Walking into Fran Middleton's comedy show you don't really know what to expect. Walking out of Fran Middleton's comedy show, you don't really know what you've just experienced. But whatever it is, it works perfectly. The fact that Middleton can draw the audience into her bizarre world simply by reclining on a black box wearing white shorts with huge coffee stains on the crotch is a testament to her skill as a performer, comedian and improviser.
Franny Pack is deeply rooted in absurdism and if absurdism could be a person, it would be this character that Middelton has created. To specifically mention what happens in the show would ruin the delights that are to be uncovered, but Middleton has a knack for taking one idea or object, such as a pair of coffee stained shorts, and unpacking it in every conceivable way to get maximum usage and laughs out of it, before putting it away. Her facial expressions and physicality remain expressive throughout the show and seeing her react to unexpected audience interactions is a joy.
Meet Lou Wall. She is a millennial. But let's not hold that against her. After all, Lou cares about the big issues facing the world today - particularly the increasing price of avocados and remaining present in the moment...with her social media. In her non-cabaret cabaret show It's Not Me, It's Lou, Wall musically brings to life her Facebook statuses over the years that explore the challenges and tribulations of being 'born in the nineties and raised in the noughties'.
Wall sets the scene for each song by reading out an old (and sometimes not so old) Facebook status she has posted. While most are cringe inducing (and make you wonder what statuses you've posted that are better off deleted), Wall creates some musically poignant moments out of them. She expresses her loneliness through the sadness of the death of her iphone and the closeness that they once shared. A status from 2008 inspires Wall to write a song about dying and hilariously exploring how vanity isn't just a concern in life, but also in the afterlife.
It's anchors aweigh for the holiday of your life, where you can expect to unwind in the bananarama ding-dong lounge sipping mojitos to your hearts content. At least that's what is promised in Michelle Brasier and Laura Frew's
Double Denim Adventure Show, but with these two in charge, it's not long before this cruise turns into a sinking ship and we are left to fend for ourselves in the jungle.
As 'themselves', the two hit all the right notes with regards to both the comedy and their singing. The musical numbers - along with their choreography - are fun and energetic and allow for their sense of humour to clearly come through. It is evident how well these two know each other and they use this to their advantage in their interactions, always focused on making the other look good to elicit maximum laughs from the audience. Brasier and Frew are so finely tuned in to each other that they probably know what the other is thinking before they've even thought it.
I am, you are, we are Austr - hang on a second. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be an Aboriginal person living in Australia, Steph Tisdell has got you covered. Her comedy show, Identity Steft, takes a look at racism, white guilt and identity in Australia through the eyes of the Funniest Aboriginal Woman in Australia.
Tisdell is quite affable on stage, which is a good thing considering she spends the opening of her show getting acquainted with her audience. It's just as important for her to find out who her audience is as it is for the audience to find out who she is. She covers a lot of ground in her show but unfortunately Identity Steft suffers from a lack of focus and structure that ultimately makes it feel disjointed. Tisdell touches on the aforementioned issues but she never she never seems to drive her point home or make any bold statements about the realities of being an Aboriginal person living in Australia.
Meet Sophie Smyth and Ryan Smedley. They both love musical theatre, they have both travelled to New York for the sole purpose of watching as much musical theatre as possible and they both have Asperger's Syndrome. In their comedy cabaret show, The Aspie Hour, the two share moments of their lives and reflect on what it's like living with Asperger's.
Even though eye contact makes them nervous and not liking physical contact with people, Smyth and Smedley seem to absolutely love being on the stage and make clear eye contact with the audience throughout, instantly creating a connection with us. Their openness and vulnerability allows the audience to better understand not only what Asperger's Syndrome is, but also how it impacts the lives of the people who have this type of autism.
