthetic elements.

Hotel Tokyo is every Australian who ever visited Tokyo, got drunk and ran through Shinjuku yelling “Sugoi”, “Kawaii” and “Yosh.”

Kryztoff Rating: 2K

 

Feb 14

FRINGE 2016: Scotch and Soda – 4.5K

With an increasingly large amount of circus and physical theatre options to choose from throughout Fringe season, it can be easy to miss one or two gems in favour of the bigger names. One such show that shouldn’t be missed is Scotch and Soda, an hour-long acrobatic ode to Outback Australia, located in the Panama tent at The Royal Croquet Club.

A jazz-meets-acrobatics experience, Scotch and Soda is an inventive show. With both a five-piece bluegrass and jazz band and a five-person acrobatic troupe, Scotch and Soda manages to fit a lot of character and comedy into its intimate space. The show has a mixture of upbeat jazz tunes and fast-paced performances, as well as slower, more intimate numbers. The five acrobats certainly have a mixture of talents, including trapeze, dance, contortionism, and gymnastics; one highlight of the show was a gasp-inducing stacking act, with an acrobat creating a tower of crates that almost reached the ceiling. There is a comedic thread woven through the show, and the cast members tended to interact with the audience, even performing parts of the show in the middle of the aisle.

The set design and costuming is fantastic; the use of corrugated iron, old crates, suitcases, and mattresses was fantastic, and well-incorporated into the show, even with the use of some instruments, like a homemade bottle-cap stick for percussion. The band were included in the acrobatics, with one memorable act being the marriage of a double-bassist to his instrument.

Although it is mostly a family-friendly event, parents should beware that there is some mild nudity. Despite this, Scotch and Soda is a hilarious, impressive show that is well worth a visit to Victoria Square’s pop-up venue.

Kryztoff Rating: 4.5K

Feb 14

FRINGE 2016: Theatre – The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer – The Royal Croquet Club – 5K

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, is a family show about death; and it’s a wonderful experience. Through cute animation, deft puppetry, and a delightfully whimsical soundtrack, theatre company The Last Great Hunt, and specifically performer Tim Watts, have crafted an engaging show that has both adults and children alike in rapture.

The earth has become one large ocean and those few people who survive are forced to dwell in tiny houses perched precariously atop the tallest structures in the world. An alternative must be found before humanity is wiped out completely. After the death of his wife, Alvin Sputnik volunteers to dive down into the depths of the ocean to try to find a prophesised new world. The ocean also happens to be where Alvin saw his wife’s soul disappear and he’s desperate to be reunited with her.

The unfolding story is one of beauty and harsh reality; the demise of the world as we know it and the death of many is not sugar coated or brushed over but is presented in a hauntingly honest fashion. At the same time, it is also a story of love, hope and bravery and has many very funny and uplifting moments throughout. It is this precise balance of heartbreak and joy which makes it work so well. For children, it’s an opportunity to see something that addresses a subject which adults often avoid talking about with them, presented in a way which is upfront, but not disturbing, and very entertaining. Adelaide audiences are lucky to have a second opportunity to see this excellent show.

Kryztoff rating: 5K

Feb 13

FRINGE 2016: The Naked Magicians – 4.5K

By Anthony Nguyen

10576_TNM---New-image_EFUL_GUIDEBeing on the fringe circuit for several years now, Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler return as The Naked Magicians at the 2016 Adelaide Fringe this year. Highly energetic and enthusiastic performers, Wayne and Tyler serve as great comedic hosts for a fun night out with lots of raunchy magic and bare nakedness.

Armed with items such as a sex doll and a large inflatable penis, the sexually-charged theme of the show is clearly set. Wayne and Tyler add a saucy twist to their magical acts through sexual jokes, puns, hip thrusts, and lots of grinding. Playfully exposing their well-defined bodies, they are comfortable with stripping down, revealing their bare bottoms and even a penis or two.

In typical magic show fashion, Wayne and Tyler incorporate the audience as much as they can during the tricks, bringing up many different audience members to assist them with the performances. The show clearly requires a lot of audience participation and the audience were completely receptive through the magicians’ playful and provocative attitude.

Consisting of many magic tricks of different varieties up their sleeve, Wayne and Tyler do not fail to wow and amaze the audience with card tricks, mind games and a hilarious straightjacket escape. Though some tricks were slightly more predictable than others, the magicians’ performance made it extremely entertaining. However, the raw sexual comedy overpowers the magic itself at times, resulting in making us forget it’s a magic show until the trick reveals.

Located in the Octagon stage at Gluttony, The Naked Magicians show continues throughout the Adelaide Fringe performing most nights until February 21st. Bring all your girlfriends (and guy friends) and as the Naked Magicians would quote: prepare to be thrilled with some full frontal ‘sexy ass magic’.

Kryztoff Rating: 4.5K