★★★1/2
Adelaide Fringe. The Lark, Gluttony. 18 Mar 2021
The all-female Boss Squad (four out of an advertised six?) sports members from Wildhouse Circus and Point & Flex Circus. This offshoot has been flexing its literal muscle at the Fringe for a few years, and in this female-run venue at Gluttony, the vibe of the sisterhood radiates proudly from the open air stage.
These women start off unabashedly proclaiming their pride at their physical muscularity and one agrees they look damn fine. They put those muscles to work in spectacular fashion; lifting, heaving, bouncing and hurling themselves through the air.
Many of the moves you expect to see, you do see. On the gymnastic seesaw they bounce towards, on top of and over each other, swapping positions with consummate ease. Bedded by a soundtrack of great songs (including Lorde’s Team and Little Mix’s fantastic Shout Out to My Ex), the women take on each other literally, balancing each other on shoulders, hips and heads.
These unabashed feminists don’t leave the delicate stuff alone; some calisthenic workouts show that grace and poise go along with the exhibition of bodily robustness and the juggling (with odd drop) is always a crowd pleaser. And the fantastic performance of the ubiquitous hula hoops, that quite female of objects, was contrasted brilliantly by the stapling (literally!) of labels on their bodies; there nothing quite the sight of blood dribbling down an arm as the label is removed to make a chilling point.
In such a small area, the German wheel (rhönrad) wasn’t the most successful piece of equipment; it barely got rolling before it hit the edges of the stage and was difficult to control once it was turned off its axis. The skipping rope however, despite the small space, delighted and impressed the crowd; double ropes, single ropes, skipping ropes inside ropes, just wow.
There were drops and mis-timings a bit too often to consider this a professional production; one assumes that rehearsal time is at a minimum for the troupe, but they just got on with it, either repeating the move or passing it by, and the whooping and hollering crowd forgave them readily.
The girls were lined up outside for the photo op, and who can blame them. Empowering role models; bring them on, and when they’re this entertaining, bring them on again!
Arna Eyers-White
When: 18 to 21 Mar
Where: The Lark, Gluttony
Booking: adelaidefringe.com.au
★★★
Adelaide Fringe Festival. Bakehouse Theatre. 17 Mar 2021
The Ides of March is about time travel, treachery, and togas!
Its basic premise is that William Shakespeare travels back in time to 44BC to ancient Rome to undertake research for his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. How does he manage this feat? With a TARDIS by any other name, and with time travel there follows any number of existential issues associated with the Time Travel paradox that are ripe for humorous exploration. If one interferes and prevents Caesar’s assassination, to what extent will history from then on be changed? If Shakespeare gets caught up in the events and is killed himself, will he be the only writer to live and tell the story etc etc ? It’s fertile ground and rich with comic possibilities but the humour is often forced, and resorts to cliché.
The cast of four work like navvies all playing multiple characters with many costume changes all performed at near light speed. Jennifer Ashley performs strongly as Cassius and Detectivus (yes, it’s a detective story as well!), Paul Brown is hysterical – literally - as Casca and Cardenio, James Rosier is calculating and luckless as Brutus and Pomodoro, and Kieran Bullock as Caesar and Shakespeare delights in trotting out iconic quotations. In typical Fringe style, the set is minimalist but with just enough surprises (such as an anachronistic pop up toaster!) to keep it interesting. The simple but well executed lighting plot enhances the pace of the show.
In addition to the ‘birth’ of various quotes from the Bard, another enjoyable aspect of the show is the mimicking of well-known TV shows, and the regular breaking of the so-called fourth wall between the audience and cast.
The whole thing is very much tongue-in-cheek, and even though the cast throw their hearts and souls into this madcap show, it has now been around for three years and has perhaps lost a little of the sparkle it once had.
Kym Clayton
When: 17 to 20 Mar
Where: Bakehouse Theatre
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. SA Children’s Ballet Company. 14 Mar 2021
The Little Mermaid is a favourite of SACBC, having produced it in previous Fringes, and well it should be. It delights audiences of all ages, and this year’s iteration was no exception.
Telling the story of Ariel, the mermaid who exchanges her beautiful voice and tail for mortality (legs) when she falls in love with a human Prince, the action is narrated by the Spirit of The Sea (Erihana Windsor) who floats ethereally on and off the stage.
The ballet opens with the sea creatures partying, in a dizzying splash of colour. The costumes are quite stunning and Paul Boyd’s choreography doesn’t push this young company too far, but plays on their skills; a few timing glitches don’t distract from the sheer energy of the dancers.
There are alternate casts for both Ariel (Heather Benn and Leila Revell) and Ursula, the Sea Witch (Amelia Bey and Lexi Hopkins). One assumes that each is as good as the other, which is very good indeed, exhibiting some lovely pointe work, particularly from mean girl Ursula. Thomas Hall cuts a fine figure as Prince Eric, the hapless sailor who is rescued from drowning by our heroine Ariel. Special mention must also be made here of young Gideon Millar as First Mate; he’ll be dancing principal roles in future years. Here again, the sailor costumes were just charming.
It’s tempting to consider works by children’s companies as ‘developmental’ in terms of both skills and production; neither is the case here. There’s little to forgive as the cast move through the classical and contemporary choreography with an ease that belies their years. With well timed and imaginative lighting and projection (Lorraine Irving, Brendon Maidment), we follow Ariel and Ursula’s struggle for superiority to the end; that kiss takes so long to happen!
The energy in this production just doesn’t let up and it’s a credit to the young ensemble and Boyd’s choreography. Cast and crew should be rightly proud.
Arna Eyers-White
When: Season closed but will be performed again Sept. 17 & 18, 2021.
