In their debut run for Melbourne Fringe, there’s no sense that the nascent improv troupe are struggling to find their feet. Taking the play’s title from an audience suggestion, and accompanied by the highly attentive Caleb Garfinkle on mandolin, the seven-strong ensemble swiftly and confidently set about spinning a tale in three acts – one that the bard himself might have spun.

In Tuesday evening’s performance, titled ‘Behead them’, the audience witnessed a Shakespearean tragedy worthy of the VCE booklist. Lord Ikea of Sweden plotted the overthrow of the tyrannical King of Denmark – himself with a proclivity for severing the head from the spine – to replenish the people’s dwindling reserves of furniture. Love, murder, revenge, talking crows: age-old themes shone through the narrative but were handled with an irreverence that was delightful.

The performance was laugh-out-loud funny, but the audience’s admiration ran deeper. The ensemble has at their disposal an accessibility and a richness of language that is rare: performer and troupe co-founder Adam Hembree’s opening soliloquy –complete with rhyme, it certainly could have been a Shakespearean sonnet – elicited as many gasps as it did laughs.

Even the ensemble’s loyalty to structure was impressive. Director Andrew Strano balances the creative whims of the performers with an adherence to traditional structure, creating a highly accessible piece of theatre.

Even for a non-Shakespeare loyal, Soothplayers is something to behold. Thou must see it at Fringe. Or on thy head be it.

Soothplayers will be at the Improv Conspiracy – Theatre from 26 Sep – 3 Oct, 6.30pm. Tickets $17-$20. For more information or to book tickets visit www.melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9600.

You get the sense that Edmonds is a deer caught in the headlights in the lululemon-lined streets of Essendon – the hometown that features heavily in her set and, clearly, her psyche. She’s old-world, and her ability to stand apart from the idiosyncrasies of modern life gives her the ‘in’ to skewer them.

Edmonds flits in and out of character, injecting nuance into the spectrum of ‘bogan’ where it tends to get painted in broad strokes. We meet Danni, sports management student; Karen, mother of two whose female friends are ‘girlfriends’; and Beverley, a spinster with a tendency for casual racism. Each is given a unique voice and the characterisation is clear.

Edmonds injects her characters with genuine warmth and there’s never a sense that she’s making fun of anybody. She skilfully works her middle-class upbringing into the narrative – she was ‘brought up on tolerance by Catholic parents’ – so that when she personifies misogynist or racist characters the audience can see the distance between her and the uncomfortable claims that the characters make.

There’s a darker side to the set, too. As Edmonds herself admits, she knows sadness. Indeed, her more slapstick moments – about navigating a whopping hangover on New Years Day – pale in comparison to the raw emotion that comes through when Edmonds talks about her experiences with depression and loneliness.

Reluctant as I am to compare this unique voice to other comedic acts, its clear that Edmonds strikes a balance between comedians like Amy Schumer and Louis C.K.: she can bring levity to issues like misogyny and racism, but isn’t afraid to err on the serious side when she talks about depression.

More than anything, You Know What I’m Like is incredibly generous comedy, setting itself apart from the typical stand-up hour by giving the audience something to ponder. Edmonds’ skill? She puts her whole self out there, not just the funny bits.

You Know What I’m Like will be at Fringe Hub – The Ballroom, Lithuanian Club from 26 Sep – 2 Oct at 8pm Tues-Fri. Tickets $24-$26. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

The audience meet Alice and Ben as they meet each other. Their relationship is then imagined in a number of different ways as the couple grow closer: as contestants on a game show, as an employee putting his case forward to his manager for a promotion, and as secret agents grappling with the prospect of their first solo missions. But the parallels with Alice and Ben are clear throughout.

There’s no attempt to exaggerate character flaws, and both Alice and Ben are refreshing in their normalcy. There’s enough complication when two people decide to throw their lot in together, the writers tell us, and there’s a sense that this duo could be anybody. In this way, Bits of Us avoids sweeping statements about all relationships – we’re simply given two people and pretty soon we care for them.

The technical elements of the show didn’t always work – sound and lighting cues were missed – but strangely, this added to the show’s tenderness. Both improvisers by training, Buskes and Quabba brought levity to these moments. While there’s a sense that the show will tighten as the run continues, in a way they would be remiss to deny the audience this rawness, it really adds to the honesty of the piece.

Written with humility and injected with honesty, Bits of Us cuts through the humdrum of relationship clichés. It’s an intimate and genuinely honest take on the lives of two people that will refresh the respect that you have for your own relationships.

