Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar

By Elyce Phillips
Yetis Demon Dive Bar

Aussie expats Jennifer Byrne and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard have returned to Melbourne with their new work Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar. It’s a little hairy – both in the literal and scary sense – and absolutely hilarious.

Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard, formerly of EastEnd Cabaret, have shaken things up in Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar. The cabaret sensibility remains, with plenty of audience interaction and bawdiness to be found in this show, but now they’re wearing five kilos of mops on their person.

At Yeti’s bar, we’re introduced to a whole cast of performers, all ably played by Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard. It’s a bizarre cavalcade of stars, each act proving more chaotic than the last. There’s a thin narrative thread running through the show, but this really is all about the characters. Byrne is fantastic as the titular Yeti, played with a dose of southern charm that allows her to get away with just about anything. Falconer-Pritchard bounces off Byrne’s more refined characters with a scrappy energy that consistently had the audience laughing. It’s difficult to single out one of her characters for praise, as they were all so strong, but her magic act was beautifully baffling and one of the highlights of the show.

The musical elements of Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar are an absolute stand-out. The dance routines performed by the Psychedelic Nuns were brilliant, and a section involving some loop-pedal-based techno was both impressive and ridiculous. There’s more than a touch of the Mighty Boosh to this duo, with their monsters made from cleaning products, bands comprised of supernatural beings and bizarre songs.

The energy between Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard is fabulous. As performers, they appear to have a genuine bond and make each other laugh with ease. After some initial trepidation, they got the audience on board as well – literally having them eating out of the palm of their hand.

Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar is a weird and wonderful showcase for the diverse talents of Byrne and Falconer-Pritchard. Be sure to grab yourself a table up front if you want to experience everything Yeti’s has to offer.

Yeti’s Demon Dive Bar is on at Roxanne until April 17

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/demon-dive-bar-yeti-s