Review: The Little Dog Laughed

The Little Dog Laughed

Douglas Carter Beane's satire The Little Dog Laughed ('TLDL') is a fast moving and biting reminder of the hypocrisy of Hollywood in relation to sex. Dianne, is a Machiavellian Hollywood agent,(Tamsin Grieg) Her top client, Mitchell, is very gay and very much in the closet. (Rupert Friend). Trouble and chaos ensures when Michell falls for a rent boy (Harry Lloyd) who also has a girlfriend Ellen (Gemma Aterton). Dianne hatches a plan to buy off Ellen and match her up with Mitchell. What could go wrong? She also has to work on Michell's next project by convincing the script writer to change the leading character from gay to straight. Are you keeping up? Yes, there's a lot going on and it's fun.

TLDL is a reminder to us that the dream factory of Hollywood is still full of sexual hypocrisy and secrecy about the true sexual orientation of leading men and women. We are pointedly reminded that there are still no openly gay leading men on our screens. As a satire on Hollywood, The Little Dog Laughed brings nothing new to the conversation but the performances are strong, the production is well paced and it is a thoroughly entertaining night out at the theatre.

TLDL is a real showcase for Greig's splendid comic talents and she revels in the role of Diane. A real 'tour de force'. Lloyd is engaging as the rent boy with a heart and Friend and Aterton provide solid support to Greig.

Take along your gay best friend and have some champus at intermission for a fun night out in the West End.

Reviewed by Snazzy Shoes

At The Garrick Theatre, London
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
www.garrick-theatre.com

Selected market estate pictures.

See the market estate pictures here.

Spring is here. Cherry blossoms are out at the Columbia Road Flower Market.

The cherry blossoms are out. This means spring is on its way.


The columbia road flower market is perfect on a Sunny sunday afternoon. Rummage for bargains in the flee market, or in one of the designy stores.


A nice little beer, a pot of prawns or perhaps an asparagus+egg bagel will help you on your journey.


Brave the ever-so-polite crowds to get four pots of lavender for a fiva. Or perhaps some safron bulbs for a pound. Or maybe you like pansies?


Have a listen to the stall owners shouting out to the punters... it's quite funny.

happy hour

Happy hour can be three hours long. Happy hour can be at the end of a work day, or on a 4am dance floor. Happy hour can be for ladies only. Happy hour can be illegal.

Happy hour can be in a laundry mat.


Happy hour may cause you to balance drinks on your man bag.

Hackney vegetable gardening workshops.

London underground construction

Weekends on the Tube are getting more exciting. London is starting to panic. Something is happening in 2012, and London hasn't quite got its shit together yet. Can't have everyone thinking London stinks. First the tubes need a bit of a clean out, and the weekends are the time to clean things up.


In a well articulated voice, the announcer calls out via speakers littered around the stations : 'there are closures at X... between Y and Z. Closures on the N line between X and Z...'. It goes on, and on. The announcers message runs for five minutes listing all of the closed lines.


Meanwhile construction goes on around the clock. Intensifying on weekends. London does not want to inconvenience its workers too much. So a lot of the stoppages do not happen on the weekdays. However, now the panic is setting in - 2012 is approaching fast! So week day closures are starting to happen too.

Comic Strip Live at Screen on the Green

"Everyman Screen on the Green is proud to present Comic Strip Live, a two month season of great comedy and music entertainment taking place every Friday at midnight until 3am, from 19^th March until 21^st May.

From Friday 19^th March, customers will be able to experience a plethora of some of the finest comedic talent in the UK. The comedy night will provide customers with the chance to get up close and personal with comedians, have a drink or two, whilst relaxing in the stylish surroundings of The Green.

The line up includes: The Resident Rhythm and Melodies and ‘Tankus the Henge’ through to comedy acts such as Simon Brodkin and Rufus Hound.

Every Friday for 8 weeks there is only one place entertainment and thrill seekers should be and that is at Everyman Screen on the Green. Laughter after all is the best medicine of life!"

Source: Screen on the Green

What are some good party themes?

It is always fun coming up with a party theme. There are classic themes like 'pirate party'. Then there are edgy ones like 'Crack pipe and concrete slippers'. Interactive ones like 'rubik's cube', where you have to swap around pieces of your clothes with other people to match all the colors. Or a 'red' party where you have to wear red, and a 'white' party where you have to wear... white. A good one was a 'mix tape' party, where everyone had to bring a mix CD and swap it for one someone else made.

What are some good party themes you've heard of or made up?

Berlin calling....

Berlin. She's so hot right now. Europe's capital of edgy cool and artsy fun. She's cheap and sexy. Wanna go party in Berlin but don't have local knowledge? Check out some of my favourite websites for helpful tips on what's fun, what's on and where to go...

I Heart Berlin is a weekly party and happenings blog that is real treasure trove of groovey. Kind of like having a local chum fill you in on where the best parties are going to be each week.

Want to check out the fashion on the dance floor before you get there? Check out photographer Katja Hentschel's blog Glamcanyon, with loads of party shots to wet your appetite for Berlin nightlife. [like we needed an excuse?]

Bit more of a travel guide, Exberliner is a wealth of information about places to eat out, gigs, exhibitions, bars and more.

So what are you waiting for? Get packing baby, Berlin is calling.

Hala xox

Have you ever squatted an airport?

Saw this old flier in Berlin...

I once spent three days in Singapores airport. Does that count?

Broadway Market

I love Broadway Market on a Saturday arvo...great coffee, people watching and fantastic market foods all compressed into about 2-3 of the funkiest blocks of real estate in East London.


