SAM SIMMONS ABOUT THE WEATHER

SAM SIMMONS

About The Weather

The Deluxe

Garden of Unearthly Delights

8:30pm til March 18

There is a pay-off to a running reference to an Ikea coffee table in this show which is far and away one of the funniest things I have ever seen somebody do on a stage. In some ways it is the perfect Sam Simmons joke. It's ridiculous, it's big, it's over the top, it's silly, some people won't get it and it's hilariously funny. Obviously I'm not going to tell you what it is. Simmons audience these days is not always going to 'get' what it is he does. A lot of the people in tonight only know him from Triple J and many are not prepared for this level of existential humour. It's not regular stand-up, which is precisely why I love it so much.

About The Weather sees Sam as a lonely man living with his cat Mr Meowgi and a garden gnome he doesn't get on with. A man who is out of sync with his bullshitting workmates who falls in love with a girl he see on his bus to work every day. His frustration out of not being able to make anything of his life (even an IKEA coffee table) leaves him frustrated and angry and very very funny. His story is told, and often controlled by, The Narrator. It's a device Simmons has used before to great effect but tonight I am reminded of the classic Warner Brothers cartoon Duck Amuck where Daffy is at the mercy of the unseen cartoon artist. There is great use of cheesy music (Regulate by Warren G anyone?), a great knowledge of 90's TV commercials, some very funny audience participation plus you get to throw shoes at him at one point.

One of my favourite shows of 2012 - no question.

Ian Bell

MICKEY D - HOW YA BEEN?

MICKEY D - So How Ya Been?

The Hunting Lodge

Garden of Unearthly Delights

10pm til March 18

Local boy Mickey D made a name for himself through high octane 'wasted' performances and being an party enthusiast. He lives in England these days, he's a new dad, he's shed some poundage and is looking like a new man. In short he has really got his shit together. The effect on his comedy is that he is on-point, sharper, quicker and funnier than ever and this current show is possibly the best thing he's ever done. The audience who loved his earlier personae are mostly regular Aussie's (translation : bogans), some of whom insist on drunkenly yelling thing out like "Good on ya Mickey!". However Mickey is an absolute master of crowd interaction. He rolls with the punches and chats with the punters, skillfully jagging off in all directions, before getting back to the script. He impresses some British chaps in the front row with a series of bang on impressions of various English accents. But while much of this show still harks back to familiar themes of bogans, bikies, alcohol and drugs (his recreation of gurning ecstasy users is one of the funniest things you'll see all Fringe), subtly there is another Mickey D in the house tonight. He talks about living in England, being married and having a baby. He's still not beyond a piss-funny urinal gag, but our boy is growing up and we all reap the benefits.

Ian Bell

FELICITY WARD THE HEDGEHOG DILEMMA

FELICITY WARD

THE HEDGEHOG DILEMMA

Le Cascadeur

Garden of Unearthly Delights

8:30pm til Mar 18th.

It says in the Fringe guide about this show, "For a hedgehog to stay warm, it must endure pain through physical contact. For a hedgehog to stay unharmed it must endure loneliness.".

What it should say in the Fringe guide is "Felicity Ward has written a beautiful, finely crafted and piss funny Fringe show about putting yourself out there after a break up".

For the last three Fringe's Ward has been putting on great shows, with each growing and becoming more rewarding than the last. With Hedgehog Dilemma she has again bested herself. Felicity enters the stage wearing what should have been her wedding dress and over the next hour tells about her own Hedgehog Dilemma. What do you do when you break up with a long time partner. Before you can ask how yourself how you can ever love again, you have to ask yourself how you will ever get out of bed again? So how do you get back in the saddle. It's different for everybody and it can be a painful journey. Felicity Ward shows us that it can also be an hilarious one. She deftly combines excellent writing, stage craft and performance skills with a story that is seriously funny and very moving simultaneously. Don't think I'm saying it's a heavy message show because it is a very funny show, but it does have more emotional punch than your average stand-up gig. Felicity has exceptional rapport with her audience and even though it's opening weekend I am comfortable in saying this will be one of the best shows you could see in Fringe 2012.

