Screw Loose

By Colin Flaherty
screw-loose

This is an amusing romp in which serial stalker Emily details all the “boyfriends” she’s had over the years through song and monologue. We hear tales of schoolyard crushes and numerous “cheating partners”, and we hear of her methods of “gentle” persuasion and dealing with letting go.

Emily has created a brilliant comedic character who is wonderfully unhinged and delusional. Through exaggerated twitchy gestures and the odd crazy outburst we observe her twisted thought processes. She is the perfect unreliable narrator for these tales of clearly deplorable behaviour that deftly sways the audience towards empathy.

Screw Loose has an engaging storyline that gradually increases, then ramps up, the insanity perfectly. Rather than just being a collection of songs on the topic of unrequited love, the between song patter links the tunes with hilarious exposition. Some gentle audience participation involving a lucky gent provides a couple of amusing lines but the song / story could easily be performed without a Y chromosome being on stage. I guess the victim needs to really squirm (rather than take it like a man) for this segment to pay off.

Her songs are largely original numbers combining hilariously twisted tunes and heart breaking ballads. There are enough amusing ideas to keep you chuckling throughout with wicked and just plain disturbing lines peppered throughout to elicit guffaws, the highlight being the title song Screw Loose which really takes it over the edge and has the audience whooping. A few straight covers are used to provide exposition and provide some tender moments. All this is sung to accompaniment by Ben Murray who plays piano without too much flourish and leaves all the spotlight for Emily.

Songs are given lots of colour with more than a few nods to Streisand, alternating between belting them out with gusto and chatting / babbling away. It’s a little all over the shop at times but it’s the perfect way to portray this wacky, troubled soul. Even when the tunes aren’t overly comedic in content she delivers them in character, giving them plenty of gestures and vocal variations to amuse.

A toe tapping tour de force for those who’ve ever experience unrequited love, Screw Loose is a fun cabaret performance by a performer with plenty of comedic chops who keeps you laughing throughout.

Screw Loose is on at The Butterfly Club until September 19.

https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/screw-loose/c4ea02a3-1b0f-43ec-9457-0cc448e8f924

5 Good Reasons To See ApocOlympics

1. It mixes the absurdity of a post-apocolyptic world with all the fun and chaos of the Olympics.

2. It answers the question “What if Trump wins the election?” – with the best possible outcome.

3. You love eating American-style BBQ and then enjoying a show. Or vice-versa.

4. You want to see a show with a hive mind, mutants, the hybrid half-chicken/half-turkey “churkey”, crow giants, Greg, guessing games and news broadcasts all in one show.

5. You have this intense desire to use a promo code. And the promo code is CHURKEY.

ApocOlympics is on at The Tickle Pit @ Fancy Hank’s from September 28 to October 2.

Visit the Melbourne Fringe website for further details:
https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/apocolympics/aca0e452-1e85-43f6-a9a2-9a5a44b64560

5 Good Reasons to See Damien & Ross in Safari Psychosis

1) Damien has a background in improv and stand up, so if he forgets his lines he can just adlib his way out of it. Once during rehearsal, his adlibbing ended up turning the show into  Death of a Salesman. Briefly considered just doing that show instead. Ross is just some guy off the street.

 

2) Damien & Ross have won the award for ‘Most Handsomest Well-Behaved Boys You’d Feel Comfortable Taking Home To Your Mum”. And as we all know, awards are never not a high indicator of quality. Always. Always. Always

 

3) Rejected sketches for the show include “Damien & Ross Meet Frankenstein’s Ghost”, “Damien & Ross Punch Malcolm Turnbull Way Up In The Guts”, “Fried Rice Pregnancy”, “Damien and Ross Visit the Doctors But Whoops Turns Out the Doctor Isn’t Qualified and Isn’t Very Smart” – if hot comedy gold like that was thrown into the dumpster fire of rejection, just imagine what they’d spit up on stage for their show.

 

4) Alternative sketch comedy written, produced and starring two silly hamboys who worked extra hard to make the funny ha-has for you all. If you hate this show, you hate joy and happiness.

 

5) This show IS 2016. A comedy show for millennials.  Absurdity and gross out humour in place of wit, baby! It’s what the young people want It’s a way of channeling our Gen-Y frustration you old folks! Intelligence? Intelligence is for smart people! If you don’t get our hip n’ happening references,, just go back to listening to ABC National Radio old timers. Punk rock! If you don’t like it, don’t come. But please come.

Damien & Ross in Safari Psychosis opens September 15th and goes til the 23rd at 7:15pm (No show Wednesday) at Tuxedo Cat

https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/damien-ross-in-safari-psychosis/b5c3d6e8-6739-4eef-88c6-23f2ce93ea27

5 Good Reasons to see Human Garbage

1 – We’re emerging comedians and would love to get some exposure and constructive feedback

2 – We’re a mildly diverse team of four and we all had a hand in sketches, so we hope we’ve ended up with a good array of styles and topics

3 – Literally no audience participation! we might be emerging but we know enough to know everyone hates that. so you can chill out and take your shoes off!

4 – It’s only $10! So you can spend the rest on authentic Dairy Kweenz merch! (we’ll be auctioning off our costumes later)

5 – We don’t think it’s funny anymore because we rehearsed it so many times, but we remember when we thought it was funny so we hope you will too.

Human Garbage is by Dairy Kweenz who are Colwyn Buckland, Taylor Griffiths, Filip Lescaut, Lena Moon & Ivy Latimer)

It is on at The Improv Conspiracy Sept 14 – 23

https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/human-garbage/6509a886-54ad-4d1c-ada0-aa24d1ac4c1e

5 Good Reasons To see Paul Culliver – The Honeypot

1. This show won Best Comedy at Fringe World this year.

2. I just crashed my car yesterday, so if pity ticket-buying is your thing, I’m your man.

3. My venue is the back room of a Mexican restaurant. Or maybe it’s Brazilian. Ok, let’s go with “South American”. Anyways, it’s great food and if you fall asleep in my show because you ate too many taocs, I’ll just be impressed.

4. I’ve just become an ABC Radio presenter, which means shoving your political opinions deep down inside yourself. This show is basically all political. How will he do it?!

5. See point 1 again. Like, I was really chuffed to win, and if winning an award like that doesn’t get people like you to buy a ticket, then I literally can’t give you a better reason.

Paul Culliver performs The Honeypot  at Belleville Sept 19 – 24

https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/paul-culliver-the-honeypot/4632ad7d-f4be-48c8-9a4a-92eb3bd8afd0

5 Good Reasons to see CULL

1. Hilariously relatable for anyone whose ever been on Facebook and witnessed someone talentlessly do the cup song with conviction.

2. It stars two of the worlds most famous internet celebrities: Honor Wolff who has over 47 Instagram followers and Patrick Durnan Silva who was once banned from Twitter for cyberbullying his mother.

3. It’s conveniently early, starting at 6:00pm – so if your husband is going to see it and comes home really late, you know he’s having an affair.

4. Ticket’s are cheap!!!! So cheap in fact, that Patrick and Honor will never become homeowners
 CHEAP!!!

5. Mark Zuckerberg once said “Facebook” and we couldn’t agree more. He’s famous and rich, we’re not. CULL!

CULL is on at The Courthouse Hotel (Jury Room) from September 15 to September 23.
For further information, visit the Melbourne Fringe website:

https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/cull/6f23d97f-0149-4d4f-b6c8-898d2a8f0477