At Ca Phe Vn, sidewalk Vietnamese Cafe, Broadway Market.

Eija-Liisa Ahtila: private view

"Parasol unit is delighted to present a major solo exhibition by the renowned Finnish film and video artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila (26 February- 25 April 2010). It will include three important video installations never before seen in England."

DATE: 26 February – 25 April 2010 WHERE: Parasol unit, 14 Wharf Road, London, N1 7RW

Sup Magazine 21 release party

http://www.supmag.com/2010/%E2%80%98sup-magazine-21-release-party-london/

A party for the release 21 of Sup Magazine with DJs and stuff... where stuff means free vodka till 10pm. Check invite for how to RSVP, and the address. Friday 19th of Feb.

Market Estate Project - art before it's bulldozed.

60's apartment block about to be knocked down, is now filled with what 75 artists(and there non artists friends) put there. Saturday 6th of March for the exhibition on Caledonian Road near Broadway market.

http://www.marketestateproject.com/

Review: Rasa

There are a lot of good Indian restaurants in London but Rasa is special and has a strong following to illustrate this. Rasa is a showcase for innovative and delicious vegetarian Kerala cuisine from South India that won't break the bank.

From the start to finish the service was warm and attentive without being over bearing.

We started with some delicious appetizers. The Medhu Vadai - spongy delicious dumplings served with coconut chutney are a must try together with mixed pickles and chutneys.....save room for mains though! They can also put together a mix of appetizers which would work well with a bigger group.

We tried the Beet Cheera Pachadi which is a vibrantly colored beetroot and spinach curry served with yoghurt sauce with roasted coconut, mustard seeds and curry leaves....mouth watering. The Cheera Curry made of Paneer (curd cheese) and spinach cooked with garlic, peppers and tomato in a creamy sauce was rich and tasty and was a nice accompaniment to the beet curry.

To compliment these two dishes we had coconut rice and the Kerala specialty of Paratha, a wheat dough layered and coiled into then grilled.

Rasa has a number of restaurants around the UK but we visited the one in Stoke Newington N16.....delicious! Can't wait to go back and try the other dishes next time.

Location: Rassa 55 Stoke Newington Church Street London N16 OAR
Bookings: Tel: 020 7249 0344

Reviewed by Hala.

Film Review: Up in the Air

Excellent satire staring George Clooney as Ryan Bingham. Ryan spends his life traveling around America firing people for a living. His life is all airports, car rentals, hotels and air miles. His company is booming during the recession as employers outsource their firing of workers to Ryan's company. Ryan is only a few miles short of fulfilling his dream of 10 million air miles when his company decides it might be time to make changes.

This is a witty and warm film that is in part a modern love story and part cautionary tale about the problems of human isolation in a modern status driven world. Clooney's best performance to date and a great script make this film a must see.

Reviewed by Hala.

Jay Phelps and friends at Lady Bird Bar Islington

A great opportunity to see top jazz performances from Jay Phelps and friends every Tuesday night at Lady Bird Bar on Upper Street N1. These guys are super talented and it's not often you get to see such high quality musicians up close and personal....recommended!

Loop jazz festival @ Vortex, Dalston

A five day jazz festival at Vortex in Dalston with performances from Loop members and other European artists and collective members and friends.

Doors are 7.30pm – start time 8.00pm unless shown otherwise.
Seating will be on a first come first serve basis for all events.

3-day pass | £25 (phone booking only – pre-booking required)

5-day festival pass | £40

See www.vortexjazz.co.uk for details and bookings.

Kiss her now... now!

Kiss her now... now!

Nice little piece of street art from Geneva.

Ron Arad at the Barbican: Restless

The Barbican Spring 2010 exhibition is of Israeli born designer Ron Arad. Exploring three decades of his work the show is supported by a series of talks and events.

"Design maverick" Ron Arad: Restless
Main Gallery Mon/Fri and Sat 11-8pm
Tues/Wed until 6pm
Thurs until 10pm

Jeff Green, living the dream.

Many comedians dream of becoming as slick as Jeff Green*.


A long time Comedy Festival regular, Jeff Greens show this year is titled "Living the Dream".

It's about his Windsor suburban lifestyle: kids, marriage and a mortgage.

Despite the topic of the show, I still felt myself laughing a lot. I'm not quite living the dream myself, so I don't relate that heavily to much of the material. I do understand the topic, I guess I find it a bit too mundane and boring.

Jokes about not having enough sex, the laundry and other such things shouldn't really make me laugh, but they did. So at the end I felt mixed about it all. On one hand, I was definitely laughing, on the other hand I didn't want to.

Held in a fairly large room at the Melbourne town hall, it was mostly packed. Packed with people who were also living the dream - or aspired to it. These people also laughed a lot with Jeff.



Jeff Green - Living the Dream is on at the Melbourne town hall until the 26th of April 2009.

*ps, calling someone slick in comedy is a compliment relating to how well polished the performance is. Slick wasn't a reference to Jeff Greens hair.

Review - The Suitcase Royale Space Show

The Suitcase Royale Space Show is a cooky, crazy ride in Space with our three heros to find the cure for mannequinitis before it is too late.

The comic timing of the three performers is excellent and the assortment of bizarre characters add to the fast paced and action packed plot line. The guys have taken their junk yard theatre concept to a new rock and roll level.

I could have watched another hour, it's that much fun!

Comparisons will undoubtedly be made to the UK's The Mighty Boosh but The Suitcase Royale have their own unique and wonderful appeal.