Ian Bell

SOAP THE SHOW

SOAP

THE SHOW

The Vagabond

Garden of Unearthly Delights

Times change 5pm - 11:45 (check guide) til Mar 18th

It's fringe time so there better be a show with dance, music, buff bendy people, rope work, acrobats, water and a bathtub in it or I'm writing a letter of complaint. Oh wait! Soap - The Show to the rescue.

That was only meant to be half a joke by the way. La Clique certainly established the framework of a show that combines all of the above elements into a sure fire Fringe mega-hit the last few years. With sold-out runs and extra shows being added at all hours to meet the demand. Soap is very likely to replicate La Cliques success if the opening weekend shows are anything to go by.

The stage has seven bathtubs on risers. An opera singer emerges from the top bath and start to sing, then Crazy by Gnarls Barkley kicks in and the opera singer merges with it seamlessly. Each bath has an impossibly buff member of the cast hidden in it and there is some impressive bath dancing right from the start. For the next seventy minutes each set piece is more impressive than it's predecessor. The entire cast is very sexy. Super shirtless buff men, scantily clad and gorgeous women all bending and contorting into impossible shapes and balancing in impossible angles. They dance against, in, on top of and above their various bath tubs with grace, beauty, skill, strength and humour. There is trapeze work, juggling, ballet style movement and vaudevillian comedy With the recurring gag of singing Bobby Darins Splish Splash in different operatic styles wearing a tiny bit thin after a while, there were other treats including a great take on Screamin' Jay Hawkins hit I Put A Spell on You.

The finale is spectacular (and as wet as you might expect) and my suggestion is if you are planning to attend, you better book early.

Ian Bell

THE MAGNETS - Gobsmacked!

THE MAGNETS

GOBSMACKED

The Vagabond

Garden of Unearthly Delights

7pm til Feb 29th (3pm matinees 25th & 26th).

Adelaide was already becoming smitten with six piece a cappella sensations The Magnets at last years Cabaret Festival. Now it seems the affair is in full bloom. Some of the audience already has it's favourites before they hit the stage and everybody else is on board an hour later. Unlike many a cappella outfits who use backing tapes, drum tracks and other 'enhancements' The Magnets perform every note, bass and drum sound live on stage with their mouths. There are many moments when this doesn't seem remotely possible. Because not only is the music that they make is multi-layered and perfectly mixed but they are all dancing, striking poses, flirting with the audience all at the same time. They certainly do songs you know and love, but they rearrange, re-imagine them and mash them up (bossa nova Bon Jovi anyone?), and deliver each song with a sense of fun and slick professionalism. In a punchy 60 minute set they cover songs by Elvis Presley, The Killers, Blondie, Blur and Lenny Kravitz. At various times a song would finish and people would be propelled to their feet, a spontaneous way of expressing 'just sitting clapping isn't enough'. Highlights are many, but a great version of Florence & The Machine's Dogs Days Are Over and a staggering take on Adele's Rolling In The Deep are personal favourites. The Adele song also contains Andy Frosts beat box or 'drum' solo which is well worth the price of entry all on it's own, absolutely incredible. How to finish? They give the audience the choice of TWO 26 song medleys, one of bands and one of movies. Guess I'll just have to go back to hear the movie one. What a shame I'm so upset! The response from the audience is rapturous and as they are only playing til Feb 29, I suggest you get in to see the Magnets while you still can.

Ian Bell

SAMMY J & RANDY - The Inheritance

SAMMY J & RANDY

The Inheritance

Umbrella Revolution

Garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 17 - Mar 18

One of the true joys of a new Fringe festival is knowing Sammy J and his felt faced pal Randy will return for a new adventure. The last couple of years in particular they have become un-missable. Their rapid-fire banter is incredibly well crafted and hilarious, their staging inventive and full of surprises.

