Cabaret Laksa Lounge, The Noodle Palace at Central February 4th
“Oh look at that body. Oh look at that body. Oh look at that body. I got gout.”
Such is the booty that Jollyboat brings. The crew is made up of a couple of laddish rogues from the “Yorkshire sticks”, who have plundered pop culture and the cultural treasure trove of pirate puns for the sake of a gag, so sailing it over to Perth as a musical comedy act in their first ever appearance Down Under.
It’s a rum yet satisfying concoction. Bobbing somewhere between Flight of the Concords, Jack Black and X Factor, we’re treated to an evening hour that is goofily witty, a little slapdash, populist and often good-naturedly raw on the gills.
The pair’s opening parody-mix leverages out a laugh-a-second from the crowd, with everything from Katy Perry to Titanic to The Kinks getting the pirate-pun make-over. I don’t think they could find better iconography for themselves than in the pink plastic balloon cutlass one of the brothers waggled with swashbuckling mock fervor over his head. But then again, the older brother’s beard and angry beetle-browed rock-face was also pretty darn rocking.
The act also features a b-boy bible rap to everybody’s favourite sandal-wearing homie JC, a sinister Craig David love/hate tribute, and a comprehensive defilement of the Disney Princess suite. You will never look at either Ariel or sushi the same way again.
The rehearsed sections of the show run a lot smoother than the semi-improvised segues in between, and it’s during the latter that you are moved to do away with any doubts you might have had over whether the pair are true-to-life brothers. It is sometimes smirkingly amusing to see the un-staged sibling up-staging, undercutting and interjecting play out. I guess you could say it adds an authentic drama component to the act.
Whilst some of the so-named ‘Britishisms’ may have skimmed over a few audience heads (or at least those that have somehow evaded the QI blitzkrieg), it is often the case that holding true to original cultural riffs beats the slinging of a tour-town reference that risks entirely missing the mark. Many Fringe acts hailing from overseas are wont to do this; our responding laughter is not so much gratification as a bark of solidarity over the tacit agreement of ‘well, they tried’.
If you’re looking for a bit of raffish UK comedy as part of your Fringe binge this summer, ship yourself off to see the hearty two. Almost “every day they’re shoveling”.
Jollyboat will be showing at various venues until the 21st of February. You can find tickets via the Fringe World guide here.
