Five With Fringe | Elise Wilson | Love Slaps | FRINGEWORLD 2023

Elise Wilson is one of the hilarious creatives behind comedy show Love Slaps playing as part of State of Play and FRINGEWORLD 2023. We caught up with her ahead of the show to see what it’s all about.

What is your show about?

A line up of Perth’s funniest female improvisers take on audience’s ideas about dating, romance and singledom to make up an entirely new and hilarious show each night. We’ll go on an absurdly funny adventure and things will no doubt get ridiculous.

Favourite part of the show, no spoilers!

At one point each show, one of the performers gets slapped. It’ll likely happen during a plot twist or a character betrayal, when you’d want to throw a drink in the character’s face but we can’t carry around a martini for the whole show, so instead the character gets slapped. Yes, a real slap – we’ve been practising how to do it safely.

What do you think people will get out of your show?

Dating and romance can suck, but it can also slap, in the colloquial “it’s fun/great” meaning of “slaps” (I’ve had to explain the dual definition of “slaps” to non-Tik-Tokers). Audiences are going to have a wild ride and should be prepared for things to get silly and imaginative.

Apart from your show, what other shows would you recommend?

We’re also improvising in The Little Hoo Haa, which is for the kiddos, and can recommend other shows at State of Play like Vehicle, Improv DND, as well as The Underground at the Rechabite.

Describe your show in 3 words:

Silly, spontaneous, slappy

You can catch all the slaps at the State Theatre Centre WA until 4th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to this FRINGEWORD 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

FRINGEWORLD 2023 | The Late Nite PowerPoint Comedy Showcase | 3.5 Stars

Review | Amanda Lancaster

The Late-Night Power Point Comedy Showcase is exactly as described. A 9pm timeslot, 60-minute showcasing of assorted performances by six comedians, all of whom have acts at FRINGEWORLD 2023. Piggybacking off the success of their own hilarious fringe show Presentation is Everything in which comedy duo Ethan Cavanagh and Sweeney Preston make a convincing case for the PowerPoint adding some much-needed sparkle to any and every type of presentation, the boys decided to not only give you a taste of what their own show offer but also put their fellow funny men and woman to the test.

Challenge accepted. Each of the night’s artists is given roughly 10 minutes to present a selection of their material to the audience, but with the added task of using PowerPoint slides and images to up the visual comedy ante as it were. Comedians performing for the night I attended – emcees and duo Sweeney Preston & Ethan Cavanagh, Tor Snyder, Lauren Pattison, Aves Robins, Isabella Valette & Nick Capper.

On one hand the show comes across as a bit too hit and miss in places, and haphazard in others. The show’s momentum is unfortunately not as smooth or seamless as it could be in its delivery given that each artists’ individual stylings are being shaken up by the added PowerPoint prop challenge. On the other hand, watching professional comedians stumble their way through using a method of medium and delivery unknown and unused to them in their standard comedy shows kind of makes the night a bit like a game show, which has a definite charm to it overall.

Stand outs for the audience on my night were local Perth comedian and household name, Tor Snyder who was up first with her usual brand of brash and dead pan sarcastic wit. This time taking the opportunity to treat us to the funny, frustrating and oh so relatable side of Facebook market place. Anecdotes regarding her side hustle business to buy old furniture are made much more humorous as the audience is treated to some slides demonstrating some of her online interactions and conversations whilst trying to buy and sell. Nick Capper definitely understood the assignment and seemed to truly take delight in the use of the visual comedy aspect. Regaling viewers with tales of his time touring the world to places such as China, Germany, France, Poland and more Capper has the patrons in absolute fits of laughter as he cleverly misdirects the punchlines to his jokes set ups with nonstop slide changes, mismatched images to each named place and a whip smart try to keep up barrage of the quickest humour you are ever likely to experience.

Personal favourite of the evening absolutely without a doubt has to be the adorable U.K. comedian Lauren Pattison. The entire audience fell completely in love with her wholesome yet quirky brand of funny. Not necessarily a PowerPoint prop wielding winner but definitely makes great use of providing snapshots as a well delivered and well timed visual punctuation to each punchline in her set. The body of Pattison’s act focuses on the twenty plus listed points for why her boyfriend should let her get a dog. While this might not seem like a great theme for a comedy set it absolutely works to perfection when the star gets going and gives detailed and hilarious reasonings for each of her listed arguments, such as “I won’t talk to you because I’ll have the dog to talk to.” Definitely the best act of the night for sure.

After experiencing the night’s varied acts and how each of them embraced the basic theme it is hard to say if the show is a success or not. It does, however make for a fun and easy-going foray into the world of laughter and will no doubt give audiences a look at which other acts and performances they would like to see next. Treat The Late Night PowerPoint Comedy Showcase as exactly what it is: a way to sample some of the comedic stylings this year’s fringe has to offer – with some added imagery and sparkle.

You can catch this unique variety night at Four5Nine Bar until 2nd February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to this FRINGEWORD 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

Sum Up Summer Nights | Kuda Ndlovu | An Evening of African Poetry | SUMMER NIGHTS 2023

Kuda Ndlovu is one of the co-presenters of An Evening of African Poetry at The Blue Room this Summer Nights 2023. We caught up ahead of the show to find out what it’s all about.

What is your show about?

An Evening of African Poetry and Storytelling (EAPS) is a collection of stories carefully woven to capture the modern-day migrant experience. Sizzling rap, beautiful melodies, and spoken word performances, accompanied by a live band, take you on an endless journey that engulfs 5 oblivious homes. The destination? A sense of belonging.

Favourite part of the show, no spoilers!