Make sure you meet Alice and Ben.

Bits of Us will be at the Improv Conspiracy – Office from Sep 26-Oct 3 at 9.15pm Tues-Sat, 8.15pm Sun. Tickets $12-$15. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666

Complete with music performed by a live band, the material has been skilfully rewritten to account for the September 2015 spill. George, PR advisor to the then-PM and the play’s straight man, delivers the opening monologue following Abbott’s ousting from office. Then we jump back in time to 2013 and business as usual, with Nic Conway’s eerily on-point Tony Abbott. It’s almost a shame that we’re seeing the end of Abbott just as we’re given the impression we’ve all been waiting for – complete with prosthetic nose and an appetite for onions.

But the material helps soften that blow, reminding us of Abbott’s love for three-word slogans and his tendency to confuse the terms ‘woman’ and ‘housewife’. The team pull big laughs with a clever ‘quote’ sign that lights up whenever Conway quotes Abbott verbatim. A minimalist set focuses attention on the strong script and performances.

The ensemble play on our preconceived impressions of the cabinet, giving us a malicious Peter Dutton, a Julie Bishop miffed at the idiots around her, and an elitist Joe Hockey. Alister McMichael injects Hockey with visceral energy in the show-stopping ‘Fuck ‘Em All’, and the band impress with their range.

The ending is a little anti-climactic, returning rather abruptly to the departure of Abbott and George from their offices. A closing number in which Turnbull ascends to the top job would’ve been a welcome denouement. Then again, we wouldn’t want to pull material from anything that George Glass might treat us to next year.

Impressive in its currency, cringe-worthy in its accuracy, and cathartic in its irreverence, Abbott! The Musical is a must-see for anybody still shaking their head at the 28^th Prime-Ministership that was.

Abbott! The Musical will be at Tuxedo Cat – The Atrium from Sep 21-27 at 6pm, Oct 1-4 at 11pm. Tickets $20-$25. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

At a Christmas party on the two-year anniversary of their friendship, mates Hayley Tantau, Mario Hannah and Simon McCulloch reminisce about their first meeting. Who clicked right off the bat? Who took a while to warm to? Who’s awkward as hell? The verdict: they’re each as out-of-place as the next, and it makes for delectable viewing.

More than anything else, the trio are easy to watch. There’s a genuine sense that they’re enjoying themselves, and you can’t help but be infected with their energy. The material is refreshing in its originality and the trio skilfully subvert convention. A meek fox in the chicken house is bestowed underdog status, while clucky chickens – likening the fox and his kid to a sleeper cell ready to rise at any moment – are outright bullies.

But it’s the attention paid to feminism that really sees the trio shine. A particularly memorable sketch involves self-proclaimed male feminists arguing (increasingly obnoxiously) over the need for men to lend their ears and join the fight. No spoilers, but a woman may or may not be labouring next to them in public. And they may or may not ignore her.

Tantau’s Cindy Salmon, women’s self-help coach and self-proclaimed ‘Australia’s Oprah’, is an ace in the hole. Recently featured on the web series Amateur Hour, the blonde powerhouse of indistinct American descent dishes out the gospel according to Salmon, empowering the ladies with knowledge-bombs and signature air horn. The refrain? Not Amen. A-women!

Director Dan Pavatich (himself starring in his own solo show, Big Strong Boy), manages the space well, and even the show’s more absurd sketches – like McCulloch’s regretful text to a suitor he repeatedly strikes out with – are injected with smart insights (how DO you spell definitely?) and subtle revelations to ensure that the material remains accessible. Jump-cuts – the improviser’s bread and butter – are well articulated with swift sound and lighting changes, lending the show its punchy tone and ensuring that the material resonates with a non-sketch audience.

Taken as a whole, Is This Intimacy? is the perfect gateway into the world of sketch comedy, which is currently experiencing a surge in popularity in the US with shows like Inside Amy Schumer and Portlandia. At home on the new Improv Conspiracy stage – Melbourne’s first dedicated improv theatre – there’s every likelihood that performers like Trillcumber will be leading the Australian charge.

For those curious about the groundswell, make sure you get down to see Trillcumber – before someone gives them their own TV show.

In the words of Cindy Salmon: “You just got empowered.”