If you like the silly and surreal with a good dose of mania thrown in, then make sure you check these talented guys out before they become too big.

A must see for the festival and my new favorite of the fest so far.

At the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2-26 April 2009
The Melbourne Town Hall
Thu-Sat 10.50pm, Sun 9.50pm
Tickets $20 - $15
Bookings www.comedyfestival.com.au

Review - Sammy J - 1999

The year is 1999, Sammy is at school...he's a bit of a nerd. The millennium bug is about to hit but Sammy has bigger problems on his plate the school bully has you as his pet project and the girl of his dreams seems out of his reach.

Sammy J is a talented musician, singer and comedian who combines his skills in a slick, laughter filled one hour show that showcases him as a likable performer.

Sammy J is a real talent in this one man musical comedy about a nerd who... eventually...roars.

A fun show from a talented local. Recommended.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2 - 26 April
At The Melbourne Town Hall
Tue-Sat 8.15pm, Sun 7.15pm
$24.50/$22.50

tickets from www.comedyfestival.com.au

Review - Andrew Lawrence - My Contemptible Life in a Gutter of Abject Desolation

Andrew Lawrence's debut at this year's festival is a fast paced 1 hour of slick dark humour. The title captures the tone of the show well. He draws the audience in from the start, it's like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth...but this Brit has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Andrew segways between observational and self deprecating comedy with a dark twist. He certainly has a way with words; as every day observations take on Dickensian/Poe like twists and turns which had the audience giggling away throughout the show.

Andrew Lawrence delivers a slick and fast paced one hour of comedy that's not for the squeamish.

At the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2-22 April
Victoria Hotel
Tue-Sat 8.15pm, Sun 7.15pm
$27.50/25.50
tickets at www.comedyfestival.com.au

Review - The Bedroom Philosopher - Songs From the 86 Tram

The 86 Tram is a truly "Northside" Melbourne experience. The journey from Bundoora to the city showcases a microcosm of inner city life. There's the travelers, the mums, the junkies and the students.

Justin Hazelwood, aka The Bedroom Philosopher takes us on a one hour musical and comic journey that is well worth the ticket to ride.

You can tell he's not only a talented musician and performer but a comic writer with a sharp eye for satire. This time he shows the audience more of his acting skills making this his most theatrical comedy festival show to date His characterisation of some of the local characters is spot on. For those of you who know the 86 well.... prepare to spot a few local favorites.

This new show with laughs a plenty is a great night out at the Festival.

Recommended with tram bells on.

Give this guy a room at the Town Hall next year!!

At The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2 - 25 April
At The European Bier Cafe
Tue-Sat 9.45pm, Sun 8.45pm
$18.50/$15

Yana Alana and the Paranas - review

Last week I saw Yana Alana and the Paranas perform ‘Bite Me’ for the second time. I laughed...again. The show has a lot to offer – Circus performers, live poetry, a hefty dose of Feminism and an even heftier dose of c-bombs.

Sarah Ward (of Sista She fame) is Yana Alana – a venomous and self-obsessed cabaret star on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Yana is supported by her band The Paranas - all ‘really quite talented’ women but never allowed to join Yana in the limelight.

Months ago, ‘Bite Me’ was on at the Arts Centre. Yana and the Paranas had won some sort of grant to perform there and took advantage of all the fancy acrobatic bits and pieces available. The no-frills staging of ‘Bite Me’ at 45 Downstairs confirms the character-driven nature of the show. In fact, it was more enjoyable without the drummer swinging around on the end of a rope like Peter Pan in a school play. I felt satisfied – and not just because of the catering (bananas and sultanas).


(Amanda)

Who: Yana Alana and the Paranas – ‘Bite Me’
Where: 45 Downstairs
When: Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Die Roten Punkte - review

Are Germans funny? Well, stereotypically no - but they are fun to make fun of and especially humourous to imitate. Herr Lipp, a German character from the British ‘comedy’ show The League of Gentlemen, comes to mind. He’s disturbing - an English-mangling, fleshy lipped pederast – but funny, nonetheless.

Astrid and Otto are a German brother and sister rock band, ‘Die Roten Punkte’ (The Red Dots). Neither are nonces and neither mangles English (much) but Otto does have a pair of disturbingly red, fleshy lips. He’s made up like a grotesque Emo clown and sweats messily through thick white greasepaint. Astrid and Otto have a few ‘issues’. What family doesn’t? Between airing each others dirty laundry on stage ‘Die Roten Punkte’ are the German ‘White Stripes’. The music is pretty good - a Nick Cave inspired number was particularly memorable.

The show I attended started late and was a mite too long but all things considered seeing ‘Die Roten Punkte’ is a great way to spend your Friday or Saturday night, especially if you fancy some funny German rock numbers and alcoholic sing-alongs.


(Amanda)



Who: Die Roten Punkte
Where: Victoria Hotel
When: 10.45, Thursday 2 April

Dave Thornton - review

I’m sorry. I’m only human, OK? Yes, I was distracted by Dave Thornton’s brand of clean-cut Aussie spunkiness and didn’t pay all that much attention to his jokes on Saturday night. Yes, he mentioned his girlfriend a couple of times. C’mon, it doesn’t do any harm to look! So – I remember there was some material about cars. German cars. A bit of banter with a German woman in the audience. A bit of remembering his childhood in the eighties – slip’n’slides and the like. One fart joke. One chiselled jaw...sorry.

