FRINGEWORLD 2022 | Bogan Shakespeare Presents: Julius Caesar | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Scene: There is a power vacuum at the top. Pressure is in place to replace all the old leaders with ONE leader in charge of all. There are snags to sizzle, aprons to press, and lowest prices to guarantee. That’s right – Busso Bunnings is promoting Jules Caesar to Manager of Managers! So begins Bogan Shakespeare Presents: Julius Caesar – a clever Aussie rendering of Shakespeare’s classic historical play about power struggles, murder, and bizarrely accurate prophetic visions.

Back for the seventh time, Bogan Shakespeare turns their attention to Caesar – making all the salad jokes from the offset – and shows how it’s really just a universal story. Bussleton Bunnings management sees Jules (Dean Lovatt) a bit gormless but a loveable everyman just trying to be good at his job, taking the plunge into work politics, going for the top job. His co-workers Brutus (Harrison Mitchell) a bit wet between the ears, bloodthirsty Casca (Maiken Kruger), and the ever scheming Cassius (Jess Lally) get wind of this and rather than complain to HR or try to go for the job themselves, they go for a few beers and a whinge and escalate their solution from spitting in his Passiona to stabby stabby no more Jules.

Lovatt’s calm and easy-going style endears him to the audience early on, collective groans amassing because we all know his fate. The Bogan Shakespeare crew have a strong crowd work game. From Lovatt’s knowing glances to Kruger’s hilarious fourth wall break as Caesar’s lover (one scene only), and of course the master of improv and crowd engagement Jess Lally. The knowing looks and hilarious asides from the bitter Cassius are so funny and fresh. Who knew that Julius Caesar would work as a hardware store drama? Of course, everything gets a bit Hunger Games when Antony (Sarah Courtis) discovers Jules’ stabbed corpse and the perpetrators enjoying a victory Tim Tam. After spilling the beans on the murderous crew, the co-workers attack with the lowest priced tools at their disposal. There’s a Ryobi trimmer that needs its battery charged, and gardening guru Costa makes a hilarious cameo but justice is ultimately served with the help of some backyard tiki torches.

Bogan Shakespeare have a clear sense of their audience and have created a brand that hits the mark every time. Whilst I wouldn’t consider much of the language to be bogan per se, there are enough bogan elements to get them over the line. The Bunnings setting lends itself to a heap of gags which are pulled off with a knowing wink and a self aware smile. The entire cast have a great chemistry and it’s a joy to watch them make each other laugh even after doing this for seven years. Bogan Shakespeare Presents: Julius Caesar is a riot from start to finish, it takes a classic play and Aussifies it taking tall poppy syndrome to the ultimate level. As plastered on the walls of the set: We came, we saw, we beat it by ten percent! You’re in for a doozy of a time.

You can catch all the high vis and tools at the STCWA until 29th January 2022. TICKETS

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FRINGEWORLD 2022 | Hello, Asteroid | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

What would you do if it was the end of the world? If you only had an hour left before an asteroid crashes into the earth? Would you visit your loved ones? Rob a bank just to see if you could? Hamish chooses to spend his final hour alone singing to his house plants. It’s not as dire as it sounds, Hamish Pickering is a young piano-based comedian who revels in eccentric songs with hilarious, yet poignant lyrics. He spends his potential final moments of his life reflecting on love, family, hope, and despair – Hello, Asteroid is a warm fuzzy existential crisis performed by a kind-hearted and endearing young man. And the songs are catchy as hell!

Welcome to Hamish’s apartment – it’s full of records, wine, a television, house plants, and his precious piano. There’s also a phone with dwindling battery and no charger, but Hamish does his best to avoid looking at it. You see, he’s sad. Not because of his impending doom but because of his failed romance. The show features gentle audience participation – Hamish gives a pot plant each to various people in the crowd so that his plants can answer his questions. He has a great energy, opening the show with a dance like nobody is watching! A bit of air guitar and a few silly dance moves later and Hamish is ready to get to the crux of the show.

Told through silly ponderings like what happens to your Flybuys when you die, to reflections on what real love means and how you know when it’s the real deal, Hamish approaches everything with a wry smile and depth that belies his youth. It is his ability to tap into a wider collective psyche that cement his songs firmly in your head. That and the fact that they’re brilliantly composed and cheekily performed. Hamish scathingly attacks slow walkers in ‘Move You Slow Walking Bastards’ – a refrain that will stay in your head long after you finish singing along, contemplates love, and even sings a cute yet hilarious musical autobiography. This one hits hard, and even though it’s a self-confessed very silly show, seeing footage of a baby Hamish being nurtured and happy in his family home accompanied by reflections of home elicits a strong emotional response.

Hamish Pickering is an endearing and charming performer. Completely at home behind his piano, his unique brand of musical comedy shines as the whimsical yet touching lyrics of his compositions trip elegantly over the melodies. Hello, Asteroid may be a nihilistic look at missed opportunities, but it is also a beautifully poignant exploration of all the little ponderings one makes throughout everyday, ordinary life. It’s definitely one to watch – especially if there’s nothing else to do before your doom!

You can catch Hello, Asteroid at Subiaco Arts Centre until 22nd January 2022. TICKETS

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FRINGEWORLD 2022 | Impro Musical BangTown! | 4 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Want a banger of an evening with nonstop tunes and sick beats that will get stuck in your head as hilarious earworms? Look no further than Impro Musical BangTown! an evening of improvised music games and parodies culminating in a fully improvised musical. It’s hilarious, they’re quicker than a quick brown fox, and feels a little like a love letter to all things musical theatre. And just in case you think that sounds a bit daggy, rest assured that the three piece band has plenty of street cred they can lend the players!