Randy has inherited a fortune, a mansion and a bad attitude towards people below his new found station, including his long time flatmate Sammy J. But there are some ghosts in the closet (or fireplace whatever) and there are twists and turns aplenty. The audience seems to have some new recruits possibly as SJ&R have been on the TV a lot more this year and I did wonder how some of the newbies were handling some of the saucier language. Part of the joy of watching these two work together is that they are is such perfect sync as performers that when there is a huge crash of bottles outside, or one of them has trouble with a prop they swing off script together and swing right back. Did I mention the songs are excellent?

The P.A. in the Umbrella seems somewhat muffled on opening night, meaning some of the machine gun quick lyrics are lost in the mix, but hopefully this was a teething problem that will be fixed for the rest of the run.

Looking forward to both solo shows by Sammy J and Randy.

Ian Bell.

The Happiest Place on Earth

ADELAIDE FRINGE : THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

There are some people who spend their whole life dreaming of going to Disneyland. The magical world of dreams where the impossible becomes real. A place that is full of colourful characters, music, laughter and amazing experiences. They call it the Happiest Place on Earth.

Well I say bollocks to that.

I know where the REAL Happiest Place on Earth is. It's not in California, Japan or China. It is right here in sleepy little Adelaide town. When the circus that is the Adelaide Fringe Festival rolls into town each year the streets come alive. Everywhere you go there are strange and unusual people, there's an energy, an electricity. There is things to do and see. LOTS of things to do and see. Even if you don't count all the other festivals, concerts and events happening in South Australia in the same period, there are 900 shows in the Fringe alone. Some of my happiest times have been rushing around seeing three or four shows in a night, hanging out in the Garden and catching up with people who almost don't exist outside of festival time.

Admittedly it doesn't last very long. Just a measly few weeks in February and March. By the middle of March it all comes to an end and we go back into hibernation for eleven months, only occasionally popping our heads out of the burrow to complain about nothing happens here, or that our favourite band is skipping Adelaide despite the fact last time they toured nobody bought any tickets here.

But that said, for four weeks when Adelaide is as exciting as New York or London. We are completely spoiled for choice when it come to entertainment. Where to start? What to shell out on tickets to? What to avoid? What new experience to embrace? How to fit it all in?

Well I can't tell you that. I'm not your mum. The pathway to a perfect Fringe is like any of life's great journeys. You plot your course, you do your preparation and choose your travelling companions for maximum fun-a-bility. But if you are smart, you allow for detours, surprises and unexpected pleasures. You allow yourself to go with the flow and roll with the punches.

It still amazes me when I meet people who don't even go to The Fringe. "It's not really my kind of thing" they say, to which my reaction is often a quiet 'Maybe you are therefore not my kind of person'. If you can't find anything you love in 900 shows you are not really trying. However if you are new to Fringeyness there are a few things you can try that might help you out.

1) Get out of the house. Hang out in the Garden or Gluttony, there are often rush tickets (i.e. cheap) for shows especially in the early part of a run. Also all the acts are out spruiking their shows and you might just find something that sounds like a good prospect.

2) Try something. There are a number of late night comedy showcase gigs were there is a host and a bunch of different Fringe acts doing short spots. I have caught my first glimpse of many awesome acts at this type of show. You generally don't know what you are going get but it's a great way to get a lucky dip of entertainment. See Rhino Room Late Show, The Phatcave, Hans After Dark, All Star Late Night amongst others.

3) Mix it up. Go see some comedy, music, burlesque, maybe a theatre show there is masses to do and see.

4) Talk to people. One of the best ways of finding a great show to see is talking to other people out seeing Fringe events. Word of mouth is often more reliable than traditional reviews, although this blog will obviously be indispensable for you over the next few weeks.