Apparently Dave has a show on Channel 31 – if you’re into that or if you’re into good, fairly clean Aussie humour delivered mighty professionally by a bloke who ya wouldn’t kick out of bed for farting – give this one a burl.

(Amanda)

Where: Victoria Hotel
When: 9.30, Saturday 4 April
Who: Dave Thornton

Pajama Men – Versus vs Versus - review

The Pajama Men – Shenoah Allen, Mark Chavez and their musical accomplice Luminous Craft – deliver laughs effortlessly.



With multiple and eventually converging storylines Allen and Chavez switch characters furiously fast but with such skill, the audience is never lost. A simple change in voice or expression transforms the rider of a time-travelling camel, or a chess-playing bat, into a young girl trying desperately to deal with an adolescent crush and a disturbingly overbearing father.

Wonderfully weird and downright hilarious The Pajama Men embrace a surreal dream world where anything is possible.



(Romy)

Pajama Men – Versus vs Versus
Venue: The Bosco
Date: 2 - 26 April
Times: Thu-Sat 8.15pm, Sun 7.15pm
Duration: 65 minutes

Time ninjas are your friends.

'Welcome friend!' said the jolly man in a red shirt. He was a time ninja.

One of two time ninjas.

Andrew and Lawrence are back together! The dynamic duo, bring their comedy skills together with ninja timing.

These two ninjas, go through time, on their time-wheel-chair-machine -- waxing, and being silly about different times in history.

There's songs, dances, and a bit of biffo. With a big historical axe, and large boards of wood connecting with heads(ninja heads). Don't be scared though, it is all in fun.

So much fun, I thought they were going to pitch a tent at any minute. "Time ninjas" is another good show.

Lawrence Leung and Andrew McClelland have made another great show that their mums would be proud of.

Berlin Calling - review

Berlin Calling is a movie about a DJ losing his mind, and his adventures in Berlin clubs.

It can't help to be compared to other Dance lifestyle movies, which often make you cringe, and cry at how bad they are. However Berlin Calling seems not to follow these other movies. Don't get me wrong, it still has some deliciously cliché moments, but they're not the only tool this movie uses. So at a few points I was thinking... 'oh no, this is going to be crap!' only to be pleasantly surprised.

Focusing mainly on the relationships in his life, Berlin Calling gives us some more interesting things to think about.

...

Like how to say Keta in German.

... and other more meaningful social commentary.

Music plays a big role in this film. Much more than other films, that merely use music to evoke moods -- this movie is about the music too. About the moods of the man making the music -- his happiness, his anger and his insanity.

Scenes from Berlin clubs look so cool... I just want to catch a plane and fly there NOW.

Berlin Calling is part of the German film festival. It is showing in Melbourne(2 screenings), Brisbane(1 screenings) and Sydney(2 screenings) in April.

Review: Ca$h

Director: Eric Besnard
With: Alice Taglioni / Jean Reno /Jean Dujardin / Ciarán Hinds
Length: 100mins

The movie 'Ca$h' is a splendid caper movie, in the style of Oceans 11... but frenchy!

It has many twists and turns, and heaps of cheesy scenes -- French cheese naturally. I loved *ALL* of those one liners... the kind that make you cringe but also cause a wide grinned smile.

There's chase scenes, action scenes, and lots of expensive French Champaign drinking scenes! Oh how stylish, and chic -- drinking Champaign for breakfast... oh my.

The various characters turn their charm and good looks on each other... who is conning who?! Well you'll just have to hold on tight and follow the movie all the way through.





Jean Dujardin plays 'Cash', the con-man at the centre of this movie. Yes 'Cash' is the name of the main character. There were a few familiar faces to me... including two actors from 'The story of my life', and of course the prolific Jean Reno.


Ca$h is playing in the Alliance Française French film festival.

Ping mag closes down. -( tokyo based art/make mag)

Adding to another in the long list of dying culture mags, Tokyo based ping mag has The End'd. You can still read the old 1000+ articles - but there will be no more updates. Maybe one day it will return.

HeavyFeet

London beat makers HeavyFeet brought out an ep on their myspace page... nice.
mp3: HeavyFeet-OneLastTime.mp3

myspace.com/heavyfeet

Too Sweet For Mine Exhibition Opening - le niche

Some pictures from the 'Too Sweet For Mine' Exhibition Opening -- at Le Niche on smith street Melbourne.

Bound

Date:	06 December 2008
Time:	19:00 - 22:00
Location:	Palookaville Upstairs
Street:	416 Brunswick Street
Town/City:	Fitzroy, Australia

You got that beep - architecture in helsinki

You got that beep is a fun song by architecture in helsinki. Also they do a good 'midnight juggernaughts' cover song.

Aeroplane - from belgium

"Some DJ/producers. Their music is a mix of Psyché Guitars, Pop keys, melancholic waves, disco beats, catchy basslines."

Metronomy

Metronomy play electronic pop and stuff... so there.

Gang Gang Dance - new (music) york

'Gang Gang Dance are an experimental music group based in Brooklyn, New York City, and signed to the independent label The Social Registry. The group has become well known within the New York indie rock scene for its distinctive sound that has been variously referred to as "neo-primitivist" or "neo-tribal".'

mp3: gang gang dance :: house jam (xxxchange remix)

design tide

Design Tide Tokyo is part of the Tokyo design week. Here are two photos from the opening night of Design Tide.

80 Kidz

Here's what the 80 kidz are up to in Japan... getting sweaty.




http://www.myspace.com/80kidz

http://discokidz.blogspot.com/

everybody's happy to be living love

Nôze are a funky french electro dance music makers that you *must* listen to.

http://www.myspace.com/nozecircus





-- "Everybody's happy to be living love Every body wants to have a hot flip side. Every bodies happy to be livin love."