Where: Star Theatre (Sept season @Arts Theatre)
Booking: www.sacbc.com
★★★★1/2
Adelaide Fringe. Koala Life and Theatre Bugs present Kobugs Theatre Company. 13 Mar 2021
Blinky Bill is, to say the least, an iconic Australian children’s character. So taking along three little Londoners could have been risky. But, like very good Australian grandparents, we made sure that they were as familiar with Blinky as they were with Winnie the Pooh. To be fair, they’ve been here a couple of years now, and they now love Blinky with that same ferociousness as their Antipodean school mates.
Reproducing books on the stage can be fraught, and this is especially so with loved children’s stories. Kids often have very fixed ideas on what should be happening at any given time to whom. While there were a few instances where voices were raised in consternation (Who are they? What’s happening now?), for the most part the entire audience, adults and children alike, were more than happy to go on this journey with Blinky and his friends.
The adventure opens with a song, of course, and with a bit of fourth wall fun; the actor playing Blinky Bill is late, and the rest of the four person cast must start without him. Donning theirs ears (and tails if they have one) they set the pace of the production with the first of some entertaining original compositions from Michael Mills and Robert Kimber, and some very jaunty choreography (Carol Wellman Kelly).
Mrs Koala (Claire McEvoy) is trying to think of a name for her baby koala (David Salter). The audience is immediately drawn into the action as they are asked for suggestions, and the children raucously dismiss the names until ‘Bill’ is called; of course they all agree. Mrs Koala then, like all good mothers, acknowledges that Bill needs to go off and find himself, and so in a series of (mis) adventures, the young Blinky sets off to see what the world is all about.
Bill meets up with numerous Australian bush creatures along the way (all variously played by Jamie Hornsby, Chloe Bremner and McEvoy), and they each have a lesson to teach him. The plight of the bush and the fragile ecosystems underpin each of the scenarios Bill finds himself in, and it is testament to the excellent script that the children remain focused on the story, understanding and agreeing with the concerns of the bush creatures.
Costuming is kept simple; Bianka Kennedy and Kate Prescott have delineated each character by ears and tails, and it works beautifully as the cast, for the most part, change on stage so that the audience understands the change of characters.
The introduction of the Vandals goes beyond Dorothy Wall’s adventures for Bill, and are reminiscent (as pointed by the Londoners) of the evil loggers in Alexander the Elephant in Zanzibar, written by Grinspoon’s Pat Davern. The same ecological message prevails in this production, and let’s face it, you simply can’t have enough of this. Michael Mills, of course, has form here; he has garnered science awards for his theatrical work for children, which features issues from the fate of the dinosaurs to saving the rainforests.
Salter plays a brilliantly disingenuous Blinky; his endearing naiveté keeps the children entranced as they’re allowed to be cleverer than he - a sure fire way to keep them interested - and the disembodied voice of George the Parrot (Ali Clarke) provides a constant reminder of Bill’s home base.
The young audience was kept involved throughout the production and were not backward in offering suggestions, even when unprompted! Of course, when offered the opportunity to become involved through song, there was little hesitation. Children and adults alike joined in with gusto for Hip Hop Clippety Clop, the school song for Mrs Spotty Frogs’s Frog School.
Director Michael Eustace has drawn out the best from this small ensemble: the cast is exemplary, skilfully singing, dancing and acting their way through this production with barely suppressed delight.
The amphitheatre at the Botanic Gardens lent itself beautifully to this world premiere. The wetlands form a stunning backdrop (though a basking cormorant did threaten to steal the show) and lends itself to the fiercely environmental theme of this production.
Captivating and entertaining, this is one for adults and children alike. Best take a short person with you though; they can explain the difficult bits to you.
Arna Eyers-White
When: 13 to 21 Mar
Where: Wetlands Amphitheatre, Botanic Gardens
Booking: adelaidefringe.com.au
★★★
Adelaide Fringe. The World’s Best Worst Magician. Octagon, Gluttony. 14 Mar 21
Is Tahir the world’s best worst or worst best or the best of the worst or the worst of the best or just the worst or just the best? He’s a comedian and magician, in any case, and in this children’s show he attempts to combine the two. Sometimes it works, sometimes he’s not the best. Or the worst.
One man, a fair size stage, a table of props and a gig audience to use for participation. As Tahir notes, “three year olds are tricky, you’re not sure what they’re going to do”. Nor necessarily can you predict how they might take to a joke or a magician’s performance because whilst the Mystery of the Vanishing Bandanna is excellent (obviously, being misread, this became the vanishing Banana) the idea of plucking a dad from the audience and making him into a baby is less effective with preschoolers, who just couldn’t quite comprehend the joke.
The problem here is that Tahir is a good magician; so when he says ‘bad’ it’s irony, and kids have trouble with irony, preferring their backhanded humour to be a little less perceptual. Sardonic, even. So when Tahir pretends to show how a trick is constructed and in doing so reveals he’s not a dolt, he is actually revealing that he is clever and that the joke is on the audience. Just like all magic shows, since they all essentially play the same sleight trick upon their audience.
And so it was with the world’s best worst magician, a show of ‘one step forward’ and ‘two steps back’. The audience all played their parts: Harper and Lily played the innocents in the yellow silk scarf routine; three year old James was adorably passive, and Jeremy (renamed Jeff) as dad was excellent. Sadly the show just failed to capture the attention, except where it did so by assaulting the senses. Failed and dropped audio cues were one thing, but the attack by volume is an appalling oversight and unacceptable for a children’s show. Too many kids in the audience were forced to cover their ears too many times.
Tahir is clearly not the world’s worst magician, and this is not a bad show. It moves along quite well, and stretches to achieve its high points, which are quality, but it is also a patchy affair.
Alex Wheaton
When: 20 and 21 Mar
Where: Octagon, Gluttony
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au