No one goes to a comedy show expecting to shit themselves, but in Go To Hell!, the team from Watson intend to make us do just that. Adam McKenzie, Liam Ryan and Tegan Higginbotham are hosting a seminar on how to kill your fears and live a happy and peaceful life through an ingenious two-step program.The first step is to make everyone shit themselves from being scared, and so begins a fear buffet from short and terrifying sketches, one involving McKenzie and Ryan is particularly horrific (you'll know it when you see it), and speaking directly to the audience as they share seemingly personal stories and encounters they've had. The extent as to how factual these supernatural anecdotes are is questionable, however if you choose to allow yourself to be swept away by the show, they are incredibly eerie and spooky, especially Higginbotham's recollection of an incident that happened during a Watson show at the Old Melbourne Gaol a few years ago.
The second step is to reveal the secret, and to say anything more would be to ruin the surprise (horror), but suffice to say that it leads to some hilarious and scary scenes as the three attempt to take control of their phobias. Sound, music and lighting are all used effectively to build suspense and have the audience clasping their hands tight with frights in all the right places.
The three performers have been working together for a number of years and their chemistry and interactions are genuine and warm. On opening night, their energy was sky high and just like soul-sucking demons, it was clear they were feeding off the laughter and shrieks from the audience and the atmosphere in the room.
Go To Hell! cleverly balances the line between horror and comedy ensuring that audiences will often be confused if they should scream or laugh. While my decades of watching horror movies may have prevented me from shitting myself from fear, I definitely did piss myself from laughter.
Click here to read my Go To Hell! interview with Adam McKenzie.
Venue: Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank
Season: until 23 April | Tues - Sat 9.30pm, Sun 8:30pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $29 Full | $26 Conc | $24 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: MICF website
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