Indeed.

The Lonesome West

The Lonesome West is a play running from September 3rd - September 21st in Melbourne Australia.

The Connor brothers fighting.


"The Connor brothers live modest lives, gleaning joy from simple pleasures: drinking, joking with the foulmouthed Girleen, tormenting Father Welsh, and fighting with each other…constantly and brutally. When, in an attempt to salvage their relationship they confess all to each other, the results are explosive."


This play has a lot of comedy and violence in it. One of the interesting technical aspects of the Tiny Dynamite production of it, has been coming up with ways to smash dozens of religious figurines, and blowing up an oven every show.


Foul mouthed Girleen.

Tripod. Review.

Review by George.

Tripod. Tripod. Tripod. There was a sell out crowd and I was among them, pimping my wares for tickets. But was it a rock show or a comedy gig?

I had thoughtfully procured a champagne bottle, however my attempt to strike one of the larrikins from support act DER FLUNK PUNKI with the cork fizzled and won me only three friends and a hand full of m and m's. DER FLUNK PUNKI were (perhaps) an eastern European brother sister combo (only a few simple yahoo search bar tappings would have proved whether this is actually true or not) playing uber-punk, white stripes satire inspired music, whilst poking fun at themselves. They proved very popular with the audience as well as several members of The Forum staff. With good reason; they were.

Tripod appeared on stage with some idle costumes and quirky banter, confusing one poor usher and setting off a chain reaction which caused him to forget to pick up the margarine at the supermarket three days later, in turn provoking the wrath of his boyfriend who had already been angry at the hours the usher had been keeping lately, which in turn set in course a series of events that eventually led to the usher forgetting to buy the margarine the next day as well. Plain toast.

The illuminated backdrop and accompanying songs were, I have to say, inedible. Not to say that they weren't hilarious. They were very hilarious. One of my friends warned me against seeing tripod before this show and to him now I say, "You owe me $14.50 for that six-pack of coopers last Thursday". I'll never see that money but he's still my friend.

There was a brief interval, during which my friend and I ran outside and climbed half way up the girders that make up Federation Square.

The second set was equally hilarious, honestly, Tripod are really, really good. The forum was a great venue and being packed, the ensuing laughter was wonderful to be a part of. My only criticism goes to the ticket collector at the front door who tore my ticket in half willy nilly, not along the perforations, leaving me with a ripped souvenir and a less than plausible alibi for the shooting that occurred in Sydney Road later that evening. Go and see Tripod!

2050AD - The Musical - Rod Quantock. Review.

Review by Gaz.
On turning up a little late due to weather conditions Rod stopped the show, took my name, put it in his computer, projected it on the big screen and let me choose the font and style. This was not going to be your ordinary stand up show.

Rod takes on a journey from the year 1948 when it all began through to 2050 when it looks like it will all end. With the help of some technology and a projector Rod talks us through his warped and frightening views about the depletion of the planets resources. The main topic being oil resources, which without will leave us with no combs, fishing rods, toilet seats or balloons. WHAT WILL WE DO!

The show is great laugh for two age brackets. The over fifties who will enjoy being told they are going to die and the under fifties who will be around to see the destruction of civilisation. All in all a thoroughly informative, amusing show with no music at all.

The Boy With Tape On His Face - Review.

Review by Gaz.

Unlike any other show i have seen at Trades Hall, The boy with tape on his face doesn't utter a word. Sam Wills of New Zealand is a visual genius, conjuring up famous pop culture scenarios out of shoes, electrical tape and a few members of the audience.

He comfortably creates an astounding laugh a minute cabaret show without even opening his mouth. His character has a child like innocence with a naughty streak wanting to come out and play in a world where if your a game volunteer you can be transported into a play station game, a circus act, the Jackson 5, a crowd sing a long or a strip show.

A definite recommendation for this one if you want to see something a little different and maybe have a laugh at yourself.

Fear Of A Brown Planet - Review.

Review by Gaz.

Nazeem Hussain and Aamer Rahmon are two talented young Australian Muslim comedians whose show Fear of a Brown Planet takes us on a journey through growing up, family life and the differences between two nations in the world we live in.

Nazzem Hussain started the proceedings with a comical look into his work environment, his mothers cooking and the differences in toilet habits between nations, (we don't wash our behinds after use).

Next up was Aamer Rahman, whose barrage of clever multi levelled punch lines reminded me of a muslim Chris Rock. His dark humour portraying a culture of paranoia and race relations while in his education in private school.

Both comedians are ones to watch in this courageous cross culture comedy show a Fear of a Brown Planet.

Deborah Francis-White - How to Get Almost Anyone to Want to Sleep with You. Review.

8.30pm @ Trades Hall
Reviewed by Mark Tregonning, Sunday 30 March 2008

Sometimes the key to a good comedy festival experience is to do something different, to know what it is you're doing and to do it well. Deborah Francis-White has found her niche: style that leans towards the educational. She uses a PowerPoint presentation, props and role-playing to teach us what she as learnt about the "right" way for men to pick up women, and for women to want to be picked up.

Deborah chooses a certain number of 'volunteers' from the audience to play key roles in her show. I should confess at the outset that on the night I attended, one of these, not entirely by choice, ended up being me. Perhaps the fact that I was told in no certain terms that I was not as close to James Bond as I had thought (admittedly by the entire female audience, not just Deborah) has made me a little more skeptical of her techniques. One thing I can say, however, is that she presents an old fashioned view of relations between the sexes – on where men do the work, and women sit back and wait.

