Melbourne Fringe 2013 – Page 7

Twice Shy

By Colin Flaherty

An encore season of their Melbourne Comedy Festival show, Twice Shy sees Shannon Woodford and Joel Checkley portray two lonely souls, Rosemary and Jonathan, who are destined to be together.

This was an incredibly sweet show that proudly displayed its vintage and homemade aesthetics. From the filmed segments using Super 8, patchwork screens at the sides of the stage and the indie folk music by their friends Cavanagh and Argus, everything screamed whimsy. There’s the odd humorous reference specifically catering to the young inner city crowd (the natural target audience) but they also flip things around to have a gentle dig at the hipsters.

The main structure of the show saw the two main characters going about their day through alternating scenes until the pair eventually met. While there were some attempts so show Rosemary and Jonathan as downtrodden loners through various social interactions, they were predominantly used as a straight (wo)man to a menagerie of colourful and often grotesque types (played by the opposing actor with a minimum of props and costuming). This came dangerously close to being a mere show-reel to show off their character work but what a showcase of their talents it was! Woodford and Checkley both did a brilliant job in bringing these characters to life by putting on silly voices to portray both genders and added plenty of amusing physicality to the roles.

In addition to the action taking place on stage, this performance was a visual and auditory feast. A narrator pushed the plot along at a decent clip and provided most of the exposition. Wonderful video clips (starring a pair of brilliantly expressive children as the young Rosemary and Jonathan) silently told the back stories of our heroes with some visual jokes. We were even treated to a show-stopping musical number complete with daggy choreography.

The conclusion relied heavily on video to wrap things up. It added the odd joke to raise a chuckle but tended to go on a little long and was rather heavy on the schmaltz. A costume change in the final scene (quite notable as every other scene relied heavily on mime rather than costuming) denoted the passing of time and nothing else. The pair simply stands on stage together as we remark to ourselves “what an adorable couple!” The result was a show that doesn’t end on a huge laugh but leaves you with a smile on your face and a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Twice Shy is on at Loop until Oct 1
Visit the Fringe site for booking details.

5 Good Reasons to see Wizard Sandwiches – The Last Lunch

5 Good Reasons to see Wizard Sandwiches brand new show The Last Lunch

1) We’ll return all the conclusions we tore out of the books you love to read.

2) We’ll be revealing the secret ingredient (it’s eggplant) of our special Moroccan dip.

3) It’s on a tram line and starts at 10.30pm – plenty of time to do other uninteresting things before hand.

4) It is endorsed by the guy from Silver K Gallery:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=35u7qM4CVMs&feature

5) It’s a silly show with all new sketches and never before seen materiLOL

With their varying degrees of facial hair, these five diversely talented comedians are definitely the ones to watch.

Wizard Sandwiches The Last Lunch is on at Meeting Room, at the North Melbourne Town Hall from 20 – 27 September.

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

5 Good reasons to see The Improv Conspiracy present A Night In Chicago

The Improv Conspiracy is the only improvised comedy group in Melbourne focused on “Chicago-style” improvisation, which is big in the States and has only recently found its way to Australia.

This Fringe season The Improv Conspiracy presents A Night In Chicago, which mixes honest storytelling with improvised sketch comedy.

Here are 5 Good reasons you should spend A Night in Chicago sometime during the next few weeks:

1. Nobody else in Melbourne is doing improv shows like this. Based on personal questions from the audience (e.g. “What was it like to lose your virginity?” or “What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?”), the night’s storyteller will tell awkward stories from their life, inspiring the cast of improvisers to create comedic sketches on the spot. The storyteller’s deepest, darkest secrets get spun into comedy gold. Pleasure for you, pain for them!

2. We know what it’s like to spend a night in Chicago. Quite a few of us have actually trained extensively at improv schools in Chicago, and spent many nights there in the process. We’re talking about places like the iO Theatre, which is where Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Amy Poehler and heaps of other funny people got their start.

3. Every show is completely different. Each show will have a different cast and storyteller. This ensures that every night you will be treated to new story and sketches, from a unique blend of talent. Skip the rest of the Fringe and see our show 12 times!

