Category: Melbourne Fringe 2013

The Wizard Sandwiches – The Last Lunch

By Elyce Phillips 

The Wizard Sandwiches (Andrew Belsten, Jarryd Clifford, Dylan Cole, Stuart Daulman and Jake Ludowyke) have hit the nail on the head once again with their latest offering, ‘The Last Lunch’ – a fantastically absurd hour of new sketches.

These guys get sketch comedy. In a genre that can be a bit hit and miss, you can really tell The Wizard Sandwiches have really put effort into honing their creations and shaping them into a show. Each scene blends seamlessly with the next, even when they are moving from a plane to the beach to a dental office. It’s that sort of finesse that makes the show feel polished, even with the cardboard prop tacos.  As the gents point out in their Fringe blurb, there is no plot, but the show still feels structured. There are some great threads that run through the piece, getting funnier each time they are recalled. The sketches are inventive and well-paced, and you rarely see the punch line coming, largely because the endings are so bizarre.

A particular stand-out was a wordless sketch of Clifford’s, creating some great stuff using only a stick and some well-timed sound effects. It’s a simple idea, but executed brilliantly. However all of the performers are really strong. Everyone has a comedic approach that’s a little bit different, so they work beautifully as a team. The guys create a playful atmosphere that really draws in the audience.

‘The Last Lunch’ is very silly, sometimes surreal and a whole lot of fun. The Wizard Sandwiches are clearly developing their craft with each show they put on, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

The Wizard Sandwiches – ‘The Last Lunch’ is showing at the Fringe Hub – Meeting Room at the NorthMelbourneTown Hall.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/wizard-sandwiches-the-last-lunch/

5 Good Reasons to see The Technology Show by Squid Stamp:

1. It’s a family-friendly, educational AND hysterical sketch show about the way we use technology, depend on it, rely on it, and might even be addicted to it! And it gives parents something to do with the kids during those nasty school holidays!

2. It’s written and performed by Squid Stamp! SQUIDS! Yummmm … calamari. www.squidstamp.com

3. It’s a on at La Mama theatre (Drummond Street, Carlton) which is right near Brunetti’s – so mums can drop off their kids to see the show and then go and shoot up some caffeine for an hour. (Disclaimer: kids under the age of 10 must be supervised at all times. Squid Stamp does not support recreational drug use).

4. The show opens on Grand Final day at 2pm so it’s perfect for people who don’t like AFL or if your mum or dad gets a bit crazy and shouts at the TV whilst throwing Four N’ Twenty pies and singing Up There Cazaly, the kids can get out of the house and be in a super fun (and safe) environment.

5. Three actors play over 50 different characters, use cool props like an old-school Palm Pilot, have a sketch where they speak completely in MSN lingo, perform about 3 Dream Ballet sequences, and there is a tribute to the First Wives Club!

Squid Stamp: The Technology Show
Sep 28 – Oct 6 2013
La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street Carlton
2:00pm – 1 hour

Stephen Hall – Raiders of Doom’s Last Crusade

By Elyce Phillips 

The Indiana Jones films have a special place in the hearts of many a film fan.  Their blend of action and humor, not to mention being helmed by what remains one of the coolest  protagonists ever created, made them as close to perfect an example of the adventure genre as there has ever been. Stephen Hall has taken on the challenge of condensing three of the most beloved movies of our times into a single hour, performing all the characters himself. The result is a loving homage that captures the spirit of the original trilogy, but is not afraid to poke some fun.

Hall blazes through the three Indiana Jones films at breakneck pace (We won’t speak of ‘Crystal Skull). The man has clearly done his research. His method of taking on the characters is stripped-back – there are no drastic changes of appearance, but through his mannerisms he manages to distill the essence of all the main players in a way that is immediately recognizable. Hall’s rendition of Dr. Brody was particularly great. Visually tricky sequences are handled in wonderfully lo-fi ways – the show’s solution to re-creating the iconic map sequences is hilariously simple.

Hall keeps the energy up through the entire hour. He throws himself into the last chase scene with as much gusto as he does the first. It’s impressive how much of the plot is crammed into the hour. All the major story points are in there, and there are a few sly nods to things that had to be cut. Despite the cracking pace that the story needs to travel at to fit into the allotted time, it’s easy to follow. If you haven’t seen the Indiana Jones films, you would still get a kick out of the show. However, fans will get this most out of this. It’s an absolute joy to see the tiny little details that Hall has managed to weave into the show.

‘Raiders of Doom’s Last Crusade’ is a must-see for fans of Indiana Jones. Hall’s version is every bit a quick-witted and action-packed as the originals, and twice as funny.

Stephen Hall – Raiders of Doom’s Last Crusade is showing at The Fringe Hub – Meeting Room at North Melbourne Town Hall until October 5.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/raiders-of-the-temple-of-doom-s-last-crusade/

5 Good Reasons to see 24 Hour HOO-HAA!

5 Good Reasons from The Big HOO-HAA! 

1) 24 hours of Melbourne’s best improvisers running low on sleep and high on energy.

