Reviewed by Alice

This past Saturday night the queens in Glamourzon worked it out! Well, mostly. Being a dedicated follower of RuPaul’s Drag Race I know what I expect from a drag-queen showcase extravaganza and Glamourzon was just a few diamantes short of a necklace.

When going to a drag-show you expect not only the queens to be beautifully dressed but the set as well. The stage did not have anything added to it at all, it was just a black stage, with black curtains on a black floor, surrounded by black tables and black chairs; which, is particularly disappointing as the talent deserved more than their dreary backdrop.

The show was compered by Rita Demore’e, who started her host duties after performing the first lip-sync of the night to a dance version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’. The performance was only okay, it went on a little too long, and much like Rita’s emcee skills it lacked a certain charisma. I must say however, by the second half of the show Rita Demore’e had settled as host and started to get a few hearty laughs from the audience.

Along with Rita five other queens presented their uniqueness and talent in Glamourzon. Kristina Crème was the second queen to take the stage and unfortunately she was easily forgotten when presented alongside the massive personalities and miming skills of the other performers. Although, I was extremely impressed, during her second song, where she managed four costume reveals.

In a show of mostly 80s ballads, the ‘dancing queen’ Selena was a shot of Red Bull to the heart and something the audience was obviously gagging for. Both of Selena’s lip-syncing performances were high energy dance routines and her version of Britney Spears’ ‘Womanizer’ was pure, smile from ear-to-ear, booty shaking entertainment.

Despite both her lip-syncs being on the ballad-y side, Hollie Graffixs’ costumes stole the show. From now on anybody who performs a Beyoncé number should take costume advice from Miss Graffix; in fact even you Beyoncé (who I know is definitely reading this review).

Edie Star was the only queen to sing live in Glamourzon. While this is extremely daring in a show full of mimicking, her voice was not perfected enough to truly make an impact. The songs Edie Star chose were a bit dull and she sang off tune several times.

The best of the night though, without a doubt, was Miss Molly. For her first number she lip-synced ‘Imagination’ from Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory while dressed as a super fabulous version of Maleficent from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. It was fucking amazing! Her lip-syncing skills would be hard matched even by the most experienced of drag-queens, which she confirmed in her second number INXS’ ‘Never Tear Us Apart’. I would pay good money to see a Miss Molly solo-cabaret – can somebody please fund this! Now!

Overall, I was just missing a bit of glamour from Glamourzon. While the show seemed poorly put together, there is no denying the beauty and talent of these Adelaide-an drag-queens. We have a wonderful drag culture in Adelaide and if you get the chance to see any of these queens hold onto it like the last dress in your size, during a sale, at your favourite store.

Glamourzon has now finished its season at the Adelaide Fringe 2014

Third year AC Arts students present Rip, Drag & Ruminate, a collection of five short dance pieces choreographed and performed by the students. There is some overlap in the themes, props and technical factors of each, but no overriding theme.

This show is disappointing. With the students more than two thirds through their Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dance), one would certainly expect more from the dancing; but, the talent was subpar. It is concerning for the performers that they will be released into the wider world of dance in less than a year, without the skills to construct and present a professional dance show. Due to the overwhelming amount of slow choreography and stillness used in the five works, the audience was privy to every shaking hand, fumbled grip, readjusted hold and misjudgement in spacing or timing.

Furthermore, many of the choreographers were distracted by props and other effects, forgetting that the audience was really there for the dancing, and not the flashing of lights or rolls of paper. They were exciting props, but poorly utilised. The music was also disheartening, especially in the first performance, Find the Light, which starts with an intriguing political speech with eerie sound effects; instead of continuing with this backing, Konstanz Symeonakis changes the music to a slow and unimaginative track. Combine this with uninspired and simple choreography, and you get a lacklustre start to the overall showcase.

The show continues on with O & C by Emma Watkins, the only piece that isn’t dark, deep and suspenseful. It uses the ideas of obsession, compulsion, and daydreaming (to interrupt the OCD type thought processes). The dancing, both in performance and choreography, improves from the first piece, but lacks emotional or thematic power. The props are somewhat more intriguing, but the dialogue is ordinary and adds little to the experience.

Taylor Whitchurch’s Words, Letters, Language has a compelling beginning. A roll of paper is stretched across the stage like a runway. The three performers, Cazna Brass, Ellicia Britton and Konstanz Symeonakis, repeat the see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil images. Their bodies are covered in writing and they madly scribble on the paper. But with a projection of banal phrases and continued reliance on the writing and iconic poses, the piece loses its dramatic tension. That said, there is some interesting choreography in their piece. The use of gridlines is effective, if cliché, and the group connectivity and lifts are notable.

