Fringe Wrap: Thu Feb 25

Wow, these Fringe shows just keep coming, and coming, and coming. And so do our reviews, so check 'em out!

Bart Freebairn – Bart Freebairn In A Breathtakingly Magical Journey Into The Ordinary
Tuxedo Cat, Sun Feb 21

This is Bart Freebairn’s third successive Fringe Festival and he’s starting to make a name for himself. With his brand of thinking mans comedy, Freebairn delivers an entertaining hour full of Daniel Kitson-esque theories and stories. His act focuses on themes of magic and, well, the ordinary. "What exactly is the ordinary?" you may ask. Good question. Ice Magic, porn, mass transit, relationships, Sasquatch, the F-word, death and beard-eating pigeons all get a mention. And what’s a show on magic without a brief Harry Potter reference and the inaccurate douchery behind it? On the whole the show is well constructed and one of the bargains of the Fringe with tickets from just $12. Besides, anyone that can make you go “Aww cute” to a fart joke must be worth a look. Did I mention we all got Splice ice cream at half time? Winner.
Final Word: Pine-Lime.
Sophie Siciliano

Bart Freebairn continues at Tuxedo Cat until Sun Mar 14.

Sound Cinema
The Deli, Mon Feb 22

In spite of all the advances in special effects and cinematic wizardry, there’s something special about old silent classics. Sound Cinema brings the magic of these old times right into the modern, in the awesomely chilled out ‘lounge room’ of The Deli. With these ambient surrounds, the film magic began, though rather than the usual smattering of roaring jazz you find on the DVD versions of such films, we had the absolute pleasure of live remixing, modern music and healthy doses of electronica, with the contrast between modern and classic working brilliantly. The first film of the evening was 1902 French sci-fi classic A Trip To The Moon (Le Voyage Dans La Lune), a humorous rollicking tale. This was followed by Buster Keaton’s brilliant The General from 1927, a hilarious story set in the Civil War. The picture was complemented beautifully (and surprisingly) by the talented Bird Lantern duo on decks. A great idea, and a great show!
Final Word: Brilliant!
Luke Balzan

3xperimentia: Live Cut
Ron Radford Auditorium – Art Gallery of SA, Mon Feb 22

With nary a tall blue alien in sight, I downloaded into my avatar and plunged into the world of 3xperimentia, described as a dynamic 3D stereo live-edit cinema performance combining dance, image, music and interactive digital platforms (3D glasses provided). Each performance is unique as the audience immerses into 3D-stereoscopic visuals, music and sound composed in the moment by the crew using touch-screen technologies. One feels a natural progression for this unique work would be to stimulate other senses in the spectator such as smell and touch. The dance sequences are pre-filmed but I imagine some kind of collaboration with the live dancers interacting with the audience would expand 3xperimentia’s horizons and make it a Pandora of dance performance.
Final Word: Evolution.
Carl Cranstone

3xperimentia: Live Cut continues at Ron Radford Auditorium until Thu Feb 25.

Karmin Suitrout – Let’s Get Mystical
Austral Hotel – The Bunka, Tue Feb 23

Olivia Newton-John has channelled into the Fringe. This is a light-hearted song and dance (including tap) show with video segments and a constantly high kitsch factor. Remember the ‘80s? Glam was the go, well it is still the go for this bouncy ex-aerobics instructress. She’ll ask “Let me here your aura talk”, and proceed to cleanse you. Light, fluffy entertainment without any need for profanity, explicit sexuality or crowd abuse-based comedy. You’ll join interactively and your power will focus to help her in her own therapy and healing. Choreography mixed with aerobics and then sprinkled lightly in robotic yoga technique – your chakras will be unknotted and you’ll leave a little lighter than you arrived.
Final Word: Lycra.
Clayton Werner & Sandy Klose

Let’s Get Mystical continues at Austral Hotel until Sun Feb 28.

One Size Fits All?
Westcare Karpandi Arts Centre, Tue Feb 23

One tragic love song after another, Jayne tells us how she is where she is when what she really wanted was to be famous. All her songs - some originals - were in some way related to an ex who loved her and left her. Twenty-five years since the string of tragic boyfriends started, she has four children and is definitely not famous! Although obviously loving her children, now is her time, and she’s determined to shine! The audience were seated at tables of four, with candles and Haighs chocolates for everyone, so it was an intimate affair. Backed by some great musicians, the young lady who played a number of instruments in particular was fascinating to watch.
Final Word: Tragic.
Bridie Toomer

One Size Fits All? continues at the Westcare Karpandi Arts Centre until Sat Feb 27. 

