Day of the Dead – Cath Styles

By Hannah Frazer  

Mortality and the use of the big ‘D Word’ (death, for those of you playing at home) is a tricky topic to get right in comedy. Cath Styles gives her take on mortality with the telling of her own personal stories of the deaths of 3 of those closest to her. Particularly how it broke her, and how tacos, coronas and a little bit of face paint brought her back to life. Day of the Dead is a touching ode to those Styles has lost and a reminder to everyone else that life is short. This intimate show manages to dissect the humour out of a difficult subject.

While a little disappointingly rusty at times on her material, brushing the cobwebs off her notebook, Styles was honest and raw with her story telling. Establishing her love of the Spanish language early in the piece; and as the show progresses, you come to understand its significance to Styles and her grieving process.

Styles admits to always having an immense fear of death from a young age, even though she never dealt with its harsh reality until later in life. But as the old saying goes ‘When it rains, it pours’, with not one but three sucker punches from death all at once. Cancer taking the lives of her mother and best friend, while also losing the beloved family cat named ‘Cat’ (she hadn’t planned on keeping it for long). Styles reminisces on the fond memories of those strong and hilarious women, taken too soon by one of life’s most punishing diseases, as well as how the purr of a kitten can melt a heart. The realness of her circumstances giving her a big slap in the face, when not only did her doctor put a very small timeframe on her mother but also realising that not even her many variations of delicious and creamy homemade cheesecakes could keep her around.

It is safe to say that these loses where not an easy thing to come back from. Styles unhappiness with the way that death is dealt with in her own back yard, together with her sister decided to take control of their own destinies. They both Left stable jobs and incomes to pursue a life in the arts, but not before adding a 6th stage to their grieving process, nicely slotting MEXICO in just before ‘acceptance’. Sharing a trip to the ‘Day of the Dead’ festival together helped to put things into perspective for Styles. Their new found understanding of the Mexican culture helped them establish a new relationship with death and come out the other side, ready for a new beginning.

While no one-way of dealing with death is the same, Styles stands by the belief that life is short and if you are not happy, make a change. It is just a shame that it has to be a kick in the guts from the skeleton in the hood to remind you.

Day of the Dead by Cath Styles is on til Oct 5

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/day-of-the-dead/

Tea With Dystopia

By Colin Flaherty

When you put comedians Marek Platek and Firdi Billimoria together you get one weird sketch show. From a bizarre instructional tape about interacting with others to a vacuum powered IQ adjustment device to the sound guy gingerly bringing out pictures to share with the audience, this was an hour that threw many strange ideas at the wall and hoped that they would stick. A lot of it was weirdness for weirdness sake but they managed to keep the audience in hysterics throughout.

It was quite a wild ride with sketches that went all over the place and kept the audience on their toes. These sketches were generally a bit too long but by packing in as much variety as possible they ensured that interest rarely waned. They often veered into completely unrelated territory within a sketch. We assumed that they had segued into the next one by stealth but, through some twisted logic, they would connect back to the original idea and tie things up; sometimes neatly. Some scenes went to brilliant inspired places but others just petered out and had everyone scratching their heads over what they just witnessed. Regular deconstruction of the show and call backs displayed a clever side to the silliness and faux spats gave the impression that everything could fall apart at any minute.

The thing that kept it all glued together was Platek and Billimoria’s talent in selling the material. Billimoria was great in being comically shouty and playing things straight while Platek did something wacky in the background. Platek pleased the crowd with his exaggerated facial expressions and was always up for stripping off his gear to look silly. The guys bounced effortlessly off one another and maintained impressive control over this anarchic setting even amidst an audience revolt. There was plenty of comedic tension to spice things up with some colourful insulting phrases and lots of slapstick, between each other as well as some innocent bystanders.

Those expecting clear narrative structure may find themselves getting a little lost but those in the mood for the strange and bizarre will have a fine time.

Tea With Dystopia is on at The Portland Hotel at 10:15pm until September 30

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/tea-with-dystopia/

Here’s Lucy! Camp as Hell by Backwards Anorak

By Colin Flaherty

Lucifer (Lucy to his “friends” and played by Vince Milesi) is relaunching Hell much like you would with a nightclub. His new intern (Michelle Brasier) is smitten with Lucy but he has his eyes on Jesus (played by real life brother Leo Milesi in a creepy twist). This love triangle in the eternal inferno was played out wonderfully through numerous songs and lots of cheeky innuendo.

