★★★★★
Adelaide. Fringe. Holden Street Theatres and Thebarton Theatre. 25 Feb 2023
A flock of galas can be seen at the Fringe but this is the biggest and probably the best. You need the 2000-seat Thebarton Theatre to fit in all interested parties - its reputation precedes it.
Emcee Eddie Bannon was a great warm-up, but there wasn’t much warming up required – the audience was pretty pumped and ready for a few laughs. I think the first thing we laughed at was Covid because so many of us wouldn’t have been in the buzz of a room like that for maybe years. Still, Bannon brightened things up even more with his jokes and repartee and by discussing menopause with a 15-year-old girl. In this review, I will plug the comedian’s Fringe show if they have one.
Damian Callinan (Damian Callinan – Double Feature) is a stalwart of stand-up and theatre. I’ve seen him in the 5 Star show, Damian Callinan – The Merger, and the magnificent The Wine Bluffs – always his material. Super funny and slick with a friendly smile. Sri Lankan-Australian Dilruk Jayasinha (Dilruk Jayasinha – Heart Stopper) was super funny – bright and witty on the cultural exchange issues with a non-stop schtick. Rudy-Lee Taurua (Rudy-Lee Taurua: “Diverse”) – when your self-proclaimed background is “gay, mixed race, First Nation, raised by a single mother on the pension, working class, anxious, clinically depressed, and domestic abuse survivor,” you have more than enough material for a laugh-fest. Rudy-Lee makes the most of the hand he was dealt. Confronting and punchy, he knows how to shock and awe with delicious irony. The first half was finished by Amos Gill (Amos Gill – The Pursuit of Happy(ish)). Amos makes a living in Los Angeles, which you might guess is highly competitive for comics. But perhaps more opportunity than the Adelaide he was brought up in and where he studied law. Gill’s style is full in your face – the ordinary is turned on its head for delicious satire.
After intermission, Bannon barely needed to re-energise the audience – everyone was heady. Next up, Ivan Aristeguieta (Ivan Aristeguieta – Citizen). Entitled ‘Citizen’ because Ivan is from Venezuela and just got his citizenship – 10 years later. When he arrived on our shores, he thought we were so funny, he took up stand-up. I didn’t think there was any funny way left to laugh at Australian lingo, but Ivan’s material was murderous. Ivan won Best Weekly Comedy Award at the Fringe last year, and was nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2021.
Fiona O’Loughlin (Fiona O’Loughlin, and Nickyboy & Queen Fee: Fiona O’Loughlin) puts on an act of being addled by alcohol but with some experience after a revealing performance incident in 2009, which she bravely and candidly discussed with ABC’s Australian Story. Dressed in hippie chic, Fiona stretches the international theme unless Yorke Peninsula separated and nobody noticed. The grandkids cop it in her act - it’s about time - they get away with so much. Fiona is an exceptional person and a beacon to all who crave to bounce back with comic timing and chutzpah.
I first reviewed Heath Franklin in 2007 doing his Chopper thing. He’s lost the handlebar mo and sunnies and the repulsive and ludicrous persona and you can see him in Heath Franklin – Out of Character being his regular funny self. From the foreign land of Western Sydney, he does a good chicken impersonation.
Another intermission and on to the third half. Carey Marx (British Comedian, Carey Marx: The Dead Don’t Heckle) won Best International Comedy Show at the New Zealand Comedy Festival, twice. And I can see and hear why. Sipping a beer and bearded, his deadpan takes are hilarious. Prince Harry lamented in his book, Spare, that he was never going to be king, saying, and Carey retorts, “Finally, here is somebody who understands me.”
Sorry, John Lynn, if you have a Fringe show on, it’s not easy to find. The luck of the Irish. John uses effective vocal effects to accentuate his lockdown story, but Carey Marx is a tough act to follow. The fulsome evening ended with James Donald Forbes McCann (The James Donald Forbes McCann Catamaran Plan Extravagan(za)!) whose Fringe show will apparently appeal to the mariner in you. Having graduated from Call Centre High, James had much to say about operations there and his lucky escape. “Don’t talk to the white guy, talk to the Indian immigrant with three degrees awaiting recognition of his qualifications.”
The Gala is great value. For a measly $28, you are thoroughly entertained with laughter, cheeks hurting and trying to remember the jokes after nearly three hours of non-stop comic heaven. Bravo!
PS Ok, Ok, I get it. You only have enough money to see one of these comics and you want to know who I recommend. Please deposit $25 to my account: BSB …. Ha, just kidding! If I had to pick one, it would be Carey Marx, and if I had to pick two, Ivan Aristeguieta. But remember, I’m just a small boat in the sea of opinion, and any of these stand-ups will have you in stitches.
David Grybowski
When: 25 Feb
Where: Thebarton Theatre
Bookings: Closed