The show is very slick and has obviously been performed for a while. Deborah works the audience with confidence and makes everyone feel included. All in all the experience is enjoyably different from the standard stand up fare.

Plays until 13 April. For more information on the show or to book online see her Comedy @ Trades Page: https://www.comedyattrades.com.au/program_guide/show_12/. Also see her website http://www.almostanyone.co.uk/index.html, which contains a video excerpt of her show.

Die Roten Punkte – Supermusikant (Super Musician). Review.

8.15pm @ Trades Hall
Reviewed by Mark Tregonning, Thursday 27 March 2008

Die Roten Punkte is an act that has been appearing at festivals for some time and has a real buzz about it. After seeing it I can see why. I walked out of the show with a great big smile on my face.

The show is really about their music first and foremost: original punk rock comedy tunes. The comic brother/sister byplay between songs is gentle and charming and never gets in the way of the excellent songs that stay in your head long after you leave the theatre.

Both of the performers are a joy to watch and you don't just laugh at them, you laugh with them and really grow to love their characters and watching how they play. The night I saw them they were dealing with technical difficulties (Astrid's bass drum kicker was broken) but the relaxed way they handled it revealed just how professional this duo is.

The only criticism I have is that the title song "Supermusikant" (Supermusician) is one of the weakest in the set and so was a bit of an anticlimax to as the closing piece.

Do yourself a favour and see Die Roten Punkte.

Season runs until 13 April. For more info/booking see their Comedy@Trades Page https://www.comedyattrades.com.au/program_guide/show_17/. You can also check out their MySpace page (where you can listen to some of their songs) http://www.myspace.com/dierotenpunkte.

Yana Illana & tha Piranas – Feeding Frenzy. Review.

10.00pm @ Trades Hall
Reviewed by Mark Tregonning, Thursday 27 March 2008

My first glimpse of the character Yana Alana was at the opening ceremony for last year's Melbourne Fringe Festival. Yana got up on stage and delivered some angry feminist comedic ranting which managed to make her points about sexual politics while at the same time poking fun at those who take it all too seriously. It's a nice combination and it does make a welcome antidote to the decidedly male-dominated Comedy Festival mainstream.

From what I can gather Feeding Frenzy takes many of the same pieces and expands them into a fuller show including guest stars and music.

Yana has a strong cabaret voice but after a brilliant opening number her choice of songs was uneven. The quality of guests acts was mostly strong (Azaria Universe and The Birdman were both entertaining), but how they were inserted into the show seemed a little clumsy. "Hot Bitch", who is with Alana forms the very entertaining comedy rap duo "Sista She", delivered a disappointing number about chocolate cake that was too long and seemed under-rehearsed.

The support band, however, were excellent, and a solo percussion act by the drummer using only kitchen cooking implements was a virtuosic stand out.

Overall this is an uneven piece but it delivers so much variety that everyone will find something to enjoy.

Plays for one more show on Thursday, 10 April. For more information on the show or to book online see their Comedy @ Trades Page: https://www.comedyattrades.com.au/program_guide/show_41/.

Anna Joy – The Pilgrim's Regress. Review.

6.45pm @ Trades Hall
Reviewed by Mark Tregonning, Thursday 27 March 2008

Anna Joy played one of the tiny rooms in the basement of Trades Hall to a near capacity crowd the night I attended. She is a foul-mouthed ex-christian from a small town who is now a born again "filthy slurry" seeking pleasure in the arms of (multiple) men.

The show mixes songs that Anna accompanies herself with on piano and guitar. They're mostly covers with a few words skillfully replaced to fit Anna's purposes, but there was a Nick Cave song that I’m pretty sure was played verbatim and was surprisingly touching.

From what I could tell the story is loosely autobiographical and that gives this show a friendliness and intimacy that some shows lack. Anna is constantly playing between letting the audience in on her secrets and distancing us with the odd shocking F-bomb dropped from her filthy mind. The show is sexually explicit but it didn't seem forced. I enjoyed it, but it wouldn't be for everyone.

Season runs until 13 April. For more information on the show or to book online see her Comedy Festival Page: https://www.comedyattrades.com.au/ticketing/show_30/ (but I feel compelled to add that some of the details about the show, like the presence of her brother, are incorrect!).

Greatness Thrust Upon Them - Review

Greatness Thrust Upon Them - Trades Hall, March 19-April 12

What if Archduke Ferdinand's driver hadn't taken a wrong turn? What if Hitler had been accepted into art school and hadn't the need to pursue an alternative career? Greatness Thrust Upon Them considers the effect random acts can have on history, in this case at a fictitious UN environment conference held in Melbourne. Robin, the Australian PM's Press-Secretary-for-a-day, is a firm believer in the effectiveness of the current political system. While trying to get wireless coverage on his laptop, he meets Megan, a young cynic, providing technical support at said conference. She reckons it's a talkfest. He reckons its progress.

I was completely convinced by the performances of Chris Buchanan, Julia Harari and Miriam Glaser. It would be unfair to single one of them out for extra compliments, as all three were spot on, but Julia’s costume of romper suit and knee socks does deserve particular attention.

Lorin Clarke's script sparkles. Her dialogue glitters with a generous sprinkling of wit and pop references but still feels like real dialogue. She pokes fun at the oft ridiculous world of events management from the tedious minutiae to those major upsets like the environmentally sound toilets being incompatible with the environmentally sound toilet paper. I found the play utterly absorbing and Clarke is definitely one to look out for.