4. People like us! YAWP said “Trying to pick a favourite performer or scene from the night is impossible… professional, accomplished comics with excellent acting skills.”, while Inpress got very confused by one of our impossible staircase scenes and said “Watching these guys improvise is like watching an Escher drawing.”

5. If you like the show, we’ll teach you how to do it! The Improv Conspiracy has trained all of the performers in the show, and we’re constantly running new workshops to get people involved. We perform year-round, so you could potentially be up on stage within a few months. Comedy Festival, anyone?

The Improv Conspiracy present A Night In Chicago plays at The Croft Institute, Wednesday to Saturday Sept 18 – Oct 5.

Website: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/the-improv-conspiracy/

Details about the group can be found at http://www.improvconspiracy.com

5 Good Reasons to see Twice Shy by Joel Checkley and Shannon Woodford

5 Good Reasons to see Twice Shy goes something like this.

1. Twice Shy thinks that love is fantastic, and sometimes hilarious. It’s easy to forget this, so we made a comedy show to remind you.

2. We promise to make you smile at least twice. Bad pun intended.

3. Shannon expertly portrays a mentally challenged goldfish, a little too well perhaps.

4. We are both pretty nice, and would probably let you buy us a beer after the show.

5. Because Melbourne Fringe Festival is awesome, so by default…

You might want to see Joel Checkley and Shannon Woodford being Twice Shy at Loop Bar (only 6 performances)
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/twice-shy/#

5 Good Reasons to see Dylan Cole in Safety First

Here are my 5 Good Reasons to see Safety First

1. It makes fun of the mediocre training instructors, seminars & courses seen frequently in everybody’s working life.

2. There is a tea break in the middle of the show – with Arnott’s Assorted Creams – that’s right, creams, not the cheap stuff.

3. You might learn something that could save your life.

4. Try and pick up all the subtle film references – 10 points & chocolate if you can name them all

5. You get a kick-arse certificate at the end, which is sure to impress any potential employee/suitor.

Sounds like a great show to take your office colleagues to, and you get a bickie!

Dylan Cole will be performing Safety First at The Tuxedo Cat – The Puffer Fish B at 7pm.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/safety-first/

5 Good Reasons to see Notanotion by Billy O’Reilly and Firdi Billimoria

5 Good Reasons from Billy & Firdi
1) Notanotion is a show written by comedians Firdi Billimoria & Billy O’Reilly, but ironically is performed by Billy O’Reilly and Firdi BIllimoria who are comics. Not only does it feature stand-up comedy, but it will also feature sketches, videos, and a contrived kidnapping. 2 comedians for the price of something that costs $15

2) Notanotion is a made up word, which could mean anything. It also could mean something. The thing that it means could be revealed to you if you come to the show. Other revelations during the show include the origins of a Sopranos guest cast member, the winner in a Root Vegetable verbal battle, and the truth behind the mental health industry.

3) Notanotion is playing at Club Voltaire in North Melbourne. A venue renowned for its support of diverse and innovative artists, but probably more renowned for its covert location. Tucked away in a small side street in North Melbourne, your friends will think you are on the cusp of the in-crowd by leading them to this magical hidden venue. Our recommendation, while walking down the Raglan St, look over your shoulder suspiciously a couple of times, and when you reach the door pretend to make a phone call and utter the words “The lyre bird sings in the pale moonlight,” and then pretend to hang up. If you follow those steps, your friends will hit “Like” more often when you post status updates about your uninteresting life.

4) Notanotion is playing right around the corner from the Fringe Hub, so you have the opportunity to see a multitude of other awesome shows right before or after it (look…. we know you also have the option to see other awesome shows during Notanotion, but we dont want to say that, so we’re not going to OK…OK?) And then maybe head to the Fringe Club, for a some beverages, artistic indecency and general sadness.

5) The following will not be a result of watching Notanotion: Diarrhea, delusions of grandeur, bipolar disorder, dysentery, a sense of decorum, syphilis, feline AIDs or dream fulfillment. The following will: chortles, lols, rofls, and other irritating acronyms.

Notanotion is playing at the always groovy Club Voltaire 14 Raglan St. North Melbourne at 8.30pm

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/notanotion/