Bakehouse Theatre. 23 Feb 16

 

Satirising television news media competing on a big story is an idea with plenty of promise. 

 

Quite a bit of work has gone into this production. It has a large, enthusiastic cast. It has quite impressive multimedia. 

 

Clearly the play is supposed to be funny, but no one was laughing at the Tuesday preview. Perchance, they were checking their watches. 

 

The play seemed to go on for ever, so laboriously did it tease out its interpretation of that siege in King William Street. Its conclusion was that it didn't happen and, hell, I don't know what its conclusion was. There were some wacko popping champagne bottles with some sad transgender drunk in a brothel and PAC boys were running around. Desperate news reporters tried to beat up some news.

 

The play's assumption is that some fusty anchor in Sydney is obsessing about sponsors and ratings and thinks Adelaide is such a dead end that the very name of the town means a plummet in ratings.

The assumption is that female television reporters dress and behave like vapid flirts fixated by their status on social media.

 

The assumption is that reporters fabricate information.

The assumption is that the police are dolts.

Nothing really hits the mark. The Jay Weatherill take almost gets there. The stories on the news ticker are amusing. The police terminology moment raises a smile.

But really, this is one of those Fringe experiences when nice people are having a lot of fun together on stage and the audience is not.

 

Todd Gray stands out and is good at prompting fellow performers who lose their lines. Dan Brasher is fun.

 

Ironically, after this lacklustre piece of satiric theatre, the cast sweeps back onto the stage and performs an absolutely wonderful curtain call. It is the highlight of the show.

 

** (one being for the curtain call)

 

Samela Harris

 

When: 23 Feb to 5 Mar

Where: Bakehouse Theatre

Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au