Live on Air with Poet Laureate Telia Nevile

By Lisa Clark

I know; you’re just in the mood for a night out of poetry
 No? Well Telia Nevile might change your mind. She’s not only a winning wordsmith, but an engaging performer who understands the unappreciated nature of her calling and wants to convert everyone to her passion for poetry. She does this via her alter ego the similarly named Poet Laureate Telia Nevile a persona she maintains until the very end when the show is over.

Our Poet Laureate is in her pyjamas in a room with a cosy armchair and coffee table that still manages to conjure the feel of a bedroom from which she is hosting her own pirate radio poetry show. It’s a radio show that includes segments called Pet Peeves and Story Time. It is a pretty standard teen fantasy, similar to putting on concerts in your bedroom while singing into your hairbrush… which I hear some teens do. ehem. In past shows, often in school uniform, the Poet Laureate has been portrayed as an angst ridden teenager and that is how she seems when we first meet her, but the show appears to skip through the years as she becomes a grown up Telia going through some sort of mid life crisis. The echoes of the angsty teen in the early poems are gradually left behind as she rails against the drudgery of boring jobs that artists must take to survive in ‘The Working Blues’, then onto following her dreams and finally it’s about not losing hope even after years of struggling which made this show seem more personal than previous ones.

The show was a little uneven with some stand out pieces soaring above the rest but everything was pretty entertaining. The stand outs were her Pet Peeves segment which was a cookie-monster style roared rant about punctuation set to music by German industrial metal legends Rammstein and the Story Time segment which was some hilarious gay fan fiction about two characters on The West Wing that became explicit enough to give this show a possible AO rating! So you might not want to take anyone who’s easily embarrassed. The crowd-pleasing tribute to 80s Rock love ballads was not a new concept and went on a bit long, but proved that we’ve forgotten just how successful Phil Collins was.

The night I was there happened to be the day the tunnels were closed and Melbourne had severe traffic jams. She had to put up with nearly half her audience arriving late, while the show was in progress in a tiny space and she kept right going without letting it distract her. Or at least letting the distraction show. It was a bit of a problem for the audience, because the language is so dense that the show requires some serious concentration. That concentration pays off though because there is a lot to enjoy and her final poem about surviving as an artist was a stunner that brought a tear to my eye.

I’ve always enjoyed Telia Nevile’s work, she’s been able to consistently create new ways to make her audience laugh with her clever poetry and personas. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

5 Good Reasons to see Wizard Sandwiches

After gathering a following online with their videos, Wizard Sandwiches are transfering their comedy stylings to the stage for this year’s Fringe. Come along and devour their sketch treats.

1. It’s Edible Comedy. You can see it, you can smell it, you can digest it. We are The Wizard Sandwiches!

2. “I laughed so hard, my cheeks hurt” – Show Goer

3. There are sketches about Llamas and Cowboys

4. The ending of the show not only entertains, but also raises awareness amongst the audience

5. Do you like abbreviated game shows!? Sure you do!

The Wizard Sandwiches are on until the 7th of Oct at Trades Hall – Annexe
Tuesday to Sunday at 8:30pm.
To buy tickets go to: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/the-wizard-sandwiches/

Slutmonster and Friends

By Colin Flaherty

Slutmonster and Friends tells the tale of two bickering brothers, Larch (Lucas Heil) and Bovril (Wes Gardner) who find themselves at Death’s Door in a strange land. They meet a furry hermaphroditic creature (Jessie Ngaio) and her woodland friends, and proceed to descend further into madness. It’s a sick, twisted and perverted play that’s gutbustingly hilarious.

With a brightly coloured day-glo set featuring phallic mushrooms and tit covered trees, it was apparent that this was going to be a gaudy, over the top and lewd production. The monster’s bright pink costume complete with breasts and large schlong was as brilliant as it was disturbing and is sure to grasp the attention of the Furry crowd. Colourful, innocent puppet characters (operated by each of the trio when their characters were off stage) were a perfect contrast to the dark story by adding some cheerful optimism to the events.

At it’s core this show was a musical with many jaunty songs giving background details to the action. This contrast between content and delivery provided the comedic power. The graphic lyrical imagery provoked guilty nervous laughter as well as belly laughs as you tapped your toe to the upbeat music.

Heil and Gardner bounced brilliantly off one another as a comedic duo. They stuck to their roles of straight man and wacky guy but each got their fair share of amusing Pythonesque lines. The script delivered plenty of laughs while progressing the plot at a quick clip. The duo also got to flex their dramatic muscles as the story approached the gates of hell. Their physical performances were great with slapstick and exaggerated simulated sex pulled off with ease.

Ngaio’s performance as the monster was wonderful; grinning like an ignorant idiot as all sorts of deviant sexual acts were performed on her and plenty of gruesome carnage occurred. The strange animalistic eroticism exuded by her was exploited for many laughs. It was the classic portrayal of the misunderstood monster protagonist.

The dramatic structure to this show was brilliant. Animated segments employed the “unreliable narrator” literary device by portraying a fairytale-style sanitised version of the depraved events taking place on stage. When the shit hit the fan at the dramatic apex, the darkness was drawn out beyond breaking point; a point which would kill any other comedy show. Following it up with the stupidest sequence imaginable to release the tension was a master stroke. There were plenty of plot twists to keep the audience on their toes and divert the plot from obvious places. Although some action took place off stage, hints in the form of clever props and off the cuff remarks by particiants let the audience put together the gruesome details.

This show may look simple and purely base on the surface, but there is a depth to it that will provoke discussion afterwards. Allusions to The Tempest and a visual nod to a CSI trope had it pulling literary references from all corners with many elements still being discovered on the drive home. In fact most audience members were laughing and chatting about it all the way onto the street. It’s such an affective piece that I could have sworn I heard someone humming the Slutmonster’s theme song!

Despite the use of puppets, the late night time slot and vivid language in the blurb ensure that this show won’t be mistaken for family friendly fare. It certainly won’t appeal to the prudish but if you like your humour on the perverted side, you’ll be gagging for more.

Slutmonster and Friends is on at Club Voltaire until October 14.
For Further info visit the Melbourne Fringe website http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/slutmonster-and-friends/

Victoria Healy ‘s Anatomy

By Elyce Phillips

Do you like science? Do you like facts? Do you like facts about science? Well, Victoria Healy has got the show for you. In an attempt to overcome her squeamish discomfort with the human body and all its doings, Healy has learned all about our anatomy and shares her findings with you in ways comedic and informative.

Anatomy explores various parts of
well, the anatomy, through stories about Healy’s relationship with her own body, interspersed with a variety of entirely scientific facts. You’ll learn about hands, feet, even knees – if that’s the sort of thing you are into. There’s a lot of ground covered in this show. ‘Anatomy’ is jam-packed with all kinds of information about the body, but it’s presented in such an amusing, conversational way that it’s never overwhelming. The experience is like having a chat with a friend who has just started taking a new class that is so excited about all the new stuff that they’ve learned that they’re just busting to tell somebody all about it. You can’t help but immediately get on board with the subject matter.

Healy is a quick-witted and talented comedic performer, who is only getting better and better at her craft. Her new show not so much celebrates the human body as examines it with equal parts awe and disgust. Healy has a knack for instilling her own fascination for the subject of the human body into her material. An extensive analogy about gang life has certainly given me a whole new level of respect for the immune system. The show is most assuredly a crowd pleaser. On opening night, Healy performed to a packed house, all of whom seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

One word of warning for the incredibly squeamish among us – Healy does not dance about the fact that our bodies are at times downright disgusting, and while I took perverse glee in moments such as her truly vivid description of a lobotomy procedure, it may not be for everyone. But for those who are game, Victoria Healy’s Anatomy is thoroughly entertaining and you might even learn a thing or two.

Victoria Healy‘s Anatomy is on at the Locker Room at The Portland Hotel until October 8th

For Further info visit the Melbourne Fringe website  http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/victoria-healy-s-anatomy/.

Nicholas J Johnson – Today Tonight, Tomorrow the World

By Cathy Culliver

Nicholas J Johnson’s new show begins with the sentiment that “critics are jerks”. Well I never. In that case, Mr Johnson 
 No, I can’t do it. As much as I’d like to get him back, it just wouldn’t be fair. Some critics are jerks. And Today Tonight, Tomorrrow the World is too good a show to give it a bad review.

Based on his experiences appearing on everyone’s favourite “current affairs” show (and I use those quotation marks very ironically), Johnson takes the audience through the background and the reasoning that lead to him selling his soul to appear on Today Tonight.

Johnson is better known around the country as “Australia’s Honest Con Man”, and spends his time educating folks on how to avoid being tricked into parting with their hard-earned cash.

Which is, according to Johnson, why Today Tonight hired him; they wanted a con man to trick unsuspecting members of the public out of their money so they
could swoop in with their cameras and prove that everyone is a gullible idiot, presumably.

Johnson’s re-telling of his experience is not only entertaining and very funny, but also a fascinating look behind the scenes of how these television types operate.

I wouldn’t call it an expose, because really, who wasn’t already aware that Today Tonight was dodgy as all hell? But Johnson’s experiences certainly reiterate why the show is perceived as such a scourge on Australian television.

Aside from his con artistry skills, Johnson proves he’s also a damn good comedian. He’s warm and engaging, but at same time delightfully unpredictable. The moments in the show when he pulls the rug out from beneath you make for some of the funniest and most memorable.

You have to wonder whether this is a cathartic experience for Johnson; a way to finally be at peace with what those bad TV men made him do.

But since just after calling me a jerk he also made us all promise not to give away the ending, I won’t tell you how he eventually finds a way to sleep at night. But I will say it’s a cracker.

Today Tonight, Tomorrow the World is showing at Club Voltaite, North Melbourne until Saturday 6th October.

More information can be found in the Fringe Guide http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/today-tonight-tomorrow-the-world/

Lessons with Luis – Luis Presents: Kidney Kingdom

By Elyce Phillips

The winners of Raw Comedy 2012 and the Golden Gibbo have returned for the Melbourne Fringe with a reprise of their wonderful production Kidney Kingdom. Luis, his younger brother Luelin and dad Len put on a play about Luis’ quest to get his sick dad a new kidney. It’s a chance for Luis to show off his many skills – singing, dancing, teaching and above all, comedy.

Kidney Kingdom has all the ambition of a grand stage spectacular, but springs to life in a dazzlingly underwhelming array of cardboard props and embroidered homewares – ably handled by impressively deadpan propsmaster Luelin. It feels like you’re watching some family friends put on a performance in the lounge room. There’s that fantastic contrast between earnestness of the production – performed with such vigour on Luis and Len’s part – and the uncomfortable reality of the quality of their play. The jokes fall flat, the dancing is out of time, the costume changes are an ordeal and it is hilarious.

However, Kidney Kingdom is more than just an exercise in anti-comedy. Luis, Len and Luelin’s characters are all incredibly well-realised. They work together seamlessly as a family, from the subtle flickers of exasperation on Luis’ face as Len rambles on, to Luelin’s constant lack of enthusiasm for his brother’s work. The dynamics of the family are constantly bubbling beneath the main performance of the stage play. What’s more, they all portray their characters with a great level of affection. The humour of Kidney Kingdom may be in the awkwardness of the delivery, but it is never cruel. It’s also a wonderfully inclusive show. Although the audience may have been reticent to sit in the front row, by the end of the show everyone was getting involved.
Kidney Kingdom is truly impressive – all the more so for being a debut full-length production. The Lessons with Luis team will no doubt go on to do great things. Catch this show if you haven’t already. It would be a great shame to miss it.

Lessons with Luis – Luis Presents: Kidney Kingdom is on at the Fringe Hub – The Ballroom, Lithuanian Club until October 5th.

All the Details are on the Melbourne Fringe Festival site  http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/lessons-with-luis-luis-presents-kidney-kingdom/