Vince Milesi played the title role beautifully with the all charm of a Vegas performer and threw in an appropriate cruel streak with some blatent intimidation and humiliation. As Lucy tried to get us excited about the forthcoming evil decadence, this clearly bipolar character would suddenly be in a violent rage at the slightest error or mishap. Brasier’s portrayal of Intern the Intern was spot on. This timid naïve creature tiptoed around her boss but found a strong voice through song.

There were plenty of laughs to be had with all the off-colour lines and wicked innuendo. Some gentle witty jabs were thrown the way of Christianity but nothing too offensive. The fun plot weaved through some ridiculous and slightly disturbing scenarios and the characters would regularly bump and grind with anything that wasn’t nailed down for a bit giggling at audience discomfort. Be prepared for plenty of comical simulated sex acts.

The musical component was wonderful and propelled the story along with plenty of colour and movement in the form of some dance moves. With either keyboard accompaniment or a backing track, the cast belted out a number of current popular songs and a few that appeared to be originals. They all were great singers and there was a nice touch with the Mike Whitney character given a deliberately shonky singing voice (he may have sold his soul to become a star, but Satan wasn’t a miracle worker).

The ending of the show was quite abrupt with the audience expecting some sort of clear resolution to the story but it was not to be. The houselights went up and we were a little confused about how things would pan out between the main characters. Either I missed something important in the lyrics of the final song or we were taught the lesson that you rarely get exactly what you want in Hell. Despite the vague conclusion this was a fun piece of raunchy musical comedy that will delight.

Here’s Lucy! Camp as Hell is on at Upstairs at Errol’s at 9:15pm until October 4
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/here-s-lucy-camp-as-hell/

Grammar don’t matter on a first date – Mark Butler

By Hannah Frazer 

Mark Butler ran this grammar and love tutorial, bringing with him a book full of knowledge and experience (he actually has written a book). From misplaced apostrophes to double negatives. From possessive pro nouns to conjunctions, Butler is able to educate and entertain simultaneously.

He shares personal experience with dating, online and otherwise. He makes connections between his intense frustration with bad grammar and the imminent demise of his past relationships. He turns to the audience to find support and likeminded individuals. He gives specific examples of the bad grammar that he has observed with passed relationships, and asks if this would be an error we could move on from, even find endearing or if it would indeed be a deal breaker.

Butler takes a “show no mercy” approach to these past loves, with an attitude that could possibly be taken as arrogance. He asked for the audience’s input, it came as a maybe not so big surprise that we are possibly just as much grammar snobs as Butler. With the audiences general consensus that the much too commonly used ‘LOL’ (if not being used ironically) is not something that could be forgiven. Mistaking your and you’re and confusing the various ‘there’s’ was also up there with reasonable excuses to end a relationship before it got too far.

It is not only with past romantic liaisons that grammar gets a once over. Popular hits of the 80’s, 90’s and today also have a bright red marker taken to them. Songs, should you check out this show, you will not be able to enjoy the same way.

If you are a grammar geek, you will find a comrade in arms, a kindred spirit in Butler. If you are not, the idea that you learn something new every day will never feel so relevant. You will think you have experienced a thousand days when you will leave, educated and not able to speak a sentence again without mulling it over in your mind a million times. Or taking way too long to overlook text and email messages. Your finger will hover over that send button for what will seem like a lifetime. Your mind will become the internal editor you hadn’t yet locked into.

Again, whether you care about potential partners having a grasp on the English language or not, Butler makes the evening feel like you are having a casual drink with a good friend. Everyone comfortable enough in his presence to participate and even correct the tutor. Education made fun. Maybe we would all be better at the basics of our language had we had a fun and entertaining teacher like Butler.

Grammar don’t matter on a first date is on at The Court House Hotel in Nth Melbourne until October 5

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/grammar-don-t-matter-on-a-first-date/

 

Written it Down: Live!

By Elyce Phillips

Written it Down is an improvised sitcom created by Matt Saraceni and Dave Zwolenski that has seen a lot of success. Starting out as an independent webseries, it has since been picked up by the ABC and Funny or Die. The premise is fairly simple – each episode involves a scene with two comedians. One has an important piece of news that they must tell the other, but they don’t know what that is until they read the piece of paper it’s written on.

