Adelaide Fringe. The Arch, Holden Street Theatres. 18 Feb 2017
It is not a pretty sight. Already people are describing it as a sight which cannot be unseen - Peter Goers in lycra.
He opens his 2017 Fringe show as one of those dreaded cyclists he so often berates on radio and paper. Complete with de rigeur Cibo coffee, he warns that now, as a cyclist, he can do whatever he likes and everyone must stay a metre away.
Audience eyes are as big as saucers, not just because there is a lot of Goers squeezed into that clinging lycra but that there is added mass, with apologies to Sir Les Patterson and then some. Tottering on his bike cleats, Goers milks the silliness before embarking upon one of the longest and most unusual costume changes in Fringe history.
So far as openers go, this is an unforgettable piece of pertinent self-parody and, as he settles down to tell stories, now clad in a pink jacket, the audience is right in the mood to laugh.
The monologue runs sweet and sour, funny and poignant. One minute one is in tears of laughter at the absurdity of life, the next one is misty-eyed at the cruelty of life.
Goers’ extensive experience in the world of South Australia’s public toilets and op shops produces some very funny yarns. Perhaps they’re topped by his adventures at the Clare show. No. The killer funny is his account of doing the Anzac Day live radio commentary at the Cenotaph.
But, of course as he proved in last year’s Fringe stand-up show, he has a large repertoire of oldies-but-goodies in the line of showbiz anecdotes and a wealth of classic jokes with the timing to get them across.
In this show he pays a rightful and wonderful tribute to Adelaide’s loved and lost Dave Flanagan aka Ted from Tennyson. He salutes the late Max Fatchen and other local identities.
It’s a jam-packed hour targeted at oldies but which, one notes, had Gen Ys in the audience equally amused.
Am I completely biased? Peter Goers is, indeed, my long-time friend. But, between you and me, if he were not funny and worth seeing, I would have kept my mouth shut.
Samela Harris
When: 18 Feb to 18 Mar
Where: The Arch, Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