The Vanity by Samuel Koh is the fourth work presented. The program claims the work to represent ‘the narcissistic dialogue between who you are and who you think you are.’ This is the only piece where the choreographers intended meaning is truly unclear. It seems to reflect the disparity between what we say and what we mean. With the red lighting and final image of a dancer’s body being dragged behind a closed door, the piece feels murderous by its conclusion. However, the dancing is fast, dramatic and utilises the space well. The use of the door as moving architecture is the one well-executed prop.

Subliminal is the final piece. Courtney Cox does not use props or special lighting effects. Her focus remains on the choreography, which is the strength of Subliminal. She falls into the trap of slow movements and lifts, allowing the audience to see the performer’s errors. But on the whole, the dancing is of a higher quality than much of Rip, Drag & Ruminate. There are several standout moments which are beautiful and fluid.

Rip, Drag & Ruminate is not well executed. For students of dance, who wish to attain a career in the performing arts industry, it is an unexpected failure. For the many high school groups in the audience, it is not a performance to aspire to; rather, it is one to surpass.

Rip, Drag & Ruminate has finished it’s season at the Adelaide Fringe 2014.

Squidboy is an award winning show by physical theatre extraordinaire Trygve Wakenshaw. The show boasts sold out seasons across national and international  festivals. Rightly so. Wakenshaw is hilarious in his randomness.

His character is unsure whether he is a fisherman, who dreams of being a squid; or a squid, who dreams of being a fisherman. The dreamlike transitions allow Wakenshaw to construct a detailed imaginary world. Did you know that squids invented corners? Or that they can become trapped within an elevator, but escape by remembering that it’s imaginary? Each twist and turn of this absurd story is completely unpredictable. Wakenshaw invites audiences to simply let go and enjoy the ride. Logic is overrated.

With an education in clowning, Wakenshaw’s performance can be better likened to mime, with occasional sound effects. His skill in creating a myriad of sounds is remarkable and his comic timing is impeccable. There are minimal lighting or audio effects, but Wakenshaw doesn’t need them. He interacts with the audience, encouraging them to act like they are eating a shared packet of chips and then whatever farm animal happens to wander by. The noisy munching is side-splittingly funny, especially as audience members struggle to imitate the performer.

For some, this show might be too weird, although it does maintain a plot — however irrational — which is different from his new work, Kraken. But Squidboy is executed with amazing skill and creativity. It is a gem of performance; certainly worth seeing. With its extensive travel, you might still be in with a chance, even if you miss the show in this year’s Adelaide Fringe.

Squidboy has finished its season at the 2014 Adelaide Fringe.

The audience is led through the raked seating, up the stairs, across the stage and into the cramped backstage of Holden Street Theatre’s venue, The Arch. The space left for the performers is limited to about two square metres.

The intimate show is just half an hour, a one-act play by Neil LaBute that follows John (played by Eddie Morrison) and Sue (played by Chelsea Evans) as the story of their relationship and romantic road trip turns violent. Lisa Waite constructs a complex performance with just the two actors, one amusing prop in the form of a remote control car, and voice recordings which alternate with the live dialogue.

The performances of Morrison and Evans are strong; with consistent accents, good physicality, and emotive expressions. At first, the Mormon couple are endearing and the audience is drawn into their anticipation for an amazing night at their Church’s youth ball. However, the plot quickly morphs, in its second half, to the vivid recollection of a hate crime against a homosexual man. The murder is swift, shocking and graphic in its description. Morrison is particularly compelling in this part, but both actors convey the subtlety of the script — including questions of John’s sexuality and whether Sue’s sympathy and kindness extends only to those she considers worthy.

 A Gaggle of Saints is an exceptional play, delivered well by Colourwheel Productions at Holden Street Theatres. It will leave you thinking for days after the final bow.

A Gaggle of Saints has now finished its run

“I’ve been living a lie!” exclaims the shiny-haired, safari-suit wearing lounge singer as he bursts onto the stage of the Arts Theatre. The one and only Bob Downe is back for another year at the Adelaide Fringe and this time he has a surprise in store.

With a career spanning over three decades, the flamboyant alter-ego of comedian Mark Trevorrow has become something of a Fringe staple. Downe is also an Australian household name in his own right, boasting appearances on iconic shows such as Kath and Kim and Good News Week, as well as hosting his own series The Bob Downe Show. His unequivocally camp attitude has been his consistent trademark ever since his debut on Good Morning Murillumbah in 1984, but it seems like that is now all about to change.

I’m referring of course to the shock revelation that Downe is actually straight. The clever reverse coming-out narrative sets the context for the evening, although unsurprisingly, his new straight persona isn’t exactly convincing. His dress sense remains unchanged and he cavorts around the theatre as jovial as ever. To his credit though, he does repeatedly make an amusing effort to sit with his legs splayed rather than crossed.

