Feb 19

FRINGE 2015 – THE TOP SHOWS TO SEE – FROM WEEK 1

Perhaps there is something in the water, but our reviewers are really liking a lot this Fringe.

Check out these shows (starting at the back of the Fringe Guide!) this weekend that we have given 5Ks to:

Blood at the Root – Theatre – Holden Street
Antillia – Theatre – Holden Street
Destroyer of Worlds – Theatre – Tuxedo Cat
King In Exile – Theatre – Holden Street
Medicine – Theatre – Bakehouse
Stop Start – Theatre – Bakehouse

A Simple Space – Circus – Croquet Club
Limbo – Circus – GOUD

Geraldine Quinn – MDMA – Cabaret – Producers

And for light relief:

Arj Barker – Comedy – Arts Theatre
Harley Breen – Comedy – GOUD

Check out all our reviews right here.

Feb 19

FRINGE 2015 – Arj Barker – Get in My Head – Arts Theatre – 4K

arts_arts1By Peter Maddern

Having worked out the Fringe going annual wasn’t right for him and his audience, Californian Arj Barker now graces the planks of the Arts Theatre only in the odd numbered years. By his count he has been in the comedy caper for around 25 years and certainly he has been a staple here for this century at least. Yet, time does not seem to have affected him; he wears the same fading black t-shirt, there are only scant signs of a middle aged paunch, he still lives with his girlfriend and he says he still rents.

In this his Get in My Head Show, some recognition of his life’s journey did show itself with his shared unhappiness with small children of flying and the need to lie about his age whenever he is asked. But like most of Arj’s material, he is drawing on an educated, middle class world of motherhood statements and gestures that his perceptive eye focuses quickly on and razor wit dissects.

From self-absorbed children to the relative merits of Al Qaeda, from ageing face masks to preparing for sterility, being ‘comfortable’ to the merits of hanging out at dog beaches, Arj delivers sixty very full minutes of laughs. With his history here Arj also relishes shining a local mirror into our eyes; in this show the SAMRI building, MAC TV ads and the current fad of burger shops take his fancy.

Sure we all have our favourites, but Arj for mine is consistently the best comedian to come through town as part of the Fringe circus – he’s funny, he knows his audience and he always stays well clear of the crassness and crudity that others always seem to find the need to descend to.

Good having you back Arj Barker.

Kryztoff Rating     4K

Feb 19

FRINGE 2015: Harley Breen – Just a Fully Naked Encounter – 4K

By Anthony Nguyen

10872774_337011619824781_5149430435313484508_oEntering the stage with a beer in hand, Harley Breen wastes no time showing bare skin in the nude theme of his show ‘Just a Fully Naked Encounter’. With several comedy awards under his belt including Spleen Comic of the Year and Comics’ Choice ‘Piece of Wood’ Award, Breen displays experience in creating high enthusiasm and humour throughout his performance.

Self-classified as a ‘lumbersexual’, Breen tells of his hilarious experiences including: his sex and drug-filled antics whilst travelling through Asia, various Tinder hookup adventures, and the daily struggles as a single parent. Breen is clearly shown to be a vigorous performer and maintains his high energy throughout the duration of the show.

Some of Breen’s humour may come off quite heavy to sensitive ears as topics most typically centred on sex, drugs, and even religion along with the use of high coarse language. One passing joke was also made about the Malaysian Airlines flights which left most of the audience a bit hesitant with some awkward laughter. Regardless, Breen is able to effectively play off the reactions of the crowd in continuing hilarity.

Harley Breen is a recognised Australian comic having had many successful national comedy tours. Breen continues his show, Just a Fully Naked Encounter, at the Campanile in the Garden of Unearthly Delights for the 2015 Adelaide Fringe until March 1st. Raw comedy in all its bareness, be prepared as you may or may not see everything his body can physically offer.

Warning: There may be traces of nut.

Kryztoff Rating: 4K

Feb 18

FRINGE 2015: Destroyer of Worlds – Tuxedo Cat: Cusack Theatre – 5K

Depending on which circles you move in, and/or the tone of your voice, describing a play as being perfect Fringe fare can be a ringing endorsement or a dire warning. I want to assure you that, when I say this about Destroyer of Worlds, I mean it in the most complimentary way possible. The “seriously, you should see this, it’s excellent” way. So, yeah, Destroyer of Worlds is perfect Fringe fare.

Writer Caleb Lewis has created a semi-autobiographical play, quirkily weaving the lives of Robert Oppenheimer – the inventor of the atomic bomb – and Haruo Nakajima – the man famous for portraying Godzilla on screen a dozen times – in with his own story of a failed relationship fifteen years ago. He has created something that is like watching a Charlie Kaufman film, on stage. It is sweet, funny, intricate, and highly entertaining.

