27 September 2011

FRINGE review previews

MELBOURNE FRINGE 2011




The full reviews are on AussieTheatre.com (or will be very soon) and will be published here in a few days.

Vicious Fish and MILKE
23 September 2011
Fringe Hub, Meeting Room
to 8 October 2011


In 1999, Rob Lloyd saw THAT Star Wars film more than once. This kind of honesty deserves admiration, but can I still respect him? (Even if he does look like David Tennant.)

David Tennant is MY Doctor. Jon Pertwee is Rob's. Who, Me is about Rob's obsession with sci fi, particularly Doctor Who (which is the name of the TV show; never the name of the character – except that once).

Directed and co-created by Scott Gooding (still going with Peter Davison?), it takes us into the-bigger-on-the-inside mind of a passionate obsessive as his alter ego fracks with the wibbly wobbly and forces Rob to put his love on trial. Would Rob have a better life had he not donned a velvet jacket in the 90s and put his devious-and-too-honest VHS-stealing plans to more a more productive purpose?
...
Doctor Who fans, don’t you dare miss Who, Me. Non-fans – what’s wrong with you! ? See it anyway and you can catch up with the box sets after the Fringe.

the rest

Anna Lumb
23 September 2011
Fringe Hub, Rehearsal Room
to 8 October 2011



I HEART Jack is totally heartable.

Anna Lumb has worked with by DJ Lazer Ferrari and fringe/circus/everything legends Maude and Anni Davey to create a boutique circus of cult, wit, regret and broken hearts.

From en pointe balancing on bottles to making the tiny stage seem like a roller rink, Anna introduces three new characters, who are based on cult legends, and who share one sad event.

the rest

23 September 2011
Fringe Hub, Rehearsal Room
to 8 October 2011



World Around Us was one of my favourite of last year's Fringe, and this year's part II is just as gorgeous. Intimate, gentle and so fucking beautiful, it's impossible to watch without crushing on Miles O'Neil.

Everybody seems to have a story – and that's brilliant!

So says Miles, as he shares some unlikely cans of VB. His cream brocade jacket and pink-rose tie defines Melbourne op-shop hipster chic, but there's nothing ironic about his nostalgic collection of stories, found 8mm (and super 8 film) and original songs. This year, they're about love.

the rest

Mark Butler
24 September 2011
Portland Hotel
to 1 October 2011


Mark Butlers broked up with gfs; cos there gramma iz sheet.

In Grammar Don't Matter on a First Date, he asks his audience if that was always the best idea.

Turns out that Saturday night's audiences were more pedantic than Mark and are lucky that many couples there have already found a mate who agrees that it's impossible to eat in a restaurant that lists possessive nouns on the menu and that friends with RAS syndrome* have to be removed from their Christmas card list.

the rest

Dil Ruk, Morven Smith, Jay E Manne and Tim Clark (with guest Ben Lawrence)
24 September 2011
Portland Hotel
to 8 October 2011

Most new stand ups don't have a show's worth of material, but they do have 12 minutes of terrific stuff, and what better way to get your Fringe legs than to share the stage with friends.

4's KIN give us their best and there's enough laughs and likeability to know that we'll be seeing much more of all of them.

the rest

Nick Coyle
24 September 2011
Lithuanian Club, The Loft
to 30 September 2011

Love Emeline, love the monster, love the villagers and love Nick Coyle.

Me Pregnant! is a fucked-up fairy tail of a medieval village that followed nerdy Emeline into the forest to take revenge on a monster, but one of the monster's babies survived and really hates Emeline.

Modelling a peasant sack with bright tights, Nick is our tour guide and everyone else in the village, the forest and the dark undersea cave. His story telling is immaculate, if you like your stories snarky, bitter and whimsical. And I don't mean fluffy my-little-pony whimsy, this is whimsy that's mixing speed and acid and never wants to come down.