Downe’s recent personal struggles aside, the singer demonstrates his expert musicianship as he brings to life classics of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Backed by local three-piece band The Full Catastrophe, Downe doesn’t skip a beat as he struts along the stage, flashing his pearly whites and showcasing his decidedly impressive voice. Some of the numbers may be lost on younger audiences, uninitiated with the music of decades past, but Downe also works clever topical and observational humour into his act which helps to bridge the divide.

Glitzy, energetic and unabashedly camp, the latest offering from this enduring comedy character is sure to please fans.

Bob Downe – Bob, Sweat and Tears, Arts Theatre, March 13 to March 15

To combat the stuffiness of Horner and Pratt’s loft, the windows were flung open and a small portable fan overzealously spins in an attempt to cool the fidgeting crowd. It is in this (now very airy) loft that Angus Hodge began his stand-up comedy show.

Reeling us in with an eloquent description of the perfect, yet dull, lives of his affluent café-frequenting neighbours he transports us to an enchanted place with his intriguing dialect. Then suddenly he quits this poetic spiel and launches into stories of his childhood camping trips, crazy housemates, shower shenanigans and other comical tales.

Self-deprecation at its peak, Hodge, who was a part of the award-winning Wolf Creek the Musical, explains how he uses his humour to see the sunnier side of the ordinary situations in which he finds himself. Sipping from his Cooper’s Pale Ale and, on more than one occasion, accidentally dribbling the lager down his chin and into his beard (umm, scruff?), Hodge was at ease and comfortable throughout his one hour stand up show. Confident and well-spoken, he moved from tale to tale without losing the audience and had them chuckling throughout his show.

From the torture of getting shampoo in his eyes to bizarre Bali bumper stickers, Hodge seized ordinary aspects of his life and dished them up as comical entertainment. If you’re anything like me or the guy seated to my right, who laughed hysterically for the entire hour, then you will appreciate this young man’s stories of a life seen through rose-coloured glasses. By living on the brighter side of life, Hodge teaches us to search for humour in all situations – especially those which are most dire.

Angus Hodge: Finding My Rose-coloured Glasses, Horner and Pratt, March 12 to March 16

Winner of the Holden Street Theatres’ ‘Edinburgh Award 2013′, Bitch Boxer comes to Adelaide from a sell-out season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to delight audiences with the story of 21-year-old Chloe, a competitive boxer and all round tough cookie.

Set in London 2012, women are about to enter the Olympic boxing ring for the first time and the stadium is just down the road from hopeful athlete Chloe Leytonstone’s home. But Chloe’s fight for a shot at gold is complicated by a tragic turn of fate, and the conflict between the focus of an elite champion and first love.

Bitch Boxer is Holly Augustine’s professional debut, having recently graduated LAMDA. Like her character, Augustine is pushed to prove her worth in this one-woman show. It starts slowly, with a thick and almost incomprehensible accent, but Augustine soon gains momentum with a dramatic tale of how she dealt with being locked out from her house one morning before training.

The script, written by Charlotte Josephine, wavers from its central plot and focus at times, and the pacing could be improved. But all in all, the story is interesting and the character  endearing, even if a little rough around the edges. There are moments that bring a tear to the eye, but not enough effective timing or  poetic writing to tip it over onto the cheek.

The set is simple, but still visually appealing and functional. The lighting and music are understated and used sparingly to improve the performance. However, due to the minimal props and simplicity of the scenery the music could be better utilised.

Snuff Box Theatre has done a decent job with Bitch Boxer, producing an enjoyable and interesting show that examines determination, loss and love. It doesn’t quite reach the heights that it could; but, even if you don’t love it, there is no denying it’s still a well-executed performance.

Reviewed by Ineke Mules

From an uncomfortable night-time encounter with a band of hapless insurgents to dodging bullet fire in her uncle’s jeep, Sameena Zehra’s life is anything but ordinary. This much is apparent in her latest one woman stand-up show Tea With Terrorists. Zehra paints a vivid picture of her life in India and uses her comedic talents to find a balance amid the two very different worlds that she calls home.

Although born in the UK, Zehra was uprooted from London at the age of eleven following her parents’ divorce. She was raised through her teenage years by her eccentric extended family in Kashmir against a backdrop of on-again off-again civil unrest. On the surface, many of Zehra’s stories are quite confronting to an audience unfamiliar with the realities of life in such a volatile region. But, Zehra skilfully sources humour from her unconventional background and for the most part does a good job at bridging the divide between East and West.

