Frank Woodley – Possessed ***1/2 (Arts Theatre until Sunday, March 16, 2008)
Frank Woodley combines slapstick, stand up, and physical theatre effortlessly. It appears to be as natural to him as breathing. Having worked previously in a trio, then a duo, his venture into solo territory is very pleasing.
In Possessed, we follow the story of a man who becomes possessed by the ghost of an Irish woman who drowned in a shipwreck some 120 years earlier. Our timid, loner hero must suddenly contend with company, cohabitation with a ghost, and dealing with a much more flamboyant and forthright character.
There are many, many pleasing moments of signature “Lano and Woodley” cartoonesque mayhem along with some well set up comedic scenarioes involving our two-in-one characters dealing with intimacy and self-expression.
The simple, fun premise upon which this show is based is just that, simple and fun. It is, however, stretched a little beyond its shelf life to 80 minutes. I would love to see a 60 minute version of this show, allowing Woodley to jettison some repitition and deliver a more concentrated punch.
However, it is an engaging and entertaining show, marking a confident transition to solo performer status.
First She Takes Manhattan ** (The Courthouse until Friday, February 29, 2008)
Full marks to Jordan Roberts (singer) and Simon Koop (guitarist) for deciding to tackle the great master of poetic music, Leonard Cohen. (This is where I need to declare that I am a Leonard Cohen fan)
This show left me conflicted. On one hand, Jordan has a beautiful voice, which often threatens to break free. I look forward to hearing her in a few years when she has mastered it further.
However, the performance was derailed by choreography that had all the hallmarks of being devised in a bedroom mirror. There was a little hand movement or gesture to illustrate most lines of most songs. This was too much, almost sickly sweet. My suggestion, should this show be further developed, is to hire a director to give impartial, professional feedback on stage presence – the payoff would be substantial because the show does have a sound core.
Some of the phrasing used was intriguing and brave, and Jordan’s insights into her Leonard Cohen journey were engaging.
Tomfoolery ***1/2 (La Boheme until Sunday, March 9, 2008)
I think Tom Lehrer will be reasonably happy with this showcase of his satirical songs from the 1950s and 60s. Certainly, all the favourites are there from The Vatican Rag to The Masochism Tango, from Poisoning Pigeons in the Park to New Math.
Although the show does take a little time to warm up, the crowded nature of the venue, La Boheme, creates an intimate setting for our performers. On that note, do arrive early or you will find yourself perched on a cushion or standing at the bar.
It is suprising how songs once deemed offensive by our premier, Tom Playford, are now quite innocuous, almost quaint.
These wonderful revue singers display good vocal technique, and they rollick through their repertoire like singers on a mission. Even though I would be tempted to trim some of their cheesy banter, I can recommend this show to Lehrer buffs looking for a little fix of polite and clever naughtiness.
Playing Burton **** – Starring Josh Richards (Holden Street until Sunday, March 16, 2008)
Guy Masterson has directed this one-man show about his uncle, Richard Burton, and he has created a real gem.
If you have ever liked Richard Burton, if you enjoy well-rounded vowels and a deep, explosive, male voice, you will find this show a decadent, almost guilty, pleasure.
Josh Richards could easily be Richard Burton – the combination of his natural “gifts” and stature, and inside information and guidance from a theatrically savvy nephew.
Unfortunately, some lines are rushed and a little garbled, so expect to lose 10 to 20 percent of the dialogue, as words race by with powerful delivery at breakneck speed. It is the same sort of verbal wastage which one allows for when watching a production of Shakespeare.
Go early, enjoy a nice drink at the greatly-improved Holden Street Theatres Bar, and settle in for outstanding Fringe theatre in the classical tradition.
Charlie Pickering – Thirteen Ducks ***1/2 (Bosco Theatre until Sunday, March 2, 2008)
Sand up comic, Charlie Pickering is back in town. The curly-haired, baby-faced comic brings his usual collection of observations and his hunger for interacting with the audience.
He has also just done a master class in comedy with Bernie Mac in Los Angeles (he played Bosley in Charlie’s Angels – Full Throttle and is the black guy in Ocean’s Eleven and sequels) and shares some hilarious new skills and material from that experience.
He also has a lot of fun with BB King’s Autobiography and those television infomercials we all love to hate.
He scored lots of points with me when he observed the quality of celebrities in Adelaide Confidential in the Advertiser. He noted how in the early days it was a small part of the paper with the local weather girl and maybe some Crows players as celebrities. But now is seems to fill most of the paper and all you need to do to be a “celebrity” it seems, is turn up to watch a game at Football Park or a fashion parade!
This is good, honest stand up. It won’t set the world on fire, but you will laugh and get your money’s worth.
NOTE: His Advertiser review might suffer a little due to the content of his show 
Goering’s Defence **** (Fringe Factory)
It is intriguing to hear how Hitler’s number two defends the Nazi party’s dismantling of the election process. According to Herr Goering, when the Nazi Party was able to grasp power it “knew” that the needs of the people were in safe hands, so there was no need to risk the people changing their minds. The party knew best. Haven’t we heard this somewhere before?
However, it is chilling to hear him boast how his new and powerful air force was able to safely flex its muscle over Poland from 5000 metres, ensuring his pilots were unscathed while they wreaked havoc on the citizens below. It reminded me of footage of the air strikes against Iraq which the US Air Force was able to boast about the accuracy of its weapons.