Is This Intimacy? will be at The Improv Conspiracy – Theatre until 25 September at 7.45 Tues-Sun, 6.45 Sun. Tickets $10-$15. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

It’s cathartic, first and foremost a vehicle for writer/director/performers Amanda Knights and Kat Rich to air out some classic Australian songs. Quite literally a vehicle, given that the play is set almost entirely in a car.

The story follows wide-eyed Kat as she joins seasoned festival-goer Amanda and back-seat guitarist Stuart Donaldson on a road-trip to a music festival in Byron Bay. The trio battle flat tyres and wayward kangaroos while exhaustion sets in, but the goal is clear: get to the festival before the first band.

As producers, Knights and Rich make some smart design choices. The journey up north is depicted on a map projected above the stage, which provides rich material for the performers to work off. The small town of Hilltop, for example, functions as a catalyst for Amanda to recount the sweaty experience of being in a ‘Hoods’ mosh-pit, and speaks to the character’s worldly nature.

Lighting technician Ben Tombs illustrates the passing of time, from dawn to dusk to dawn again, framing the characters’ exhaustion as the drive rolls on. The minimalist set – little more than four car chairs and a steering wheel – focuses the attention on story and song.

In this regard, guitarist Donaldson is key, handling the melodies with ease. His inclusion doesn’t feel heavy-handed either – we all know that guy strumming chords in the back seat, and thankfully we’re spared his tokenistic rendition of Wonderwall in favour of some much-needed love for Aussie classics.

With the trio handling the story and music well, the producers may have done better to omit some minor supporting characters written in through voice-over, which was jarring and failed to offer much by way of story pay-off. But this is a minor drawback in what was otherwise a good time gag fest.

Improvisers by trade, Knights and Rich were impressive in their musical range. John Farnham’s Burn for You was particularly well handled by Knights, and framed the play’s core message: music is significant for how it makes you feel, not for how it makes you look.

Light, funny and injected with all the cheese of a Kylie video, Aussie Mixtape will make you feel like whipping out the hairbrush and singing along.

 Aussie Mixtape will be at the Courthouse Hotel, Jury Room from 16-25 September at 9.30pm Tues-Sun, 8.30pm Sun. Tickets $16-$21.Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666. 

“I think it’s the sexiest song in the world,” she reflects. “I’m a bit obsessed with [Divinyls’ frontwoman] Chrissy Amphlett.”

Aussie Mixtape – Knights’ latest offering for Melbourne Fringe, created with long-time performing partner Kat Rich – is an invitation to celebrate our musical evolution, as the duo unearth the good, the bad and the bogan in Australian music from the past four decades.

Having met five years ago while taking classes at Impro Melbourne, Knights and Rich are making a name for themselves on the Fringe scene. Aussie Mixtape comes off the back of last year’s Star Wars spoof Episode 6.5 at Melbourne Fringe and a sell-out season of the all-female improvised show Hashtag at Adelaide Fringe.

But this original play – with plenty of live music and hairbrush singing – is a project closer to their hearts.

“The central characters will be heightened versions of ourselves,” Knights explains, “and the other characters will be from our world as well – family and friends.”

So whether it’s Farnsy, Kylie or the Oils that you’ve got a soft spot for, you’ll be in good company. No discrimination, just celebration.

Aussie Mixtape will be at the Courthouse Hotel, Jury Room from 16-25 September at 9.30pm Tues-Sun, 8.30pm Sun. Tickets $16-$21.Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

“It’s the pornographic scandalous tour of Melbourne,” he smirks. “Melbourne’s longest-running cinema. It’s a porno.”

The Reverend, ordained online with the Universal Life Church (ask him, he’ll show you the gold-embossed card) delights in dropping the yucky truths on his audience. Almost as much as he delighted in researching them.

“I found out lots of stuff,” the Reverend says of his development process, hitting the library to pore over archived newspapers and magazines. He found the old Truth newspapers to be particularly helpful, given the often provocative commentary that they provided for the tumultuous 1960s and 70s.

“Imagine Andrew Bolt,” he says, “but, like, concentrating on tits and ass.”

The tour is also informed by tidbits that the Reverend has picked up from ten years working in pornographic shops; full-time work that has allowed him to fund the tours.

An unconventional look into Melbourne’s underground history, the tour will be nothing if not informative. Plus, the Grebo will put on a show, of that we can be sure.

“I’ll be wearing a priest’s outfit and everything,” he says. “I’ve got the shirt with the collar. I might even give out blessings.”

The Mucky Melbourne Walking Tour will run for the three weeks of Melbourne Fringe Festival 2015, departing from the corner of Elizabeth and Flinders Streets on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, beginning Wednesday 16 September. Tickets: $25 full/$20 concession/$18 group.