The fourth wall is broken (if it was ever there to begin with) and we meet actors Bec and Phil, who play out short scenes from each of the protagonists’ lives. Both are engaging performers and bring humour and pathos to their multiple roles. In between, a small projection screen names the scenes and also shows snippets of an interview with Lewis’ mum. With this many, seemingly unrelated, things going on, it would be easy to get lost, or for the show to feel disjointed, but Lewis’ writing is tight and each of the parts come together to make a cohesive whole. There’s a lot to appreciate here.

Kryztoff Rating: 5K

Feb 18

Fringe 2015 – Limbo – The Garden of Unearthly Delights: Aurora Spiegeltent – 5K

By Tom Eckert

 

It shouldn’t really surprise anyone anymore that Limbo is phenomenal. Held in the fantastical Aurora Spiegeltent, dark, moody and lined with mirrors which have you looking over your shoulder for phantasms you are not entirely sure aren’t there.

It is as though someone distilled the essence of cirque, set it alight and put it down in front of you in a baroque crystal shot glass.

The entire show is a riot of immense physicality, sexuality and violent energy; rich in the symbolism of dreams and nightmares and lorded over by a capricious god figure in white with nothing but a bullhorn, a mouth organ and an effects microphone.

The show is forged on the backs of a herculean cast who, through inhuman feats of strength, flexibility, agility and grace keep an entire audience captivated for every second of the seventy minute show. This is only heightened by the spice of incredibly distinct characterisation and abstract narrative as well as audience interaction; all without so much as a line of dialogue.

Limbo is one of the heights that performance art can aspire to achieve. Simultaneously intimate and alienating as you can’t help but realise the distinction between these performers and mere mortals, underpinned by a fast paced, sonorous band that resonates somewhere deep in the primal brain. Do yourself a favour and marvel at one of the best shows the fringe has to offer.

Kryyztoff Rating: 5K

 

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Feb 18

FRINGE 2015 – Le Gateau Chocolat – Icons – Garden / Deluxe – 1.5K

By Peter Maddern

The allure and attraction of drag queen acts is long lasting and it seems equally shared by both men and women. Just what are the specifics of that allure have never been particularly obvious to me but no doubt they relate to the presentation of the knowingly flawed vision of perfection and the capacity to enchant, entertain and entice harmlessly. From Roman times through Shakespeare to Las Vegas and elsewhere today, the genre’s got legs.

I think it a stretch to describe Le Gateau as a drag queen act, I think a man in drag would be sufficient. Gracing the small Deluxe stage the tall Nigerian born, now English resident presented as a cross between Serena Williams and Orson Welles. If not confronting, then certainly Le Gateau was hard to embrace with spandex dress, false eyelashes that looked like feral caterpillars and a substantial beard.

But that was not the problem with the show – no sirree. Billed as an ‘opera and lyric-loving cabaret sensation’, the fundamental flaw was that the man can’t sing very well. While his grasp at the lower levels of the register is adequate, he has neither the voice nor the style to carry off even mid-range notes – trying to hang on any of them makes many of his audience want to reach for a rope as well. His second song, the Elvis Presley staple, Always on my Mind had me scrambling for my Fringe app to see whether this show was placed in the Cabaret or the Comedy sections. I would suggest a night of the greatest hits of Barry White, Robert Gourlet and Dennis Roussos was as much as his voice could handle.

But if that had people feeling uneasy, to cheer the punters up, we then had songs about boys who had left him, either topping themselves or going off with girls because they were straight. The patter that got us there beggared belief. The arrangements accompanying all these works were somewhat uninspired and the continual use of rear lighting an increasing annoyance.

It’s not often one should suggest a visit by an artist to the room of mirrors but for the sake of his audiences that are forking out a hard earned 35 (or more) to see him over the next three weeks Le Gateau could well do with a some lengthy spells there over the next few days.

Kryztoff Rating 1.5K

Feb 18

FRINGE 2015: Leo – Royal Croquet Club – The Menagerie – 4K

One man who defies gravity as he finds himself trapped in a simple room lit by a single light bulb with his briefcase discovering that the world he finds himself in has shifted. As his curiosity overcomes the fear, Leo finds self entertaining ways to exploit his discovery to eventually reach a point where his loneliness overshadows. A point where he gets lost in his own imagination as his need for company takes over.

Is this brilliantly choreographed physical circus with a twist, exploring the madness that ensues finding yourself alone held hostage by your imagination?

