Melbourne Fringe Festival – Page 20

Political Asylum’s U.S. Election Comedy Special – A satirical guide to the upcoming U.S. election

By Lisa Clark

Political Asylum has been a regular part of the Melbourne Comedy scene since 2009 with a monthly show and elections specials, it has also always been part of Melbourne Fringe Festival. This year at Fringe they could not help but do a special about American Politics and the extraordinary shenanigans leading up to this year’s American Presidential Election. This is probably influenced by the fact that two of the main producers of Political Asylum have been living in the U.S. for the past couple of years.

The atmosphere in the main room at The Lithuanian Club was set beautifully with the American flag flying on screen, red white and blue balloons and streamers (Go Doggies! Oops the AFL finals are on, sorry) and American political music playing, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan etc. Host Toby Halligan was energetic and firing on point with great snark and sharp observations and carried the ninety minute showcase well.

First up Laura Davis who just keeps getting better every time I see her, slaying the crowd with her material about gun control and then her magnificent feminist gear which though slightly off point was so stunning she had the audience gobsmacked and delighted. This was followed by Michael Shaffer who really impressed with his relaxed on stage persona and smart up to the minute jokes about things that have just happened in American politics. I look forward to seeing more of Michael in the future.

Impressive up and coming Alanta Colley changed the pace of straight standup to present us with a hilarious political quiz a bit like Who Am I from Sale of The Century but without the home viewer. It was a fantastic way to expose the politician’s appalling and ridiculously inappropriate CV. Am looking forward to seeing Alanta’s own show later in the festival.

Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall changed the pace again, for his delightfully daggy, “Meanwhile in Canada”. A Canadian expat, Alasdair celebrated Prime Minister Trudeau and focused on the contrast of the sanity of Canadian politics verses its disturbing next door neighbour. He used the big screen for his accompanying pictures well.

It was time to welcome back Matt Kenneally from his two years studying in America. He had a lot to joke about with his only glitch being his ignorance about the rise of gun violence in Melbourne over the past year. Not to the extent of the US but worrying none the less. He’ll soon pick things up and anyway, this was about America and there he knew what he was talking about. He knows people who are voting Trump and why. He shared the terrifying heart of the election. It’s great to see Matt on stage again doing comedy about politics where he has always shone.

It’s also fantastic to see Jess Moir on stage bringing her bubbly personality to political comedy again. Not sure why I’ve not see her for a while but she’s an intelligent endearing comedian and I hope she does more in the future. Then the traditional finale with the not quite so bubbly but still amazingly energetic Grandfather of Australian political comedy Rod Quantock. Still able to surprise and have fun while making caustic observances and inciting revolt. He’s a legend.

I loved that the comedians stayed on topic and were making astute jokes about recent incidents rather than hashing up old tropes. I particularly appreciated the lack of lazy ‘jokes’ about Donald Trumps hair. These were good political humourists, they went for the policies and the quotes.

This was the first of two Political Asylum’s at Fringe this year. The main team (Toby Halligan, Mathew Kenneally, Jess Moir, Alanta Colley and Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall) are a solid group worth getting out for and the guests which will be different for the next performances will be just as good as tonight’s I’m sure. What better way of spending a night at Fringe than laughing at America.

Political Asylum’s U.S. Election Comedy Special is on at The Lithuanian Club – Main Theatre Sept 16 and 17 at 8.30pm

https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/political-asylums-us-election-comedy-special/eefbbb7b-b5a7-4470-9527-01cba29fa458

Old Maude by Infinite Dads

By Colin Flaherty

Setting a sketch show entirely on board a flight bound for Bali is a fascinating concept and the team at Infinite Dads (Jarryd Bendall and Jenni Townsend) present some fun high-jinx at 40000 feet. Greeted by the cabin crew and enduring all the pre-flight checks, the audience is transported to this claustrophobic environment where we meet all manner of wacky characters. While the audio safety briefing is pretty funny, the video version on the facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Infinite-Dads-149616882119093/) is better as it fills in some of the gaps.

They cover most of the standard tropes of air travel but thankfully not the food. It’s not all predictable fare – they manage to add some interesting twists to some well-trodden paths and there are a number of absurd sketches that go in inspired directions. However, the many arguing couples and a pair of YouTube teens could easily fit into any setting and seem to have been shoehorned into the theme.

The pair throw themselves wholeheartedly into the performance with plenty of exaggerated gesturing and wacky voices. They corpse a number of times, slowing things down a little, and this enthusiasm rubs off onto the audience somewhat. When they introduce a third character into this two hander things get a little clunky. Bendall ducks off stage, re-emerges as a new character and does the same disappearing act to get the original guy back into the scene.

Using minimal costume changes, they transition from one character to the next quickly to ensure that scenes flow seamlessly from one to the next, which happens so smoothly that it leaves minimal room for audience applause. Townsend switches genders for some of the roles but this is often not vital to the scene. Perhaps she digs putting on a comical moustache?

Being set on a plane means that staging is streamlined as they are usually performing seated next to each other rather than bouncing all over the stage but they get physical when required. It was nice to see all the sketches being tied neatly into the same world. This was not just with characters from other sketches popping in and out but a montage of the entire cabin that shows a particular sequence of events– a clever concept that saves this from being a sequence of disparate scenes.

The airplane concept was a pleasant surprise as the pre festival publicity doesn’t mention it at all. With almost everyone used to airline travel nowadays, there is plenty to appeal in this amusing hour of sketch by a pair of talented comedic actors.

Old Maude is on at The Improv Conspiracy until September 23.
https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/old-maude/8320dbb1-44cc-4f1a-b292-3dc94f145f52

Screw Loose

By Colin Flaherty

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 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 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