This is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of Herman Goering on the eve of his planned execution for war crimes. We cross back and forth between actual dialogue from the Nuremburg Trial, and Herman’s own confession to us.
Do our governemnt’s in the Coalition of the Willing make similar claims and assumptions today? Are new and ever more increasingly invasive moves against our freedom “for our safety” the early signs of history repeating itself? This play might just be part of the process that keeps us all honest as we wield the power that our Allied nations are privileged to hold at this time in history.
The Window ****1/2 (Bakehouse until Sunday, March 2, 2008)
This production is the best example of integrating live action with multimedia that I have ever seen. All these elements worked together with a beautiful synergy; the new technology “adding” to the experience, not “dominating”.
Julie Eckersley (MTC, The Wedge) and Jo Turner (STC, All Saints) deftly create an emotionally gruelling and sometimes fantastic world, in which a daughter and her father are drawn together to face things long unsaid.
If you are a parent or are approaching parenthood (as I am), I believe it would be impossible to experience this production and not be moved to tears (I was).
Every ingredient in The Window is well measured and used with purpose, from the striking and functional set design, to the images projected onto the large backdrop-cum-screen.
For once, I agree with a show’s own marketing claims – this one is definitely passionate, innovative, and compelling theatre.
PS A note to our Premier and Arts Minister, Mike Rann. Please consider Bakehouse Theatre during your next round of arts funding so that the theatre can run an air conditioner during performances. They either do not have one, have one that is too noisy to run, or cannot afford to run the one they have. The Bakehouse is a small venue that seems to attract many excellent productions. Any assistance you could offer would not be wasted. Unfortunately, the theatre became quite stuffy about 40 minutes into the performance, robbing the actors of our full attention. I did overhear chatter about the heat as we filed from the theatre.
Puppet Cabarets * (Puppet Palace unitl Sunday, March 9, 2008)
Puppet Cabarets is a nightly showcase of three to five acts by various puppeteers performing at this year’s Fringe.
I have been to very few Fringe shows like tonight’s, where audience members have exchanged glances so often, rolling eyes and wondering communally why they were at a show. Unfortunately, the mix of acts tonight was a disappointing showcase, except for a wonderful premiere of a new Australian work, by Gabrielle Griffin. Her work, Pegging Up The Sky, is actually worth 4 stars in my humble opinon – it was the odd show out tonight.
In Pegging Up The Sky, we were mesmerised by a poignant, poetic, reflective piece about an elderly woman reminiscing about her late husband. This woman is engulfed by waves of grief, and then, just as she reconciles herslef to her plight, she finds peace, as her life gently passes and her spirit/soul is released from the confines of her aged body. It was haunting, meditiative, and beautiful. It took us on a journey.
However, the night began on the wrong foot with a most woeful, juvenile, embarrassing performance by the Porno Puppets of Prague. I am staggered that such work finds an audience. Admittedly, I had put the show on my review list this year because the title is provocative and racy. But that is where intrigue is stopped dead in its tracks. The company of mature-aged puppeteers perform banal, second rate, back-of-the-school-shed, obvious material – tits, bum and willie drivel. In fact, you could go to a front bar around midnight in any pub in the world and hear banter spewed forth by drunkards that would be more compelling and entertaining.
Just in case I am sounding a litte too prudish, let me assure you that I enjoy an evening of debauched saucery as much as the next person, all I ask for is a little respect for the grey matter. In fairness, last Fringe I did visit the Bum Puppets, performed by the Puppetry of the Penis crew. I could easily transpose this review to their work! Having said that, I acknowledge they have an audience and therefore, the Porno Puppets will have theirs. It is simply staggering to realise that there is a lowest common denominator that is actually lower than that plumbed by our nightly current affairs programs, social pages in tabloid newspapers, and reality television shows.
Finally, a word of advice about the venue. When seeing a show at the Puppet Palace, sit in the front row. The seating is not raised and much puppet action seems to take place close to stage level. This means that audience members in the third, fourth and fifth rows will find much of the action obscured by other audience members.
Andrea Gibbs is STARKERS ***1/2 (Garden Shed until Sunday, March 2, 2008)
Andrea Gibbs has set herself a challenging task. She must introduce us to three strong, Australian female characters in 60 minutes.
We meet the Aussie girl reminiscing about summers spent watching cricket on tv with her dad, lamenting the fact that streaking is now a lost art, a rite of passage of a bygone era. Next, she is a prison inmate with unexpected capacity for storing contraband on her person. And then we meet the elderly widow, seeking guilt-free moments of climactic bliss through dental procedures.
Andrea’s poise was sublime and she engaged us from the outset. The three pieces are sympathetics character studies, which drew contant ripples of laughter from the audience, partly through comedic narrative, and partly through recognising ourselves in the mirror Andrea holds up to our Aussie psyche.
The Smile off Your Face ***** (Fringe Factory until Sunday, March 16, 2008)
You need to trust me on this – fit this show into your Fringe schedule.
You will be blind folded. You will be wheeled through an intimate experience in a wheelchair. You will need to trust the Belgian cast as they transport you through a sensual landscape for about 20 minutes.
This experimental theatre experience has won many awards and they are truly deserved. You will find yourself moving from anxiety and guardedness, to wonder and inhibition, as your senses are stirred.
You will be touched. You will touch. You will hear. You will speak. You will smell. You will be surprised.
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