2) It’s presented by The Big HOO-HAA!, who have been making audiences howl with laughter for over 10 years in both Perth and Melbourne.

3) A show as interactive as you want it to be – join right in or sit back and watch the chaos.

4) Tickets are $24 and you get a dollar back for every hour you stay – plus it’s right near the Fringe Hub in North Melbourne so it’s easy to pop in and out!

5) How often do you get the chance to be part of a 24 hour comedy show? In the past these roller coaster events have a achieved legendary status in comedy folklore. You don’t want to miss this one!

For One Night and One Day Only (Just as Well!) From 8pm on Friday the 4th of October through Saturday 5th of October at The Czech Club in Queensbury St, near the North Melbourne Town Hall.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/24-hour-hoo-haa/#

Sitcom Theme Song Singalong (and Trivia) – Bert Goldsmith

By Lisa Clark 

If you grew up enjoying sitcoms and singing along with theme songs like Family Ties, Laverne & Shirley and Cheers this is the show for you. It’s a great show to grab some friends and some drinks from the bar and have a great late night of singing, calling out answers to questions and winning lollies.

The bones to the structure of the show is a list of Top 10 most popular Sitcom themes, (clearly voted for by Americans unfortunately, but that’s OK). Each song pops up on the video screen throughout the show with words underneath Karaoke style and the audience is encouraged to sing along. The audience is a little shy at first but by the end no one wants to stop singing and we’ll even sing a song that’s not in Bert’s plans. Between the singing Bert gave us some lots of trivia and zingers, other sections of the show included ‘Real Sitcom or Fake Sitcom?’, ‘Who’s The….am I?’ and ‘the ‘Most Boring Sitcom Character of All Time’

Bert Goldsmith is a quick witted nerdy host who knows his stuff when it comes to sitcoms. He had all bases covered for a great night of exploring television sitcoms. Whether you’re into oldies or more recent shows there was something for all ages. He had lost his side kick Rosie because she broke her foot and is doing a spiffing job at running the show solo as well as doing all the teching. It’s quite a tech dependent show and after a slight glitch during our performance it occurred to me that it might be a good idea for Bert to have back up cards and recordings
 just in case. Still he has fabulous slides that he’s put a lot of work into and some very funny filmed skits. Well done to director Timothy Clark too for giving it some polish.

A great way to finish off a night of the Fringe, the audience didn’t want it to end. Maybe all those lolly prizes made us all a bit giddy! This show should come with a health warning for the risk of diabetes and being hit by flying objects. Lots of fun, it will definitely be one of my Fringe highlights; I recommend you make it one of yours too.

Sitcom Theme Song Singalong is on at The Imperial til Sept 27.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/sitcom-theme-song-singalong-and-trivia/

A Very Zac & Gotchy

By Colin Flaherty

Billed as a two hander sketch show, A Very Zac and Gotchy (starring Zac Cooper and Matt Gotch) was an exuberant hour by two young actors. This basic set up was quickly abandoned with a nudge and a wink to include Caitlin McInnis in all the female roles.

The humour was a little hit and miss at times but that is generally the case with all sketch shows. I found that it started off with scenes that were silly for silliness sake and relied a little too heavily on mugging to get the laughs. As the show went on, some interesting ideas began to emerge and the consistency of the laughs increased. Personal highlights included a reluctant verbatim performance of a comedy routine that hadn’t aged particularly well and the Hollywood artistic licence taken with a Stephen Hawking biopic.

All the performers played everything extremely broadly which was in keeping with the artificial sitcom styled setting. This initially put me off-side (as it seemed to be at the expense of amusing content) but it did suit the majority of the sketches where surrealism and absurdist lines were the order of the day. Some touches of ironic misogyny, outrageous lines and costuming, and fun with literal misunderstandings tickled our funny bones.

With the main focus usually being on the relationship between “Zac” and “Matt” (or a myriad of other character pairings), they often took on the traditional roles of comedic duo with Gotchy being outwitted by the controlling and manipulative Zac to provide plenty of amusing conflict and twisted wordplay. Matt did manage to add a little subtlety in the unhinged nature of some of his characters but generally they were played with wild abandon and extreme silliness.

They had very apt choices of music between scenes which tied in with the theme explored in the preceding sketches. This made for some grins and titters as the audience heard how they cleverly tied things together. Sometimes the audio happened to be the exact source material used in the sketch to fill the gaps for those unfamiliar with the references. This was useful but perhaps it was used a touch too late to effectively garner laughs from everyone in the room.

Staging this performance in a white cube art gallery helped with the heightened sense of reality. The bright stage lights lit the whole room and gave the performers a slight unworldly look. Artwork hanging in the walls didn’t quite fit with the scenes and made this strange world of strange people all the more weirder.

A fascinating take on the traditional sketch show.

A Very Zac & Gotchy is on at Brunswick St Gallery until September 28.
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/a-very-zac-gotchy/