It’s a pretty simple premise – a three piece band is just jamming away, improvising a bunch of music and then the crew of players burst out onto the scene. Led by Perth improv King, Geordie Crawley the roving line-up then improvise lyrics to the backing track provided. Everything is made up, including the band’s name. These guys are phenomenal improvisers – to come up with something on the spot is hard enough but to think on their feet with music adds a tricky element to the whole shebang. There’s structure to the evening, though starting out with a hilarious rhyming rap game that sees the crew rhyme like it’s a crime!

Then there’s ‘Cell Block Bango’ – a brilliant pisstake of the classic Chicago number. Each player gets a word from the audience and then they unleash their theatrical side with those iconic notes providing a visceral punch. You can tell that these guys love musical theatre and it’s a parody that comes from a place of love. They’re living out their musical theatre geek fantasies and they look cool doing it! Speaking of musical theatre dreams, an entire fully realised musical is performed every night. Yes you read that correctly – from big, sweeping, harmonious, exposition-driven opening number to contemplative ‘I Want’ songs, and questionably sexual group scenes these amazing performers are in their element and it shows.

Impro Musical BangTown! is such a good night out! It celebrates all things musical and ensures that you can’t sit still. The talented improv troupe are razor sharp, and ridiculously musically blessed. It takes a good ear, a keen way with words, and a genius level quick wit combined with a brilliant sense of humour to pull something like this off – Impro Musical BangTown! pulls off the covers and leaves you shivering with delight all night.

You can catch all the improvised music until 25th January 2022. TICKETS

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FRINGEWORLD 2022 | Andrew Silverwood: What’s your Favourite Beanie Baby? | 4.5 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Alright – question of the century – What’s Your Favourite Beanie Baby? Not just an arbitrary FRINGEWORLD 2022 comedy show title, brilliant Brit Andrew Silverwood is genuinely interested – as long as your answer is (spoiler alert) the little brown bat because it can hug the other Beanie Babies. And that, folks is the extent of the Beanie Baby content for the show! Silverwood’s hilariously unique brand of brash observations and personal stories combine in a smashing set of comedy that you’ll still be laughing about long after you’ve left the tent.

Silverwood works the crowd from the outset – standing in line he banters with people over their facial hair, drinks choice and more. He affably greets everyone as they enter the tent, accurately predicting the latecomers. Suitably relaxed, the audience is then treated to opening act Shash Kapur promoting his solo show, From Mumbai With Love. His humour is great, clean and funny, turning racial stereotypes on their head and keeping everyone smiling with his charismatic energy.

There’s no real theme to this show, just hilarious observations – seriously Western Australians are pretty strange when it comes to their cars, unique stories including watching bat migrations from shipping containers in the middle of fields – too specific to be anything but true! Silverwood is at the top of his game with his audience interaction – he takes banter to the next level. From chatting to nurses about what the strangest thing they’ve found up people’s bottoms is (apparently it’s always lightbulbs) to 90s children’s television characters, and even becoming an aging hipster – way too relatable for this Dangerfield clad reviewer! Silverwood’s silver tongue is sharp and quick with a quip, his friendly nature feels like the funny mate regaling you with stories at the pub, and they’re always hilarious.

You can find out what Andrew’s favourite Beanie Baby is at the Pleasure Garden until 30th January 2022. TICKETS

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FRINGEWORLD 2022 | Down Rebound | 4.5 Stars

Review | Laura Money

Meet Simon and Ben. They’re two guys who love to hang out and do acrobatics together. They’re also best friends in complete awe of each other’s talents. Together, they show off their counterpart’s skills with genuine affection and support – it’s more than just physically holding each other up (which they do will great strength) but standing on each other’s shoulders to help them walk taller. It’s also a fun and energetic show filled with great tricks, incredible feats of strength, and brilliant synergy. And did I mention it’s family friendly as well?

Down Rebound is a candid and intimate exploration of the circus genre. It takes the performers’ anxieties, worries, and confidences and weaves them around each of the tricks and skills. Stacked on top of Ben’s shoulders, Simon introduces him with humour, gentle teasing, and humanises his perceived weaknesses. Ben is afraid of injury, or rather concerned that his lifespan as a performer is dwindling. From underneath Simon, Ben introduces his friend – he reveals Simon’s fear that he will not be able to grasp new skills or even upskill and become stagnant. These vulnerabilities are ironically and poignantly expressed while they are both displaying incredible strength and support for one another. This thematic banter continues throughout the show in the form of water breaks where they joke and also get real with each other as if the audience isn’t there.

It turns out that neither performer should worry because they are wonderfully accomplished, phenomenal talents. There are incredible feats of juggling and balance so impressive your jaw will remain firmly planted on the floor for the rest of the show, fantastic handstands that include a lesson in technique, and gravity-defying rope antics. The camaraderie here is inspirational – Simon’s brilliant foray into contemporary circus is buffered by Ben’s hilarious pisstake (painting with a beret) but it’s not rude, there is a lot of love between these two and it’s wonderful to see.

The folks of Down Rebound help each other to do just that – rebound when they’re down. Their open embracing of things going wrong is inspiring, and their honest depiction of circus life only serves to enhance the awe audiences feel watching their amazing skills on show. This show is unmissable, so get yourself out the The Girls School and have a great time with the boys from Down Rebound.

You can catch the boys of Down Rebound at The Girls School until 6th February 2022. TICKETS

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