Presented by INafield Productions
@ Worldsend Hotel, Upstairs
WEDNESDAY 29 February (until March 10)

It has been a long while since I’ve seen any new sketch comedy. Although once a popular form of comedy, particularly in Britain, recent years have seen a decline in sketch shows both on television and on stage. The Golden Phung, a young group of Adelaide performers, aim to fill that sketch show void as much as they can and they do so admirably.

The Golden Phung, whose name comes from an insult levelled at cast member Roy Phung after a lost poker match, formed with the idea of bringing together young Adelaide Centre for the Arts graduates to create a bit of sketch show magic (not of the magician-related kind – although magicians do feature in the show). Having performed at both the Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe, the group are currently in their third incarnation. Spurred on by positive reviews and the desire to eventually create a television program, The Golden Phung seem like they’re here to stay.

Encylcopedia of Everything opens with a filmed sketch that introduces the various actors before moving on to a live explanation of the show’s purpose: ostensibly, to teach them what they need to know about everything. As a task it is very ambitious but as a premise it allows the actors to tackle any topic that takes their fancy whether it is ‘Unemployment’, ‘Religion’ or ‘Miscellaneous’. The interspersion of live sketches with pre-filmed clips is something that continues throughout the performance. While this could be jarring, it actually has the effect of tying the performance together and giving it continuity. Cast members Lucy Markiewicz and Peter Cortissos are quick to point out that these segments also allow them to use effects and settings that would have been difficult for the stage and, perhaps more importantly, give the actors an opportunity to make costume changes. Both the live and filmed sketches are deftly executed with a healthy dollop of over-the-top physicality and witty lines.

The sketches and jokes in the performance are wide ranging, with a good deal of meta-reference. Collaboration is behind everything The Golden Phung produce and it is this which makes their whole production work. The cast members are eager to share the variety of influences and writing styles that different individuals bring to the table, hoping that having such a variety will appeal to audiences of equally varying ages and backgrounds. The majority of the sketches that the team produce to meet this goal succeed in their purpose. Whilst there were a couple of skits that felt like they ran a little too long, they were outnumbered by the amount of punchy, relevant material. Particularly of note is Eddie Morrison’s turn as a street preacher whose words quickly turn from homophobic to homoerotic and a scarily accurate Centrelink-related sketch. Each of the seven performers brings something different to the mix and every combination of these actors produces a different dynamic, preventing any formulaic feeling in the skits.

The tiny upstairs performance space of the Worldsend Hotel could be a nightmare for some productions, but for The Golden Phung it mostly works. The audience are settled in cosily and the stage is very close to the front row: all of this creates a nice kind of intimacy that works well with the types of scenes created. The sound and lighting booth is settled on the edge of the audience space. Lisa Cioffi, who uses both sound and lighting simply and effectively, and video-man Calen ‘The Croyden Strangler’ Vanstone share this booth, and their laughter and cheers can be heard loudly throughout the performance. Although in theory this could be grating, in this particular instance the sort of camaraderie that such actions seemed to betray was actually quite endearing.

In fact, such a nice feeling that the different people involved are really there to support each other and have fun permeates the entire production. With an attitude like that, it is hard as a member of the audience not to be ready to laugh, even at the silliest or most distasteful of jokes. Running at just under an hour, Golden Phung’s Encyclopedia of Everything is quick, snappy and enjoyable.