Much of Zehra’s material is peppered with a cast of colourful characters from her family home in Kashmir. There’s her wickedly formidable grandmother, who lives in a world of superstitions and has no qualms with subjecting a group of armed home invaders to a string of imaginative hexes (“May your knees fall off!”). She clashes frequently with the elderly resident cook and their exchanges are typically based around hilariously subtle albeit vicious insults. Then there’s her domineering, manners-obsessed aunt, whose extreme hospitality towards a group of terrorists knocking at the front door informed the title of the show.

Although she is billed as a stand-up, Zehra is as much a master storyteller as she is a comedian. Even after a couple of punchlines fell flat, the small audience continued listening intently to her collection of anecdotes to the point where nobody seemed to mind whether they were supposed to be laughing or not. You get the sense that there is plenty more where they came from and it’s disappointing when the sixty-minute set hastily comes to an end.

Brimming with witty and at times shocking tales of her personal experiences in extraordinary places, Zehra’s show at  Gluttony is not one to be missed.

Sameena Zehra – Tea With Terrorists, Gluttony – The Piglet, March 11 to March 15

Reviewed by Ineke Mules

It’s hard to know what to expect when you combine a lyrical singer-songwriter with an international beat-boxing sensation. But, as it turns out, Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum are a one-of-a-kind musical duo to be reckoned with.

Hailing from Melbourne and Brisbane respectively, MacDowell and Thum have already been making waves in their own genre. It’s an unlikely pairing, but nonetheless they have managed to come together and deliver an act that is at once unique, eccentric and captivating. Despite the late timeslot, it’s a full house when MacDowell and Thum enthusiastically take to the stage. MacDowell’s beautifully simple lyrics and harmonies anchor the performance, leaving Thum free to accompany him with eerily accurate phantom beats and instruments, adding a whole new dimension to the music. Over the next hour the duo showcase a diverse repertoire that ranges from upbeat original compositions to a charming rendition of Gershwin classic Summertime.

As great as MacDowell’s understated melodic vocals are, Thum is the true standout of the show; if not only for his inhuman ability to mimic an astounding variety of sounds on command. In an instant he can transport the audience anywhere in the world; be it a bass-heavy German techno club or a downtown New Orleans jazz bar, complete with virtuosic trumpet solo. At one point Thum asks the crowd to challenge him to create the sound of any scene they can think of (A witch on a broomstick / a smoking donkey / a wild-west shootout). The results are hilariously impressive and it proves to be one of the highlights of the night.

Beyond the music, MacDowell and Thum make an equally good pair as they naturally bounce off each other’s quirks. Scripted or not, the frequent banter in-between songs only adds to the overall charisma of the performance. They know how to make the most of the other’s talents and neither tries to hog the spotlight; although they each have a brief chance to show off their own solo abilities.

Regardless of what genre you ordinarily prefer, MacDowell and Thum are a truly original musical act not to be missed at this year’s Fringe.

Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum, Garden of Unearthly Delights – Le Cascadeur, March 11 to March 16

 Reviewed by Alex Sutcliffe

As the name suggests, Floating World of Timelessness aims to evoke a feeling of serenity. This emphasis on the transcendent value of the music makes it a fitting concert for a Fringe audience who may be unfamiliar with the koto’s style. Even if they are initiates of this world the sounds  will always be interesting and sometimes peculiar. At once peaceful and powerful, Floating World of Timelessness proves deeply evocative.

Performances are given by two koto players: Etsuko Kawaguchi and Teiko Kikuchi. Each plays a variation of the koto, a Japanese stringed instrument. Kawaguchi plays the 13-stringed koto, Kikuchi the 17-stringed bass koto. Both play captivatingly. Their duet on the closing piece is especially memorable. This final piece is a kind of quiet crescendo that, juxtaposed against the overriding serenity of the concert, renders a sense of the sublime.

The concert’s emphasis on its own transcendent value makes it accessible to an audience of Fringe-goers who may never have experienced koto music before. Of course, the formal elements of the music still deserve appreciation. However, where the audience’s understanding of Japanese musical tradition may be lacking, Kawaguchi and Kikuchi seek to emit a universal sense of serenity. Even their listing in the Fringe guide trumpets the music’s depiction of natural beauty.

Sadly, the stage design detracts from this otherwise evocative experience. For the duration of the concert images that seem to be the result of googling ‘nature’ and ‘Japan’ are projected onto a screen behind the performers. The nagging sense of unintentional self-parody these slides create, detracts from the concert’s aim to evoke the beauty of nature.

Regardless, the concert is still a beautiful experience. Kawaguchi and Kikuchi both produce exquisite music. So close your eyes, and drift into their ‘world of timelessness’.

Koto Music Concert: ‘Floating World of Timelessness‘ has now finished its season.