The live version of the show was broader in its format – a mixture of Written it Down style sketches and short-form improv games. All of the performers had made appearances in the series and are regulars in the Melbourne improv scene – Jimmy James-Eaton, Liam Ryan, Sophie Kneebone, Michelle Nussey, Gillian Cosgriff, Stuart Packham and Cameron Neill. It was a fantastic group, each proving themselves to be quick-witted and hilarious. Packham’s baffling portrayal of a South African rollerblader was a stand-out.

Most of the show’s games would have been familiar to anyone who attends improv nights like The Big Hoo-Haa – Lines from a Text, Perfect Match, Scenes from a Bucket. A highlight of the show was a game where an audience member was pulled into a scene and could only use lines taken form interviews with footballers. The one Written it Down piece performed saw the group pair off and break up with each other for reasons submitted by the audience earlier – soy sauce addiction, smelling like their mother and being in love with Justin Bieber. The scenes were all very funny, however, the way they were staged, rotating through the three pairs several times, was a little disjointed.

Written it Down: Live! was closer to Theatresports than a live version of the webseries, but with a group of performers this strong, I can’t imagine anyone would have been bothered by that. The spirit of the series was there in all of the games they played. It’s a joy to see these guys perform, no matter what they do.

Written it Down: Live was a one-night-only event, but you can watch their webseries at http://writtenitdown.com/
For a similar live experience, check out The Big Hoo-Haa! – Thursdays, 8pm at the Portland Hotelhttp://www.hoohaamelbourne.com.au/

The Impossible Showcase – The Three Toms

By Elyce Phillips 
In the process of creating a show for the Melbourne Fringe, comedians no doubt reject a lot of their ideas before they land on the perfect thing to develop – ideas that are too weird or ambitious to take to the stage. The Impossible Showcase is a place where comedians can bring those ideas to life. Each night sees a different line-up performing new material that may never be seen again. A lot of risks are taken, and it results in some of the funniest acts in the festival.

The Three Toms (Tom Lang and Tom McClean) were wonderful hosts, setting the tone with a lo-fi Twilight Zone-esque introduction. On the night I attended, the line-up was strange and spectacular. Claire Sullivan took the audience into space, with the assistance of a grocery bag full of props. Her performance was gloriously chaotic, ending a little prematurely after she dropped the mic cord in a pool of water she had previously dribbled on the stage.

The Bryn Adams Duo (Angus Hodge, Demi Lardner and Kel Balnaves) attacked the stage with the kind of aggressive absurdity you would find in an Eric Andre sketch. Communicating in pained moans, grunts, hip thrusts and the occasional word, the group presented an abridged history of man. It was a performance that was surprising, gruesome, disturbing and hilarious. I was doubled over and in tears by the end of their set.

They were followed by James McCann, writer of ‘Wolf Creek: the Musical’, who read a series of letters written by a ghost who had possessed him, entitled ‘Open Letters to Scum’. McCann did a great job of capturing the voice of an offensive elderly man, ranting at reptiles, women with short haircuts and various ethnic groups.

Mr Alexander was one of the riskier acts of the night. Comedic cold reading is a strong concept, but as the performer noted several times, it does involve talking about the dead loved ones of the audience – a fairly precarious place to find laughs. Alexander did this to varying degrees of success, but his lack of confidence in the character and the reluctance of the audience to participate led to some awkwardness.

The evening ended with Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall taking the audience through some guided meditation. In almost total darkness, Tremblay-Birchall calmly asked us to consider our toes and ponder the contents of our stomach. It was silly, slightly unsettling, and a perfect way to end the showcase.

The comedy in The Impossible Showcase is divisive. While I thought the Bryn Adams Duo was the funniest thing I’ve seen all year, there were others in the audience who weren’t into it. This isn’t a crowd-pleasing show. But that’s the brilliant thing about it. The Impossible Showcase gives new and exciting ideas a chance. Some acts might not work, but some might be genius. If you’re feeling brave and want to see something unique, you really should give it a chance.

The Impossible Showcase is on in The Portland Room at The Portland Hotel until October 5.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/the-impossible-showcase/