We’re honestly most excited to introduce the live experience of the show. This will include a special element that wasn’t possible during the digital presentation of the first-ever iteration of EAPS. Summer Nights will be the first time we get to share the experience with our audience and we can’t wait for the audience to join in for the crowd-friendly portion of the show. Yes. A jam session. The jam session is our favourite part.

How important is the Summer Nights program to the Perth theatre scene?

Hugely important. The journey of independent creators and performers is quite a harrowing experience as it is, even worse when you have limited outlets willing to let you showcase your talents. Speaking from the independent artist experience, as well as the CaLD community experience, we are simply finding our feet in the space. It’s hard to find opportunities to develop as artists while gaining industry insight and soft skills along the way. What The Blue Room Theatre has achieved with the Summer Nights program is making that impossible burden, a reality. They’ve intentionally sought out independent and emerging artists and provided a platform for them to shine. More importantly, what the general public doesn’t see in the background is the amazing support The Blue Room Theatre provides, elevating our industry preparation in the process. We can’t thank them enough for the opportunity.

What inspired you to create this work?

A very real lived and shared experience. The Outsiders was formed as a result of a university assignment callout gone horribly right. Outsiders co-founder Mohammed ‘Ayo Busari’ put a callout for a university assignment titled ‘Afro Lookbook’, meeting fellow Outsiders co-founders Lisa Watson and ‘Kuda Mic’ Ndlovu, as well as TAB Family lead vocalist Ayuba SOQS whom he had briefly met on a few different occasions while at university in the UK. Since that day, the group has never looked back. In getting to know each other during the process of developing and curating numerous shows, exhibitions and events, there was a growing understanding of our shared experience. We all originated from different parts of Africa, yet adopted temporary homes, before finally landing here, in Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia) where we undoubtedly met each other for a purpose. We are unique because of our experiences, yet we share an inexplicable connection through them. Having experienced the joy of building up a community of BIPOC creatives through our various projects, we felt it was only right to present a theme that we believe is fundamental to the strengthening of bonds in the African diaspora community. It starts with an introspective look into what ‘home’ means and an acceptance of the individual’s role in building their new village.

Describe your show in 3 words:

Captivating. Stirring. Togetherness.

You can catch the energetic evening of African poetry at The Blue Room Theatre until 4th February 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to in 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

Five With Fringe | Sweeney Preston | Presentation is Everything | FRINGEWORLD 2023

Sweeney Preston is a stand-up comedian from Melbourne. One half of the duo behind Presentation is Everything, playing this FRINGEWORLD 2023, we caught up with him ahead of the show to find out what it’s all about.

What is your show about?

Presentation is Everything is an hour of fast-paced stand-up comedy that is visually complemented through the medium of Microsoft PowerPoint. We essentially wrote it to be the antidote to every bland lecture, dull pitch and boring presentation you’ve ever had to endure – think company KPI’s, uni group presentations, that sort of thing. Except we don’t have to worry about getting fired!

Favourite part of the show, no spoilers! 

A visit from a very well-known TV personality. We can’t say any more but rest assured, he brings the house down every night!

What do you think people will get out of your show?

Generally people walk away with a newfound appreciation for the tiny regional Victorian town of Maryborough. 

Apart from your show, what other shows would you recommend?

We’re also running a PowerPoint comedy lineup show called The Late Nite PowerPoint Comedy Showcase. We love a theme! 

It’s basically 6 comedians performing 6 different PowerPoints in a first-of-its-kind format on the comedy landscape. 

Describe your show in 3 words:

Cathartic. Airhorns. MicrosoftOffice365.

You can check out Presentation is Everything at Four5Nine Bar until 31st January 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to this FRINGEWORD 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

FRINGEWORLD 2023 | Feeling Way Too Good: Songs of Michael Buble | 4.5 Stars

Review | Brandon Shier

Lisa Woodbrook wants you to know how good she’s feeling. She’s feeling way too good about getting older, about crying, about being single, but she’s especially feeling way too good about performing for you the songbook of everyone’s favourite crooner, Michael Bublé, in her show Feeling Way Too Good: Songs of Michael Bublé. Dressed vibrantly in a pink blazer and pants that match her infectious energy, engaging in playful musings on life, how could the audience not feel way too good as well?

Over the course of an hour, she charmingly channels Bublé, backed by a five-piece band as they perform his original songs such as “Haven’t Met You Yet” and “Everything”, and the songs he’s made famous for a more contemporary audience, such as “Sway” and “Feelin’ Good”, all of which she performs with such easy confidence and a playful swagger. Watching her fit right in with the band but also stand out, you really do get the sense that the self-proclaimed “strong independent woman who can reverse parallel park” is really enjoying herself, effortlessly performing vocal athletics with a smile. Woodbrook is not only a talented performer, she’s also a jovial people-person as she keeps audience interaction to the maximum, encouraging us to sing along like we’re WAAPA students, share with her our pet peeves, and just to sway our hands in the air as she sings the more romantic of Bublé’s catalogue. Preceding each song is a hilarious anecdote relating to the song she’s about to sing, for example, bragging about her Frequent Flyer points before taking off with “Come Fly With Me” (pun absolutely intended).

The hour flies by, and could easily go for another (this reviewer wishes she threw in a couple of Bublé’s Christmas carols into the setlist, time of year be damned!), yet the show is flawless, gracefully performed both by Woodbrook and her band, and really will leave you feeling way too good

Go and feel good with Lisa at the State Theatre Centre WA until 29th January 2023. TICKETS

Keep up with The Fourth Wall on Facebook and @fourth_wall_media on Instagram to see what we’re up to this FRINGEWORD 2023.

The Fourth Wall acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we engage in storytelling on – the Wadjhuk people of the Noongar nation. We pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.