Review by Amanda Mulligan

Simply Fancy - *GO AND SEE IT* - Review.

Hi,

I went to see simply fancy last night. Wow. Such a good show, I'm a real fan of this trio.

They are three arty kids from sydney who do the funniest things.

Well first I must say there were robots as part of the theme. But there were also woodland creatures. So far 4 out of the 5 shows I've seen this year have referenced robots in their shows.

There are silly songs, old ladies, young men, old men, young ladies, and all sorts of characters acted by only three people - including a manta ray! I really also enjoyed the lighting - am I weird for enjoying lighting? Well they used lighting quite well. I think the manta ray was my favourite animal acted out in the show.

I can't believe there were only about 20 people watching this show... everyone who has seen it has been blown away by it. I think the audience laughed like there were 37 people there, not 20. I've had maybe five different people recommend the show to me so far. However I already had tickets, since I saw their show last year and was blown away. Ok, you may think that I know these people or something... or that I'm getting paid by them. They are just really good. So there.

The song on the Ukulele was done quite well, so was the piece done with a recorder. I also appreciated what looked like home made capes! So many interesting things in this show, I won't mention them all.

Some people have compared Simply Fancy to the Mighty Boosh - in that they go on adventures with surreal things happening all around them. Except the Mighty Boosh is on teevee, and this is real, in front of you - weirder and cooler. Simply Fancy are cooler comedians than the Mighty Boosh.

Anyway. Got to go now. Simply Fancy were pretty sweet dancers too - definitely recommended. See you on Saturday for a drink? Oh, they have ginger beer at trades hall where the show is. Nice. Gingery.


cu,
Rene.

Greg Fleet – Secret American. Review.

Greg Fleet – Secret American

Venue: the swiss club

The empty seat next to me was the only empty seat in the entire room, which is pretty good for a Tuesday night! I was unable to convince anyone at all to come with me, not anyone. I am such a loser and I have a constant struggle with these kinds of feelings. The only thing that helps sometimes is if I make little cuts on my arms late at night. So I sat, self consciously, next to the empty seat, willing the little rodent at the helm to dim the lights.

Greg Fleet is a funny guy. Would have been terribly awkward if he wasn't. I’m sure the audience would have gotten used to it eventually but I can only assume that most people had come to listen to some stand-up comedy so its possible that the audience members may have ‘gotten the ‘ump’ if Fleety pounced onto the stage and started reciting the blood types of medieval princesses alphabetically.

As far as stand-ups go this guy is great! While the theme of the show, ‘Secret American’ is only loosely covered, it does serve as a structure binding together Fleet’s many stories. The show is essentially Fleet recounting stories from his life and as he is a great story teller and snappy dresser it makes for a thoroughly entertaining night.

I wouldn't hesitate in recommending that you hold onto the pre-show chardonnay that will no doubt by this time be throbbing in your bladder and perhaps even dribbling a little into your underwear and stay for the pun-ridden character based finale as it is a definite highlight. Australian stand-up at its best.

Review by george.

Frank Woodley – Possessed. Review.

Frank Woodley – Possessed.

I have been a fan of Frank Woodley’s Comedy for many years. The kind of fan who spends long hours nestled in the branches of the eucalypt across the road from his apartment with nothing but a 210mm zoom lens and digital SLR camera for company hoping to catch just one glimpse of the comedian as he leaves his morning shower. However, the lack of nudity in Woodley’s comedy festival show did not detract at all from what I can only call a mesmerising performance.

A great mix of theatre and comedy, and with one of the most intricately detailed sets this reviewer has seen since the crew of Captain James Cook’s Endeavour performed their well received rock opera, “Possessed” is visually stunning. The soundtrack to the show, composed by Paul Mac, is also outstanding and contributes buckets of atmosphere.

Unlike many comedy festival acts, the show has a very strong narrative in which a young model ship builder who is too afraid to even venture outside the front door of his home, becomes possessed by an Irish women who drowned in a shipwreck many years earlier. Amazingly, Woodley manages to carry off these two distinctly different characters and develop a strong relationship between the two. Of course, Frank Woodley being Frank Woodley, the show contains some truly hilarious and somewhat dangerous looking stunts as the performer launches himself from railings and down staircases in pursuit of laughs. And laughs he receives! Yet, the show is not only a cack-fest. I was moved. There can only be a handful of people alive today who could successfully pull off such a warped, funny and sad show such as this and, while I don't know who any of them could be, one of them might well be Frank Woodley. Courageous stuff.

Review by george

Woodford folk festival lineup announced.

Just a short list of the many hundreds of artists and presenters featured at the 2007/08 festival

