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!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, April 07, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Greatness Thrust Upon Them - Review
Greatness Thrust Upon Them - Trades Hall, March 19-April 12 Review by Amanda Mulligan
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.
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