“It’s kind of a crazy thing to do,” muses Smart, “but I just decided to make a splash.”

Smart has penned, produced and directed the three musical ‘dramadies’, each an exploration of the theme ‘Unlikely Romance’.

Bliss! The Perfect Girlfriend! follows a woman and man in the aftermath of a broken relationship, exploring the different ways in which people can come to view a shared reality. Smart will take to the stage as the male lead in the two-hander that kicks off his Fringe run.

Smart returns to the director’s chair for the all-female Dolly, a (sometimes bloodthirsty) story of love, betrayal and revenge set in a future where “all men have been wiped out by a virus”.

The Debt Collector, the third of Smart’s plays and one that’s been in the works for over twenty years, explores the tension between institutional values and the human spirit as a young debt collector falls in love with a notorious bad-debtor.

The production elements of each play will be stripped back, with Smart keen to avoid elaborate lighting and sets in order to focus attention on the performances and script.

A not-insignificant feat, staging the three-show collection will be a somewhat cathartic experience for Smart.

“I’ve had these shows around for a long time and I just wanted to get them out,” he says. “It seemed like a challenge.”

Bliss! The Perfect Girlfriend will be staged at Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan St, North Melbourne from 15 September – 19 September at 6pm, with a matinee on Sunday 20 September at 2.30pm.

Dolly will be staged at The Owl and Cat, 34 Swan St, Richmond, from 22 September – 26 September at 8pm, with a matinee on Sunday 27 September at 2.30pm.

The Debt Collector will be staged at The Owl and Cat, 34 Swan St, Richmond, from 29 September – 3 October at 8pm, with a matinee on Sunday 4 October at 2.30pm.

For tickets please visit www.melbournefringe.com.au or call 03 9660 9600

It’s these sorts of contradictions, filtering through to women in public, that Roberts-Orr hopes to explore in her latest offering for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Her sound installation, aptly titled How to Behave, will be accessible to participants via their smartphone as they move freely about Grattan Gardens in Prahran, beginning August 11. The piece is one of 18 location-specific installations by emerging artists in response to the theme of ‘instruction’, created for Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Uncommon Places.

“Whether someone’s actually saying ‘take off that short skirt, wear something more appropriate’, or whether you’re suddenly thinking it in your own mind, there’s an element of conditioning, of fear,” she explains.

Roberts-Orr has cut her teeth as an artist at a time when conversations about violence and women have been prominent in the public discourse. She recalls living as a student in a share house in the Brunswick area when ABC journalist Jill Meagher was raped and murdered in 2012, an experience which she drew on for her 2013 Fringe Festival play It’s Happening in the Space Between My Face and Yours. This new project will be a continuation on the same theme.

“Generally all of my work is concerned with feminism,” she explains. Her thinking around How to Behave was strongly influenced by the murder of Doncaster schoolgirl Masa Vukotic earlier this year.

Returning to the same intellectual project “a bit more developed and with a bit more experience”, Roberts-Orr hopes to cultivate a design that speaks to the audience experience.

Location-wise, the choice of Grattan Gardens, a narrow parkway, seeks to expose the conflicting expectations of women: as mothers and family members, signified by the playground and supermarkets at one end of the park, and as sexual commodities as the audience are funnelled closer to the Chapel Street shopping and nightlife precinct at the other end.

The audio design of the artwork is calculated, too, intended to heighten the participant’s senses. As Roberts-Orr explains, there’s an “awareness of space” that she’d like to tap into – that feeling of walking alone late at night, “where you have a heightened sense of sound”.

Roberts-Orr will relinquish control of the experience to the participant, allowing them to access SoundCloud clips on their smartphone while they move freely throughout the space.

“You can do things with sound art, like placing someone as the protagonist in the narrative, as opposed to just showing them something,” she says. “It’s quite literally like walking in someone’s shoes.”

The motivation behind Roberts-Orr’s return to the theme is to reinvigorate the discourse around women in public spaces. “There’s a lot of conversation about this in the media, particularly this year, in terms of violence against women, and it’s something that can be really hard to connect with in a way that’s meaningful. It can be really disempowering.”

“I want to give people tools and ways of looking and seeing and being in space that are positive,” she says.

How To Behave will run from 11 August until 4 October in Grattan Gardens, Prahran. For more information visit: http://uncommonplaces.melbournefringe.com.au/