Shooglenifty (Scotland), That 1 Guy (USA), Hawksley Workman (Canada), TeTe (France), Andy Irvine and Rens van der Zalm (IRE), Babylon Circus (France), Bob Brozman (USA), Harry Manx (Canada), Madviolet (Canada), Nano Stern (Chile), The Greencards (USA), The Kin (USA), Moshav (Israel), The Cat Empire, Angus & Julia Stone, The Waifs, Eric Bogle, Sarah Blasko, Tommy Emmanuel, Jackson Jackson, Blue King Brown, Archie Roach, James Morrison, Mia Dyson, Jess McAvoy, Custom Kings, TZU, Urthboy, TinPan Orange, The Toothfaeries, Blue Grassy Knoll, The Red-Eyes, The Angry Tradesmen, The Go Set, Te Vaka, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, Shane Howard, The Last Supperteers, Ernie Dingo, Graeme Connors, Tripod, Doch, The Band Who Knew Too Much, Banawurun, Casey Donovan, John Schumann & The Vagabond Crew, Colcannon, Tjupurru, Chukale, Akmal Saleh, The League of Sideshow Superstars, Mr Percival, The Black Market Rhythm Co., Gurrumul, The Perch Creek Family Jugband, Extended Family, The Space Cowboy, Wild Marmalade feat Deya Dova, Fiddlers Feast, Herb Armstrong, Miguel, Arte Kanela, The Tiny Top, Mojo Webb & Band, Munding Laya, OKA, Odessa, Prof Ian Lowe, San Lazaro , Spacifix, The Great Gondos, Street Warriors, TaikOz, The Counterfeit Gypsies, Dick Desert & The Shotgun Country Club, The Quills, Vulgargrad, Wacko & Blotto, Women In Docs, Worldfly, Circle of Rhythm, Cotterell & Clark, Devil Goat Family String Band, The Uzbek National Folk Puppet Theatre, Ashleigh Mannix, Dream Puppets, Controlled Falling, Dynamic Thrills, Elissa Hawke, Dolly Putin, Ghostboy, Ivan Sen, LightnUp Inc & Krinkl Theatre, La Lola Salon, Linsey Pollak, Mal Webb, Martin Pearson, Mic Conway's Magic Mic, Miles Merrill, Pirate Brides, Puppet Palace, Rich Man$ Hoax, S Sorrensen, Riley Lee, Shaz Lane, Sixpack Puppets, Speed of Purple, Spooky Men's Chorale and many more...,


You can download the daily programs too.

Bucket of love - melbourne fringe festival

Kurt Vonnegut - advice for writers

Kurt Vonnegut died recently, but one of his legacies is this advice for writers.

Fitzroy poster photos: 2007/04/17

four more posters: 2007/04/19


Five or six interesting poster photos to look at. Also see last weeks posters.

Cansei de ser sexy - drinking bunnies

A stop motion animation for the band CSS... with bunnies.

A virtuoso busking.

From the washington post: An interesting piece about what happens when you put a virtuoso violinist with a $3.5m violin in a subway station to play.

Fitzroy GIG poster photos 2007/04/11

See a whole lot of gig posters that have been posted around fitzroy.

Towards Creative Activism

An article from the Creative Review magazine about how designers can help green businesses - and about the issues of fake sustainable businesses.

Also here is an article on how software designers can approach developing software with reduced environmental impacts: green pcs in open source free software.

Shorpy - the 100 year old photo blog

"A photo blog about what life a hundred years ago was like: How people looked and what they did for a living, back when not having a job usually meant not eating. We’re starting with a collection of photographs taken in the early 1900s by Lewis Wickes Hine as part of a decade-long field survey for the National Child Labor Committee. One of his subjects, a young coal miner named Shorpy Higginbotham, is the site’s namesake."

Phase03-Play

A free digital magazine as a PDF made by the Phase Collective.

Art. Design. Photography. Illustration.

The Reigning King of Mathematical Comedy Defends his Crown

Simon Pampena, Moosehead nominee and star of last year’s hit The Mathematical Revolution, is back again to take maths kicking and screaming into the 21^st Century. Maths is a grueling sport and nobody knows this better than Simon who, having freshly returned from filming mathematical adventures with ABC TVs Catalyst, is ready to fire-up audiences with his heart-racing, high-jumping, fist-pumping new training program

Little Mathletics.

Australia beaten by Kazakhstan, Moldova and New Zealand

The greatest sporting country - Australia, is falling off the pace when it comes to maths. Look at our shameful performance at last year’s International Mathematical Olympiad. We had our butts whipped by the likes of New Zealand – what a disgrace! But Australians can change.

We can be the best!

How we will regain our Glory

Through an hour of high-energy performance, Simon will coach Australia’s rising stars to realise their true mathematical potential. The audience will learn the skills to play maths with their sporting instincts. What it means to work as a team against an equation. Why it is their intellectual obligation to exploit every loophole and bend every rule in sport and maths because winning is everything. Assisting in this highly visual and interactive endeavor will be the musical addition of Raceless from Aussie avante hip-hop pioneers Curse OV Dialect. After all, the 48th International Mathematical Olympiad is only one year away…

It’s time to get back to basics. It’s time for Little Mathletics.

For more information go to:

www.numbercrunch.com.au

LISTING INFORMATION

Venue: Eurotrash Bar 18 Corrs Lane Melbourne

Dates: 5^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 12^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, 19^th, 22^nd, 23^rd, 24^th,

26^th and 29^th April, Previews 5^th and 8^th April

Tickets: $18.00 Full, $15.00 Conc., Groups of 10+ & Previews.

Times: start 7.30pm finish 8.30pm - Except Sunday shows

on 8^th, 15^th , 22^nd and 29^th April only start 6.30pm finish 7.30pm.

Bookings: 0424 462 702, www.numbercrunch.com.au or at the door.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Monique Pockett - M 0417 600 844 W (03) 9340 3447 E mail@angrymathematician.com

Confessions of a talkback junkie.

Trent McCarthy is doing a Comedy Festival show for anyone who loves calling up talkback radio shows.

"Ever wondered who all those opinionated people calling up talkback radio really are? Or Maybe they're just the same person?

Trent has a 12-step program to overcome his talkback addiction. Still, it's going to be a tough night ahead. You can be part of it!"