William Bonnett’s quality of performance with unbelievable body control and strength creates what appears to be happening to the left side of the stage in such a natural and believable way for the audience to see as they become captivated.

At Royal Croquet Club – The Menagerie until Sunday 15 March.

http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/leo/ff8e8840-24d5-4292-9066-2de1902a9571

http://y2d-shows.com/

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Feb 17

FRINGE 2015: King in Exile Holden St Theatre – 4.5K

The humble Holden Street Theatre hosts The King In Exile, a witty, fantastical exploration of culture, regime change and impotence in many of its forms.

Initially, the play is focused on an alien king removed from his home planet and placed in Australia, where he faces traumatizing adversity. A not so subtle metaphor for the life and experiences of a young migrant and his family, as the play outlines. There are some novel ideas explored in this work, including the long term effects of bullying and the impact and outcomes that become apparent further in life.

 

The play also explores adversity and the powerlessness felt by those who can’t or won’t conform. Not fitting in is an issue faced by most people at some point in their lives and this play demonstrates the heartache and pressure on people, particularly immigrants, in aligning with a new culture.

 

The simple set pushed the onus of performance onto the cast who carried the performance wonderfully. The star, Thomas Kay, had a slightly wooden beginning, but as the play continued to unfold he mastered his role and encapsulated the audience. His antagonist, Leigh Ormsby, was the definition of truculence, belligerently launching into tirades and denigrating Kay masterfully. The other characters performed wonderfully, although the Macbeth inspired witches were at times a bit much to bear.

 

This absurdist play is not one to be missed. A fun, lighthearted endeavor which raises real questions about Australian cultural change and social adversity. A fantastic cast of characters which mean that it is difficult to find an audience member who cannot relate in some way to one of the many, at times outlandish, characters. Immigration and xenophobia are perennial issues in Australian culture and this play raises an interesting, sometimes forgotten voice of the tortured individual attempting to fit in.

 

4.5K

Feb 17

FRINGE 2015: Medicine – Bakehouse Theatre: The Studio – 4.5K

TJ Dawe has an unassuming presence as he takes to the stage, but once he starts to speak, this transforms into a quiet powerfulness that engages and holds your attention. He tells the story of his quest to understand his inner workings more intimately through consumption of ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant (the Medicine of the show’s title), at a week-long retreat.

Dawe is highly skilled in the art of storytelling. This isn’t a word perfect, finely polished, recitation. It is an elegantly natural account of Dawe’s experiences, his thoughts, his feelings – all delivered with an honest vulnerability that is transfixing. For anyone interested in psychology, this is an engrossing show. The reasons behind our personalities, our behaviours and our life-view can be many and varied, and the ways events and experiences affect us can be unusual and unexpected. As evidenced in Dawe’s intriguing story.

At times it can feel as though you’ve accidently come to a self-help seminar, rather than a Fringe show, but Dawe manages to keep it just on the acceptable side of this line. This is managed primarily because it’s all about him and his story; the only conversion witnessed is his and you can take or leave the philosophical concepts presented, as you choose. Following a surprising revelation early in the piece, Dawe keeps the pace just right to ensure that you are engrossed in the smaller details of the tale, while also working towards the denouement.

A simple, yet intricate, production, Medicine is fascinating and rewarding. Though, it may not be the show for you if you suffer from involuntary sympathetic vomiting.

Kryztoff rating: 4.5K

Feb 17

FRINGE 2015: Stop Start – Bakehouse Theatre: Main Stage – 5K

At its heart, Stop Start is an intricately crafted portrait of two brothers, estranged for a long time, with a shared past, but with very different recollections of the details. It is also an interesting exploration of addiction and craving, their history, and the different ways they can manifest themselves. The show has a self-aware dreamlike quality, with one protagonist who is probably high and the other who is having flashbacks while undergoing the process of being embalmed. It is a pleasing hallucinatory journey.

There are fewer characters than in Dawson Nichols’ previous works but the same complete and mesmerising embodiment is present in his performance. The distinct physicality of each persona is clear, yet subtle; not signposted or trite, just there, natural. Where previous works saw Nichols jump sharply from character to character, precisely delineating them, the transitions in Stop Start are fluid and gradual, as one character blends into the other and then back the other way. Subtle lighting helps to accentuate these personality slips. Barely moving from his chair, it is Nichols’ extraordinary presence and immersion in the narrative that fills the space and draws you in.

While still requiring the audience to concentrate in order to understand the flow of the story, the structure of the show is well conceived and neatly interweaves the different segments into a cohesive whole. The epilogue character is a nice resolution and brings the desired climax without being corny.  Nichols again shows us how truly good, Fringe theatre can be.

Kryztoff Rating: 5K