Apologue review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Wick Studios

For those who enjoy the thrill of watching Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud and The Price is Right, you will definitely not want to miss Apologue. Then again, maybe you will, as the game show within the show is not exactly a contestant friendly game show. It is however, a quirky and fun look at how the mass media is used to manipulate and control our thoughts and beliefs.

A hapless contestant is pulled on stage and must answer a series of questions in order to win some inane prizes that are presented as essential and luxurious by the hosts. With each round, the contestant’s comments are taken out of context and opinions and beliefs are pushed down upon her.

Awesome Ocean Party review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | The Butterfly Club

We’ve all been invited to a party - an ocean party for our half-human half-octopus friend. Created and performed by Giema Contini, Awesome Ocean Party is a 60-minute cabaret-comedy-performance piece that explores loneliness and acceptance through the eyes (and three hearts) of this hybrid creature. 

Contini has great physicality on stage and fully conveys the awkwardness of her character that later reveals to us that it is her birthday and the human side to her begins to surface. Her interactions with the audience are sweet and genuine and convey her longing to belong and be accepted.

4 + 4 = 4 - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

Presented by The Flying Xamels as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, 4 + 4 = 4 is a surrealist circus experience looking at four different lives, how the co-exist together and individually and who they are finding their way around. Four circus artists with four ropes perform as individuals and as an ensemble as a poignant metaphor on trying to fit in with life and following the right path. 

There is much to take in and analyse in 4 + 4 = 4, as the way these themes are explored can take on different and personal meanings for everyone in the audience. Fortunately the cast are all too aware of this and ensure that the tricks we see on stage are performed in a meditative and dream-like state. When you consider the technical aspects to some of the tricks, to be able to appear that calm actually requires great skill and confidence, which these artists possess to a high degree. 

COSMOnaut - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

What becomes of the broken-hearted? In US comedian Ryan Good's experience, it becomes a journey of self-discovery through masturbation. This subsequently lead to a comedy show about the ten worst sex tips ever provided by Cosmopolitan magazine and the birth of his highly-acclaimed show COSMOnaut. 

While some of the "tips" are pretty tame, there are some that are downright weird and I'm confessedly not sure how are even remotely sexual but I guess to each their own. However, this show isn't a theatrical list-icle, but a witty commentary on relationships, feminism and the pressure around society to be attractive and successful. A bit more clarity on the story Good is trying to tell would work wonders for this show, as his purpose can get lost with the numerous stories and points being raised. 

Undertone - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

Produced by Black Carnation Productions, Undertone is a circus show that - while presenting some impressive tricks and laughs - also explores the relationship between the body and sound. With a live electronic score, it pushes the boundaries of what circus can be, creating a different show at every performance.

There is a strong physical demand throughout Undertone, which the four performers make seem effortless as they jump through the air, climb on each other and fling their bodies across and under tables. Due to the concentration and focus of these tricks, the performers have also included a good dose of clowning throughout. Under the direction of Avan Whaite, this allows them to break the tension so the audience can breathe calmly and invite us to create a bond with them.