5) Want to see comedy but not sure where to start - head for the Adelaide's heart & soul of comedy - The Rhino Room in Frome Road. There is eight different shows a night local, national and International acts PLUS The Late Show (where anybody can and do turn up).

I have taken the liberty of making a short list of shows I think are going to be exceptional this year so maybe take a skim through that to start with.

In short; the next month could very easily be the best fun you have for 2012. It's up to you to get off your bottom and put yourself in front of comedians, musician, burlesque ladies, acrobats, puppets, magicians and more. Get out there and have an awesome Fringe, I certainly will be.

xxx Ian

Ian's far from complete Fringe 2012 Shortlist

COMEDY

Dave Callan - Psychology of Laughter Rhino Feb 21 - Mar 3

Sam Simmons - About The Weather Deluxe Feb 17 - Mar 18

Hannah Gadsby - Hannah Wants A Wife Rhino Feb 21 - Mar 4

Gordon Southern - A Brief History of History Rhino Feb 21- Mar 17

Felicity Ward - The Hedgehog Dilemma LA Cascadeur Feb 17 - Mar 18

Axis of Awesome - World Tour 2006 The Vagabond Mar 5 - Mar 18

Wil Anderson - Wilarious The Vagabond Mar 5 - Mar 18

Lindsay Webb - Humanity Rhino Room Mar 6 - Mar 18

Die Roten Punkte Idolize Feb 27 - Mar 2

Paul Foot - Still Life Umbrella Revolution Mar 1 - Mar 18

Barry Morgans World of Organs Umbrella Revolution Feb 17 - Mar 18

Sammy J & Randy - The Inheritance Umbrella Revolution Feb 17 - Mar 18

Sammy J - The Sammy J Songbook Umbrella Revolution Feb 28 (1 SHOW ONLY)

Randy - Randy is SoberUmbrella Revolution Mar 4 (1 SHOW ONLY)

David O'Docherty - Is Looking Up Nova Mar 13 - Mar 18

Mike Wilmot The Hunting Lodge Feb 28 - Mar 18

3 Canadians The Palace - Feb 24 - Mar 18

Tom Gleeson - Good One The Hunting Lodge Feb 24 - Mar 18

Tom Binns - Ian D Monfort - Spirit Medium The Cupola Feb 24 - Mar 18

Tom Binns - Ivan Brackenbury's Disease Hour The Comedy Mint (Glenelg) Feb 25, Mar 3 and 10 (3 SHOWS ONLY)

Jason Chong - Jason Chong's Mum The Campanile - Mar 6 - Mar 18

Jason Chong - Jason Chong's Reel Life Lo-Fi (Gluttony) - Feb 25, 26 - Mar 3-5, 10&11 and 17,19 (Tix $12/$10).

Dave Thornton - The Some of All The Parts Rhino Room Feb 21 - Mar 3

Greg Fleet - Bring It Rhino Mar 6 - Mar 17

Tom Ballard - Doing Stuff Feb 24 & 25

Bob Franklin - Sir Robert Rhino Room Mar 6 - Mar 17

Sound & Fury - Doc Faustus Excess Theatre (Gluttony) Feb 23 - Mar 17

Angus Hodge - Is Thematically Challenged Funny Pork (Gluttony) Feb 25 - Mar 17

James McCann - Awaiting My MoustacheFunny Pork (Gluttony) Mar 4 - Mar 10

MUSIC

The Magnets - Gobsmacked Feb 24 - Feb 29

Adam Cohen Idolize Spiegeltent Mar Mar 8

Bonnie Prince Billy Idolize Spiegeltent Mar 7

Tex Perkins & The Band of Gold Idolize Spiegeltent Feb 22/23 (2 SHOWS ONLY)

Stephen Cummings Idolize Spiegeltent Feb 25

PS If you have a Fringe show and want it reviewed contact me at djianmaiden.com.au.