Tag: Trillcumber

Trillcumber – Paradise

By Elyce Phillips

Trillcumber (Mario Hannah, Hayley Tantau, Simon McCulloch and Ryan Zorzut) return for their second MICF with Paradise – a narrative sketch show that is cleverly conceived and skilfully performed.

At the centre of Paradise is Harrison Gregory (played by Zorzut), a crackpot Elon Musk type who has built a rocket that will take passengers to Mars. This trip to Mars works as a framework through which we are introduced to a whole cast of characters in a series of interconnecting sketches, each with their own reasons to give up their lives on Earth and flee to the red planet. Every member of Trillcumber is given a chance to shine. Hannah’s incredibly boring man Bobby is a delight, and you truly feel for him by the end of the show. Tantau hilariously displays her musical chops as a convicted felon, and is an absolute highlight as a ghost-obsessed girlfriend. McCulloch is fantastically absurd and a little bittersweet as the narrator of the piece. Zorzut makes for a wonderful new addition to the Trillcumber team. His portrayal of Harrison Gregory is pitch-perfect, but it was his ridiculous appearance as a ghost that really got me laughing. It’s a well-rounded cast.

Though the overarching concept of jetting off to Mars is a distant fantasy, there is a deeper, more relatable theme of running away from your problems that is thoughtfully played with. Every character has a history to deal with and a lesson to learn. The narrative structure is interesting and shows some growth from Trillcumber as writers. It’s silly sketch that also manages to tug at your heartstrings.

Paradise is a terrific follow-up on last year’s debut from Trillcumber. If you’re after well-written sketch comedy from some accomplished young performers, it’s definitely a show worth checking out.

Trillcumber – Paradise is on at the Improv Conspiracy until April 17

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/paradise-trillcumber

Trillcumber – Is This Intimacy?

By Elyce Phillips Trillcumber

Have you ever been the uncomfortable one at a party, standing around the edges, not quite connecting with those around you?  If so, this is a show for you. Trillcumber (Simon McCulloch, Hayley Tantau and Mario Hannah) have composed a slick hour of sketch in Is This Intimacy?  As well as being terrifically funny, the show explores the awkwardness of relationships in their various forms, from first introductions to fraught romantic entanglements.

Trillcumber have created some wonderful characters in this show. Even in the more bizarre sketches, everything has a real, emotional base. You find yourself having sympathy for foxes and rooting for anthropomorphic planets. Tantau’s powerhouse of empowerment, Cindy Salmon, was a stand-out, aurally assaulting the audience with a combination of harsh feminist truths and even harsher air horn. McCulloch and Hannah’s performances as a serious actor and comedian-turned-serious actor starring together in a film were hilarious – a classic clash of drama and absurdity.

The sketches in Is This Intimacy? are filled with relationships that occupy a space of slight discomfort. They’re often a step shy from full-on conflict, characters swallowing their issues to keep the peace. Trillcumber deftly mine these social ineptitudes for laughs. The trio does a great job of highlighting how we all share something in feeling like outsiders, without coming across as preachy or smarmy. They have a strong rapport on stage, and their performances feel really natural. All three performers have previous experience with The Improv Conspiracy, and it shows – Is This Intimacy? is a very confident, polished first show for Trillcumber.

There’s great honesty in Is This Intimacy? Trillcumber present gloriously ridiculous scenarios, populated with characters that feel genuine. It’s sketch that brings together humour and heart.

Is This Intimacy? is on at The Improv Conspiracy – Theatre until September 25

https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/program/event/view/d3ba8bd3-52df-4e3a-8b66-102e37d3b697

5 Good Reasons To See Trillcumber – Is This Intimacy?

1. What they lack in Tinder/Abbott references, they make up for in heart-warming/breaking, character-driven sketch.

2. You’ll be empowered (whether you like it or not) by Cindy, in her first public appearance since new Australian variety show Amateur Hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBkCeLGULu8

3. Amazing! You won’t believe their new workout plan that guarantees results in just 25 years!

4. It’s an hour of unrequited, interconnected sketch, and their 2015 MICF show sold out.

5. Hayley, Simon and Mario have spent so much time training at Chicago’s iO and Second City Theatres, and with Melbourne’s Improv Conspiracy, that they can only really communicate through sketch. Please “talk” to them.

Trillcumber’s Is This Intimacy? is on at The Improv Conspiracy Theatre