mp3: HeavyFeet-OneLastTime.mp3
myspace.com/heavyfeet





The Connor brothers fighting.
Foul mouthed Girleen.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.