Last Of The Red Hot Mamas
The Promethean, Tue Feb 23

The songs of Sophie Tucker deserve to be better remembered, so Sidonie Henbest and Matthew Carey deserve applause for breathing new life into them. My memory of Sophie Tucker is only of an older woman, so Sidonie’s sensuous depiction of a younger Sophie was revelatory. Deftly chosen songs were embellished by stories of Sophie’s life. The narrative was a little stagey, consistent with the era, but a more natural approach might have worked better. On this night the show lost momentum by having an overlong interval, so the second half struggled to build on the promise of the first. But by the end of the show we had heard some great songs and learnt a good deal about this rather amazing woman.
Final Word: Sizzling.
Adrian Miller

Last Of The Red Hot Mamas continues at The Promethean and then La Boheme until Mon Mar 8.

The Small Poppies Don’t Care (That The End Of The World Is Nigh)
Holden St Theatres, Tue Feb 23

The end is nigh; politico-social commentary, humorous exploration of Armageddon. Not for those with PTSD. A deadpan newsreader reports: stock exchange at a standstill as people realise money is no use when you’re dead. As the countdown ticks over Chinese leaders reconsider plans for world domination, converting to Buddhism. Spoilt, narcissistic white-trash enhance their karma. Meet Obama, Julia Gillard, the Grim Reaper, Bono, Russian cosmonauts, suicide bombers, three horny students and a couple of happy hicks. Chronically silly, at times a little bit lame, but cute and quirky. Listen to their funny Sex song at <youtube.com/thesmallpoppies>. Well done to this crew of young thespians. Loud, brave, activist. Co-written by Adam Brodie-McKenzie, Andrew Nichols and Caitlin Croucher. Go see it!
Final Word: Pertinent.
Kimberley Mann & Angie Starr

The Small Poppies continues at Holden St Theatres until Sun Mar 14.

How To Be A Lady
Austral Hotel - The Bunka, Tue Feb 23

This curious piece begins by going down a well-known track made popular by Pygmalion, My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman. The attempted conversion to a life where being with a man equals a life of dignity and meaning takes place as a solo experience with an imaginary male (in the form of a dildo) in the privacy of a bedroom, and ends in despair. Eventually our subject realises that she has all she needs to make her happy – sexually at least. The mouthed rather than spoken dialogue is a little irritating at first but it worked for me in the end. Performed against a backdrop of appropriately chosen popular songs this show is quite bawdy… and entertaining.
Final Word: Admirable.
Michael Coghlan

How To Be A Lady continues at Austral Hotel until Sun Mar 14.

Mada Vs Vegas – The Dueling Magicians
Bakehouse Theatre, Tue Feb 23

Good magic is always a winner. Add an intense musical soundtrack, projected images of magic from the old days, and a simple engaging plot and you have theatre that satisfies all the senses. The Dueling Magicians attempt to settle old scores with a face-off to see who can come up with the best tricks. Non-competitive interludes from one of Australia’s few female magicians, Julia Madotti, add colour, balance and a touch of vaudeville. The possibility of you being part of the audience participation keeps everyone on their toes in a fast moving and slick performance that is simply great entertainment.
Final Word: Magical!
Michael Coghlan

The Dueling Magicans continues at the Bakehouse Theatre until Sat Feb 27.

Sargasm
Rhino Room, Tue Feb 23

If you’re interested to find out how a former journalist turned “alcoholic skin head” plans on running in the next state election and winning, then you’re in for a treat. While Brooks enjoys explaining how “opening a can of sarcasm” can solve many of the world’s great problems, it is not until he unveils a mastermind plan involving bogans and space Toranas that you are able to grasp how truly genius he is. Brooks leaves no stone unturned, covering topics ranging from his ideas about how to get Adelaide’s famous pandas to mate, to keeping space junk to a minimum. He leaves us with a well-crafted animation that pieces everything together. I say, vote 1 Jon Brooks.
Final Word: Educational.
Sarah Mena

Sargasm continues at Rhino Room until Sat Feb 27.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER!