You know youâre in for a good time when even the title of a show makes you laugh. Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza. Tracey. sees the return of Josh Ladgroveâs Doctor Professor Neal Portenza â an agent of clowning chaos decked out in a hospital gown, lab coat and beret.
In Neal PortenzaâŠTracey, Ladgrove has refined the character of Portenza further, distilling him into a series of segments whose names are displayed on balloons at the back of the stage. From the wonderfully stupid âball cupâ and âghostboyâ to the weird and dark âpokĂ©gothâ, Ladgroveâs unique style of comedy had the audience in fits of laughter. Thereâs no narrative, just a bunch of funny, silly stuff. Fake blood, rubber geese, a megaphone â thereâs no point to any of it, aside from making you laugh as much as possible. Itâs simple physical foolishness at its best.
âBest tech in the worldâ Nathan has also returned, helpfully prodding Portenza when heâs forgotten to do a portion of the show. His well-placed sound effects add another layer of hilarity to Neal PortenzaâŠTracey, while his updates of how much time is left add an undercurrent of panic.
Neal PortenzaâŠTracey is the kind of show where the experience could vary wildly from night to night, as itâs largely dependent on the audience. With a group of people who are willing to play, itâs riotous and joyful. With a less enthusiastic audience, the performance would fall flat. Luckily, on review night, everyone was well and truly up for some madness and the energy in the room was absolutely uplifting. And thereâs no reason not to get on board. In all of the audience participation, the joke is firmly on Portenza. More often than not, the audienceâs main task is to rein in Portenza when he gets out of hand – or to egg him on, because things are a lot more fun when they get out of hand.
Once again, Ladgrove has created one of the most enjoyable shows of the festival. Neal PortenzaâŠTracey is a perfectly shambolic hour of escapism from a performer that just gets better every year.
Neal Portenza – Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza. Tracey. is on at Melbourne Town Hall until April 17